Patents Examined by Catherine M Voorhees
  • Patent number: 11878168
    Abstract: An illustrative cochlear implant system is disclosed herein. The cochlear implant system comprises a microphone assembly including a microphone and a retention device configured to hold the microphone near an entrance to an ear canal of an ear of a recipient. The cochlear implant system further comprises an off-the-ear (OTE) sound processor that includes a housing configured to be worn off the ear of the recipient and further configured to physically attach to the microphone assembly so as to allow the microphone assembly to be worn off the ear when the microphone assembly is not being worn at the ear using the retention device. Corresponding systems and methods are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: Advanced Bionics AG
    Inventors: Andreas Benedikt Brehm, James George Elcoate Smith, Anthony J. Spahr
  • Patent number: 11877854
    Abstract: A wearable medical device for detecting and treating life-threatening arrhythmias includes a wearable vest portion, sensing electrodes, therapy pads, at least one motion sensor, and a cardiac monitor. The cardiac monitor is configured to detect whether the patient is experiencing a treatable arrhythmia using an ECG signal and in response, determine a confidence level for the detected treatable arrhythmia using outputs from the at least one motion sensor. Determining the confidence level includes detecting patient motion prior to the detection of the treatable arrhythmia. Determining the confidence level further includes increasing the confidence level in response to determining that the patient is motionless coinciding with the detection of the treatable arrhythmia, or decreasing the confidence level in response to determining the patient motion after the detection of the treatable arrhythmia. The cardiac monitor is configured to determine whether to deliver a treatment shock based on the confidence level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: ZOLL Medical Corporation
    Inventors: Shane S Volpe, John D Macho, Wade Braden, Thomas E Kaib, Marshal W Linder
  • Patent number: 11872003
    Abstract: A robotic catheter system includes an arch-shaped suspension system comprising a first and second vertical span, a horizontal span between the pair of vertical spans, and at least one robotic catheter head coupled to the horizontal span. The arch-shaped suspension system can include a pair of linear guide blocks that can be attached to a patient bed and in some embodiments the linear guide blocks can be configured to slidably move along a rail. The arch-shaped suspension system can be moved to allow for proper placement of the arch-shaped suspension system for use on a patient or for placing the system away from a patient or for storage. In some embodiments the robotic catheter system can include a suspension system cart for storing and moving the arch-shaped suspension system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: ST. JUDE MEDICAL, CARDIOLOGY DIVISION, INC.
    Inventor: Eric S. Olson
  • Patent number: 11865345
    Abstract: A system for use with a neurostimulator coupled to one or more electrodes implanted adjacent neural tissue of a patient. The system comprises a user input device configured for allowing a user to select different nerve fiber diameters and to select a set of stimulation parameters. The system further comprises processing circuitry configured estimating regions of activation within the neural tissue of the patient based on the selected nerve fiber diameters and the selected stimulation parameter set. The system further comprises a display device configured for displaying the estimated regions of tissue activation. The user input device may further be configured for allowing the user to select different tissue regions of therapy, in which case, the display device may display the different tissue region on a human body map, and different indicia associating the displayed tissue regions for therapy to displayed estimated regions of tissue activation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: Boston Scientific Neuromodulation Corporation
    Inventors: Dongchul Lee, Changfang Zhu
  • Patent number: 11864901
    Abstract: A delivery device for delivering a pacing lead to the His bundle of a patient's heart includes an elongated sheath having a distal end, and a plurality of mapping electrodes positioned at the distal end. The distal end of the sheath may have a distal tip, and the mapping electrodes may include two electrodes that diametrically oppose one another at a position spaced from the distal tip of the sheath. The sheath includes a plurality of flexible sections spaced apart from one another, and a pull wire that causes the sheath to deflect from a straight configuration to a dual hinged curved configuration that positions the electrodes in the vicinity of the bundle of His.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: St. Jude Medical, Cardiology Division, Inc.
