Patents Examined by Boniface N Nganga
  • Patent number: 10986990
    Abstract: A method for placing a set of one or more markers in a luminal network in a patient's body includes using at least one hardware processor for receiving image data of the anatomy of a luminal network of a patient and a location of at least one target in the luminal network anatomy; obtaining a rule set defining one or more rules for placing the set of one or more markers in the luminal network anatomy and with respect to the at least one target; during a survey performed by a user via a navigation system in a portion of the luminal network surrounding the at least one target, acquiring, via the navigation system, sample-locations in the surveyed portion of the luminal network; and identifying a set of one or more marker locations for placing the set of one or more markers from the acquired sample-locations, which complies with the rule set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: Covidien LP
    Inventors: Eyal Klein, Israel Kehat, Evgeni Kopel, Alexander Y. Nepomniashchy, Oren P. Weingarten
  • Patent number: 10970836
    Abstract: A method includes obtaining contrast enhanced spectral image data that includes voxels representing a tubular structure. The method further includes generating at least a contrast map based on the obtained contrast enhanced spectral image data. The method further includes generating an updated contrast map based on a spectral model. The method further includes segmenting the tubular structure based on updated contrast map. A computing system (120) includes a spectral analyzer (202) that receives contrast enhanced spectral image data and generates a spectral analysis data based thereon, wherein the spectral analysis data includes a contrast map, The computing system further includes a spectral analysis data processor (204) that refines the spectral analysis data, generating refined spectral analysis data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2021
    Assignee: KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V.
    Inventors: Yechiel Lamash, Liran Goshen, Raz Carmi
  • Patent number: 10959705
    Abstract: An ultrasonic probe according to an embodiment includes a group of transducer elements and a plurality of electronic circuits. The group of transducer elements constitutes a main array that is divided into a plurality of sub-arrays, and is two-dimensionally arranged. The electronic circuits are arranged corresponding to the arrangement of the transducer elements constituting the sub-array. At least one of the electronic circuits is a first electronic circuit having a first function. At least one of the electronic circuits is a second electronic circuit having a second function different from the first function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2021
    Assignee: CANON MEDICAL SYSTEMS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masaaki Ishitsuka, Hiroyuki Shikata
  • Patent number: 10952702
    Abstract: Exemplary probes including longitudinal marker elements arranged parallel to the probe axis are provided for reducing or eliminating non-uniform rotational distortions (NURD) in imaging systems. Additional ring marker elements may also be provided to reduce or eliminate non-uniform linear distortion (NULD). These probes, as well as systems and methods of use provide for images having better image quality and reduced NURD.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2021
    Assignee: Canon U.S.A., Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Alan Hamm, Bin Wu, Albert Dunfee, Badr Elmaanaoui
  • Patent number: 10939823
    Abstract: Provided is an image analysis device, an image analysis method, and an illumination device to efficiently acquire an image to be suitably used to analyze skin. An image acquisition unit is included, the image acquisition unit including an illumination unit including a light emitting unit in which a plurality of light emitting elements including at least a light emitting element that emits visible light and a light emitting element that emits invisible light are packaged, and an image pickup unit that captures an image of reflection light generated by causing irradiation light emitted from the illumination unit to be reflected by an analysis target. The present disclosure is applicable to, for example, a device for analyzing human skin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2021
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenichiro Nakamura, Takayuki Yamazaki, Kazuhito Kunishima
  • Patent number: 10932717
    Abstract: Sunscreen formulations and systems for sun protection and related methods of use are described herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2021
    Assignee: L'Oreal
    Inventors: Zane Bowman Allen Miller, Susan Halpern, John Hix
  • Patent number: 10918293
    Abstract: A magnetic measuring apparatus includes an inclination gantry including a mount surface and an inclined surface that is inclined with respect to the mount surface, a cryostat disposed on the inclined surface, a cryocooling system connected to the cryostat, a sensor tube connected to the cryostat and including a curved surface that does not curve in a predetermined direction and curves in a direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction such that a center of the curved surface protrudes with respect to side edges of the curved surface, and a magnetic sensor that measures biomagnetism and is housed in the sensor tube such that a sensor surface of the magnetic sensor faces the curved surface. The sensor surface is inclined with respect to the mount surface in a direction that is the same as a direction in which the inclined surface is inclined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignees: Ricoh Company, Ltd., NATIONAL UNIVERSITY CORPORATION TOKYO MEDICAL AND DENTAL UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Takumi Yamaga, Hiroshi Deguchi, Koji Yamaguchi, Takafumi Ishibe, Shunichi Matsumoto, Shigenori Kawabata, Shuta Ushio
