Methods of fabricating flexible guides for infra-red energy

Claim 5

A method as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the infra-red energy guide is such that each said guide section thereof is a tube whose transverse dimensions are substantially uniform along the full length of the tube, said method comprising the steps of providing a rigid tube which is initially in one unitary piece of a length substantially equal to the combined overall length of the guide sections in the energy guide being fabricated, said tube having transverse dimensions which are substantially uniform along the full length of the tube and equal to the transverse dimensions of the individual guide sections to be comprised in the energy guide when fabricated, selectively weakening said tube along circumferential lines at longitudinal intervals substantially equal to the lengths of the individual guide sections to be comprised in the energy guide when fabricated, tightly encasing said selectively weakened tube in a co-extensive and relatively flexible hollow sheath, and breaking said tube at each circumferential line of selective weakening while retaining said sheath intact thereby to form the requisite plurality of individual infra-red energy guide sections encased within said relatively flexible sheath as said guide section mounting means.

Claim 6

The method of Claim 3 wherein said rigid tube which is initially in one unitary piece is a hollow tube composed of alumina and having a uniform cylindrical bore, said alumina tube is selectively weakened along circumferential lines by circumferentially scribing said tube to a depth which is insufficient to penetrate to said bore, and said tube is tightly encased in said hollow sheath by shrink-fitting said sheath around said tube following the step of selectively weakening the tube but prior to the step of breaking of said tube.

Claim 7

The method of Claim 4 wherein said tube is broken at said circumferential lines by application of bending forces to the sheathed tube.

Claim 8

A method as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the infra-red energy guide has adjacent ends of each adjacent pair of infra-red energy guide sections externally overlapped by a respective length of outer tubing having an inner surface with an internal diameter slightly greater than the external dimensions of said guide sections, said method comprising the steps of providing the requisite plurality of said infra-red energy guide sections which are individually rigid and individually short relative the overall length of the energy guide being fabicated, providing the requisite plurality of lengths of outer tubing each having an inner surface with an internal diameter slightly greater than the external dimensions of said guide sections, mounting said guide sections concatenated end-to-end, overlapping the adjacent ends of each adjacent pair of said guide sections with one of said lengths of outer tubing to form an assembly of concatenated guide sections overlapped by lengths of outer tubing, and tightly encasing said assembly in a co­extensive and relatively flexible hollow sheath as said guide section mounting means, the flexibility of said sheath enabling said variable angular deviation between adjacent guide sections up to the limit of deviation imposed by the respective length of outer tubing overlapping the adjacent ends of said adjacent guide sections.

Claim 9

A method as claimed in Claim 2 wherein the infra-red energy guide has an outer tube assembly external of the guide section mounting means, the outer tube assembly comprising a plurality of first lengths of rigid tubing in end-to-end relationship, each pair of adjacent first lengths having adjacent ends which are externally overlapped by a respective second length of rigid tubing, said second lengths having inner surfaces with an internal diameter slightly greater than the external dimensions of said first lengths, said method comprising the further steps of providing the requisite plurality of first lengths of rigid tubing, aligning the plurality of first lengths of rigid tubing in end-to-end relationships, providing the requisite plurality of second lengths of rigid tubing, and aligning each of said second lengths of rigid tubing to externally overlap a respective pair of adjacent ends of the first lengths of rigid tubing to form an outer tube assembly for the infra-red energy guide.

Claim 10

A method as claimed in Claim 7 wherein said outer tube assembly includes a relatively flexible hollow sheath tightly encasing at least portions of said first lengths of rigid tubing and also tightly encasing each of said second lengths of rigid tubing, said method comprising the further steps providing said relatively flexible hollow sheath initially in a form having internal dimensions greater than the external dimensions of said second lengths of rigid tubing, locating the initially formed sheath around the assembly of first lengths and second lengths of rigid tubing and shrink-fitting said sheath around said assembly of first lengths and second lengths to form said outer tube assembly.

Claim 11

An infra-red energy guide having a relatively long overall length, said guide comprising a plurality of infra-­red energy guide sections which are individually short relative to said overall length, each said guide section being substantially rigid and having an energy-guiding internal section, guide section mounting means mounting said guide sections in a concatenation with each guide section aligned to project infra-red energy into the succeeding guide section in the concatenation, said guide section mounting means allowing an angular deviation between adjacent guide sections in said concatenation, said angular deviation not exceeding a maximum at which the infra-red energy guide is transmissive of infra-red energy along its overall length, the adjacent ends of each adjacent pair of said infra-red energy guide sections being externally overlapped by a respective length of outer tubing, said second length having inner surfaces with an internal diameter slightly greater than the external dimensions of said guide sections, the length and internal diameter of each said length of outer tubing permitting the respective overlapped guide sections to undergo a variable mutual angular deviation that can increase up to said maximum deviation until said guide sections jam against the inner surface of the respective length of outer tubing to prevent a further increase in said mutual angular deviation beyond said maximum at which the infra-red energy guide is transmissive of infra-red energy along its overall length.

