Did You Know...
...that the video game, Pong, was invented by a guy who graduated at the bottom of his engineering class? Nolan Bushnell spent more time running the games at a local amusement park than he did on his studies at the University of Utah. His dreams of working for Disney's amusement empire were dashed when the company wouldn't hire him. Taking a boring job, Nolan daydreamed about electronic versions of popular games. He invented Pong, the first video game, and went on to found Atari Co.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 6080101 | Endoscope video camera head which can be autoclaved A TV camera is attached to an eyepiece unit of an endoscope and includes a solid-state imaging device. A housing of the TV camera has an outer metallic sheathing. The outer metallic sheathing is hermetically coupled via an insulating material to a metalli... | 06/27/2000 |
| 5984860 | Pass-through duodenal enteroscopic device A pass-through duodenal enteroscopic device utilizes the natural contraction wave of the small intestine to propel the device through the small intestine at about the same speed as any other object therein. The exterior of the device is streamlined over t... | 11/16/1999 |
| 5986693 | Reduced area imaging devices incorporated within surgical instruments A reduced area imaging device is provided for use in medical or dental instruments such as an endoscope. In one configuration of the imaging device, the image sensor is placed remote from the remaining circuitry. In another configuration, all of the circu... | 11/16/1999 |
| 5976070 | Signal cable of a video endoscope provided with a solid state image pick-up device A signal cable for transmitting a plurality of signals is applied to a video endoscope having a solid state image pick-up device. Signal lines for transmitting substantially the same signals of the plurality of signals are combined and stranded into a str... | 11/02/1999 |
| 5941817 | Endoscope wherein electrical components are electrically isolated from patient-engaging components An endoscope comprises inner and outer tubes, the inner metal tube containing electrical an objective unit components including a solid state video imaging unit. An electrically insulative sleeve is disposed around the inner tube for electrically isolatin... | 08/24/1999 |
| 5941818 | Endoscopic video camera with malleable support An endoscope is provided that comprises a micro-size video camera, a flexible cable attached to the camera comprising fiber optical means for transmitting light to illuminate the site viewed by the camera and electrical conductors for transmitting electro... | 08/24/1999 |
| 5929901 | Reduced area imaging devices incorporated within surgical instruments A reduced area imaging device is provided for use in medical or dental instruments such as an endoscope. In one configuration of the imaging device, the image sensor is placed remote from the remaining circuitry. In another configuration, all of the circu... | 07/27/1999 |
| 5904648 | Guided endobronchial blocker catheter A balloon-tipped, wire-guided double lumen, endobronchial blocker catheter (6) is provided for insertion into the tracheal bronchial tree using a fiberoptic bronchoscope (2). The catheter incorporates a removable wire guide (14), which runs the entire len... | 05/18/1999 |
| 5894369 | Lens device with anti-fogging An anti-fogging lens device, having a plural number of optical glass lens elements mounted within a lens barrel, including a first lens element located in a foremost position on the side of a subject and a second lens element located behind and at a space... | 04/13/1999 |
| 5879285 | Aligning means attaching a cable in an imaging apparatus An imaging apparatus has a printed-circuit board electrically connected to a solid-state imaging device, and a composite cable electrically connected to said printed-circuit board and made by bundling up a plurality of cables including at least one of pla... | 03/09/1999 |
| 5876326 | Electronic endoscope with grounded spirally-wound lead wires An electronic endoscope apparatus provided with an electronic endoscope having arranged thereon a solid-state image pickup element at an insertion portion, and external devices such as a light source device for supplying an illumination light to the elect... | 03/02/1999 |
| 5873816 | Electronic endoscope having an insertional portion a part of which is a conductive armor An electronic endoscope system comprises an insertional part at least part of whose armor is a conductor, an imaging unit incorporated in the insertional part and realized with a solid-state imaging device, a signal transmitting device for transmitting an... | 02/23/1999 |
| 5734418 | Endoscope with tab imager package An endoscope including an insertion tube containing a TAB imager package in the distal end thereof. The imager is mounted in a complementary opening formed in a circuit board and the board is aligned along the central axis of the insertion tube. Fine pitc... | 03/31/1998 |
| 5662586 | Hand held diagnostic instrument with video imaging A hand-held diagnostic instrument includes a casing having a hand-holdable body portion and a neck portion that extends from the body portion to a head portion that is formed of a back cover and a front cover. A circuit board assembly in the body portion ... | 09/02/1997 |
| 5569158 | Shielding structure of electronic endoscope apparatus A shielding structure of an electronic endoscope apparatus which can sufficiently remove noise even when an electric cautery is used. A signal transmission cable which connects a charge coupled device disposed at the end portion of an electronic endoscope... | 10/29/1996 |
| 5527262 | Hand-held diagnostic dental probe with video imaging An improved hand-held diagnostic dental probe includes a casing that having a hand-holdable body portion, a neck portion that extends from the body portion to a head portion that is formed of a back cover and a front cover. A circuit board assembly in the... | 06/18/1996 |
| 5427087 | Structure of the distal end portion of an endoscope The distal end body of an endoscope accommodates an objective optical system, and a solid-state image pick-up element having a light receiving surface is disposed axially in parallel with the center axis of the objective optical system. A prism is dispose... | 06/27/1995 |
| 5402768 | Endoscope with reusable core and disposable sheath with passageways An improved endoscope has been provided which includes an elongated cylindrical shell housing with a transparent window at the distal end thereof. A removable core has an objective endoscope lens or optics at the distal end thereof and an image sensor mou... | 04/04/1995 |
| 5370108 | Endoscope An endoscope having a bendable portion that is connected to the distal end of a flexible insert tube constituting an insert part of the endoscope, the bendable portion being bendable as desired by remote control, a solid-state image pickup device that is ... | 12/06/1994 |
