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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8177927 | Method of making shape memory alloy articles with improved fatigue performance A method of making articles made of shape memory alloys having improved fatigue performance and to methods of treating articles formed from shape memory alloy materials by pre-straining the articles (or desired portions of the articles) in a controlled manner so tha... | 05/15/2012 |
| 8137486 | Proximally self-locking long bone prosthesis A method for arthroplasty includes using a self-locking prosthesis that has a member structured to transfer a load produced by the weight of a patient to a bone. An expandable bone-locking portion that is integral to the member includes a shape-memory material and e... | 03/20/2012 |
| 8118952 | Osteosynthetic implants and methods of use and manufacture Bone fracture fixation devices, systems and methods of use and manufacture are provided. One such bone fixation device includes an elongate element having a responsive zone. The element is adapted to be coupled to the bone so that the responsive zone is positioned a... | 02/21/2012 |
| 8007605 | Method of forming a non-circular stent A method for manufacturing a stent, includes the steps of winding stent wire around the outer surface of a longitudinal axis of a mandrel into a desired final shape that is polygonal in an elevation orthogonal to the longitudinal axis, and forming a stent by setting... | 08/30/2011 |
| 7976648 | Heat treatment for cold worked nitinol to impart a shape setting capability without eventually developing stress-induced martensite Cold worked nickel-titanium alloys that have linear pseudoelastic behavior without a phase transformation or onset of stress-induced martensite as applied to a medical device having a strut formed body deployed from a sheath. In one application, an embolic protectio... | 07/12/2011 |
| 7955449 | Process for inducing a two-way shape memory effect in a device formed of a shape memory alloy and a device made by the process A process for inducing a two-way shape memory effect in a device forward of a shape memory alloy and a device made by the process are disclosed. The two-way memory effect occurs in the device in a temperature range of between about 5° C. to 25° C. wherein the trai... | 06/07/2011 |
| 7947135 | Proximally self-locking long bone prosthesis A method for arthroplasty includes using a self-locking prosthesis that has a member structured to transfer a load produced by the weight of a patient to a bone. An expandable bone-locking portion that is integral to the member includes a shape-memory material and e... | 05/24/2011 |
| 7901525 | Method of forming a non-circular stent A method for manufacturing a stent, includes the steps of winding stent wire around the outer surface of a longitudinal axis of a mandrel into a desired final shape that is polygonal in an elevation orthogonal to the longitudinal axis, and forming a stent by setting... | 03/08/2011 |
| 7901524 | Actuation concepts for variable stiffness materials Apparatus and associated methods for actuating variable stiffness material (VSM) structures and achieving deformation of the structures. The apparatus and the associated methods use internal embedded actuation elements and/or externally attached elements to the VSM ... | 03/08/2011 |
| 7854810 | Methods for manufacturing a clip and clip The present invention relates to a method of making clips which can be used to engage body tissue for the purpose of closing wounds. Such clips are generally annular in shape and have radially inwardly extending tines. The present invention first forms a precursor w... | 12/21/2010 |
| 7850797 | Methods for manufacturing a clip and clip The present invention relates to a method of making clips which can be used to engage body tissue for the purpose of closing wounds. Such clips are generally annular in shape and have radially inwardly extending tines. The present invention first forms a precursor w... | 12/14/2010 |
| 7828916 | Methods of crimping expandable medical devices Disclosed are methods for crimping a medical device, such as a stent, wherein the medical device is formed of a superelastic alloy. A method for crimping a medical device includes cooling the stent until the alloy becomes martensitic, allowing the stent to warm afte... | 11/09/2010 |
| 7789979 | Shape memory alloy articles with improved fatigue performance and methods therefor Articles made of shape memory alloys having improved fatigue performance and to methods of treating articles formed from shape memory alloy materials by pre-straining the articles (or desired portions of the articles) in a controlled manner so that the resultant art... | 09/07/2010 |
