Patent ID: 8236221

Claim:
A method of making a non-compliant fiber-reinforced medical balloon that may be inflated and deflated, and when inflated exhibits minimal change in radial distension across a predetermined range of internal pressures, the balloon having a generally cylindrical barrel wall disposed between tapered cone walls and cylindrical neck walls extending therefrom along a longitudinal axis, the method comprising: providing a first fiber layer in a pattern corresponding to the generally cylindrical barrel wall, tapered cone walls and cylindrical neck walls, wherein the fibers of the first fiber layer extend substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the balloon, the fibers of the first fiber layer having a pattern of different lengths and being divisible into a first group and a second group based on length wherein each fiber of the first group begins in the neck wall at one end of the balloon, and extends continuously in the longitudinal direction and terminates in the neck wall at the opposite end of the balloon and wherein each fiber of the second group begins in the cone wall at one end of the balloon and extends continuously in the longitudinal direction and terminating in the cone wall at the opposite end of the balloon; wherein the length of the fibers of the second group varies progressively in accordance to their proximity to the fibers of the first group, the fibers of the second group closest to the fibers of the first group being longer than the fibers of the second group further from the fibers of the first group; and bonding the first fiber layer in a continuous matrix of thermally-weldable polymer material using a thermal welding process to at least partially form the generally cylindrical barrel wall, tapered cone walls and cylindrical neck walls of the medical balloon.