The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 30, 1994
Filed:
Jan. 27, 1993
Chris A Isaacson, Poway, CA (US);
Gamma-Metrics, San Diego, CA (US);
Abstract
A radioactive source is mounted at one end of a rod and a ball-shaped coupler is disposed at the other end of the rod. An apparatus for handling a plurality of radioactive sources respectively mounted at one end of a plurality of rods having a ball-shaped coupler disposed at the other end of each said rod includes a shaft having a canister at one end of the shaft and a clip at another position on the shaft. The canister defines a plurality of compartments for respectively receiving a plurality of said mounted radioactive sources. The clip defines a plurality of chambers for respectively receiving a plurality of the ball-shaped couplers. The rods are flexible and semirigid and the distance between the canister and the clip is such in relation to the distance between the radioactive source and the ball-shaped coupler on the rod that the rods must be flexed after the radioactive sources are received in the compartments in order to insert the ball-shaped couplers into the chambers of the clip. The shaft also is flexible and semirigid so that both the rods and the shaft will bend when the canister is inserted through a curved passageway leading to a given location in a shielded enclosure. An apparatus for handling a single radioactive source includes a rod having the radioactive source mounted at one end of the rod; a ball-shaped coupler disposed at the other end of the rod; and a shaft having a clip at one end of the shaft defining a chamber for receiving the ball-shaped coupler.