fig1 - 4 are cross - sectional views of an expandable curved - wing balloon , mounted on the distal end of a catheter , in various states of inflation in accord with an embodiment of the present invention . in this embodiment , the wings , or protrusions , 10 of the balloon 16 have been formed with a curved cross - sectional profile so that they may be more readily placed at or folded over to a non - radial angle from the central lumen as they are folded around the balloon 16 . the curved shape of the protrusions 10 may be imposed on them during their initial forming and at other suitable occasions during the manufacture and subsequent handling of the balloon 16 . in each of these circumstances , though , it is preferable that the curvature be added prior to the folding of the wings 10 around the balloon &# 39 ; s central portion 19 . in one embodiment discussed in detail below , a cam - former is used to form the curved wings 10 of the balloon and an elongated tipping die is used to fold the wings 10 over around the balloon 16 . fig1 shows a curved - wing balloon 16 in an uninflated condition in accord with an embodiment of the present invention . the curved - wing balloon 16 , which surrounds inner shaft 12 and internal lumen 2 , has a plurality of wings 10 that extend from its central portion 19 . the wings 10 in this embodiment have curved inner and outer walls 17 and 18 . these curved inner and outer walls 17 and 18 follow the same approximate rate of curvature as the central portion 19 of the balloon 16 in this embodiment , however , in other embodiments , the rate of curvature may be different — perhaps being more or less curved than the body of the balloon 19 . the balloon 16 in fig1 is shown in an uninflated state . fig2 shows a partially inflated cross - section of the balloon 16 from fig1 . as can be seen in fig2 , the wings 10 of the balloon 16 begin to unwind in the direction of arrow 13 as fluid is injected into the balloon 16 from the lumen 2 to inflate the balloon . thus , as can be seen in fig2 , the curved orientation of protrusions 10 not only provide them with a propensity to tip in the direction of arrow 1 when the balloon 16 is being folded but the curvature of the wings 10 may also influence the shape of the wings as they unfold in the direction of arrow 13 . fig3 shows the balloon from fig2 after the protrusions 10 have been more fully inflated and have reached their fully extended position . in other words the tips of each of the wings are at their furthest point from the center of the balloon in fig3 . in fig3 , the predisposed curvature of the inner and outer walls 17 and 18 of the protrusions is prevalent . moreover , as can be seen , as the wings 10 of this embodiment expand , rather than protruding linearly out from the central portion 19 of the balloon 16 , the protrusions have , instead , retained their curved orientation . as is also evident in fig3 , due to their uniquely formed shape , as the wings 10 inflate , their cross - sections may have a visible taper with the portion of the protrusion 10 closer to the central portion 19 of the balloon being wider than the rounded tip end 11 of the wing 10 . fig4 is also a cross - sectional view of balloon 16 . in fig4 , balloon 16 is shown in its fully expanded state with the inner shaft 12 and internal lumen 2 being clearly shown in the center of the balloon 16 . however , while this inner shaft 12 and lumen 2 are shown in the center of the balloon in this embodiment they may also , in other embodiments , be located in other positions relative to the outside wall of the balloon . while a three wing balloon is provided and described in the embodiment of fig1 - 4 , in alternative embodiments more or less protrusions may be used . furthermore , the number of wings employed may depend upon the individual circumstances of the implant being deployed , the coating that may be resident on the implant , and any other number of factors . for instance , if the coating of the implant were susceptible to being rubbed off , the number of protrusions may be increased to reduce the amount of force placed on the coating by each of the wings 10 during expansion . likewise , if the implant being deployed was easily damaged by concentrated forces placed thereon the number of protrusions could be increased to reduce the forces that it will place on the implant . furthermore , while the wings 10 are illustrated as expanding in a clockwise direction in figs . nos . 1 - 4 they may also inflate in a counter - clockwise direction . still further , in addition to being entirely concentric with the central portion 19 of the balloon 16 , a portion of the protrusions 10 may be curved outwardly , opposite the direction of curvature of the central portion 19 to accommodate a specific implant , a specific coating or some other specific design criteria . fig5 a - 5 d are a series of illustrations showing the form stamping of a curved - wing balloon in accord with an alternative embodiment of the present invention . in fig5 a an enlarged cross - sectional view of the forming blades 22 of a cam - former 20 are shown . as can be seen the forming blades 22 of the cam - former each has a profiled member 21 with curved mating faces 24 . in use , and as indicated by arrows 23 , these forming blades 22 slide within the cam - former 20 and may be used to form protrusions in a balloon 16 . due to the shape of the profiled members 21 and mating faces 24 , three curved wings will be formed on the balloon 16 fig5 b shows an initial step in the stamping or forming process of the balloon 16 . in fig5 b , the forming blades 22 are shown merging in on one another and interfacing with the balloon 16 to form the curved protrusions illustrated in fig1 - 4 . fig5 c shows the forming blades 22 and their mating faces 24 of the cam - former 20 in their inner most position . the curved orientation of the mating faces of the profiled members 21 and the curved orientation of the wings 10 can be readily seen in this figure . during this step , as well as during others , heat and other formative influences may be used to facilitate the formation of the curved - wings 10 . in other words , the members 21 and their mating faces 24 may be heated to assist in setting the protrusions 10 during the stamping process . alternatively , the members 21 