Patent ID: 8828073

Claim:
A method for removal of an object located within an anatomical pathway of a blood circulatory system of a body with a catheter, the method comprising: introducing a distal end of the catheter into the blood circulatory system in which the object is located, the catheter having a lumen with a distal opening; navigating the distal end of the catheter within the anatomical pathway to a location that is proximal of the location of the object; deploying a receiving socket on the distal end of the catheter, the deployed receiving socket having a surface that is inwardly sloped toward the lumen, the deployed receiving socket comprising: a plurality of polymer arms, each polymer arm having a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end of each polymer arm attached to the catheter, each polymer arm hinging at the proximal end while the distal end of each polymer arm projects outward upon deployment of the receiving socket; and flexible polymer material connecting the plurality of polymer arms; engaging the object with the surface of the deployed receiving socket distally of the distal opening of the lumen, the object having an outer profile; moving the object through the deployed receiving socket and into the lumen such that the object is moved wholly into the lumen, the outer profile of the object being reduced distally of the distal opening as the object engages the surface of the deployed receiving socket and moves through the deployed receiving socket; and removing the object from the body within the lumen.