Abstract: A combined needle and catheter of the type in which the needle is used to lead the end of the catheter thereon into a body cavity and, after insertion, is withdrawn through the catheter with most of the catheter remaining in the body, where the catheter has a strengthening die wiper, a retention bead, a radio-opaque material imbedded therein, and/or a flexible reinforcing member imbedded therein with its pointed end downward and located within the orifice of a die wiper. Thereafter, a measured quantity of a viscous plastic material or fluid plastisol is applied to the die wiper on the side thereof opposite the pointed end of the needle and the assembly of needle, die wiper and plastisol is then inverted so that the die wiper falls by gravity and wipes a coating of fluid plastisol along the shank of the needle. When the die wiper has completed its traverse of the needle shank, the assembly is heated to solidify the fluid plastisol on the needle and thereby form a removable flexible catheter on the needle.

Abstract: A gun for rapidly firing projectiles from a package inserted into a magazine as a cartridge and which are automatically fed into a propelling chamber and barrel connected thereto by a continuous stream of high pressure gas, a portion or all of which flows through the magazine. The flow of propellant gas is started and stopped by a manually or automatically controlled gate and the rate of firing and muzzle velocity of the projectiles are controlled by varying the pressure of the propellant gas, the geometry of the propelling chamber, or both. The magazine is so shaped as to deliver projectiles into the propelling chamber successively and the propelling chamber is so shaped as to direct the projectiles forwardly therein and form alternating slugs of gas and projectiles. The outlet from the propelling chamber may be connected through a flexible tube or directly to a curved or a conventional barrel.