Patent ID: 7225518

Claim:
A system for reducing the cross-sectional surface area of a stent assembly comprising: a stent contracting assembly, the stent contracting assembly comprising a plurality of moveable contracting members, each of the contracting members having a predetermined shape, at least one of the contracting members having a different predetermined shape than the predetermined shape of each of the other contracting members, the plurality of contracting members defining a cross-sectional surface area reduction chamber, the chamber having a reduced cross-sectional surface area configuration and a pre-reduction cross-sectional surface area configuration, the contracting assembly constructed and arranged to receive at least a portion of a stent assembly into the chamber, wherein when the chamber is in the pre-reduction cross-sectional surface area configuration the at least a portion of the stent assembly has a first cross-sectional surface area and when the chamber is in the reduced cross-sectional surface area configuration the at least a portion of the stent assembly has a second cross-sectional surface area, the second cross-sectional surface area being less than the first cross-sectional surface area; and a first mandrel, a portion of the first mandrel constructed and arranged to be positioned within the cross-sectional surface area reduction chamber, a first portion of the stent assembly disposed about the portion of the first mandrel; a second mandrel, a portion of the second mandrel constructed and arranged to be positioned within the cross-sectional surface area reduction chamber, a second portion of the stent assembly disposed about the portion of the second mandrel.