1. An angioplasty device comprising:
an axially extending elongate member;
a balloon surrounding a portion of the elongate member, said balloon being fillable with a conductive fluid;
a plurality of electrode pairs located on the elongate member and enclosed within and spaced from the balloon, wherein the electrode pairs are configured to produce shock waves that propagate through the liquid while the balloon remains intact, and wherein there is a first set of two electrode pairs connected in series and a wherein there is a second set of two electrode pairs connected in series and wherein one electrode in each pair has a surface area larger than the surface area of the other electrode in the pair;
a high voltage source connectable to the electrodes; and
a multiplexer selectively connecting the high voltage source to one or the other of the first and second sets of electrode pairs wherein each of the electrode pairs in the first and second sets includes a positive and negative terminal in spaced apart relation and wherein the series connection of each the first and second sets is completed via an arc in the conductive fluid when the electrodes pairs in the selected set are activated with the high voltage source.
2. A device as recited in claim 1 wherein each of the sets of electrode pairs are connected to a common counter electrode providing a return path to the high voltage source.
3. A device as recited in claim 1 wherein each set of electrode pairs includes three electrode pairs, each electrode pair connectable in series when the set is activated by the high voltage source.
4. A device as recited in claim 1 wherein at least two of the electrode pairs are spaced longitudinally along the elongated member.
5. A device as recited in claim 1 wherein the elongated member comprises a guide wire lumen.
6. An angioplasty device comprising:
an axially extending elongate member;
a balloon surrounding a portion of the elongate member, said balloon being fillable with a conductive fluid;
a first electrode pair having first and second spaced apart electrodes and a second electrode pair having first and second spaced apart electrodes, said electrode pairs being located on the elongate member and enclosed within and spaced from the balloon, wherein the electrode pairs are configured to produce shock waves that propagate through the liquid while the balloon remains intact and wherein one electrode in each pair has a surface area larger than the surface area of the other electrode in the pair; and
a high voltage source connectable to the first electrode of first electrode pair, and with the second electrode of first pair being connected to the first electrode of the second pair, and with the second electrode of the second pair being connected to the high voltage source, and wherein when a high voltage pulse is supplied to the first and second electrode pairs, a first arc is generated in the conductive fluid across the first electrode pair and a second arc is generated in the conductive fluid across the second electrode pair, thereby creating a series connection running from the first electrode in the first electrode pair to the second electrode of the second pair.
7. A device as recited in claim 6 further including a third electrode pair having first and second spaced apart electrodes, with the second electrode of the second electrode pair being connected to the first electrode of the third electrode pair and with the second electrode of the third electrode pair being connected to the high voltage source.
8. A device as recited in claim 6 further including a third electrode pair having first and second spaced apart electrodes and a fourth electrode pair having first and second spaced apart electrodes, with the second electrode of the third electrode pair being connected to the first electrode of the fourth electrode pair, said device further including a multiplexer for selectively connecting the high voltage source to either the first and second electrode pairs or the third and fourth electrode pairs.
9. A device as recited in claim 8 wherein the second electrode of the second electrode pair and the second electrode of the fourth electrode pair are connected to a common counter electrode providing a return path to the high voltage source.
10. A device as recited in claim 6 wherein at least two of the electrode pairs are spaced longitudinally along the elongated member.
11. A device as recited in claim 6 wherein the elongated member comprises a guide wire lumen.
12. An angioplasty device comprising:
an axially extending elongate member;
a balloon surrounding a portion of the elongate member, said balloon being fillable with a conductive fluid;
a plurality of electrode pairs located on the elongate member and enclosed within and spaced from the balloon, wherein the electrode pairs are configured to produce shock waves that propagate through the liquid while the balloon remains intact and wherein one electrode in each pair has a surface area larger than the surface area of the other electrode in the pair;
a high voltage source connectable to the electrodes; and
a multiplexer and wherein the plurality of electrode pairs include a first set of two pairs of electrodes with one electrode of one pair being connected to one electrode of the other pair, said electrode pairs further including a second set of two pairs of electrodes with one electrode of one pair being connected to one electrode of the other pair, and wherein said multiplexer selectively connects the high voltage source to one or the other of the first and second sets of electrode pairs, with the connected set operating in series across an arc generated in the conductive fluid at each pair of electrodes.
