Endoscope with tapered shaft
US4961414A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 6, 1989 |
| Grant date | Oct 9, 1990 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 6, 2009 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC —)General
Abstract
A fiber optic endoscope has a shaft with a varying outer diameter. The distal end of the shaft is sufficiently small in outer diameter for maneuvering it through various body canals, while the overall length of the shaft is rigid enough to allow axial and rotational translation of the shaft when controlled manually from a handle at the proximal end. The endoscope shaft may be n stages of different outer diameter or it may be uniformly tapered along its entire length. Either a step-tapered or a uniformly tapered version may include a flexible tip portion at the distal end of the shaft which is controllable from the endoscope handle.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.