US Patent Issued to INTUITIVE SURGICAL OPERATIONS on Oct. 20 for "Systems and methods for use of a variable stiffness flexible elongate device" (California Inventors)

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Oct. 21 -- United States Patent no. 12,765,748, issued on Oct. 20, was assigned to INTUITIVE SURGICAL OPERATIONS INC. (Sunnyvale, Calif.).

"Systems and methods for use of a variable stiffness flexible elongate device" was invented by Joseph D. Bogusky (San Jose, Calif.), Kyle R. Miller (San Jose, Calif.), Randall L. Schlesinger (San Mateo, Calif.) and Serena H. Wong (Los Altos, Calif.).

According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "The following describes various applications and uses for a controllably rigidizable flexible, device or sheath, Such rigidizing mechanisms can allow for a transition between a rigid state and a flexible state of a sheath. Rigidization can be applied along an entir...