Patents Represented by Attorney Winthrop & Weinstine, P.A.
  • Patent number: 8352281
    Abstract: In one embodiment, this invention analyzes demographic data that is associated with a specific street address when presented as an address change on an existing account or an address included on a new account application when that address is different from the reference address (e.g., a credit bureau type header data). The old or reference address and the new address, the new account application address or fulfillment address demographic attributes are gathered, analyzed, compared for divergence and scaled to reflect the relative fraud risk.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: ID Insight Incorporated
    Inventors: Robert T. Clark, Adam Elliott
  • Patent number: 8348965
    Abstract: The invention provides a rotational atherectomy device having a flexible, elongated, rotatable drive shaft with an abrasive section comprising an enlarged diameter section of the drive shaft or, alternatively, a solid abrasive crown which may be attached to the drive shaft. The device further comprises a proximal and/or a distal counterweight attached to the drive shaft, spaced from the abrasive section wherein each counterweight has its center of mass offset from the longitudinal axis of the drive shaft to stimulate orbital motion by the abrasive section. When placed within an artery against stenotic tissue and rotated at sufficiently high speeds (e.g., in the range of about 20,000 rpm to about 200,000 rpm) the orbiting nature of the abrasive section causes such section to rotate as to open the stenotic lesion to a diameter substantially larger than the resting outer diameter of the abrasive section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Cardiovascular Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Dmitriy Prudnikov, Larry A. Walter, Jeffrey A. McBroom
  • Patent number: 8333033
    Abstract: A device and method for growing vegetation. The device and method can be used for repairing a divot in a grass lawn. The device includes a packet having a water-soluble film surface that contains a mixture of soil and seeds. An example device includes a water-containing device in the packet. When the packet is placed on the ground, such as the divot, and subjected to water, the film dissolves so that the mixture comes into contact with the ground and the seeds can begin to germinate and grow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2012
    Inventor: Gary Michael Bell
  • Patent number: 8332235
    Abstract: A method and computer program product is provided that, in various embodiments, may provide a measure of efficiency of resources used in medical treatment plan options. A normalized Relative Resource Value (RRV) may be obtained that measures the level of resources required to satisfy a “normal” case for a particular aspect of medical care. Applying this value against actual costs allows ranking and/or comparison of health care providers relative to one another on the basis of the price or resources applied or utilized. Moreover, applying the RRV against the quality of outcome allows comparison and ranking of providers on overall value. The invention may be applied to the components of medical care comprising, inter alia, acute inpatient, non-acute inpatient, outpatient, professional office-based care including scheduled outpatient, and pharmacy/prescriptions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignee: Group Health Plan, Inc.
    Inventors: Tammie J. Lindquist, Robert P. Power, Gary J. Kitching, Susan L. Cooper, Chad C. Heim, Richard R. Paskach
  • Patent number: 8291682
    Abstract: A saddle pad cover is disclosed and may include a first layer and a second layer, the first layer being coupled to the second layer, a closure device adapted for insertion of a saddle pad, and a patch positioned on the surface of the first layer, where the saddle pad cover may sleevably receive a saddle pad to form an assembly. A method of maintaining a saddle pad cover is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Inventors: Aimee A. Dodson, Gladys M. Woldt
  • Patent number: 8283160
    Abstract: Methods and compositions for preventing and treating the damaged and/or degenerating CNS experiencing loss or death of CNS cells. Various embodiments of the invention transport a therapeutically effective amount of, inter alia, at least one therapeutic cell to the CNS by intranasal application to the upper-third of the nasal cavity, thereby bypassing the blood-brain barrier. A pharmaceutical composition according to the invention may comprise at least one therapeutic cell, at least one delivery-enhancement agent, at least one antibiotic, at least one regulatory factor and/or at least one immunosuppressive agent, wherein the composition is delivered to the upper-third of the nasal cavity. The therapeutic cells, once delivered to the CNS, migrate preferentially to the area of damage or degeneration or injury.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Inventors: William H. Frey, II, Lusine Danielyan, Christoph H. Gleiter
  • Patent number: 8271473
    Abstract: A method of managing career opportunities is provided. In some embodiments, a method for providing career and job listing websites and optimizing the career and job listing websites for search engine optimization is provided. In various embodiments, the method comprises creating a career website that mirrors a company's website, extracting job information from the company, and optimizing the job information for maximum search engine placement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2012
    Assignee: JOBS2WEB, Inc.