may be cooled or various setting compounds may be interfaced with the balloon to set the curvature in the wings 10 during the stamping process . in each of these alternative embodiments , it is nevertheless preferred that some bias be introduced into the shape of the protrusions 10 so that the balloon wings do not become folds with parallel sides protruding orthogonally from the central axis of the balloon . fig5 d illustrates the members 21 moving away from each other in the direction of arrows 51 after the balloon 16 has been stamped and the protrusions 10 have been formed . as can be seen , after the stamping , the wings 10 of the balloon 16 have retained a curved non - parallel and non - planar profile . a profile that may facilitate the later wrapping or tipping of the protrusions around the balloon 16 . in this embodiment , the shape of the profiled member 21 and the mating faces 24 determined the profile of the wings 10 . as can be seen , this profile has an arcuate shape within the protrusions extending from the center of the balloon in a clockwise direction . as described below , this “ pre - folded ” form facilitates the actual folding or tipping of the wings , during later stages of manufacture . in an alternate embodiment , the balloon could be formed so that the protrusions are curved in a counter - clockwise direction . likewise , different degrees of curvature may be chosen for different applications . furthermore , during the manufacturing process when the wings 10 are formed and mating faces 24 are still pressed against the balloon 16 , a positive pressure may be applied to the folds while the blades 22 are retracted as shown in fig5 d . the forming blades 22 of the cam - former 20 may be made from any suitable rigid material and may be controlled by any suitable activation mechanism . it is preferred that the mating faces 24 be smooth and that their surfaces have non - adhesive properties so that they do not stick to the balloon 16 during stamping . moreover , the forming blades 22 may be brought together for varying periods of time and under various pressures depending upon the properties of the balloon being stamped . likewise , the distance between the mating faces 24 may be increased or decreased depending upon the thickness or other properties of the balloon being stamped . once the balloon 16 has been stamped the protrusions 10 may be tipped back onto the balloon to prepare the balloon to receive the implant that it will carry . fig6 shows a curved - wing balloon and a tipping die 60 in accord with an alternative embodiment of the present invention . in fig6 a previously stamped curved - wing balloon 16 is shown being drawn through a tipping die 60 and into a medical implant 61 . as can be seen in fig6 , as the previously folded balloon is moved through the die 60 , due to the natural bias of the folds 10 , they may fold down upon themselves as the balloon 16 travels though the narrowing internal channel 62 of the die 60 . the die 60 in this embodiment may be heated while the balloon is being drawn through it to further heat - set the tipped protrusions of the balloon 16 . alternatively , other external forces such as a vacuum and a positive pressure may also be placed on the balloon 16 to assist in tipping the wings 10 . for instance , a positive pressure may be applied between the internal channel 62 and the balloon 16 to allow for the proper tipping or wrapping of the protrusions 10 while a vacuum may be applied within the balloon 16 to draw the wings in as they pass through the die 60 . as can be seen in fig6 , the speed of the deployment process can be further increased , by positioning a medical implant 61 at the narrow end of the die 60 so that the tipped balloon is immediately drawn into the implant at the end of the tipping process . once the implant has been placed over the tipped or folded balloon , it may then be crimped onto it . alternatively , the balloon 16 may be moved through the die 60 and the implant may be placed onto it at a later date . fig7 is a schematic of a curved - wing balloon 16 after it has been placed inside and crimped to a stent 71 in accord with an alternative embodiment of the present invention . fig8 shows a curved - wing balloon 16 after it has been placed inside a stent 71 and fully expanded . the implant used in these various embodiments may be any one of numerous medical implants including a stent , an aneurism coil , a vena - cava filter , an a / v shunt , and a stent - graft . in some embodiments the implant may be coated with any one of the various available coatings . this coating may be used to carry or transport therapeutic , to facilitate the acceptance of the implant at the target site , to facilitate the rehabilitation of the target site , and to simply lubricate the folds as they unwind during inflation . while various embodiments of the present invention are disclosed above other embodiments are also plausible without straying from the spirit and scope of the present invention . for instance , while the tipping die is shown as a solid structure it may , instead , have a lattice wall thereby allowing various gases to be blown onto the balloon during the tipping and folding process .
a curved - wing balloon is provided herein . a medical device embodying the invention may include an expandable balloon and an inner shaft positioned within the expandable balloon wherein the expandable balloon may be coupled to an inflation lumen , expandable from a first position to a second position , and having non - parallel sides when initially formed . a method employing the present invention may include placing an expandable medical balloon between a first forming blade and a second forming blade of a cam - former jaw system , moving the first forming blade from a first open position to a second closed position and moving the second forming blade from a first open position to a second closed position , the first forming blade having a first forming member , the second forming blade having a second forming member , the first forming member and the second forming member being in contact with the expandable balloon when in the second closed position , a mating surface of the first forming member being non - parallel to a mating surface of the second forming member when in contact with the balloon .