Patent ID: 7980289

Claim:
A method of making an endoluminal stent comprising the steps of: a. Providing a generally cylindrical substrate pre-patterned with geometries of a plurality of circumferential expansion elements and geometries of a plurality of linear interconnecting elements, i. the plurality of circumferential expansion elements co-axially spaced to form a generally tubular configuration and each having an undulating pattern of peaks and valleys interconnected by generally linear struts, wherein the struts are interconnected at the peaks and valleys by hinge elements, ii. the plurality of linear interconnecting elements interconnecting adjacent pairs of circumferential elements and joined at approximate mid-points of the adjacent struts along a longitudinal axis of the endoluminal stent, the linear interconnecting elements having curvilinear first and second terminal sections, each section of the first and second terminal section having a narrower width than a width of the linear interconnecting elements; b. placing stent-forming material onto the generally cylindrical substrate; and c. releasing the stent-forming material from the substrate.