| 5140975 | Insertion tube assembly for probe with biased bending neck An elongated flexible probe has a tubular fluid-controlled bending neck. A connector joins the bending neck to a flexible elongated insertion tube formed of an elastic tubing on which a filament braid is disposed. The braid is nearly circumferential, i.e.... | 08/25/1992 |
| 5056503 | Endoscope with high frequency accessory and reduced video interference An endoscope incorporating a solid state image pickup element for picking-up optical images of an object under observation, and an accessory means having a high frequency oscillator, is able to perform imaging and an accessory function without mutual inte... | 10/15/1991 |
| 5003964 | Endoscope and jig for processing signal conductors of endoscope An endoscope includes an electric device attached to a rigid portion provided at a distal end of the endoscope, and signal conductors extending from the electric device. The signal conductors are bent at a bending portion of the endoscope so as to reduce ... | 04/02/1991 |
| 4998971 | Electronic endoscope apparatus capable of observing laser-illuminated biological body portion To prevent a halation phenomenon from an endoscopic image of a laser-illuminated body cavity of a biological body under medical examination, an electronic endoscope apparatus comprises an electronic scope unit and a main endoscope unit coupled to the elec... | 03/12/1991 |
| 4998182 | Connector for optical sensor A connector is provided for a highly miniaturized integrated circuit imager that is supported in a sealed package that has a transparent distal plate and a plurality of connector pins that extend proximally from the package. The connector pins are trimmed... | 03/05/1991 |
| 4993405 | Imaging apparatus An imaging apparatus comprising a solid state imaging device for imaging an object image, an electronic circuit connected operatively to the solid state imaging device and generating heat and a heat conducting member leading the heat generated from the el... | 02/19/1991 |
| 4989586 | Endoscope having a solid-state image pickup device An endoscope having a solid-state image pickup device in the distal end of the insert portion of the endoscope, the central axis of the solid-state image pickup device being apart from the central axis of the insert portion. Signal lines connected to the ... | 02/05/1991 |
| 4974075 | Image pickup apparatus having connector capable of separately shielding grouped electrical connections An electrical connector for electrically connecting an image pickup unit and a system for processing signals supplied therefrom. Signal cables are separated into some groups so that signals in different cables in each group do not considerably interfere w... | 11/27/1990 |
| 4928699 | Ultrasonic diagnosis device An ultrasonic diagnosis device disclosed includes an endoscope with an ultrasonic diagnosis function, wherein an ultrasonic probe is arranged in the front end region of the portion to be inserted into a coelom or the like cavity, and is connected to an ex... | 05/29/1990 |
| 4919114 | Endoscope provided with flexible signal wires The endoscope of the present invention, in which the flexibility of a part of a signal wire inserted through the insertable part is varied, is provided with a flexible insertable part to be inserted into a body cavity. A solid state imaging device obtains... | 04/24/1990 |
| 4895138 | Endoscope with a detachable observation unit at its distal end An endoscope includes an insertion section inserted into the patient's body. A distal end member is provided at the distal end of the insertion section. An illuminating system for illuminating a desired portion is attached to the end member. An observatio... | 01/23/1990 |
| 4879992 | Rigid electronic endoscope This rigid electronic endoscope has an endoscope having an elongate insertable part connected to the front part of an operating part which is also a holding part on the base side and formed of a solid state imaging device which can output an electric sign... | 11/14/1989 |
| 4879991 | Endoscope The outer periphery including the peripheral edge of the front end surface of a hard tip member in which an image forming device and illuminating light emitting device are contained and fixed on the tip side of an elongated insertable part is covered with... | 11/14/1989 |
| 4867137 | Electronic endoscope An electronic endoscope includes a solid-state image sensor disposed within the distal end of insertable portion thereof, a picture image processor disposed remote from the solid-state image sensor and a drive circuit for the solid-state image sensor. The... | 09/19/1989 |
| 4860731 | Endoscope An endoscope having sucking tube lines large in the sucking capacity of the present invention has an insertable part to be inserted into a body cavity and is provided in the front end part of the insertable part with an illuminating window illuminating an... | 08/29/1989 |
| 4807025 | Electronic endoscope apparatus In this electronic endoscope apparatus, a waveform compensating device compensating the waveform of a driving pulse applied to a solid state imaging device is provided within a light source connector, an information signal generating device generating an ... | 02/21/1989 |
| 4759346 | Endoscope device This endoscope device is provided with two kinds of electronscopes different at least in the length of the insertion part and each housing a solid state imaging device on the tip side of the insertion part and a camera controlling unit making the respecti... | 07/26/1988 |
| 4736734 | Endoscope with variable illumination angle An endoscope having a light source unit, a light guide fiber for guiding illumination light from the light source unit to the distal end in the inserting section of the endoscope main body, an optical system provided in the distal end for guiding the illu... | 04/12/1988 |
| 4677471 | Endoscope An endoscope is disclosed which includes a lens unit having a lens frame and lens frame cover and plurality of lenses attached to the lens frame, and image sensor unit located behind the lens frame. The image sensor unit comprises an electroconductive ima... | 06/30/1987 |
| 4646723 | Construction of a forward end portion of an endoscope using a heat conductive material An endoscope is provided which includes a viewing head in a section which is insertable into a cavity of a living body. An image sensor for generating a video signal which in turn is transmitted to a television display to be visualized thereon as a televi... | 03/03/1987 |
| 4641635 | Endoscope apparatus An endoscope has an insertion section extended from an operation section. An observation window and an illumination window are formed in the distal end of the insertion section. The observation window is positioned nearer the distal end of the insertion s... | 02/10/1987 |