Claim 12

An infra-red energy guide having a relatively long overall length, said guide comprising a plurality of infra-­red energy guide sections which are individually short relative to said overall length, each said guide section being substantially rigid and having an energy-guiding internal section, guide section mounting means mounting said guide sections in a concatenation with each guide section aligned to project infra-red energy into the succeeding guide section in the concatenation, said guide section mounting means allowing an angular deviation between adjacent guide sections in said concatenation, said angular deviation not exceeding a maximum at which the infra-red energy guide is transmissive of infra-red energy along its overall length, the adjacent ends of each adjacent pair of said infra-red energy guide sections being externally overlapped by a respective length of outer tubing, said second length having inner surfaces with an internal diameter slightly greater than the external dimensions of said guide sections, the length and internal diameter of each said length of outer tubing permitting the respective overlapped guide sections to undergo a variable mutual angular deviation that can increase up to said maximum deviation until said guide sections jam against the inner surface of the respective length of outer tubing to prevent a further increase in said mutual angular deviation beyond said maximum at which the infra-red energy guide is transmissive of infra-red energy along its overall length.

Claim 13

An infra-red energy guide as claimed in Claim 9, further comprising a relatively flexible hollow sheath tightly encasing portions of said guide sections and also tightly encasing said lengths of outer tubing.

Claim 14

An infra-red energy guide having a relatively long overall length, said guide comprising a plurality of infra-­red energy guide sections which are individually short relative to said overall length, each said guide section being substantially rigid and having an energy-guiding internal section, guide section mounting means mounting said guide sections in a concatenation with each guide section aligned to project infra-red energy into the succeeding guide section in the concatenation, said guide section mounting means comprising a relatively flexible hollow sheath tightly encasing said guide sections, the flexibilty of said sheath allowing an angular deviation between adjacent guide sections in said concatenation, said angular deviation not exceeding a maximum at which the infra-red energy guide is transmittive of infra-red energy along its overall length, the infra-red energy guide having an outer tube assembly external of said sheath, said outer tube assembly comprising a plurality of first length of rigid tubing in end-to-end relationship, each pair of adjacent first lengths having adjacent ends which are externally overlapped by a respective second length of rigid tubing, said second length having inner surfaces greater than the external dimensions of said first lengths, the lengths and internal diameter of each said second lengh of rigid tubing premitting adjacent guide sections to undergo a variable mutual angular deviation that can increase up to said maximum deviation until said first lengths of rigid tubing jam against the inner surface of the overlapping second length of rigid tubing to prevent a further increase in said mutual angular deviation beyond said maximum at which said infra-red energy guide is transmissive of infra-red energy along its overall length.

Claim 15

An infra-red energy guide having a relatively long overall length, said guide comprising a plurality of infra-­red energy guide sections which are individually short relative to said overall length, each said guide section being substantially rigid and having an energy-guiding internal section, guide section mounting means mounting said guide sections in a concatenation with each guide section aligned to project infra-red energy into the succeeding guide section in the concatenation, said guide section mounting means comprising a relatively flexible hollow sheath tightly encasing said guide sections, the flexibilty of said sheath allowing an angular deviation between adjacent guide sections in said concatenation, said angular deviation not exceeding a maximum at which the infra-red energy guide is transmittive of infra-red energy along its overall length, the infra-red energy guide having an outer tube assembly external of said sheath, said outer tube assembly comprising a plurality of first length of rigid tubing in end-to-end relationship, each pair of adjacent first lengths having adjacent ends which are externally overlapped by a respective second length of rigid tubing, said second length having inner surfaces greater than the external dimensions of said first lengths, the lengths and internal diameter of each said second lengh of rigid tubing premitting adjacent guide sections to undergo a variable mutual angular deviation that can increase up to said maximum deviation until said first lengths of rigid tubing jam against the inner surface of the overlapping second length of rigid tubing to prevent a further increase in said mutual angular deviation beyond said maximum at which said infra-red energy guide is transmissive of infra-red energy along its overall length.

Claim 16

An infra-red energy guide as claimed in Claim 11 wherein said outer tube assembly includes a further relatively flexible hollow sheath tightly encasing at least portions of said first lengths of rigid tubing and also tightly encasing each of said second lengths of rigid tubing.