Surgery – Endoscope – With tool carried on endoscope or auxillary channel therefore
Reexamination Certificate
1999-02-11
2001-10-09
Leubecker, John P. (Department: 3739)
Surgery
Endoscope
With tool carried on endoscope or auxillary channel therefore
C600S104000, C606S001000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06299576
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an assist tool that allows a treatment tool to be easily inserted into a treatment tool insertion channel of an endoscope, and also to a treatment tool for an endoscope that is to be used in the assist tool.
2. Description of the Related Art
Usually, a treatment tool for an endoscope has a flexible shaft that is to be inserted into and extracted from a treatment tool insertion channel of an endoscope. The flexible shaft is forcedly inserted into the channel while being nipped by the fingers of an operator. During this operation, the flexible shaft may be easily bent and broken due to its lack of firmness.
Countermeasures against the above-described problems have been proposed. An adapter for restricting a flexible shaft from being bent, so as to allow the flexible shaft to be pushed only in a straight direction has been proposed in Japanese Utility Model Examined Publication No. SHO56-37683. Additionally, a flexible shaft sandwiched between a pair of rollers that are driven by a motor has been proposed in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. HEI9-492.
However, the aforementioned proposals have not been successful in overcoming the above-described problems. The adapter for restricting the flexible shaft from being bent has drawbacks in that it is difficult to smoothly insert or extract the flexible shaft, and the adapter is hardly used. In the motor-driven configuration, the operator cannot sense the movement of the treatment tool, and hence a dangerous situation may arise.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide an assist tool for easily and safely inserting/extracting a treatment tool into/from a treatment tool insertion channel of an endoscope, without the treating tool buckling.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a treatment tool that is to be used in the assist tool.
In order attain the above objects, an assist tool, which is used to insert a treatment tool used with an endoscope, includes a treatment tool port, an endoscope-connecting portion, and a flexible tube. The treatment tool port is used for inserting the treatment tool into the flexible tube. The endoscope-connecting portion connects the assist tool to the treatment tool insertion channel of an endoscope. The flexible tube connects the treatment tool port to the endoscope-connecting portion. The treatment tool port is formed in an end portion on an operator-side of the assist tool. The endoscope-connecting portion is formed at a tip end of the assist tool. A slit continuously elongates from the treatment tool port to at least a portion of the flexible tube that is located in a vicinity of the endoscope-connecting portion.
The slit may be formed by splitting the flexible tube along an axial direction thereof. Also, the slit may be gradually widened toward an end on the side of the treatment tool port.
At least one of the treatment tool port and the endoscope-connecting portion may be configured by attaching another component to the flexible tube. Alternatively, at least one of the treatment tool port and the endoscope-connecting portion may be configured by the flexible tube itself, or both the treatment tool port and the endoscope-connecting portion may be configured by the flexible tube itself.
The treatment tool for an endoscope according to the present invention includes a flexible shaft, a slit-passing arm and a finger hold. The flexible shaft is inserted into and extracted from a treatment tool insertion channel of an endoscope. The slit-passing arm is laterally protruded from a vicinity of an operator-side end portion of the flexible shaft, and is formed thinly as seen in an axial direction of the flexible shaft. The finger hold is formed at a tip end of the slit-passing arm. The finger hold may have an annular shape, which is centered at the flexible shaft.
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patent: 5820546 (1998-10-01), Ouchi
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patent: 195 40 731 (1997-05-01), None
patent: 56-37683 (1981-09-01), None
patent: 59-122 (1984-01-01), None
patent: 9-492 (1997-01-01), None
Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
Greenblum & Bernstein P.L.C.
Leubecker John P.
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