Patent ID: 7479158

Claim:
A stent comprising: two serpentine bands; at least one first connector; and at least one second connector; the first and second connectors connecting the two serpentine bands together; the first connector and the second each having at least a first portion of a first curvature and a second portion of a second curvature, the second portion being more flexible than the first portion, wherein the first and second connector are adjacent one another and the second portion of the first connector nests within the first portion of the second connector and the second portion of the second connector nests within the first portion of the first connector wherein each serpentine band has a magnitude, the magnitude being the longitudinal distance from the proximal most portion of a serpentine band to the distal most portion of the same serpentine band, the connector having a first end connected to a first serpentine band and a second end connected to a second serpentine band, the distance between the first and second ends of the connector exceeding the sum of the magnitudes of the two serpentine bands and the length of the second connector exceeds the combined length of the magnitudes of the two serpentine bands.