Patents Represented by Attorney Houston & Associates, LLP
  • Patent number: 8346632
    Abstract: A medical item recall system for medical items at one or more medical facilities at which the medical items are consumed and/or distributed to patients provides each of the medical items has stand-off readable tags, such as RFID tags. The system comprises medical facilities storage devices at the one or more medical facilities containing medical items, the medical items being identified via the stand-off readable tags and associated with individual medical facilities storage devices. The system further comprises an inventory management system that receives recall information for the medical items, receives content information concerning the medical items contained in each of the medical facilities storage devices, and issues reports for locations of medical items matching the recall information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2013
    Assignee: WaveMark, Inc.
    Inventor: Jean-Claude Saghbini
  • Patent number: 8339610
    Abstract: The invention relates to a system and to a corresponding method for optical coherence tomography having a light source (15) for producing light (14), a first interferometer (10), a second interferometer (20) and an optical fiber (17) by means of which light emitted by the first interferometer (10) is conveyed to the second interferometer (20). For simpler and more efficient injection of the light emitted by the first interferometer (10) into the optical fiber (17) provision is made such that light is injected into the first interferometer (10) which has a first number of transversal modes, and the optical fiber (17) has at least one multi-mode fiber into which the light passing out of the first interferometer (10) is injected such that in the optical fiber (17) a second number of transversal modes is stimulated which is conveyed to the second interferometer (20), the second number of transversal modes being substantially greater than the first number of transversal modes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignee: Agfa HealthCare N.V.
    Inventors: Rainer Nebosis, Rainer Scheunemann, Edgar-Gerald Kopp
  • Patent number: 8330962
    Abstract: The invention relates to a system and to a corresponding method for optical coherence tomography having an interferometer (10) and a detector system (30, 31) which comprises a detector (30) for collecting the light reflected by a specimen (1) to be examined and has a sensitivity to the light reflected by the specimen (1). In order to reduce the times required for the most reliable possible recording of interference signals provision is made such that the sensitivity of the detector system (30, 31) to the light reflected by the specimen (1) and impinging on the detector (30) is modulated with a modulation frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignee: Agfa HealthCare N.V.
    Inventors: Rainer Nebosis, Rainer Scheunemann
  • Patent number: 8321584
    Abstract: Methods and systems for identifying and preferring certain content transmissions over others for transport in a multiple subscriber computer network, such as public broadband access network. Preferred transport includes exempting participating content transmissions from bandwidth preservation policies, such as byte capping or rate limiting, or permitting the broadband access network provider to bill for certain identified content transmissions. The participating content transmissions are identified on a number of bases including by sending or receiving application, or by use of tags embedded by the content originator, sender or distributor. Those tagging techniques are also usable to enforce the content owner's distribution rights.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: Ellacoya Networks, Inc.
    Inventor: Kurt A. Dobbins
  • Patent number: 8321474
    Abstract: The invention relates to a system for generating evaluation data with a data base for storing original data, a memory for storing an evaluation program for the evaluation of original data stored in the data base and a control. In order to achieve rapid and reliable provision of evaluation data, an evaluation order for evaluating original data is generated upon the occurrence of a pre-specified event. It is checked by the control whether an evaluation order has been generated. In the event of an evaluation order being present, the evaluation program stored in the memory is started dependently upon the evaluation order, the evaluation program accessing original data stored in the data base dependently upon the evaluation order and the evaluation data being generated from this.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: Agfa HealthCare N.V.
    Inventor: Joerg Schilken
  • Patent number: 8299504
    Abstract: A two-dimensional, temporally modulated electromagnetic wavefield, preferably in the ultraviolet, visible or infrared spectral range, can be locally detected and demodulated with one or more sensing elements. Each sensing element consists of a resistive, transparent electrode (E) on top of an insulated layer (O) that is produced over a semiconducting substrate whose surface is electrically kept in depletion. The electrode (E) is connected with two or more contacts (C1; C2) to a number of clock voltages that are operated synchronously with the frequency of the modulated wavefield. In the electrode and in the semiconducting substrate lateral electric fields are created that separate and transport photogenerated charge pairs in the semiconductor to respective diffusions (D1; D2) close to the contacts (C1; C2).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: MESA Imaging AG
    Inventor: Peter Seitz
  • Patent number: 8290223
    Abstract: A Markov Random Field (MRF)-based technique is described for performing clustering of images characterized by poor or limited data. The proposed method is a statistical classification model that labels the image pixels based on the description of their statistical and contextual information. Apart from evaluating the pixel statistics that originate from the definition of the K-means clustering scheme, the model expands the analysis by the description of the spatial dependence between pixels and their labels (context), hence leading to the reduction of the inhomogeneity of the segmentation output with respect to the result of pure K-means clustering.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: Agfa HealthCare N.V.
