Patent · US Expired

Endoscope having washing ports

US5971917A · kind A · utility

11Cited by
3References
11Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateFeb 9, 1998
Grant dateOct 26, 1999
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 9, 2018

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
  • CPC primaryA61B1/122
  • WIPO fieldMedical technology
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

An endoscope which allows a washing brush from an endoscope control section into all tubes, thereby facilitating washing works. In the endoscope control section, a water feeding pipe, for example, is separated into a front tube and a rear tube, and their openings are exposed as washing ports. A support portion of a tube unit is disposed so as to be attachable and detachable to and from the openings of these tubes, and a rear aspirating tube is disposed in the tube unit. This configuration makes it possible to detach and brush the tubes with a washing brush inserted from the openings into the front tubes on the side of a tip section and the rear tubes on the side of a cable. Further, control switches for opening and closing the tubes can be disposed on the tube unit, and elastic tube members may be disposed between the tubes on the side of the tube unit and the tubes on the side of the control section. Furthermore, the tube unit may be made of elastic rubber as a whole.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.