Patent ID: 7105013

Claim:
A balloon catheter assembly, comprising: a) a balloon catheter having an elongated shaft with an inner lumen, and having a balloon on a distal shaft section with an interior in fluid communication with the inner lumen, the balloon having a length, an noninflated configuration with an outer diameter for introduction into a patient=s body lumen, and an inflated configuration; b) a drug delivery stent mounted on the balloon; and c) a protector sleeve assembly, removably disposed on at least the balloon and over the drug delivery stent prior to introduction of the catheter in the body lumen, comprising: i) an inner sleeve having a relaxed configuration with an inner diameter greater than the outer diameter of the noninflated balloon, and a radially collapsed configuration with an inner diameter less than the relaxed inner diameter, wherein an inner surface of the inner sleeve in the relaxed configuration is radially spaced apart from the noninflated balloon so that the inner sleeve can be positioned around the noninflated balloon without contacting the balloon or the drug delivery stent thereon; and ii) an outer sleeve on at least a portion of the inner sleeve, having a length, and a tapered first section with an inner diameter tapering towards a nontapered second section, the nontapered second section having a substantially uniform inner diameter less than an outer diameter of the relaxed inner sleeve and configured to hold the inner sleeve in the collapsed configuration, so that the inner sleeve is in the collapsed configuration with the outer sleeve nontapered section thereon and in the relaxed configuration with the outer sleeve removed therefrom, and so that the inner sleeve transforms from the relaxed configuration to the collapsed configuration without decreasing the diameter of the non-inflated balloon.