US Patent 7083640 Covered stent with encapsulated ends

A flexible covered stent having a stent covered on a first surface by a first layer of biocompatible material and on a second surface by both a second and third layer of biocompatible material, the first and second layers and the first and third layers of biocompatible material being bonded to one another through openings in a wall in the stent. The first layer of biocompatible material is longer than both the second and third layers of biocompatible material such that at least a portion of the second surface of the stent is not covered by either second or third layer, imparting flexibility to the stent.