Patent ID: 7789822

Claim:
An endoscope system of an endoscopic therapeutic instrument in combination with an endoscope, the endoscopic therapeutic instrument comprising: a therapeutic section which performs treatment; a flexible transmission member which transmits operating driving force to the therapeutic section by moving forwardly and reversely; a sheath section defining an interior space in which the flexible transmission member is movable forwardly and reversely; and a flexible operating tube section provided separately from the sheath section in an axial direction of the sheath section and connected to a proximate portion of the transmission member which protrudes from the sheath section; the system further comprising: a channel formed within the endoscope and through which the endoscopic therapeutic instrument is insertable; a first forward/reverse mechanism operable to cause the sheath section to move forwardly and reversely within the channel in an axial direction of the channel; a second forward/reverse mechanism configured to cause the sheath section and the flexible operating tube section to move forwardly and reversely within the channel in the axial direction of the channel, the second forward/reverse mechanism being independent from the first forward/reverse mechanism; a control section operable to control a forward/reverse drive of each of the first and second forward/reverse mechanism, the control section having a first mode configured to move the endoscopic therapeutic instrument forwardly reversely by driving both the first and the second forward/reverse mechanisms with the sheath section contacting both the first and the second forward/reverse mechanisms to cause the sheath section to move forwardly and reversely in the axial direction of the sheath section, and a second mode configured to operate the therapeutic section by driving one of the first and the second forward/reverse mechanisms with the sheath section contacting the first forward/reverse mechanism and the flexible operating tube section contacting the second forward/reverse mechanism to cause one of the sheath section and the flexible operating tube section to move forwardly and reversely in the axial direction of the sheath section.