| 7648599 | Method of preparing nickel titanium alloy for use in manufacturing instruments with improved fatigue resistance A method of treating Nitinol to train the structure thereof to remain in the martensite state, including the steps of subjecting the Nitinol to a strain and while subjected to the strain, thermally cycling the Nitinol between a cold bath of about 0° C. to 10° C. a... | 01/19/2010 |
| 7563334 | Two-way shape memory surfaces A method for forming a two-way shape memory surface includes thermomechanically training a shape memory alloy under substantially constant indentation strain. Thermomechanical training includes removeably securing an indenter to a surface of the shape memory alloy i... | 07/21/2009 |
| 7547367 | Method for producing magnetically active shape memory metal alloy The invention relates to a method for producing magnetically active shape memory metal alloy, said metal alloy containing nickel, manganese and gallium. In the method, the different components of the metal alloy are melted, and the melt is homogenized essentially at... | 06/16/2009 |
| 7413622 | Method of training nitinol wire A method of coating a pre-formed trainable material, such as nitinol wire, with a heat resistant substance, heat treating, and cooling to form a desired shape. The substance can be removed by various methods after heat treatment, depending upon the composition of th... | 08/19/2008 |
| 7393595 | Composite comprising a metal or alloy and a shape memory alloy A composite element comprises:(a) a metal or metal alloy component having an elastic modulus that decreases with increasing temperature in a temperature range; and (b) sufficient amount of a shape memory alloy component having an elastic modulus that shows an increa... | 07/01/2008 |
| 7367186 | Wireless technique for microactivation The present invention is a method and apparatus for achieving high work output per unit volume in micro-robotic actuators, and in particular TiNi actuators. Such actuators are attractive as a means of powering nano-robotic movement, and are being developed for manip... | 05/06/2008 |
| 7364513 | Golf club head with inserts for impact face A striking face for golf clubs, such as a driver, iron or putter comprising a plurality of bars retained in the club head body and forming the striking surface. The bars which comprise the striking face according to the invention may be designed and arranged to prov... | 04/29/2008 |
| 7354267 | Tubular orthodontic arch wire A length of tubular material of unitary construction is formed into the approximate shape of a human dental arch for use as an orthodontic arch wire. The tubular material is composed of a super-elastic nickel titanium alloy which may also have shape memory. The cros... | 04/08/2008 |
| 7335426 | High strength vacuum deposited nitinol alloy films and method of making same A vacuum deposition method for fabricating high-strength nitinol films by sputter depositing nickel and titanium from a heated sputtering target, and controlling the sputter deposition process parameters in order to create high-strength nitinol films that exhibit sh... | 02/26/2008 |
| 7320570 | Set screw with NiTi tip A set screw includes a threaded body having a hole defined therein, wherein the hole is situated along an axis of the threaded body. The set screw also includes a super-elastic alloy insert, such as a nickel-titanium alloy (NiTi) insert, partially received and secur... | 01/22/2008 |
| 7316753 | Coherent nanodispersion-strengthened shape-memory alloys High-strength, low-hysteresis TiNi-based shape-memory alloys (SMAS) employing fully coherent low-misfit nanoscale precipitates, wherein the precipitate phase is based on an optimized composition for high parent-phase strength and martensite phase stability, and comp... | 01/08/2008 |
| 7309104 | Shape memory polymer seat assemblies A seat assembly includes a seat fabric, wherein at least a portion of the seat fabric comprises a yarn comprising a shape memory polymer adapted to undergo a change in a modulus of elasticity at a thermal transition temperature; a support material upon which the sea... | 12/18/2007 |
| 7306683 | Shape memory material and method of making the same The present invention relates generally to a shape memory and/or super-elastic material, such as a nickel titanium alloy. Additionally or alternatively, the present invention relates to a super-elastic or pseudo-elastic material that has an initial transition temper... | 12/11/2007 |
| 7300457 | Self-supporting metallic implantable grafts, compliant implantable medical devices and methods of making same Implantable medical grafts fabricated of metallic or pseudometallic films of biocompatible materials having a plurality of microperforations passing through the film in a pattern that imparts fabric-like qualities to the graft or permits the geometric deformation of... | 11/27/2007 |
