Patent ID: 11957352
Assignee: CILAG GMBH INTERNATIONAL
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A | IPC A

Claim 14:
15. An apparatus comprising:
(a) at least one link; and
(b) a plurality of beads joined using the at least one link and configured to be arranged in an annular arrangement, wherein the plurality of beads include at least first, second, and third beads, wherein each of the plurality of beads includes at least one magnet, wherein the annular arrangement is sized and configured to form a loop around an anatomical structure in a patient, wherein the loop is configured to move between a contracted configuration and an expanded configuration, 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 beads of the plurality of beads are magnetically attracted together at a plurality of magnetic interfaces comprising:
(i) a first magnetic interface between the first bead and the second bead having a first magnetic field strength,
(ii) a second magnetic interface between the second bead and the third bead having a second magnetic field strength that is less than the first magnetic field strength so that the beads forming the second interface are configured to separate prior to the beads forming the first interface when the loop moves from the contracted configuration to the expanded configuration, wherein at least one of the second or third beads includes an outer coating, wherein the outer coating is configured to reduce the second magnetic field strength relative to the first magnetic field strength,
(iii) a third magnetic interface having the first magnetic field strength, wherein the first and third magnetic interfaces are angularly spaced apart from each other around the annular arrangement, and
(iv) a fourth magnetic interface having the second magnetic field strength, wherein the second and fourth magnetic interfaces are angularly spaced apart from each other around the annular arrangement.