Patent ID: 7632300

Claim:
A stent comprising: a reticulated tube having an undeployed diameter and an enlarged diameter, wherein the tube comprises a structural beam between a first end of the tube and a second end of the tube, said structural beam extending substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the tube in the undeployed diameter and the enlarged diameter, wherein the structural beam comprises: (a) a first longitudinal element and second longitudinal element extending substantially parallel to one another, said first and second longitudinal elements having an undulating pattern that defines a plurality of peaks and valleys extending at least partially between the first and second ends of the tube, each of the peaks and valleys being a semicircular arcuate segment and being separated by substantially parallel segments, the peaks having a width that is smaller than the width of the substantially parallel segments; and (b) a slot between the first and the second longitudinal elements, wherein the width of the slot remains substantially unchanged as the tube expands from the undeployed diameter to the expanded diameter and wherein the structural beam changes from a first geometry to a second geometry when the tube changes from the undeployed diameter to the enlarged diameter.