Extended reach sealed manipulator

Claim 1

IN A REMOTE CONTROL MASTER-SLAVE MANIPULATOR ADAPTED FOR OPERATION THROUGH A BARRIER WALL SEPARATING DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENTS COMPRISING A PIVOTED MASTER ARM ASSEMBLY ADAPTED TO BE POSITIONED ON ONE SIDE OF A BARRIER WALL, A PIVOTED SLAVE ARM ASSEMBLY ADAPTED TO BE POSITIONED ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BARRIER WALL, AND A SEAL TUBE ASSEMBLY ADAPTED TO EXTEND THROUGH THE BARRIER WALL AND BE SEALED THEREIN, SAID SEAL TUBE ASSEMBLY INCLUDING A CLOSED WALL MEMBER SEPARATING THE ENVIRONMENTS, A PLURALITY OF ROTARY MECHANICAL SEALS EXTENDING THROUGH THE CLOSED WALL OF SAID SEAL TUBE ASSEMBLY AND INTERCONNECTING SAID MASTER AND SLAVE ARM ASSEMBLIES, ONE END OF EACH OF SAID ROTARY MECHANICAL SEALS BEING RESPONSIVE TO MANIPULATOR MOTIONS OF THE MASTER ARM, SAID ROTARY MECHANICAL SEALS BEING ADAPTED TO TRANSMIT SAID MOTIONS TO THE OPPOSITE END OF SAID ROTARY MECHANICAL SEALS, MANIPULATOR MOVEMENTS IN THE SLAVE ARM BEING RESPONSIVE TO ROTATION OF SAID ROTARY MECHANICAL SEALS, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH CONSISTS IN SAID SLAVE ARM BEING EXTENDABLE INDEPENDENTLY OF SAID MASTER ARM AND COMPRISING: (A) A TRUNK TUBE, A INTERMEDIATE TUBE FITTED TELESCOPICALLY WITHIN SAID TRUNK TUBE AND A BOOM TUBE FITTED TELESCOPICALLY WITHIN SAID INTERMEDIATE TUBE; (B) DRIVE MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID SLAVE ARM ASSEMBLY AND CONNECTED TO DRIVE SAID INTERMEDIATE TUBE; (C) SAID DRIVE MEANS INCLUDING AN ACTUATOR OPERATIVE IN RESPONSE TO POWER TRANSMITTED FROM THE MASTER ARM SIDE OF SAID BARRIER WALL THROUGH TRANSMISSION MEANS SEALED THEREIN; AND (D) CONTROL MEANS FOR SAID ACTUATOR MOUNTED ON SAID MASTER ARM ASSEMBLY, SAID DRIVE MEANS BEING OPERABLE FROM THE MASTER ARM SIDE OF SAID BARRIER WALL INDEPENDENTLY FROM OPERATION OF SAID MASTER ARM.