  • Patent number: 10912470
    Abstract: A system and method for analyzing blood flow in a subject's brain is provided. In some aspects, the method includes analyzing fMRI data to identify signals related to blood flow, and selecting a zero time lag seed regressor using the identified signals. The method also includes correlating the selected seed regressor to identify a subset of the fMRI data that correlates with the seed regressor and is offset in time, combining the subset of the data to determine a time-delayed regressor, and performing repetitions to obtain a number of time-delayed regressors, where for each repetition, the seed regressor is adjusted using a previous time-delayed regressor. The method further includes analyzing the data using the time-delayed regressors to determine blood delivery from vessels across the brain, and generating a report. In some aspects, a second recursive procedure may be performed using an optimized seed regressor obtained from a first recursive procedure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2021
    Assignee: MCLEAN HOSPITAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yunjie Tong, Blaise B. Frederick
  • Patent number: 10898140
    Abstract: A tomographic image forming apparatus is disclosed, which divides light output from a light source inside the apparatus into measurement light and reference light, and which generates a cross-sectional image of an imaging target, based on light intensity of interference light obtained from reflected light obtained by emitting the measurement light to the imaging target and the reference light. A second image is generated by converting a first image in which line data generated based on the light intensity and having information in a direction of a first axis which serves as a depth direction of the imaging target is arranged in a direction of a second axis, into a frequency domain. An artifact is removed or reduced by performing filtering on the second image. A third image is generated by inversely converting the processed second image into a spatial domain.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2021
    Assignee: TERUMO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Masayuki Sakamoto
  • Patent number: 10898127
    Abstract: Determining the progression of reflux disease in the esophagus of a patient includes identifying the location of an endoscopic gastroesophageal junction in the esophagus, removing a length of tissue of the esophagus that includes a portion of the endoscopic gastroesophageal junction, and identifying the proximal limit of tissue containing cardiac epithelium. Determining the length of the squamo-oxyntic gap of the biopsied tissue can involve measuring the length of tissue extending between the proximal limit of tissue containing gastric oxyntic epithelium to the proximal limit of tissue containing cardiac epithelium. A linear relationship can be determined from a slope of a line extending between a first data point and a second data point that can determine a target age of the patient when the lower esophageal sphincter will have a certain length.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2021
    Inventor: Parakrama Chandrasoma
  • Patent number: 10893814
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a device, system and method for obtaining vital sign related information of a living being.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2021
    Assignee: KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V.
    Inventors: Willem Verkruijsse, Gerard De Haan, Andreas Wolfgang Schlack
  • Patent number: 10881736
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides biophotonic compositions, kits and their uses. In particular, the biophotonic compositions of the present disclosure are substantially resistant to leaching such that low amounts of chromophores present in the biophotonic composition leach out of the composition. The biophotonic compositions and their uses are useful for promoting repair of non-healing wounds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2021
    Assignee: KLOX TECHNOLOGIES INC.
    Inventors: Nikolaos Loupis, Remigio Piergallini, Shipra Rastogi
  • Patent number: 10874377
    Abstract: Systems, methods and devices for providing combined ultrasound, electrocardiography, and auscultation data are provided. One such system includes an ultrasound sensor, an electrocardiogram (EKG) sensor, an auscultation sensor, and a computing device. The computing device includes memory and a processor, and the processor receives signals from the ultrasound sensor, the EKG sensor, and the auscultation sensor. Artificial intelligence techniques may be employed for automatically analyzing the data obtained from the ultrasound sensor, the EKG sensor, and the auscultation sensor and producing a clinically-relevant determination based on a combined analysis of the data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Assignee: EchoNous, Inc.
    Inventors: Nikolaos Pagoulatos, Ramachandra Pailoor, Greg Nieminen, Terry Doherty, Ron Broad, Shelby Brunke
  • Patent number: 10863945
    Abstract: A method of monitoring contact between a probe and a tissue surface includes placing the probe in proximity to the surface, robotically moving the probe, measuring a tissue parameter at the distal end of the probe, calculating an amount of change in the measured tissue parameter between measurements thereof, and indicating a change in proximity or degree of contact between the probe and the surface based upon the amount of change. The indication of change may be based directly upon the calculated amount of change in the measured parameter or upon a calculated rate of change in the parameter. The rate of change may be relative to the time between measurements or the distance traveled by the probe between measurements, and may be calculated as a first, second, or other derivative of the tissue parameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2020
    Assignee: St. Jude Medical, Atrial Fibrillation Division, Inc.
