Patent ID: 7914574

Claim:
A slide-and-lock stent, comprising: a tubular member that is expandable from a first diameter to a second diameter; the tubular member comprising a first circumferential section and a second circumferential section with said circumferential sections being longitudinally arranged; a flexible linkage section connecting said circumferential sections; each of the circumferential sections comprising a first structural element and a second structural element with the corresponding structural elements of each circumferential section being radially connected by a slidable articulating mechanism, the first structural element comprising a longitudinally spaced pair of ribs that converge to form a single rib, the first structural element comprising first and second layers of material defining a slot therebetween, the slot extending along the pair of ribs, the first layer of material comprising a plurality of deflectable structures extending upwardly from the first layer of material into the slot, the second structural element comprising a single rib positionable between the pair of ribs of the first structural element, the single rib of the second structural element having a pair of wings configured to pass through the slots formed in the pair of ribs of the first structural element to engage the deflectable structures thereof and permit one-way sliding between the corresponding first and second structural elements during expansion of the stent.