Class / Patent application number | Description | Number of patent applications / Date published |
600137000 | Having rotatable shaft | 17 |
20080255420 | Surgical instrument - A surgical instrument having an instrument shaft having proximal and distal ends, a tool disposed from the distal end of the instrument shaft, a control handle coupled from the proximal end of the instrument shaft, a distal motion member for coupling the distal end of the instrument shaft to the tool, a proximal motion member for coupling the proximal end of the instrument shaft to the handle and actuation means extending between distal and proximal motion members for coupling motion of the proximal motion member to the distal motion member for controlling the positioning of the tool. Rotation control and locking members are also disclosed. | 10-16-2008 |
20080319263 | ROTATION MECHANISM FOR ENDOSCOPE - A connection mechanism includes a rotatable member formed with a connection hole in which a shaft member is rotatably fitted. A thrust stopper is arranged at the distal end of the shaft member to prevent the rotatable member from being removed from the shaft member. The shaft member has an outer-screw at the distal end portion thereof, and the thrust stopper has an inner-screw opening extending along an axial direction of the thrust stopper. The outer-screw of the distal end portion of the shaft member engages with the inner-screw opening. The thrust stopper has a through opening formed with an inner-screw with which a fixing screw engages. The tip end of the fixing screw engages with the distal end of the shaft member to secure fixation between the thrust stopper and the shaft member. | 12-25-2008 |
20090005645 | Rotate-to- advance catheterization system - A method for visualizing the interior of a bodily passageway comprising: providing a visualization system for deployment in the bodily passageway, the visualization system comprising: a tube; visualization apparatus; and a helical thread on the exterior surface of the tube, such that when the tube is disposed in the bodily passageway so that the helical thread engages the interior side wall of the bodily passageway, rotation of the tube will induce a relative movement between the tube and the side wall of the bodily passageway; inserting the visualization system into the bodily passageway at a location remote from the site which is to be visualized; rotating the tube so as to draw the bodily passageway onto the tube in a pleating fashion, whereby to bring the site which is to be visualized toward the visualization apparatus; and using the visualization apparatus to visualize the interior of the bodily passageway. | 01-01-2009 |
20090177039 | Shaft Rotating Device - A shaft rotating device for rotating a shaft of a medical instrument about its longitudinal axis relative to a handle of the medical instrument comprises an operating element for rotating the shaft. The operating element is arranged at a proximal portion of the shaft and it is in driving connection with the shaft such that the shaft is rotatable relative to the handle against frictional forces. The shaft rotating device further comprises a frictional element with a surface. The surface of the frictional element is in frictional contact with the surface of a counterpart for keeping the shaft and the handle rotationally stationary with respect to each other and movable against the frictional forces. The operating element and the frictional element are in operational connection with respect to one another such that a torque applied to the operating element decreases the frictional forces. The shaft and the frictional element are in operational connection with one another such that a torque applied to a distal portion of the shaft increases the frictional forces. | 07-09-2009 |
20090247829 | ELECTRIC BENDING ENDOSCOPE - An electric bending endoscope includes an elongate insertion portion provided with a bending portion, a drive unit, and an operation unit, wherein the drive unit and the operation unit respectively include a drive unit side electric contact portion and an operation unit side electric contact portion configured to be coupled to and separated from each other by moving the drive unit and the operation unit close to and apart from each other in a coupling and separating axial direction, and the drive unit and the operation unit includes a lock mechanism configured to lock and unlock the drive unit and the operation unit to and from each other with respect to the coupling and separating axial direction. | 10-01-2009 |
20100069718 | ROTATE-TO-ADVANCE CATHETERIZATION SYSTEM - A method for visualizing the interior of a bodily passageway at a remote location, the method comprising the steps of:
| 03-18-2010 |
20100076264 | ROTATE-TO-ADVANCE CATHETERIZATION SYSTEM - A method for visualizing the interior of a bodily passageway comprising providing a system comprising a plurality of concentric telescoping shafts; visualization apparatus disposed within the telescoping shafts; and a helical thread disposed on the exterior of the telescoping shafts, the helical threads having a sufficient structural integrity and surface profile such that when the telescoping shafts are disposed in the passageway, rotation of the telescoping shafts induces a relative movement between the telescoping shafts and the passageway; wherein the telescoping shafts are configured to be selectively coupled together and de-coupled from one another; inserting the system into the passageway; rotating the telescoping shafts so as to draw the passageway onto the telescoping shafts in a pleating fashion; de-coupling the telescoping shafts; rotating the innermost telescoping shaft so as to draw the passageway onto the innermost telescoping shaft in a pleating fashion; and visualizing the interior of the passageway. | 03-25-2010 |
20100081879 | ROTATE-TO-ADVANCE CATHETERIZATION SYSTEM - A method for visualizing the interior of a bodily passageway at a remote location, the method comprising the steps of:
| 04-01-2010 |
