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:
May. 11, 2004
Filed:
Mar. 12, 2001
Arie Zigler, Washington, DC (US);
Apti Inc., Washington, DC (US);
Abstract
A centering mechanism accurately centers a probe as it moves through a pathway having a changing shape, diameter, and direction. More specifically, the invention provides a probe centering device that includes a ring shaped resilient balloon, a front stopper that fixes a location of a first side of the balloon, and a biasing mechanism that applies a biasing force to a second side of the balloon. The biasing mechanism includes a rear stopper, a spring and a pusher, wherein the spring is located between the rear stopper and the pusher and the pusher is in contact with the second side of the balloon. A flexible member is preferably provided to cover and protect the biasing mechanism.