    Inventors: Scott A. Kramer, Erich W. Stoermer, Joshua C. Conway, Gene A. Bornzin, Zoltan Somogyi, Amy L. Hanenburg, Emily Weiss, Paul A. Belk, Patrick P. Senarith
  • Patent number: 11865355
    Abstract: This application discloses configurations for arranging transducer arrays on a person's head to impose tumor treating fields (TTFields) in the brain at field strengths that are as uniform as possible throughout the entire brain. In some embodiments, L-shaped sets of electrodes are positioned near the right and left ears, each with a horizontal arm above the ear and a vertical arm behind the ear. Optionally, these embodiments may be combined with a second pair of electrodes positioned on top of the head and behind the neck. In other embodiments, one pair of electrodes is positioned above the right ear and on the left/rear portion of the neck; and a second pair of electrodes is positioned above the left ear and on the right/rear portion of the neck. These configurations improve the uniformity of the electric fields imposed throughout the brain, and are particularly useful for preventing and/or treating metastases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: Novocure GmbH
    Inventors: Zeev Bomzon, Ariel Naveh, Ofir Yesharim
  • Patent number: 11857783
    Abstract: Systems and methods for implementation of a disposable miniaturized implant for treatment of Post-Operative Ileums (POI), a miniaturized implant for treating chronic GI dysmotility (e.g., dysphagia, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), nausea, functional dyspepsia, blockage of transit, and gastroparesis, inflammatory bowel disease) and obesity, by providing electrical stimulation to the part of bowel going through surgery to expedite the healing process while recording the smooth muscle activities simultaneously, or providing stimulation on a treatment location of the GI tract or the branch of the vagus nerve. Systems and methods are also provided for non-invasive, transcutaneous stimulation of anatomy within the abdomen of the patient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
    Inventors: Yi-Kai Lo, Wentai Liu
  • Patent number: 11850335
    Abstract: A method for passivating a biomaterial surface includes modifying proteinaceous material disposed at the biomaterial surface. The passivation may be effectuated by exposing the biomaterial surface to therapeutic electrical energy in the presence of blood or plasma.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: Medtronic ATS Medical, Inc.
    Inventor: Brian Pederson
  • Patent number: 11850432
    Abstract: An implantable medical device for stimulating a heart, comprising a control unit, a memory unit, a stimulation unit for stimulating a cardiac region of a heart, and a detection unit for detecting an electrical signal of the heart. The memory unit comprises a computer-readable program that causes the control unit to perform the following steps: a) detecting capture thresholds during an observation period, each capture threshold detected in response to a sequence of pacing pulses delivered by the stimulation unit; b) storing the detected capture thresholds in the memory unit; c) determining threshold-to-threshold differences between two consecutive capture thresholds; and d) if a maximum determined threshold-to-threshold difference within the observation period is equal to or greater than a predetermined limit, adjusting a pacing output of the stimulation unit based on the maximum capture threshold determined within a first time period which is equal to or shorter than the observation period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: BIOTRONIK SE & Co. KG
    Inventors: Madeline Anne Midgett, Burkhard Huegerich, R. Hollis Whittington
  • Patent number: 11850439
    Abstract: A medical device that includes a power source, a therapy delivery interface, therapy electrodes, electrocardiogram (ECG) sensing electrodes to sense ECG signal of a heart of a patient, a sensor interface to receive and digitize the ECG signal, and a processor. The processor is configured to analyze the ECG signal to determine a cardiac rhythm and a transform value representing a magnitude of a frequency component of the cardiac rhythm, analyze the cardiac rhythm and the transform value to detect a shockable cardiac arrhythmia by classifying the cardiac rhythm as a noise rhythm or a shockable cardiac arrhythmia rhythm based on the transform value, and causing the processor to detect the cardiac arrhythmia if classifying the cardiac rhythm as a shockable cardiac arrhythmia rhythm, initiate a treatment alarm sequence, adjust the shock delivery parameter for a defibrillation shock, and provide the defibrillation shock via the therapy electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: ZOLL Medical Corporation
    Inventors: Gary A. Freeman, Weilun Quan, Christopher Luke Kaufman, Kent Volosin
  • Patent number: 11850048
    Abstract: The disclosure provides methods and systems for determining an emotional fitness metrics for users. A physiological parameter of the user is measured during a group activity using at least one biosensor to acquire a measured signal. The measured signal of the user is compared to a measured signal for the physiological parameter of one or more additional users as measured when the one or more additional users perform the group activity. An emotional connectivity may be calculated based on a synchronicity of the measured signal of the user with the measured signal of the one or more additional users, as well as a cognitive appraisal metric, a resilience metric and an emotional fitness metric. Connectivity values for user pairings for a group activity can be computed based a synchronicity in a time-series correlation for the physiological parameters for permutations of the user pairings for the group activity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: Lululemon Athletica Canada Inc.
