Patent ID: 7905900

Claim:
An apparatus for delivering a closure element to an opening formed in a body lumen or body tissue, comprising: a closure element; a locator assembly having a distal end region configured to extend through tissue into said opening and to selectably engage said body lumen adjacent to said opening; and a carrier assembly being slidably coupled with said locator assembly, said carrier assembly having a carrier member supporting said closure element and a cover member retaining said closure element within said carrier assembly, said cover member having a distal end region formed with one or more longitudinal extensions that extend substantially radially inwardly and that are expandable radially outwardly as said closure element is moved distally for deployment, said carrier assembly being adapted for receiving said closure element, transitioning said closure element from a natural, substantially planar configuration to a substantially tubular configuration, and restraining said closure element substantially within said carrier assembly until said one or more longitudinal extensions formed at said distal end region expand radially outwardly as said closure element is moved distally, a distal end region of said carrier assembly being positionable through said tissue adjacent to said opening and being configured to distally deploy said closure element such that said closure element substantially uniformly expands to a cross-section that is greater than a natural cross-section of said closure element, wherein said closure element is configured to engage said tissue when deployed and to return to said natural, substantially planar configuration and said natural cross-section such that said tissue is drawn substantially closed, wherein said carrier member further is adapted for receiving said closure element such that said closure element transitions from said natural, substantially planar configuration to said substantially tubular configuration and a pusher member for distally deploying said closure element, said carrier member, said pusher member, and said cover member being slidably coupled, and wherein said one or more longitudinal extensions extend distally, at least partially closing a lumen defined by said cover member, and being configured to expand radially as a distal end region of said carrier member at least partially extends distally from said lumen defined by said cover member.