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:
Apr. 27, 1999
Filed:
Feb. 15, 1996
Yasuhiro Ueda, Tokyo, JP;
Olympus Optical Co., Ltd., Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
An endoscope apparatus includes an endoscope having a distal end, a port at the distal end, and a channel extending through the endoscope to the distal end and communicating with the port; and a bending insertion instrument extensible through the channel and the port. The bending insertion instrument includes angle wires provided at a distal end portion of the bending insertion instrument, and shape memory alloy wires connected to proximal end portions of the angle wires, the angle wires having a lower electrical resistance than an electrical resistance of the shape memory alloy wires. The bending insertion instrument is inserted through the channel of the endoscope such that a portion of the bending insertion instrument, which includes the shape memory alloy wires is located in the channel of the endoscope, and a bending portion of the bending insertion instrument which includes the angle wire is located at the distal end portion of the bending insertion instrument and is projected through the port of the endoscope.