# US 10,478,045 B2 · Flexible tube for an endoscope, adhesive for an endoscope, endoscope-type medical device, as well as method of producing a flexible tube for an endoscope and method of producing an endoscope-type medical device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,478,045 B2 - Document ID: US10478045B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/867,888 - Filed: 2015-09-28 - Published: 2016-03-31 - Granted: 2019-11-19 - Earliest claimed: 2014-09-29 - Assignees: FUJIFILM Corporation - Applicants: FUJIFILM Corporation - Inventors: Takayasu Nagai; Yoshihiro Nakai - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10478045B2 ## CPC - A61B 1/0011: {Manufacturing of endoscope parts} - A61B 1/005: Flexible endoscopes - A61B 1/0055: {Constructional details of insertion parts, e.g. vertebral elements} - C08G 18/246: {containing also tin-carbon bonds} - C08G 18/4238: {derived from dicarboxylic acids and dialcohols} - C08G 18/4277: {Caprolactone and/or substituted caprolactone} - C08G 18/4615: {containing nitrogen} - C08G 18/5045: {containing urethane groups} - C08G 18/7671: {containing only one alkylene bisphenyl group} - C08G 18/792: {formed by oligomerisation of aliphatic and/or cycloaliphatic isocyanates or isothiocyanates} - C08G 18/8029: {Masked aromatic polyisocyanates} - C09J 175/06: from polyesters - C08G 2170/20: Compositions for hot melt adhesives - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) - C08G: MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS OBTAINED OTHERWISE THAN BY REACTIONS ONLY INVOLVING UNSATURATED CARBON-TO-CARBON BONDS - C09J: ADHESIVES; NON-MECHANICAL ASPECTS OF ADHESIVE PROCESSES IN GENERAL; ADHESIVE PROCESSES NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE; USE OF MATERIALS AS ADHESIVES (preparation of glue or gelatine C09H) ## Abstract A flexible tube for an endoscope, containing: a tubular flexible tube substrate material having a flexibility; and a resin layer covering the flexible tube substrate material, in which the resin layer is adhered to the flexible tube substrate material with an adhesive hardened, the adhesive hardened contains an ester-based polyurethane resin, which is a hardened resin of an adhesive for an endoscope, and the adhesive for an endoscope contains an ester-based urethane polymer having a structure represented by a specific formula. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A flexible tube for an endoscope, comprising: a tubular flexible tube substrate material having a flexibility; and a resin layer covering the flexible tube substrate material, wherein the resin layer is adhered to the flexible tube substrate material with an adhesive hardened, wherein the adhesive hardened contains an ester-based polyurethane resin, which is a hardened resin of an adhesive for an endoscope, wherein the adhesive for an endoscope contains an ester-based urethane polymer having a structure represented by the following Formula (1): wherein R1 and R2 each independently represent an alkyl group, an alkoxy group, an alkylthio group, an aryl group, or a halogen atom; n1 and n2 each independently represent an integer of 0 to 4; X represents —C(Ra)(Rb)—, —O—, —S—, —SO2—, —C(═O)—, or —N(Rc)—; Ra and Rb each independently represent a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, or an aryl group; Rc represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group; and Ra and Rb may be bonded to each other to form a ring, and wherein a surface material of the flexible tube substrate material is an aramid fiber, and wherein an equivalent ratio of an urethane segment with respect to a total of an urethane segment equivalent and an ester segment equivalent in the ester-based urethane polymer having a structure represented by the Formula (1) is at least 2% and less than 50%. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The flexible tube for an endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the ester-based polyurethane resin has a polyester structure, in which a diol compound and a dicarboxylic acid compound is being polymerized by condensation polymerization. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The flexible tube for an endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the ester-based polyurethane resin has a polyester structure, which is prepared by ring-opening polymerization of a cyclic ester compound. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The flexible tube for an endoscope according to claim 1, wherein an equivalent ratio of an urethane segment with respect to a total of an urethane segment equivalent and an ester segment equivalent in the ester-based polyurethane resin which is contained in the adhesive hardened containing the ester-based urethane polymer having a structure represented by the Formula (1) is 2% or more and less than 50%. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The flexible tube for an endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the ester-based polyurethane resin has a shore A hardness according to JIS K7215 of 70 or more and less than 100. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The flexible tube for an endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the ester-based polyurethane resin is a resin, in which the ester-based urethane polymer is hardened with a polyisocyanate compound having at least two isocyanate groups in one molecule thereof. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The flexible tube for an endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the ester-based urethane polymer has a mass average molecular weight of 50,000 or more and 500,000 or less. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The flexible tube for an endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the resin layer is composed of a single layer or plural layers, and at least the resin layer, which contacts with the flexible tube substrate material, contains a polyurethane elastomer. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The flexible tube for an endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the resin layer is composed of an inner layer and an outer layer and a thickness ratio of the inner layer and the outer layer varies slopewise in an axial direction of the flexible tube substrate material. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The flexible tube for an endoscope according to claim 9, wherein the thickness ratio of the inner layer and the outer layer is from 5:95 to 40:60 at one end of the flexible tube for an endoscope, wherein the thickness ratio of the inner layer and the outer layer is from 95:5 to 60:40 at the other end of the flexible tube for an endoscope, and wherein the thickness ratio is turned between both ends. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The flexible tube for an endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the flexible tube for the endoscope is used for an endoscope-type medical device. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) An endoscope-type medical device, comprising the flexible tube for an endoscope according to claim 1. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The flexible tube for an endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the equivalent ratio is at least 2% and less than 20%. ### Claim 14 (depends on 4) The flexible tube for an endoscope according to claim 4, wherein the equivalent ratio is 2% or more and less than 20%. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) A method of producing the flexible tube for an endoscope as claimed in claim 1, comprising the steps of: preparing the flexible tube substrate material having an aramid fiber as a surface material thereof; applying the adhesive for an endoscope to the surface of the flexible tube substrate material; and covering the flexible tube substrate material to which the adhesive for an endoscope is being applied, with the resin layer. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of producing a flexible tube for an endoscope according to claim 15, wherein the resin layer comprises a polyurethane elastomer. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) A method of producing an endoscope-type medical device, wherein the endoscope-type medical device is produced through the method of producing a flexible tube for an endoscope according to claim 15.