Patent ID: 7828724

Claim:
An endoscope including a flexible tube, the flexible tube comprising: a framed structure unit having a plurality of joint members rotatably coupled to each other so that the framed structure unit is able to bend freely, each joint member having a cylindrical shape; a reticulated tube that is reticulated with thread and covers the framed structure unit; and a flexible sheath that has flexibility and covers the reticulated tube; wherein: a cross section of an outer surface of the flexible sheath has a circular shape; a cross section of an outer surface of each joint member has a non-circular shape so that a wall thickness of the flexible sheath has a part that is thicker in a particular direction about an axis line of the flexible tube than another part of the wall thickness of the flexible sheath; the cylindrical shape of each joint member is configured to have a first elliptical cross section at a first end portion and a second elliptical cross section at a second end portion, a major axis of the first elliptical cross section at the first end portion being perpendicular to a major axis of the second elliptical cross section at the second end portion; and a pair of tabs, each having a hole, are provided at ends of the major axis of the first elliptical cross section at the first end portion.