Material removal from balloon cone

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9539692-B2
Application number	US-201414460495-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 15, 2014
Priority date	Aug 15, 2014
Publication date	Jan 10, 2017
Grant date	Jan 10, 2017

Abstract

A material-removing machine for removing material from a cone section of a medical balloon includes a material-removing element operatively connected to a prime mover such that operation of the prime mover imparts rotation to the material-removing element about a rotational axis. The material-removing element includes an interior surface defining a generally conical-shaped cavity extending along the rotational axis and adapted to receive at least a longitudinal portion of a cone section of an expanded medical balloon for removing material from the longitudinal portion of the cone section to reduce a wall thickness of the cone section. Material may be removed continuously around a 360-degree exterior perimeter of the longitudinal portion of the cone section of the medical balloon to reduce the thickness of the balloon wall defining the cone section.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A material-removing machine for removing material from a cone section of a medical balloon comprising:
a prime mover; and
a material-removing element operatively connected to the prime mover such that operation of the prime mover imparts rotation to the material-removing element about a rotational axis, the material-removing element including an interior surface defining a generally conical-shaped cavity extending along the rotational axis and adapted to receive at least a longitudinal portion of a cone section of an expanded medical balloon, wherein at least a portion of the interior surface is adapted to remove material from the longitudinal portion of the cone section to reduce a wall thickness of the cone section.

2. The material-removing machine set forth in claim 1 , wherein the conical-shaped cavity is adapted to receive less than an entirety of the longitudinal portion of the cone section of the expanded medical balloon.

3. The material-removing machine set forth in claim 2 , wherein the conical-shaped cavity is adapted to receive an apex end margin of the cone section of the expanded medical balloon.

4. The material-removing machine set forth in claim 1 , wherein the interior surface has a plurality of abrasive elements.

5. The material-removing machine set forth in claim 1 , wherein the material-removing element further includes a through opening in communication with the conical-shaped cavity and adapted to receive at least a portion of a waist section extending outward from the cone section of the expanded medical balloon when at least the longitudinal portion of the cone section is received in the conical-shaped cavity.

6. The material-removing machine set forth in claim 1 , further comprising a drive shaft operatively connected to the prime mover and the material-removing element for imparting rotation to the material-removing element, wherein the drive shaft defines a passage in communication with the conical-shaped cavity and configured to at least partially receive a shaft extending outward from the cone section.

7. A method of removing material from a cone section of a medical balloon, the method comprising:
providing a medical balloon including a cone section defined by a balloon wall of the medical balloon having a thickness, wherein the medical balloon has a non-expanded configuration and an expanded configuration; and
removing material continuously around a 360-degree exterior perimeter of at least a longitudinal portion of the cone section of the medical balloon to reduce the thickness of the balloon wall defining the cone section;
wherein said removing material includes rotating a material-removing element 360 degrees around said at least a longitudinal portion of the cone section of the medical balloon.

8. The method of removing material from a cone section of a medical balloon as set forth in claim 7 , wherein the medical balloon is in its expanded configuration during said removing material.

9. The method of removing material from a cone section of a medical balloon as set forth in claim 8 , further comprising:
expanding the medical balloon to its expanded configuration before said removing material.

10. The method of removing material from a cone section of a medical balloon as set forth in claim 7 , wherein the cone section is at a proximal end of the medical balloon.

11. The method of removing material from a cone section of a medical balloon as set forth in claim 7 , wherein said removing material includes disposing the cone section in a conical-shaped cavity of the material-removing element, wherein the conical-shaped cavity is defined by an interior surface of the material-removing element, at least a portion of the interior surface having a material-removing element.

12. The method of removing material from a cone section of a medical balloon as set forth in claim 11 , wherein said removing material further includes rotating the material-removing element about a rotational axis.

13. The method of removing material from a cone section of a medical balloon as set forth in claim 11 , wherein the medical balloon is in its expanded configuration during said removing material.

14. The method of removing material from a cone section of a medical balloon as set forth in claim 13 , further comprising:
expanding the medical balloon to its expanded configuration before said removing material.

15. The method of removing material from a cone section of a medical balloon as set forth in claim 11 , further comprising:
inserting, before said removing material, a waist section of the medical balloon into a passage in communication with the conical-shaped cavity of the material-removing element.

16. The method of removing material from a cone section of a medical balloon as set forth in claim 7 , further comprising:
removing material continuously around a 360-degree exterior perimeter of at least a longitudinal portion of another cone section of the medical balloon to reduce the thickness of the balloon wall defining the other cone section.

17. A method of removing material from a cone section of a medical balloon, the method comprising:
providing a medical balloon including a cone section defined by a balloon wall of the medical balloon having a thickness, wherein the medical balloon has a non-expanded configuration and an expanded configuration;
expanding the medical balloon to its expanded configuration;
disposing at least a longitudinal portion of the cone section of the expanded medical balloon in a conical-shaped cavity defined by an interior surface of a material-removing element, wherein at least a portion of the interior surface is configured for removing material from the longitudinal portion of the cone section; and
rotating the material-removing element about a rotational axis to remove material from an exterior perimeter of the cone section to reduce the thickness of the balloon wall defining the cone section.

18. The method of removing material from a cone section of a medical balloon as set forth in claim 17 , further comprising:
removing, simultaneously with said rotating, material around a 360-degree exterior perimeter of the longitudinal portion of the cone section of the medical balloon to reduce the thickness of the balloon wall defining the cone section.

19. The method of removing material from a cone section of a medical balloon as set forth in claim 17 , further comprising:
disposing at least a longitudinal portion of another cone section of the expanded medical balloon in the conical-shaped cavity;
rotating the material-removing element about the rotational axis to remove material from an exterior perimeter of the other cone section to reduce the thickness of the balloon wall defining the other cone section.

20. The method of removing material from a cone section of a medical balloon as set forth in claim 17 , further comprising:
inserting, before said rotating, a shaft extending outward from the cone section of the medical balloon into a passage in communication with the conical-shaped cavity of the material-removing element.

Assignees

• Covidien Lp

Inventors

• Schneider Mark
• Steele Bradley

Classifications

• B24B5/14 Primary

  for grinding conical surfaces, e.g. of centres · CPC title

• A61B19/34

  Human Necessities · mapped topic

• A61M2025/1031

  Surface processing of balloon members, e.g. coating or deposition; Mounting additional parts onto the balloon member's surface · CPC title

• A61M2025/0019

  Cleaning catheters or the like, e.g. for reuse of the device, for avoiding replacement · CPC title

• B24B19/009

  for grinding profiled workpieces using a profiled grinding tool · CPC title