    Inventor: John A. Hauck
  • Patent number: 10842431
    Abstract: A mental illness determination device includes a face change information acquisition unit and a mental illness determination unit. The face change information acquisition unit is configured to acquire face change information indicating a time-series change in face data of a subject when emotional stimulation information for stimulating any sense or any combination of senses among an auditory sense, an olfactory sense, a gustatory sense, a tactile sense, and a somatic sensation of the subject to change emotion, and is divided into positive information for increasing comfort and negative information for decreasing comfort is provided to the subject. The mental illness determination unit is configured to determine a state of mental illness of the subject on the basis of the face change information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2020
    Assignees: Daikin Industries, Ltd., Tokyo Institute of Technology, National University Corporation Tottori University
    Inventors: Junichiro Arai, Akira Matsubara, Takahiro Hirayama, Hideki Hashizume, Takashi Gotou, Yasunori Kotani, Yoshimi Ohgami, Taro Tomatsu, Koichi Kaneko, Katsutoshi Yokoyama, Hiroshi Matsumura, Shenghong Pu, Masashi Itakura, Hiroaki Ohdachi, Masaru Ueki, Shinya Masuda
  • Patent number: 10842571
    Abstract: Methods and system perform tool tracking during minimally invasive robotic surgery. Tool states are determined using triangulation techniques or a Bayesian filter from either or both non-endoscopically derived and endoscopically derived tool state information, or from either or both non-visually derived and visually derived tool state information. The non-endoscopically derived tool state information is derived from sensor data provided either by sensors associated with a mechanism for manipulating the tool, or sensors capable of detecting identifiable signals emanating or reflecting from the tool and indicative of its position, or external cameras viewing an end of the tool extending out of the body. The endoscopically derived tool state information is derived from image data provided by an endoscope inserted in the body so as to view the tool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2020
    Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc.
    Inventors: Brian D. Hoffman, David Q. Larkin, Giuseppe Maria Prisco, Guanghua G. Zhang, Rajesh Kumar
  • Patent number: 10835182
    Abstract: A medical device system may include a guidewire including a distal pressure sensor and a proximal end. A connector cable may be coupled to the proximal end of the guidewire and may have a proximal end. A signal conditioning unit may be coupled to the proximal end of the connector cable. One or more of the guidewire, the connector cable, and the signal conditioning unit may include an optical fiber having a core with a tapered outer diameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: BOSTON SCIENTIFIC SCIMED, INC.
    Inventor: Roger W. McGowan
  • Patent number: 10827947
    Abstract: A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to the invention includes a magnet device that generates a static magnetic field and a gradient magnetic field in an imaging space, a top plate that is provided to freely travel on a bed and sends an object lying thereon into the imaging space, a top plate reception member that is disposed inside the imaging space and has a traveling surface of the top plate, a top plate support column that supports the top plate reception member, and a top plate support pedestal that supports a lower end of the top plate support column, in which the top plate support pedestal is provided on a floor surface on which the magnet device is provided, via a magnet support leg, and is provided so that a movement in a direction along at least the floor surface is restricted to the magnet support leg.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventors: Yu Saitoh, Satoshi Yamashita
  • Patent number: 10820825
    Abstract: A device for evaluation of a tissue's biological or biomechanical character is disclosed. The device uses negative pressure to draw a portion of the tissue across one or more electrode pairs disposed within the device. By measuring one or more parameters associated with an electric or magnetic field defined by the electrode pairs, in vivo evaluation of the tissue's biological or biomechanical character may be achieved in a minimally invasive manner. The device may also include an indenter to apply a positive stress on the tissue within the sidewall to further evaluate its biological or biomechanical character. A method of using the device is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2020
    Assignee: Cornell University
    Inventors: Jonathan Butcher, Russell Gould
  • Patent number: 10813696
    Abstract: An apparatus for applying energy to an object includes an arrangement of energy emitting elements for outputting energy to the object. At least some of the energy emitting elements are configured to emit energy to the object independently from each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Assignee: KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V.
    Inventors: Joachim Kahlert, Michael Perkuhn, Josef Lauter