13. A device as recited in claim 12 wherein at least two of the electrode pairs are spaced longitudinally along the elongated member.
14. A device as recited in claim 12 wherein the elongated member comprises a guide wire lumen.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. An apparatus comprising:
(a) a first gear having a first set of gear teeth, an inside surface and a central aperture;
(b) a first stationary drum element;
(c) a second stationary drum element that mates with said first stationary drum element and said first gear forming an assembly; said assembly including a cavity between said first and second drum elements and said inside surface of said first gear, said cavity being substantially filled with a damping material;
(d) a second gear; said second gear having a second set of gear teeth; said first set and said second set of gear teeth being fitted to articulate with each other;
(e) an assembly carrier; said carrier comprising one or more supports for mounting said assembly, wherein said one or more supports prevent rotation of said stationary drum elements while said first gear rotates thereby engaging said first set of gear teeth with said second set of gear teeth at a predetermined speed.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first gear is substantially circular.
3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said second gear is substantially linear.
4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said damping grease comprises silicone.
5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said damping grease comprises dimethylpolysiloxane.
6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said damping grease has a viscosity between about 900,000 cps and about 1,100,000 cps at 25 degrees C.
7. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said gear has eighteen circumferential teeth, wherein said teeth are located about twenty degrees apart from each other.
8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the assembly carrier is actuated by at least one spring element.
9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said at least one spring element is stainless steel.
10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein actuating said carrier produces at least one audible user alert.
11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein actuating said carrier produces a first user alert sound and a second user alert sound; said first user alert sound indicating to a user that a simulated injection has started; said second user alert sound indicating to said user that said simulated injection is complete.
12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said user first alert sound and said second user alert sound occur at a predetermined time interval.
13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said time interval between the first alert sound and the second alert sound is between about 3 seconds and about 15 minutes.
14. A method comprising:
(a) actuating a carrier assembly; said carrier assembly comprising one or more supports for mounting a drum assembly, said drum assembly having a first gear;
(b) generating a first user alert sound;
(c) rotating said first gear about said drum assembly from an initial position to a final position in a predetermined time; and
(d) generating a second user alert sound.
15. The method of claim 14, further including the step of:
(e) reloading, wherein said first gear is moved from said final position to said initial position by application of a reset force.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein said reset force is between about 13N and about 18N.
17. The method of claim 15, further comprising the steps of:
(f) actuating said carrier assembly; said carrier assembly comprising a one or more supports for mounting a drum assembly, said drum assembly having a first gear;
(g) generating said first user alert sound;
(h) rotating said first gear about said drum assembly from said initial position to said final position in said predetermined time; and
(i) generating said second user alert sound.
18. The method of claim 14, wherein said predetermined time is between about 3 seconds and about 15 minutes.
19. The method of claim 17, wherein said predetermined time is between about 5 seconds and about 15 seconds.
20. An apparatus comprising:
(a) a first gear having a first set of gear teeth, an inside surface and a central aperture;
(b) a first stationary drum element;
(c) a second stationary drum element that mates with said first stationary drum element and said first gear to form an assembly; said assembly including a cavity formed between said first and second drum elements and said inside surface of said first gear, said cavity being substantially filled with a damping grease;
(d) a second gear; said second having a second set of gear teeth; said first and second sets of gear teeth being fitting to articulate with each other;
(e) an assembly carrier; said carrier comprising a one or more supports for mounting said assembly on a syringe housing, wherein said one or more supports prevent rotation of said stationary drum elements while said first gear rotates thereby engaging said first set of gear teeth with said second set of gear teeth.
21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein said first gear is substantially circular.
22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein said second gear comprises a plunger.
23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein said second gear is substantially linear.
24. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein said damping grease comprises a polymeric damping material.
25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein said polymeric damping material comprises dimethylpolysiloxane.