Carrier system for delivery of an end of an elongated member to the upper gastrointestinal tract

Claim 1

A carrier system for delivery of an end of an elongated member to the upper gastrointestinal tract comprising: a. an outer gelatin pharmaceutical capsule dissolvable in the upper gastrointestinal tract from the normal presence of moisture and warmth and having an opening in one end thereof; b. an inner capsule enclosed by said outer capsule having an open end bstantially coaxially aligned with the opening of said outer capsule, and being non-soluble in said gastrointestinal tract and completely contained within said outer capsule, and having inwardly deflectable walls collapsible in the absence of said outer capsule by peristaltic action present in the upper gastrointestinal tract for lightly grasping the element of paragraph (d) below between the edges of the walls: c. a weight, non-dissolvable in the upper gastrointestinal tract, carried in the bottom portion of said inner capsule and providing structural support to the walls of the inner capsule at said bottom portion so that said inner capsule is of sufficient bulk to be readily advanced by peristaltic action through the stomach; d. an elongated flexible element releasably connected to said inner capsule and having a first position substantially contained within said inner and outer capsules for playing out of said capsule openings to a second distended position within said gastrointestinal tract, said inner capsule containing said elongated element which is adapted for remaining after said outer capsule has dissolved and until said inner capsule has moved to the duodenum; and e. said elongated element and said inner capsule adapted for remaining connected during delivery of the distal end of said element to the duodenum, and said inner capsule adapted for being releasable from said element in the duodenum upon manually withdrawing said elongated element.