Patent ID: 11957349
Assignee: CILAG GMBH INTERNATIONAL
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A | IPC A

Claim 14:
15. An apparatus comprising:
(a) a plurality of links; and
(b) a plurality of beads interconnected together using the plurality of links and configured to be arranged in an annular arrangement, wherein each bead of the plurality of beads includes at least one magnet configured to emit a magnetic field, wherein the annular arrangement is sized and configured to form a loop around an anatomical structure in a patient, wherein the loop configured to move between a contracted configuration where adjacent beads of the plurality of beads are in contact, and an expanded configuration where the adjacent beads are spaced apart, wherein the loop in the contracted configuration is configured to prevent fluid flow through the anatomical structure, wherein the loop in the expanded configuration is configured to permit fluid flow through the anatomical structure, wherein the magnets are configured to magnetically bias the loop toward the contracted configuration,
wherein adjacent magnetic fields of adjacent magnets of the adjacent beads are configured to interact until separated past a minimum threshold in response to the annular arrangement moving from the contracted configuration to the expanded configuration, wherein the minimum threshold is at least about half of a contracted width of the magnetic field of the magnets of the adjacent beads in the contracted configuration,
wherein the magnetic field between the adjacent beads in the contracted configuration is between about 1.5 to about 4 times greater than the magnetic field between the adjacent beads in the expanded configuration.