Patent ID: 8795254

Claim:
A medical device, comprising: an elongate tubular member including a first circumferential tube segment, a second circumferential tube segment disposed next to the first circumferential tube segment, and a third circumferential tube segment disposed next to the second circumferential tube segment; wherein the first tube segment and the second tube segment are separated by a first pair of opposed slots both formed in the tubular member at a first longitudinal position along the tubular member; wherein the second tube segment and the third tube segment are separated by a second pair of opposed slots both formed in the tubular member at a second longitudinal position along the tubular member; wherein each of the slots includes a first rounded region having a first width, a second rounded region having a second width the same as the first width, and a middle region between the first rounded region and the second rounded region having a third width smaller than the first width; wherein the second tube segment is connected to the first tube segment with a proximally-extending beam having a first longitudinal axis and being formed in the tubular member; wherein the second tube segment is also connected to the third tube segment with a distally-extending beam having a second longitudinal axis and being formed in the tubular member, wherein the first and second longitudinal axes are circumferentially offset from each other and wherein each of the first and second longitudinal axes intersects at least one beam and at least one slot; wherein a ring is defined in the second tube segment between the proximally-extending beam and the distally-extending beam; and wherein the ring has a first portion with a first width, a second portion with a second width different from the first width, and a third portion with a third width that is the same as the first width.