Patent ID: 8172894

Claim:
A stent being expandable from a collapsed state to an expanded state, the stent comprising a tubular member having longitudinal and circumferential axes, the tubular member comprising at least one linkage section comprising: first and second structural elements each having first and second ends, the first end of the first structural element being positioned adjacent to the first end of the second structural element, the structural elements being disposed along the circumferential axis of the tubular member, the first structural element comprising an engagement section; and an articulating member having first and second ends, the first end of the articulating member being connected to the second structural element with the articulating member extending therefrom toward the engagement section of the first structural element, the articulating member creating a toothed engagement with the engagement section for providing one-way movement of the articulating member relative to the engagement section upon angular movement of the first structural element relative to the second structural element; wherein the first structural element and the second structural element are in a collapsed configuration when the stent is in the unexpanded state, the first structural element and the second structural element moving toward an expanded configuration upon movement of the first structural element with respect to the second structural element thereby expanding the stent to the expanded state, the one-way movement of the articulating member relative to the engagement section maintaining a given spacing between the first and second structural elements in order to prevent collapse of the stent to the collapsed state upon being expanded to the expanded state.