    Inventor: Douglas M. Berg
  • Patent number: 8254052
    Abstract: A thin film magnetic recording head is fabricated by forming a substrate from opposing ferrite blocks which have a ceramic member bonded between them. This structure is then diced to form a plurality of columns, wherein each column has a ferrite/ceramic combination. Each column represents a single channel in the completed head. A block of ceramic is then cut to match the columned structure and the two are bonded together. The bonded structure is then cut or ground until a head is formed, having ceramic disposed between each channel. A ferrite back-gap is then added to each channel, minimizing the reluctance of the flux path. The thin film is patterned on the head to optimize various channel configurations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2012
    Assignee: Advanced Research Corporation
    Inventor: Matthew P. Dugas
  • Patent number: 8230193
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for RAID Restriping. One method includes selecting an initial RAID device for migration based on at least one score, creating an alternate RAID device, moving data from the initial RAID device to the alternate RAID device, and removing the initial RAID device. The method may be performed automatically by the system or manually. The method may be performed periodically, continuously, after every RAID device migration, upon addition of disk drives, and/or before removal of disk drives, etc. One system includes a RAID subsystem and a disk manager configured to automatically calculate a score for each RAID device, select a RAID device based on the relative scores of the RAID devices, create an alternate RAID device, move data from the selected RAID device to the alternate RAID device, and remove the selected RAID device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Assignee: Compellent Technologies
    Inventors: Michael J. Klemm, Michael J. Uttormark
  • Patent number: 8210708
    Abstract: A large plurality of artificial, battery-operated, electronic candles are arranged to be simultaneously recharged upon placement on a series of interconnected charging trays that include a transformer primary winding at defined locations thereon. The primary windings are driven by an AC signal whose duty cycle is controlled by a pulse width modulator IC to induce a voltage across secondary windings contained within the candle housing. This induced signal is rectified to produce the battery charging current and the delivery of the charging current to the rechargeable batteries is controlled by a microprocessor IC.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: Smart Candle, LLC
    Inventors: Daniel Hau, Tim Cowley, Shane Vail
  • Patent number: 8192451
    Abstract: The invention provides a rotational and/or axially translatable atherectomy system, device and method having a flexible, elongated drive shaft or catheter having an expandable and collapsible conical coil with a cutting edge on the coil's large diameter proximal end. When retracted, the coil's sections are collapsed around each other, held together in the retracted position by a sheath that, when distally retracted, allows the coil to automatically expand. The coil is expanded at a point distal to the occlusion, then pulled proximally to cut the occluding material near the lumen wall. The proximal pulling force may be combined with low-speed rotation and/or translation and/or axial vibration at low to ultrasonic frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2012
    Assignee: Cardiovascular Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Matthew D. Cambronne, Robert E. Kohler, Stephen Latham, Jesse C. Darley
  • Patent number: 8190451
    Abstract: An accurate predictive model that identifies the patient/members within the healthcare system at high risk of hospital admission for a wide range of morbidities, or co-morbidities, and that allows subsequent intervention to manage those patients identified as high risk to an acceptable level. There is a further need for such a predictive model that focuses on specific groupings of conditions, e.g., behavioral health predictive modeling. There is also a need for a method that provides for intervention to manage the risk to the identified patients/members. One embodiment of the present invention discloses and claims a method of high-risk patient identification and management.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2012
    Assignee: Group Health Plan, Inc.
    Inventors: Karen D. Lloyd, Tammie J. Lindquist, Lynne A. Dancha, Michael Koopmeiners, Agnes W. H. Tan
  • Patent number: 8177801
    Abstract: A high-speed atherectomy device is disclosed, for abrading a blockage (stenosis) in the interior of a lumen (artery). The device uses a rapidly rotating drive shaft that includes an eccentric abrasive element that has its center of mass laterally offset from the rotational axis of the drive shaft. As the drive shaft rotates, centrifugal force drives the eccentric abrasive element outward, so that it traces an abrading diameter at high rotational speeds that is larger than its rest diameter. The drive shaft includes counterweights on both sides of the abrasive element, which may stabilize operation at high rotational speeds. In some cases, the counterweights are also eccentric, with their centers of mass laterally offset from the rotational axis in the opposite direction as that of the abrasive element. The counterweights are longitudinally separated from the abrasive element, and in some cases, the separations are adjustable and/or controllable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2012
    Assignee: Cardiovascular Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael J. Kallok, Gary M. Petrucci
  • Patent number: 8162964
    Abstract: The invention provides a rotational atherectomy system, device and method having a flexible, elongated, rotatable catheter tube that is split into two elements, a biasing element and a cutting element, distally and wherein the biasing element and cutting element are capable of forming a first and retracted position for insertion into a lumen and a second and expanded position for ablation. The biasing element is biased in the expanded position, thereby placing a biasing force against the lumen wall and pressing the cutting element against the opposite side of the lumen wall for directional cutting and/or grinding, either by rotation, axial translation, vibration or a combination thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: Cardiovascular Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Cassandra A. Piippo, Jesse C. Darley
  • Patent number: 8066213
    Abstract: Advantageously, certain embodiments of the present invention provide a system that allows easy replacement of one or more worn rotor teeth and/or rotor tooth mount(s) mounted on a waste fragmenting machine. The present invention may further provide a system that allows minimization of stress during fragmentation on the attachment mechanisms between the mount and the rotor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2011
    Assignee: Rotochopper, Inc.
    Inventor: Todd J. Marquardsen
  • Patent number: D664720
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2012
    Inventor: Joseph T. Leonard
  • Patent number: D667232
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2012
    Inventor: Jianhua Yang
  • Patent number: D669797
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: Nextten Stauer, LLC
    Inventors: Ho Shun Kau, Queenie Ho Kwan Yee
  • Patent number: D671761
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2012
    Assignee: Smith System
    Inventor: William Risdall
  • Patent number: D672571
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2012
    Assignee: Smith System
    Inventor: William Risdall