Patent 6849044 was granted and assigned to LG on February, 2005 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
An organ-stabilizing element is covered with a layer of textile material such as cloth to enhance slip-free engagement with an organ such as a beating heart during surgery thereon. The organ-stabilizing element is supported on a stacked structure of successive ball elements and rings that can be selectively flexible or rigid in response to tensioning of a flexible cable within a central bore of the structure.