Patent ID: 7909227

Claim:
A fixture for use in manufacturing a vacuum insulation tube assembly for a cryosurgical probe, comprising: a) a generally cylindrical vacuum chamber having an upper end, a lower end, and a central axis; b) a bottom plate positioned within an interior volume of said vacuum chamber, at said lower end, said bottom plate comprising a plurality of spaced elongated bottom plate openings extending therethrough substantially parallel to said central axis; c) a guide plate assembly securely supported within said interior volume, at said upper end, said guide plate comprising a plurality of spaced elongated guide plate openings extending therethrough substantially parallel to said central axis; d) a support plate securely positioned within an intermediate portion of said interior volume, said support plate comprising a plurality of spaced elongated support plate openings extending therethrough substantially parallel to said central axis; and, e) a cover assembly mountable on said upper end of said vacuum chamber for providing access to said vacuum chamber for a plurality of inner tubes and outer tubes that are used to form vacuum insulation tube assemblies; wherein said bottom plate openings, said guide plate openings, and said support plate openings provide access for insertion of the outer tubes and the inner tubes, said lower end of said vacuum chamber having a vacuum conduit in fluid communication with lower ends of the vacuum tube assembly, for connection to a vacuum source for evacuating fluid in spaces between the outer tubes and the inner tubes when concentrically positioned, ends of each respective tube assembly being soldered during operation of said fixture to form the vacuum tube assemblies.