US Patent Issued to OLYMPUS MEDICAL SYSTEMS on Sept. 15 for "Rigidity control apparatus, endoscope system, and rigidity control method" (American, Japanese Inventors)

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 15 -- United States Patent no. 12,733,797, issued on Sept. 15, was assigned to OLYMPUS MEDICAL SYSTEMS CORP. (Tokyo).

"Rigidity control apparatus, endoscope system, and rigidity control method" was invented by Sho Nakamura (Orefield, Pa.) and Sayuri Yamamoto (Hino, Japan).

According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A rigidity control apparatus includes a processor and controls a variable-rigidity apparatus. The variable-rigidity apparatus includes a variable-rigidity member, flexural rigidity of which increases when the variable-rigidity member is heated, and a heater configured to be able to heat the variable-rigidity member. The processor calculates information about temperature of...