Patent ID: 7828832

Claim:
An apparatus for intravascular delivery of a device, comprising: a tubular portion, having a proximal end and a distal end, said tubular portion including a first receiving portion within which may be held a device to be intravascularly delivered and a second portion through which a manipulator may be provided; and a manipulator extendable along the second portion of said tubular portion, said manipulator having a uniform outer diameter and an inner diameter and including a first manipulator region extendable along the second region of said tubular portion, a second manipulator portion, having a different resistance to bending than said first portion of said manipulator, disposable adjacent to the first portion of said tubular portion and a third portion, having a different resistance to bending than that of said first portion and said second portion, each of said first region, said second region and said third region comprised of a plurality of opposed crescent shaped slots having a partial circumferential inner wall and co-planer bases on opposed sides of said partial circumferential inner wall, such that no slot extends into said inner diameter of said manipulator and a continuous inner diameter sleeve portion is provided over the length of said manipulator at least through said first, second and third regions and the slots of said first region have a substantially equal depth said slots in said second region have a different, substantially equal depth as compared to those in said first region and said slots in said third region have a substantially equal depth different than said slots in said first and second regions, such that each of said first region, said second region and said third regions have different resistances to bending the resistance to bending of each region being distinct from any other region, and uniform over the span of the slots in said region.