Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Terumo Kabushiki Kaisha

Kinya Harada

Koji Hashimoto

Kazuhiko Kanno

Tachio Kawai

Tomonori Mori

Kouji Hashimoto

Susumu Nittani

Kazuo Chadani

Kojiro Yasui

Naohisa Okushi

Tomohiro Sudo

A stent delivery system includes a distal-side tube, a proximal-side tube, a fixing tube, a stent containing tubular member, a stent in the stent containing tubular member, and a pulling wire for moving the stent containing tubular member to the proximal side. The distal-side tube includes a distal-side priming slit provided in a side wall in proximity to a stent proximal end lock section and a proximal-side priming slit provided in a side wall on the proximal side of the distal-side tube. The slits are opened by injecting liquid, with the distal opening or the rear end opening of a guide wire lumen of the distal-side tube closed.

Stent delivery system

A stent includes a plurality of annular bodies arrayed in an axial direction, each having a plurality of one-end-side bent sections and other-end-side bent sections, and adjacent ones of the annular bodies being linked by link sections. The stent includes at least three kinds of link sections selected from four kinds of link sections including: a vertex-vertex bent link section; a central part-central part bent link section; a central part-vertex bent link section; and a vertex-central part bent link section, the at least three kinds of the link sections including at least the vertex-vertex bent link section and the central part-central part bent link section, and the adjacent annular bodies being linked by at least two different kinds of the link sections.

Stent and stent delivery system

An atherectomy catheter includes an outer tube; an inner tube which is inserted into the outer tube rotatably about an axis thereof and axially movably; a removing member fixed to a distal portion of the inner tube and accommodated in the outer tube to drill and remove an occlusive material which stenoses or occludes a lumen of a blood vessel; and a guide member mounted on the inner tube in penetration therethrough so that the guide member functions as the axis of the inner tube when the inner tube rotates. The removing member has a developed state in which a distal end of the removing member unfolds when the removing member is projected from a distal portion of the outer tube and radially expands owing to an elastic restoring force thereof, and the removing member can drill said occlusive material in the developed state by rotating about the guide member functioning as an axis of said removing member and moving the removing member toward a distal end of the atherectomy catheter.

Atherectomy catheter

An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member on which an electrostatic latent image is capable of being formed; a developer accommodating container for accommodating a developer for developing the electrostatic latent image; a detecting device for detecting a remaining amount of the developer in the developer accommodating container, wherein the detecting device detects the remaining amount during a period in which no image forming operation is performed; a developer stirring member for stirring the developer in the developer accommodating container, the developer stirring member being rotatable at a speed which is lower during detection of the remaining amount than when an image forming operation is performed, wherein the detecting device detects first, second and third developer remaining amounts in first, second and third remaining amount detecting periods, respectively, in the order named, and wherein an interval between the second detection period and the third detection period is changed on the basis of the first and second remaining amounts.

Electrophotographic image forming apparatus

A process cartridge detachably mountable to a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus includes first and second end covers, first and second bottom-surface portions to be guided by first and second main assembly guide portions, first, second, and third portions to be positioned by first, second, and third main assembly positioning portions, and a driving force receiving portion partly exposed through the first end cover between the first and third portions to be positioned and engaging with a main assembly driving force transmitting portion to rotate a process-cartridge developing member when the process cartridge is mounted to the apparatus.

Process cartridge and electrophotographic image forming apparatus

A developing unit detachably mountable to a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, includes a developing member for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on an electrophotographic photosensitive member, a developer accommodating portion accommodating developer to be used by the developing member and having a supply opening for supplying the developer to the developing member, a mover sealing member movable between supply-opening sealing and unsealing positions, a mover for moving the sealing member from the sealing to the unsealing position by receiving a driving force transmitted from the main assembly, and a memory for storing sealing information indicative of a sealed state of the supply opening. When the main assembly detects the sealing information upon mounting of the developing unit, the driving force is transmitted to the mover to move the sealing member from the sealing to the unsealing position, and then, the memory stores the unsealing information.

Developing unit, developing cartridge, and image forming apparatus

A process cartridge detachably mountable to a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus including a cam movable between first and second positions. The cartridge includes a photosensitive drum, a developing roller contactable to the drum to develop a latent image on the drum, a first frame supporting the drum, a second frame supporting the roller and connected with the first frame for rotation about a rotational axis so that roller and the drum are contacted to or spaced from each other, a cam engaging portion for receiving from the cam which is located at the first position a force to space the roller and the drum from each other in a state in which upward movement of the first frame is limited when the cartridge is mounted to the main assembly.

Process cartridge having developing roller and photosensitive drum that can contact and become spaced apart from each other and electrophotographic image forming apparatus mounting such cartridge

Image forming apparatus

A seal member for sealing the developer container at a boundary between the developer container and a developer carrying member is disposed at an opening of a developer container containing developer. The sealing member includes a warp pile fabric, and is formed by a V pile weave providing a V-shaped pile fabric texture. The seal member has a fiber density, representing a number of fibers per unit area, of not less than 260,000/inchand not more than 680,000/inchand has a number of denier per one pile of not less than 200 denier and not more than 350 denier.

Seal member, developing apparatus, process cartridge and image forming apparatus

A process cartridge detachably mountable to a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, includes a first frame; a second frame coupled with the first frame for rotation about a shaft relative to each other; a first electrical contact, provided in the first frame, for receiving, from the main assembly, a bias voltage to be supplied to the charging member; a second electrical contact, provided in the second frame, for receiving, from the main assembly, a bias voltage to be supplied to a developing member, a developer feeding member and a regulating member; and a third electrical contact, provided in the first frame coaxially with the drum, for electrically grounding the drum to the main assembly. The first and second contents are disposed at one end of the first frame and the second frame, respectively, and the third contact is disposed at the other end of the first frame, and wherein the contacts are disposed such that, the first contact takes a higher position than the second.

A process cartridge is detachably mountable to a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus that includes a cam movable between first and second positions. The cartridge includes an electrophotographic photosensitive drum, a developing roller developing an electrostatic latent image formed on the drum, a first frame for supporting the drum, a second frame for supporting the roller and connected with the first frame for relative rotation about a shaft disposed downstream of the roller with respect to a cartridge mounting direction, an entering portion at one end of the second frame with respect to a drum longitudinal direction and downstream of the shaft with respect to the mounting direction, permitting at least a part of the cam to enter when the process cartridge is mounted to the apparatus, and a cam engaging portion engaging the cam to receive a force for spacing the drum and the roller from each other.

An stent delivery device comprises a tubular shaft body, a foldable and inflatable balloon attached to the distal end portion of the shaft body, and a stent fitted over the folded balloon. The shaft body has a lumen for inflating the balloon which communicates with the inside of the balloon. The balloon has an inflatable portion which is inflated into the shape of an approximately uniform-diameter cylinder by a fluid injected through the lumen. The stent delivery device further has a distal side stopper which is secured close to the distal end of the inflatable portion of the balloon and prevents the shift of the stent toward the distal side, and a proximal side stopper which is secured close to the proximal end of the inflatable portion of the balloon and prevents the shift of the stent toward the proximal side.

Stent delivery device

A blood vessel dilator has an inner tube defining a first passageway therein, an outer tube over the inner tube and forming a second passageway, and a dilating member communicating with the second passageway. The outer tube is constituted by an inner tubular component having a high rigidity, and an outer tubular component covering the inner tubular component. The forward end portion of the outer tubular component protrudes from the distal end of the inner tubular component, and its distal end portion is diametrically constricted to closely contact the inner tube and extends near the distal end of the inner tube.

Growing community of inventors

Susono, Japan

Kinya Harada