Patent ID: 8500792

Claim:
A delivery system for delivering and deploying stents having proximal and distal apices, the delivery system, comprising: a guidewire lumen having a proximal end, a distal end and an interior extending along a longitudinal axis; a distal apex release lumen having a proximal end, a distal end and being slidably disposed about said guidewire lumen; a proximal apex release lumen having a distal end and being slidably disposed about said distal apex release lumen; a distal apex capture device, including, a first distal capture portion fixedly connected to said distal end of said guidewire lumen, said first distal capture portion having, a first distal portion with a first proximal end, and a first proximal stopper having a distal side disposed in a plane approximately perpendicular to said longitudinal axis, being disposed at a proximal distance from said proximal end of said first distal portion, and defining first stopping surface portions; and a first proximal capture portion fixedly connected to said distal end of said distal apex release lumen and having fingers extending toward said first distal capture portion in a distal direction, said fingers defining a first interior cavity shaped to receive said first proximal stopper therein, said proximal and distal capture portions being formed to hold said proximal apices therebetween and, together, defining a first stent captured state in which said first proximal stopper is received in said first interior cavity and said first distal capture portion approximately closes off said first interior cavity along said longitudinal axis; and a proximal apex capture device, including, a second distal capture portion fixedly connected to said distal apex release lumen, said second distal capture portion having: a second distal portion with a proximal end; and a second proximal stopper having a distal side disposed in a plane approximately perpendicular to said longitudinal axis, being disposed at a second proximal distance from said proximal end of said second distal portion, and defining second stopping surface portions; and a second proximal capture portion fixedly connected to said distal end of said proximal apex release lumen and having fingers extending toward said second distal capture portion in the distal direction, said fingers defining a second interior cavity shaped to receive said second proximal stopper therein, said second distal capture portion and said second proximal capture portion being formed to hold the distal apices therebetween and, together, defining a second stent captured state in which said second proximal stopper is received in said second interior cavity and said second proximal capture portion approximately closes off said second interior cavity along said longitudinal axis.