Patent ID: 8608690

Claim:
A joint assembly of a rapid insertion catheter delivery system, comprising: an outer sleeve body comprising a melt bonding material and operatively coupling a distal end portion of a first tube having a first length to a proximal end portion of a second tube having a second length, the outer sleeve body having a length smaller than the first length and the second length, the first tube comprising a first passageway and the second tube comprising a second passageway in fluid communication with the first passageway, wherein the first tube has a first diameter and the second tube has a second diameter larger than the first diameter, and wherein each of the first tube and the second tube includes an outer layer comprising a melt bonding material, the melt bonding materials of the first and second tubes being melt bonded to the melt bonding material of the outer sleeve body, the joint assembly thereby comprising a melt bond at an interface between the melt bonding material of the outer sleeve body and the melt bonding materials of the first and second tubes, the melt bond extending along the length of the outer sleeve body, and wherein the outer sleeve body comprises an exit passageway in fluid communication with the second passageway for guiding a medical device out of the joint assembly without kinking or bending.