Patent ID: 7744641

Claim:
A stent formed from a single piece of material, the stent comprising a plurality of serpentine bands, adjacent serpentine bands connected by connectors, wherein the plurality of serpentine bands includes a first serpentine band and a second serpentine band, wherein a first connector connects at a first end to the first serpentine band and connects at a second end to the second serpentine band, and a second connector connects at a first end to the first serpentine band and connects at a second end to the second serpentine band, wherein the first connector and the second connector overlap in a radial direction of the stent when the stent is expanded and includes curvature along a longitudinal axis; wherein at least one serpentine band forms a continuous closed loop about the longitudinal axis; wherein the first connector and the second connector do not overlap in a radial direction of the stent when the stent is expanded and does not include curvature along the longitudinal axis.