Patent ID: 8298279

Claim:
A stent comprising: a plurality of cylindrical rings coupled together to form a tube having a longitudinal axis and a circumference, wherein the tube includes a radially compressed configuration having a first diameter and a locked-out configuration having a second diameter larger than the first diameter, wherein at least one cylindrical ring is formed at least partially by: a first arm, a second arm, and an elbow coupling the first arm and the second arm, wherein the combination of the first arm, the second arm, and the elbow extends generally circumferentially when the tube is in the locked-out configuration; wherein, in the radially compressed configuration, an angle between the first arm and the second arm is less than 180 degrees and a gap is formed between a first end of the first arm coupled to the elbow and a second end of the second arm coupled to the elbow, and wherein, in the locked-out configuration, the angle is more than 180 degrees and the gap is closed to resist radial compressive forces acting on the stent.