| 7288326 | Active energy absorbing cellular metals and method of manufacturing and using the same Multifunctional cellular metals (or other materials) for structural applications that are capable of recovering their original (undeformed) shape and thickness after impact or crushing (i.e., self-healing). Alternatively, they may normally be stored or used in their... | 10/30/2007 |
| 7258753 | Superelastic guiding member An improved guiding member for use within a body lumen having a unique combination of superelastic characteristics. The superelastic alloy material has a composition consisting of about 30% to about 52% (atomic) titanium, and about 38% to 52% nickel and may have one... | 08/21/2007 |
| 7253219 | Functional composite material using shape memory alloy and production method therefor A functional composite material characterized by being molded by solidifying by a resin base material a martensite-phase shape memory alloy wire produced by cold drawing a shape memory alloy which changes between an austenite phase and a martensite phase via a phase... | 08/07/2007 |
| 7243408 | Process method for attaching radio opaque markers to shape memory stent A process comprising the steps of providing a precursor for an implantable medical device, at least a portion of the precursor made of a shape memory material, the shape memory material having a receptacle for receiving a marker therein, the shape memory material ha... | 07/17/2007 |
| 7244319 | Superelastic guiding member An improved guiding member for use within a body lumen having a unique combination of superelastic characteristics. The superelastic alloy material has a composition consisting of about 30% to about 52% (atomic) titanium, and about 38% to 52% nickel and may have one... | 07/17/2007 |
| 7210313 | Release mechanism for a bangle A bangle includes first and second bangle members, each having a proximal end and a distal end. The distal end of the first bangle member is pivotally connected to the distal end of the second bangle member to permit relative movement between the first and second ba... | 05/01/2007 |
| 7195681 | Cu—Zn—Al(6%) shape memory alloy with low martensitic temperature and a process for its manufacture The present invention provides for Cu—Zn—Al(6%) alloy and an improved process to lower the martensitic transformation temperature, by a low temperature re-betatising treatment from 110° C. to 30° C. i.e. a lowering of 80° C. wherein previously high temperatur... | 03/27/2007 |
| 7195641 | Valvular prostheses having metal or pseudometallic construction and methods of manufacture This invention relates to improvements in prosthetic cardiac and venous valves and implantable medical devices having moveable septa. The inventive prosthetic cardiac and venous valves have metallic or pseudometallic valves coupled to metallic or pseudometallic sten... | 03/27/2007 |
| 7192496 | Methods of processing nickel-titanium alloys Embodiments of the present invention provide methods of processing nickel-titanium alloys including from greater than 50 up to 55 atomic percent nickel to provide a desired austenite transformation temperature and/or austenite transformation temperature range. In on... | 03/20/2007 |
| 7169118 | Elongate medical device with distal cap Elongate medical devices such as guidewires can be formed from a core wire and a preformed distal cap that is configured to fit over a distal end of the core wire. The distal cap can be attached using a variety of techniques. In particular, the distal cap can be att... | 01/30/2007 |
| 7128758 | Austenitic nitinol medical devices A medical device for use within a body lumen that is made from a binary nickel-titanium alloy that remains in its austenitic phase throughout its operational range is disclosed. The medical device, such as an intraluminal stent, is made from superelastic nickel-tita... | 10/31/2006 |
| 7124493 | Method of manufacturing a cardiac harness A cardiac harness for treating congestive heart failure is disclosed. The harness applies elastic, compressive reinforcement on the left ventricle to reduce deleterious wall tension and to resist shape change of the ventricle during the mechanical cardiac cycle. Rat... | 10/24/2006 |
| 7117703 | Wire-stranded hollow coil body, a medical equipment made therefrom and a method of making the same A wire-stranded hollow coil body (1) has a multitude of coil line elements (2) stranded along a predetermined circular line to form a flexible wire tube having a central axial hollow portion (3), the flexible wire tube is stranded under a strand... | 10/10/2006 |
