Stent with different mesh patterns

Claim 2

An expandable reinforcing member, comprising: two large cylindrical mesh portions located at two longitudinal end areas of the reinforcing member, each of the large mesh portions being collapsible to taper laterally outwardly of the reinforcing member and being formed of circularly arranged radially aligned first joint members and circularly arranged radially aligned first elongated members connected to the first joint members, and a small cylindrical mesh portion situated between the two large mesh portions and integrally connected to the two larger mesh portions as one unit in a plurality of radially aligned rows, said smaller mesh portion being formed of plural radially aligned rows of circularly arranged second joint members and plural radially aligned rows of circularly arranged second elongated members, each row of said second elongated members having a number of second elongated members larger than that of the first elongated members of each of the large mesh portions, some of said first elongated members being at least longer than each of said second elongated members.

Claim 3

An expandable reinforcing member comprising: at least one large mesh portion located on one side of the reinforcing member and having a plurality of strands, said at least one larger mesh portion being formed of circularly arranged first joint members and circularly arranged first elongated members connected to the first joint members, and a small mesh portion connected to the at least one large mesh portion and having a plurality of strands with a number larger than that of the strands of the large mesh portion, said small mesh portion being formed of plural rows of circularly arranged second joint members and plural rows of circularly arranged second elongated members, some of said first elongated members being at least longer than each of said second elongated members, said each row of the second elongated members being situated between adjacent two rows of the second joint members and arranged circularly around a central axis of the reinforcing member, said second elongated members in each row being inclined substantially in a same direction and diagonally with an acute angle with respect to a line on a surface of the reinforcing member parallel to the central axis of the reinforcing member, each of said second elongated members connecting two of the second joint members situated in adjacent two rows of the second joint members, said second elongated members in two rows sandwiching one row of the second joint members being arranged substantially symmetrically relative to said one row of the second joint members so that when a radial force is applied from an inside of the reinforcing member, the second elongated members are expanded relative to the second joint members to have an obtuse angle with respect to said line on the surface of the reinforcing member to thereby allow the reinforcing member to have a second diameter larger than a first diameter.

Claim 4

An expandable reinforcing member comprising: at least one large mesh portion located on one side of the reinforcing member and having a plurality of strands, said at least one larger mesh portion being formed of circularly arranged first joint members and circularly arranged first elongated members connected to the first joint members, and a small mesh portion connected to the at least one large mesh portion and having a plurality of strands with a number larger than that of the strands of the large mesh portion, said small mesh portion being formed of plural rows of circularly arranged second joint members and plural rows of circularly arranged second elongated members, some of said first elongated members being at least longer than each of said second elongated members, said each row of the second elongated members being situated between adjacent two rows of the second joint members and arranged circularly around a central axis of the reinforcing member, said second elongated members in each row being inclined substantially in a same direction and diagonally with an acute angle with respect to a line on a surface of the reinforcing member parallel to the central axis of the reinforcing member, each of said second elongated members connecting two of the second joint members situated in adjacent two rows of the second joint members, said second elongated members in two rows sandwiching one row of the second joint members being arranged substantially symmetrically relative to said one row of the second joint members so that when a radial force is applied from an inside of the reinforcing member, the second elongated members are expanded relative to the second joint members to have an obtuse angle with respect to said line on the surface of the reinforcing member to thereby allow the reinforcing member to have a second diameter larger than a first diameter.

Claim 5

An expandable reinforcing member according to claim 2, wherein said expandable reinforcing member includes two large mesh portions disposed at two lateral ends of the small mesh portion.

Claim 6

An expandable reinforcing member according to claim 2, wherein said reinforcing member has a cylindrical shape, and the large mesh portion is collapsible to taper from the small mesh portion.

Claim 7

An expandable reinforcing member according to claim 2, wherein the second diameter of the reinforcing member is about four times larger than the first diameter.