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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.:

US 9579013 B1

PDFFull Text
Expired
Date of Patent:
Feb. 28, 2017

Filed:

Mar. 06, 2013

Steerable tube

Applicants:

Frank Dewaele, De Pinte, BE;

Cyriel Mabilde, Oudenaarde, BE;

Bart Blanckaert, Eeklo, BE;

Inventors:

Frank Dewaele, De Pinte, BE;

Cyriel Mabilde, Oudenaarde, BE;

Bart Blanckaert, Eeklo, BE;

Assignee:

Steerable Instruments nv, Ghent, (Sint-Denijs-Westrem), BE;

Attorney:

Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear LLP

Primary Examiner:

Nathan R Price

Assistant Examiner:

Melissa A Snyder

Int. Cl.
CPC ...
A61B 1/01 (2006.01); A61B 1/00 (2006.01); A61B 1/008 (2006.01); A61M 25/01 (2006.01); A61B 1/005 (2006.01); A61B 18/14 (2006.01); A61B 17/00 (2006.01); A61B 17/29 (2006.01);
U.S. Cl.
CPC ...
A61B 1/01 (2013.01); A61B 1/008 (2013.01); A61B 1/0055 (2013.01); A61B 1/00071 (2013.01); A61B 17/2909 (2013.01); A61B 34/70 (2016.02); A61M 25/0138 (2013.01); A61M 25/0141 (2013.01); A61M 25/0158 (2013.01); A61B 1/0016 (2013.01); A61B 1/0053 (2013.01); A61B 18/1492 (2013.01); A61B 2017/003 (2013.01); A61B 2017/00442 (2013.01); A61B 2017/291 (2013.01); A61B 2090/508 (2016.02); A61M 2025/0161 (2013.01); Y10T 29/496 (2015.01);
Abstract

A steerable tube (), comprising a hollow elongate tubular member () having a proximal end (), distal end (), a wall surface disposed between said proximal () and distal end (), a bend-resistive zone () flanked by a proximal bendable zone () that forms a controller and a distal bendable zone () that forms an effector that moves responsive to movements of the controller, whereby the wall of the tubular member () in the bend-resistive zone () comprises a structure that is a plurality of longitudinal slits (), forming a plurality of longitudinal strips ('), the wall of the tubular member () in the proximal bendable zone () and the distal bendable zone () comprises a structure that is a plurality of longitudinal wires (′), at least one strip () is in connection with a wire () in the proximal bendable zone () and a wire () in the distal bendable zone (), such that translation by said wire () in the controller is transmitted via the strip () to said wire () in the effector, a proximal annular region () of the tubular member (), proximal to the proximal bendable zone () to which the proximal wires () are anchored, a distal annular region () of the tubular member () distal to the distal bendable zone () to which the distal wires () are anchored.

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