Stiffening assembly

US8945100B2 · US · B2

Patent metadata
FieldValue
Publication numberUS-8945100-B2
Application numberUS-201313933944-A
CountryUS
Kind codeB2
Filing dateJul 2, 2013
Priority dateMay 27, 2008
Publication dateFeb 3, 2015
Grant dateFeb 3, 2015

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  2. Abstract

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Abstract

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A stiffenable structure is made of longitudinal beams that are positioned around a longitudinal axis. In one state, the longitudinal beams are bendable so that the structure is bendable. As the structure bends, the longitudinal beams slide longitudinally with reference to one another. In a second state, the beams are clamped in a fixed position relative to one another so that the structure is stiffened. In some aspects the longitudinal beams are made of two or more longitudinal laminar elements. As each beam bends, the laminar elements slide longitudinally with reference to one another. Each beam, and accordingly the structure, is stiffened by preventing the laminar elements from sliding longitudinally relative to one another.

First claim

Opening claim text (preview).

I claim: 1. A stiffening assembly comprising: a flexible tube comprising a plurality of longitudinal sections positioned lengthwise around a longitudinal axis, the flexible tube configured to transition between a sliding state wherein the longitudinal sections slide longitudinally relative to one another and a clamped state wherein the longitudinal sections are clamped in a substantially fixed position relative to one another. 2. The stiffening assembly of c…

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What does patent US8945100B2 cover?
A stiffenable structure is made of longitudinal beams that are positioned around a longitudinal axis. In one state, the longitudinal beams are bendable so that the structure is bendable. As the structure bends, the longitudinal beams slide longitudinally with reference to one another. In a second state, the beams are clamped in a fixed position relative to one another so that the structure is s…
Who is the assignee on this patent?
Intuitive Surgical Operations
What technology area does this patent fall under?
Primary CPC classification A61B1/0051. Mapped technology areas include Human Necessities.
When was this patent published?
Publication date Tue Feb 03 2015 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) (B2). Legal status and post-grant events are not shown on this page.
What related patents are in patentsdb?
We list 8 related publications on this page (citations in our corpus or others sharing the same primary CPC).