    Inventors: Marek Suliga, Piet Dewaele, Rudi Deklerck, Edgard Nyssen, Gert Behiels
  • Patent number: 8290292
    Abstract: At least one approximation image is created of the image at one or multiple scales. Translation difference images are created by pixel-wise subtracting the values of an approximation image at scale s and the values of a translated version of the approximation image. A non-linear modification is applied to the values of the translation difference image (s) and at least one enhanced center difference image at a specific scale is computed by combining the modified translation difference images at that scale or a smaller scale with weights wi,,j. An enhanced image is computed by applying a reconstruction algorithm to the enhanced center difference images. The non-linear modification of the values of the translation difference images is steered by (a) characteristic (s) computed out of the approximation image (s) at least one scale.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: Agfa HealthCare N.V.
    Inventors: Tom Bertens, Pieter Vuylsteke
  • Patent number: 8281994
    Abstract: An interface system for providing product identifier data to a legacy system for a unit tracking system comprises a reader for reading unit tracking information for items. The unit tracking information uniquely identifies each of the items. In one example, this unit tracking information is an RFID serial number. Then, a translator looks up universal product numbers associated with the items with which the unit tracking number is associated. The translator passes the universal product number to the legacy system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Assignee: WaveMark Inc.
    Inventors: John S. Wass, Jean-Claude Saghbini
  • Patent number: 8278637
    Abstract: A process, and to a corresponding apparatus for reading out and erasing X-ray information stored in storage phosphor layers, comprising the following: irradiating the storage phosphor layer (1) with stimulation light (3) by means of which the storage phosphor layer (1) is stimulated to emit emission light, collecting the emission light emitted at different locations (x, y) of the storage phosphor layer (1) with a detector (7), detector signal values (D(x, y)) being obtained for different locations (x, y) of the storage phosphor layer (1), and irradiating the storage phosphor layer (1) with erasing light (21), the quantity of erasing light (21) being determined by means of the detector signal values (D(x, y)).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2012
    Assignee: Agfa HealthCare N.V.
    Inventors: Stephan Mair, Thomas Hartmann, Bernd Gerstlauer
  • Patent number: 8267388
    Abstract: Alignment assembly is used to center a sample on a moving stage system. The alignment assembly includes a pair of slides stacked on a stage with linear perpendicular movement relative to each other, and at least one actuator that is preferably physically separate from the linear slides and stage. The actuator(s) repeatedly extend an actuator arm to move the linear slides, and retract the arm for subsequent movement of the stage during and after the process of centering the sample in two dimensions on the stage. Either the stage system rotates, or multiple actuators are placed to move the alignment system in perpendicular directions relative to the stage, by repeatedly contacting only the top linear slide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2012
    Assignee: Xradia, Inc.
    Inventor: Ying Xu
  • Patent number: 8271678
    Abstract: A server, using a deterministic function, a secret value and persistent information of a packet, destined for a client device, generates and includes a conversation identifier for inclusion with the packet. The client device in turn includes the conversation identifier in a subsequent packet sent by the client device destined for the server. An intermediate routing device having knowledge of the deterministic function and the secret value, upon receiving the packet en-route from the client device to the server, would independently determine whether the packet is a part of a conversation between the client and the server, by independently verifying the included conversation identifier, and forward or not forward the packet accordingly. As result, undesirable packets may be independently detected and filtered for the server.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2012
    Assignee: Arbor Networks, Inc.
    Inventors: David J. Wetherall, Stefan R. Savage, Thomas E. Anderson
  • Patent number: 8270086
    Abstract: A beam splitter optical surface comprises a transparent substrate and a multilayer optical coating applied in a pattern onto the transparent substrate. The multilayer optical coating has at least an optically reflective layer and an optically absorbent layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2012
    Assignee: BAE Systems OASYS LLC
    Inventors: John M. Hall, Scott Payette
  • Patent number: 8259303
    Abstract: Optical coherence tomography (OCT) probe and system designs are disclosed that minimize the effects of mechanical movement and strain to the probe to the OCT analysis. It also concerns optical designs that are robust against noise from the OCT laser source. Also integrated OCT system-probes are included that yield compact and robust electro-opto-mechanical systems along with polarization sensitive OCT systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2012
    Assignee: Axsun Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Bartley C. Johnson, Dale C. Flanders
  • Patent number: 8253345
    Abstract: A method for driving a LED and to an illumination system comprising at least one LED. The LED is driven by a pulse signal, wherein the pulse signal comprises pulses of a duration of T/n, wherein T is the duration of a single pulse and the corresponding pause in between two consecutive pulses and n is at least 2, and the current value of the pulses is at least double as much as the nominal constant current of said LED. The light intensity is increased by n times while the power consumption is the same in comparison to driving that LED with a prescribed constant driving voltage and the prescribed constant driving current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2012
    Inventor: Yu-Nung Shen
  • Patent number: RE43739
    Abstract: A test probe for a finger tester for the testing of non-componented circuit boards has a test needle with a probe tip which may be brought into contact with a circuit board test point, and which may be pivotably attached to a mount by means of at least two flexible sprung retaining arms. It is distinguished by the fact that at least one of the retaining arms is made of an electrically conductive material and is electrically connected to the test needle. In a corresponding finger tester, the test probe is driven by a linear motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: ATG Luther & Maelzer GmbH
    Inventor: Victor Romanov