Patent ID: 7291154

Claim:
A method of manufacturing an actuator system for acting upon a blockage in a vessel of a vascular system, comprising the steps of: providing a catheter adapted to be moved through the vessel to the blockage, providing an optical fiber with a distal end, said optical fiber adapted to be carried by said catheter, providing a diffusing chamber connected to said distal end of said optical fiber, processing a shape memory polymer material so that it will expand into a somewhat umbrella shape upon being activated and act on the blockage, operatively connecting said shape memory polymer material to said distal end of said optical fiber and to said diffusing chamber, providing an optical source that provides light energy through said optical fiber to said diffusing chamber and to said shape memory polymer material to activate said shape memory polymer material so that it will expand into a somewhat umbrella shape and act on the blockage, and connecting said optical source to said optical fiber to provide light energy through said optical fiber to said diffusing chamber and to said shape memory polymer material to activate said shape memory polymer material so that it will expand into a somewhat umbrella shape and act on the blockage.