Patent ID: 8215149

Claim:
A crimping assembly for reducing the diameter of a medical device, comprising: a pair of spaced end plates; a pair of spaced drive plates, each rotatably associated with one of the end plates about a rotational axis thereof; a plurality of blades disposed between the drive plates and disposed about the rotational axis; each blade having a first end section and an opposed second end section, each end section being pivotally coupled to the respective drive plates; and each blade having a proximal edge and a distal edge, and a tapered portion adjacent to the distal edge, the distal edge being parallel to the rotational axis, wherein a first side and a second side of the tapered portion of each blade are arranged in slidable contact with a second side and a first side, respectively, of the tapered portion of an adjacent blade such that the distal edge portions collectively form an iris, said iris defining a crimp aperture.