US 5,688,221 AGranted

Endoscope cover for endoscope system having uniform flexibility

AssigneeOlympus Optical Co., Ltd.

InventorsHisao Yabe, Yoshihiro Iida, Akira Suzuki, Hideo Ito, Yoshio Tashiro, Minoru Yamazaki, Osamu Tamada, Tatsuya Furukawa

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Abstract

An endoscope cover according to the present invention has an arrangement that at least a portion of a control-portion cover for covering the control portion of a cover-type endoscope that corresponds to a soft portion of the cover-type endoscope has uniform flexibility that does not deteriorate the flexibility of said soft portion so that the insertion facility at the time of an inspection with the endoscope is maintained. An endoscope system of a type having an endoscope cover according to the present invention has a warp control knob disposed away from the body of a control portion also serving as a holding portion of the cover-type endoscope, the system having an arrangement that a warping mechanism included in the body of the control portion and the warp control knob are connected to each other by a connection member.

Claims4

Dependent claims

An endoscope apparatus including a cover-type endoscope and an endoscope cover, wherein said cover-type endoscope comprises an insertion portion including a leading portion, a bending portion connected to the leading portion, and a flexible portion connected to the bending portion,

wherein said endoscope cover comprises an insertion-portion cover for covering the insertion portion of the cover-type endoscope, said insertion-portion cover including a cover leading portion and an insertion-portion cover outer sheath connected to the cover leading portion,
wherein a first portion of the insertion-portion cover outer sheath substantially fits the flexible portion of the insertion portion of the cover-type endoscope when the insertion portion of the cover-type endoscope is positioned within the insertion-portion cover, the first portion of the insertion-portion cover outer sheath having a first degree of uniform flexibility, and
wherein a second portion of the insertion-portion cover outer sheath substantially fits the bending portion of the insertion portion of the cover-type endoscope when the insertion portion of the cover-type endoscope is positioned within the insertion-portion cover, the second portion of the insertion-portion cover outer sheath having a second degree of uniform flexibility which differs from the first degree of flexibility.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 08/037,282Filed 26 Mar 1993
Priority: JP 5-004271 U12 Feb 1993
Granted: 18 Nov 1997
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification6 codes

A61B 1/00091
Characterised by distal tip features: nozzles
A61B 1/00142
Instruments for performing medical examinations of the interior of cavities or tubes of the body by visual or photographical inspection, e.g.…:…
A61B 1/0052
With controlled bending of insertion part: constructional details of control elements, e.g. handles
A61B 1/012
Instruments for performing medical examinations of the interior of cavities or tubes of the body by visual or photographical inspection, e.g.…:…