20100094091 | Surgical Instrument - A surgical instrument comprising a handle assembly, a body, a tool assembly and an articulation assembly is disclosed. The articulation mechanism includes a receptacle, and a main shaft. A lower clutch is fixedly positioned within the receptacle and has a serrated portion including a plurality of serrations. An upper clutch includes at least one projection positioned to engage the serrations of the lower clutch to releasably retain the main shaft at a rotatably fixed position. An angle between a first pair of adjacent serrations is defined as a first angle, an angle between a second pair of adjacent serrations is defined as a second angle, and an angle between a third pair of adjacent serrations is defined as a third angle. The first angle, the second angle, and the third angle are each different from one another. | 04-15-2010 |
20120149985 | ROTATE-TO-ADVANCE CATHETERIZATION SYSTEM - A body-insertable apparatus comprising:
| 06-14-2012 |
20120220830 | JOINT ARRANGEMENT - An actuatable joint is disclosed having a transmission member, for example a ring gear, associated with a member of a joint and rotatable about a longitudinal axis through the member. In particular a two degree of freedom actuatable joint is disclosed comprising tendon driven joint arrangements having a transmission member disposed around or inside a body of the joint arrangement, to provide transmission of a force from a driving means to two tendons actuating a rotational degree of freedom of the joint arrangement. Further disclosed is a segmented device, for example an endoscope, comprising a plurality of such joints, for example to define a flexible and steerable conduit for an instrument. | 08-30-2012 |
20130006055 | SWING PRISM ENDOSCOPE - A variable direction of view endoscope is positionable at desired locations within the ear, nose, throat, paranasal sinuses or cranium to accomplish visualization. A method of use includes introducing the variable direction of view endoscope into a nasal cavity with the endoscope adjusted to a first direction of view between about 0 degrees and about 15 degrees relative to a longitudinal axis of the endoscope. A therapeutic device is introduced into the nasal cavity and the endoscope is adjusted to a second direction of view directed toward the sinus opening or passageway. The method also includes advancing the therapeutic device into or through the sinus opening and viewing at least one of the sinus opening or passageway or the therapeutic device using the endoscope adjusted to the second direction of view. | 01-03-2013 |
20130150672 | ENDOSCOPE - An endoscope includes an insertion unit, an operation unit, an operation-unit engagement part, an insertion-unit engagement part, a water-tight sealing member, and a torque control member. The torque control member is provided between the operation-unit engagement part and the insertion-unit engagement part in radial directions of the insertion unit, so as to make tight contact with the operation-unit engagement part and the insertion-unit engagement part, and controls resistive torque of the insertion unit during rotation of the insertion unit by applying frictional resistance of a direction about the axis to the insertion unit when the insertion unit rotates in relation to the operation unit. | 06-13-2013 |
20130190567 | ENDOSCOPE - An endoscope includes a second bending drive mechanism. The second bending drive mechanism passively bends the second bending portion in accordance with external force when the drive force is not transmitted to the first bending portion. The second bending drive mechanism bends the second bending portion in a predetermined direction in a case that the second bending portion has received external force in the predetermined direction, and generates force against the external force in a direction different from the predetermined direction in the second bending portion in a case that the second bending portion has received the external force in the different direction while the drive force to bend the first bending portion in the predetermined direction has been transmitted to the first bending portion. | 07-25-2013 |
20130253271 | ENDOSCOPE - Disclosed is an endoscope having a rotating device to axially rotate a bending member. The endoscope includes a flexible member which is freely bendable upon receiving external force, a bending member provided at a front end of the flexible member, the bending member being bendable with one degree of freedom, a rotating device rotatably coupled to the flexible member in an axial direction of the flexible member and serving to rotate the bending member in the axial direction, and an operating unit connected to the rotating device and having a rotation operation unit to rotate the rotating device. | 09-26-2013 |
20140058203 | ENDOSCOPE AND HELICAL ROTATION MEMBER ATTACHED TO INSERTION UNIT OF THIS ENDOSCOPE - An insertion apparatus includes insertion unit, a rotation drive mechanism, a first rotation member which is arranged inside the insertion unit and rotates by the rotation drive mechanism, a second rotation member which is attached to an outer peripheral surface of the insertion unit and is adjacent to the first rotation member, and a helical rotation member which is rotatable in accordance with rotation of the second rotation member. The insertion apparatus include a magnetic force generation mechanism which generates a magnetic force that enables the first rotation member and the second rotation member to be attracted to and coupled and enables the second rotation member to rotate follow rotation of first rotation member. The magnetic force generation mechanism is arranged at a tubular end portion of the first rotation member and a tubular end portion of the second rotation member adjacent to the end portion. | 02-27-2014 |
20150374219 | SCANNING ENDOSCOPE - A scanning endoscope includes: an optical fiber that guides illumination light for illuminating an object from a proximal end thereof and emits the illumination light from a distal end thereof; an actuator portion provided on a side portion of the optical fiber, for causing the distal end of the optical fiber to oscillate; a holding portion provided on a more proximal end side of the optical fiber than the actuator portion, for holding the optical fiber so as to allow the distal end of the optical fiber to oscillate with the actuator portion; a vibration-absorbing member formed so as to cover a circumference of a part of the optical fiber, the part being located on a more proximal end side than the holding portion and adjacent to the holding portion; and an outer cover that covers a circumference of at least a part of the vibration-absorbing member. | 12-31-2015 |