# US 12,279,813 B2 · Medical optical fiber with protective tip and method of manufacture therefor > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,279,813 B2 - Document ID: US12279813B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/901,441 - Filed: 2022-09-01 - Published: 2022-12-29 - Granted: 2025-04-22 - Earliest claimed: 2018-04-16 - Assignees: Lumenis Ltd. - Applicants: Lumenis Ltd. - Inventors: Arkady Khachaturov; Tal Waisman - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12279813B2 ## CPC - A61B 18/22: the beam being directed along or through a flexible conduit, e.g. an optical fibre; {Couplings or} hand-pieces therefor - G02B 6/443: {Protective covering} - G02B 6/4486: {Protective covering} - A61B 2018/2222: {Fibre material or composition} - A61B 2018/2244: {Features of optical fibre cables, e.g. claddings} - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) - G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS ## Abstract The present invention is directed towards medical optical fibers with protective tips for use with endoscopes for laser based treatment of internal bodily organs and method of manufacture therefor. The medical optical fibers have a short stripped medical optical fiber section and a protective tip provided thereon to encapsulate both the stripped medical optical fiber section and the jacket tip immediately therebehind. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A medical optical fiber for use with an endoscope for laser based treatment of internal bodily organs, the medical optical fiber comprising: an optical fiber comprising a distal optical fiber tip having an optical fiber end face transverse to a longitudinal axis of the optical fiber, wherein the optical fiber includes at least an optical fiber core and a cladding; a jacket axially enclosing the optical fiber, the jacket comprising a distal jacket tip having a jacket end face transverse to the longitudinal axis, wherein the jacket end face is a first length from the optical fiber end face and wherein the distal jacket tip comprises an aperture exposing a portion of the optical fiber enclosed by the jacket without exposing the optical fiber core; and a protective tip encapsulating the distal jacket tip, the jacket end face, and the optical fiber end face, and extending along the longitudinal axis a second length greater than the first length, wherein the protective tip contacts the portion of the optical fiber exposed by the aperture; wherein the protective tip is configured to fragment or melt responsive to incidence of laser energy and wherein the protective tip has a dimension greater than a dimension of the jacket. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The medical optical fiber of claim 1, wherein the jacket is made from a polymeric material having a melting temperature and the protective tip is made from a polymeric material having a curing temperature, wherein the melting temperature is greater than the curing temperature. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The medical optical fiber of claim 1, wherein the aperture is one of a plurality of apertures and wherein the plurality of apertures are co-directional with the longitudinal axis. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The medical optical fiber of claim 3, wherein the plurality of apertures extend from the jacket end face. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The medical optical fiber of claim 1, wherein the aperture is transverse to the longitudinal axis. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The medical optical fiber of claim 1, wherein the first length is greater than or equal to 200 micrometers (μm) and less than or equal to 500 (μm). ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The medical optical fiber of claim 1, wherein the second length is greater than or equal to 400 μm and less than or equal to 1100 μm. ### Claim 8 A medical optical fiber configured to be inserted into an endoscope, comprising: an optical fiber comprising a distal optical fiber tip having an optical fiber end face transverse to a longitudinal axis of the optical fiber, wherein the optical fiber includes at least an optical fiber core and a cladding; a jacket axially enclosing the optical fiber, the jacket comprising a distal jacket tip having a jacket end face transverse to the longitudinal axis, the distal jacket tip comprising an aperture exposing a portion of the optical fiber enclosed by the jacket without exposing the optical fiber core; and a protective tip encapsulating the distal jacket tip, the jacket end face, and the optical fiber end face, wherein the protective tip contacts the portion of the optical fiber through the aperture. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The medical optical fiber of claim 8, wherein the jacket is made from a polymeric material having a melting temperature and the protective tip is made from a polymeric material having a curing temperature, wherein the melting temperature is greater than the curing temperature. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The medical optical fiber of claim 8, wherein the aperture is transverse to the longitudinal axis. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The medical optical fiber of claim 8, wherein the jacket end face is a first length from the optical fiber end face and wherein the first length is greater than or equal to 200 micrometers (μm) and less than or equal to 500 (μm). ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The medical optical fiber of claim 11, wherein the protective tip extends along the longitudinal axis a second length and wherein the second length is greater than or equal to 400 μm and less than or equal to 1100 μm. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The medical optical fiber of claim 8, wherein the protective tip is configured to fragment or melt responsive to incidence of laser energy. ### Claim 14 A medical optical fiber configured to be inserted into an endoscope, comprising: an optical fiber comprising at least an optical fiber core and a cladding, the optical fiber comprising a distal optical fiber tip having an optical fiber end face transverse to a longitudinal axis of the optical fiber; a jacket axially enclosing the optical fiber, the jacket comprising a distal jacket tip having a jacket end face transverse to the longitudinal axis; and a protective tip encapsulating the distal jacket tip, the jacket end face, and the optical fiber end face, the distal jacket tip comprising a plurality of apertures exposing a portion of the optical fiber enclosed by the jacket without exposing the optical fiber core, wherein the protective tip contacts the portion of the optical fiber through the plurality of apertures, and wherein the protective tip has a diameter greater than a diameter of the jacket. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The medical optical fiber of claim 14, wherein the jacket is made from a polymeric material having a melting temperature and the protective tip is made from a polymeric material having a curing temperature, wherein the melting temperature is greater than the curing temperature. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The medical optical fiber of claim 14, wherein the plurality of apertures are transverse to the longitudinal axis. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The medical optical fiber of claim 14, wherein the jacket end face is a first length from the optical fiber end face, wherein the protective tip extends along the longitudinal axis a second length, and wherein the first length is greater than or equal to 200 micrometers (μm) and less than or equal to 500 (μm) and wherein the second length is greater than or equal to 400 μm and less than or equal to 1100 μm. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) The medical optical fiber of claim 14, wherein the plurality of apertures are co-directional with the longitudinal axis. ### Claim 19 (depends on 14) The medical optical fiber of claim 14, wherein the plurality of apertures extend from the jacket end face proximally along the longitudinal axis. ### Claim 20 (depends on 14) The medical optical fiber of claim 14, wherein the protective tip is configured to fragment or melt responsive to incidence of laser energy.