Viewing method and apparatus particularly useful for viewing the interior of the large intestine
US5819736A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 22, 1995 |
| Grant date | Oct 13, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 22, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA61B1/06
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An optical viewing device includes a housing of a size and shape for introduction into the large intestine of a subject and for movement therein in either direction, and an image transducer located within the housing for converting optical images into electrical signals. Various embodiments are described in which the housing is of a size and shape for movement by its own weight in either direction in the intestine, or in which the housing includes an electric motor driving propelling means for propelling the housing through the intestine, or in which the housing is carried at one end of a rod of a length such that a user may grasp the opposite end and manipulate the housing to scan the interior surface of the intestine.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.