Flexible tube assembly

Claim 1

A PROBE DEVICE FOR USE IN INSPECTING AND MAKING PHOTOGRAPHIC RECORDS OF THE INSIDE WALL SURFACE OF A FLEXIBLE TUBULAR MEMBER, CHARACTERIZED BY THE COMBINATION COMPRISING, AN ELONGATED FLEXIBLE TUBE IN THE FORM OF A COIL FORMED OF AN ELONGATED FLEXIBLE ELEMENT, SAID FLEXIBLE TUBE BEING OPERABLE TO BE BENT BY MEANS OF AN ELONGATED CORD PLACED ALONG AND OUTSIDE OF SAID TUBE IN PARALLEL RELATIONSHIP TO THE AXIS OF SAID TUBE, SAID CORD BEING FIXED AT ONE END TO THE FRONT END OF SAID TUBE TO BE INSERTED INTO SAID MEMBER AND WITH THE OTHER END TO BE MANUALLY PULLED FROM THE OUTSIDE OF SAID MEMBER SO AS TO EFFECT THE BENDING OF SAID TUBE; A FLEXIBLE SHEATH SURROUNDING THE OUTSIDE OF SAID FLEXIBLE TUBE TOGETHER WITH SAID CORD; PHOTOGRAPHIC RECORDING MEANS; A LIGHT SOURCE; AND VIEWING MEANS; SAID PHOTOGRAPHIC RECORDING MEANS INCLUDING CARTRIDGE MEANS HAVING A ROLL OF FILM THEREIN TO BE SUCCESSIVELY PULLED OUT LINEARLY OF SAID CARTRIDGE MEANS THROUGH SAID FLEXIBLE TUBE BY MEANS OF A CORD WHICH IS PLACED THROUGH SAID TUBE AND ONE END ATTACHABLE TO SAID FILM AND IS MANUALLY OPERATED TO PULL OUT SAID FILM THROUGH SAID TUBE FROM THE OUTSIDE OF SAID MEMBER FOR EFFECTING SUCCESSIVE EXPOSURES THEREON SO AS TO MAKE A FILM RECORD OF SELECTED WALL PORTIONS THROUGH AN OBJECTIVE LOCATED IN POSITION OPPOSITE TO THE PASSAGE OF SAID FILM; SAID VIEWING MEANS INCLUDING IMAGE INTAKE PORTION HAVING LIGHT REFLECTING MEANS FOR DIRECTING THE LIGHT FROM SAID LOCAL WALL PORTIONS INTO SAID TUBE PARALLEL THERETO, FIBER SCOPE MEANS LOCATED THROUGH SAID TUBE WITH ONE END ADJACENT TO SAID LIGHT REFLECTING MEANS FOR TRANSMITTING THE IMAGE OF SAID LOCAL WALL PORTIONS RECEIVED ON ONE END OF SAID FIBER SCOPE MEANS FROM SAID IMAGE INTAKE PORTION TO THE OTHER END OF SAID FIBER SCOPE MEANS SO THAT THE IMAGE TRANSMITTED TO SAID OTHER END CAN BE VIEWED THROUGH MAGNIFYING MEANS OF SAID VIEWING MEANS; SAID LIGHT SOURCE BEING CAPABLE OF EFFECTING ILLUMINATION OF SAID SELECTED WALL PORTIONS BOTH FOR SUCCESSIVE EXPOSURES OF SAID FILM WHEN SAID FILM IS PULLED OUT OF SAID CARTRIDGE MEANS SUCCESSIVELY AND FOR VIEWING THROUGH SAID VIEWING MEANS, RESPECTIVELY; SAID PHOTOGRAPHIC RECORDING MEANS, SAID LIGHT SOURCE AND SAID IMAGE INTAKE PORTION OF SAID VIEWING MEANS BEING ATTACHED TOGETHER IN SERIES AT THE FRONT END OF SAID FLEXIBLE TUBE FOR INSERTING TOGETHER THROUGH SAID TUBULAR MEMBER.