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:
Jun. 25, 1996
Filed:
Mar. 16, 1994
Haruo Nomi, Sakuragaokanishi, JP;
Tetsuo Fujie, Corpo-Akoda, JP;
Masaki Yoshida, Okayama-ken, JP;
Akira Suzuki, Yamanashi-ken, JP;
Japan Gore-Tex, Inc., Tokyo, JP;
Olympus Optical Corp., Ltd., Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
A flexible, non-porous tube characterized by the fact that the void spaces present in the luminal surface of a substrate tube of porous polytetrafluoroethylene are filled with a silicone or fluorosilicone rubber, that a continuous coating of said silicone or fluorosilicone rubber is not present on the inner surface of said tube, and that the inner surface of said tube incorporates surfaces of both the polytetrafluoroethylene and the silicone or fluorosilicone rubber. The tube has excellent lubricity, resistance to contamination, resistance to chemicals, and has exceptional tube flexing properties. The flexible tube may be employed, for example, as a tube for removal of gas destructively tested by a gas sensor, as a tube for transporting various liquids, and particularly as a tube in medical applications, such as a forceps channel tube, an endoscope channel tube, a bodily fluid transport tube, catheter tube, or the like. A method of making the tube is also described.