Patent ID: 7198675

Claim:
A stent support for supporting a stent during the application of a coating composition to the stent, comprising: a hollow tubular member configured to be inserted into a longitudinal bore of a stent; a rod extending through the tubular member; and a mechanism to cause the tubular member to expand and retract to support the stent during the application of a coating composition to the stent, wherein one end of the tubular member is attached to the rod and an opposing end of the tubular member is capable of being pushed by the mechanism towards the end of the tubular member attached to the rod, the mechanism being configured to push the opposing end of the tubular member to cause the tubular member to be laterally compressed and expand outwardly to engage an inner surface of the stent wherein the hollow tubular member is attached to the rod so as to define an enclosed space between the rod and the tubular member in which a fluid or gas can be supplied and contained, and wherein the mechanism comprises a pump for supplying a fluid or a gas into the space to expand the tubular member.