| US 7,588,642 B1 | ||
| Abluminal stent coating apparatus and method using a brush assembly | ||
| Grayson Morris, San Francisco, Calif. (US); Svava Maria Atladottir, San Francisco, Calif. (US); and Carla Pienknagura, San Francisco, Calif. (US) | ||
| Assigned to Advanced Cardiovascular Systems, Inc., Santa Clara, Calif. (US) | ||
| Filed on Nov. 29, 2004, as Appl. No. 10/999,829. | ||
| Int. Cl. B05C 1/06 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 118—663 [118/664; 118/665; 118/670; 118/681; 118/712; 118/264] | 24 Claims |
| 1. A stent coating apparatus, comprising:
a stent support configured for supporting a stent, the stent having ends and an interior, the stent support comprising:
a first support member;
a second support member; and
a third member extending between the first and second support members;
wherein the first and second support members are configured to support the stent at only the stents ends; and
wherein the third support member is configured to extend through the interior of the stent and is configured to support the
stent at only the ends of the stent;
a brush assembly on a brush assembly support;
a dispensing mechanism in fluid communication with the brush assembly to dispense a coating onto the brush assembly; and
an optical feedback system that is configured and arranged to effect alignment between the brush assembly and a stent strut,
via relative movement between the stent support and the brush assembly support, such that the brush assembly coats the stent
strut with the dispensed coating.
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