Patent ID: 8517959

Claim:
A guide wire for use inside a medical tube comprising: a metal core; a straight proximal section possessing a distal-most end; a distal section possessing a proximal-most end which is continuous with the distal-most end of the proximal section so that the straight proximal section extends in a proximal direction away from the distal section; the distal section including a curved portion and a distal portion; the curved portion being a proximal-most portion of the distal section, the distal portion being located distally of the curved portion and being a distal-most part of the distal section; the curved portion possessing a curve start point at which curving of the curved portion starts, the curved portion possessing a curve end point at which curving of the curved portion ends, the curve start point being spaced apart from the curve end point, the curved portion curving continuously from the curve start point to the curve end point; the proximal section and at least a proximal-most portion of the curved portion are positioned in a common first plane, the first plane being a horizontal first plane when the straight proximal section is horizontal; the distal portion being oriented so that an axis of the distal portion intersects the first plane; and the distal portion possessing a distal-most end which is a distal-most end of the guide wire, the distal-most end of the distal portion and a distal-most part of the curved portion being located on a common side of a second plane, the second plane being perpendicular to the first plane, the straight proximal section lying in the second plane, the second plane being a vertical plane when the straight proximal section is horizontally positioned; wherein the distal portion and at least the distal-most part of the curved portion gradually extend away from the first plane while approaching the distal-most end of the distal portion.