    Inventors: Sian Elizabeth Gordon, Sian Victoria Allen, Todd James Smith, Brandon Scott Jung, Ellisa Kathleen Calder, Navjot Kailay, Kerem Dogurga
  • Patent number: 11850437
    Abstract: A system including an ambulatory medical treatment device is provided. The ambulatory medical treatment device includes a memory, a treatment component configured to treat a patient, at least one processor coupled to the memory and the treatment component, a user interface component, and a system interface component. The user interface component is configured to receive an update session request and to generate the update session identifier responsive to receiving the request. The system interface component is configured to receive an encoded request including an identifier of an update session and device update information, to decode the encoded request to generate a decoded request including the device update information and the identifier of the update session, to validate the decoded request by determining that the update session identifier matches the identifier of the update session, and to apply the device update information to the ambulatory medical treatment device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: ZOLL Medical Corporation
    Inventor: Thomas E. Kaib
  • Patent number: 11839756
    Abstract: The invention provides a conductive circuit which may be applied to a garment, for example a garment for the stimulation of pelvic floor muscles. In the illustrated embodiments in the garment comprises a pair of shorts. The shorts are made from stretch fabric comprising a polyamide and are designed to fit closely to the body. The shorts are provided with two legs and a waistband area. The shorts comprise left and right conductive circuits, each of which comprises one or more electrodes formed from a printed conductive layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: Atlantic Therapeutics Group Limited
    Inventor: Graham Robert Lay
  • Patent number: 11839765
    Abstract: A cochlear implant and analysis system includes a stimulator, an input source, a signal processor, a wireless communication interface, and an external device. The system can receive an acoustic stimulus, generate an input signal representative thereof, and apply a transfer function to the input signal to generate and output a stimulation signal to the stimulator. The signal processor can receive an analysis input indicating a first signal for analysis and generate an analysis signal based on the received analysis input. The first signal can be an input signal from an input source or a result of one or more processing steps. The signal processor can output the analysis signal to the wireless communication interface with the wireless communication interface configured to output a signal representative of the analysis signal to an external device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: Envoy Medical Corporation
    Inventor: Paul R. Mazanec
  • Patent number: 11839758
    Abstract: Embodiments of a wearable cardioverter defibrillator (WCD) system include a support structure for wearing by an ambulatory patient, a posture detector and at least one processor. When worn, the support structure maintains electrodes on the patient's body, and using the posture detector and the patient's ECG received via the electrodes, the processor determines the patient's posture, formulates posture-based templates of QRS complexes, and the patient's heart rate. The processor can use these determinations to distinguish between VT and SVT and make no-shock, and shock decisions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: West Affum Holdings DAC
    Inventor: Jaeho Kim
  • Patent number: 11832913
    Abstract: A sterile drape assembly is disclosed for a surgical robot. The surgical robot has a robotic arm including a plurality of links and a plurality of motorized joints for moving the plurality of links. At least one optical tracking element is located on one or more the links of the robotic arm. The sterile drape assembly has a surgical drape with an arm drape portion adapted to be disposed over the robotic arm and the one or more the links of the robotic arm. A drape belt cooperates with the arm drape portion to cover the at least one optical tracking element located on the one or more the links of the robotic arm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: MAKO Surgical Corp.
    Inventors: Victor Soto, Oscar Williams, Donald W. Malackowski, Kathryn Aubrey
  • Patent number: 11832874
    Abstract: A tissue cutting device has an outer sleeve with a distal window and an inner cutting sleeve which moves past the window to cut tissue. The inner cutting sleeve has a lumen which may have a larger proximal diameter than distal diameter. A perimeter of the window may comprise a dielectric material. A distal edge of the inner sleeve may be displaced inwardly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: MINERVA SURGICAL, INC.
    Inventors: Aaron Germain, Kyle Klein, Michael D. Walker, Benedek Orczy-Timko, Balazs Lesko
  • Patent number: 11832878
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to ablation instruments and methods of use thereof, in particular to ablation catheters and methods for an automated sweeping ablation element. The automated sweeping ablation element is configured to provide ablative energy to an initial ablation site and move a predetermined number of degrees to one or both sides of the site in an arcuate path using a sweeping motion while still providing the ablative energy. The sweeping movement of the ablation element can be automated via input parameters entered by a user via a graphical user interface or other device (controller).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: CARDIOFOCUS, INC.
    Inventors: Gerald Melsky, Brian Estabrook
  • Patent number: 11832961
    Abstract: Various systems, devices, and methods for contactless sleep tracking are presented. Based on data received from a contactless sensor, such as a radar sensor, determine that a user has entered a sleep state. A transition time may be determined at which the user transitions from the sleep state to an awake state. An environmental event, based on data received from an environmental sensor, may be identified as occurring within a time period of the transition time. The user waking may be attributed to the environmental event based on the environmental event occurring within the time period of the transition time. An indication of the attributed environmental event as a cause of the user waking may be output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: Google LLC
    Inventors: Dongeek Shin, Michael Dixon, Andrew William Goldenson
  • Patent number: 11833348
    Abstract: An electrode that includes an elongate lead body and a nerve cuff. The nerve cuff may include a biologically compatible, elastic, electrically insulative helical cuff body configured to be disposed around a nerve, and a plurality of electrically conductive contacts carried by the helical cuff body that are spaced from one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: The Alfred E. Mann Foundation for Scientific Research
    Inventors: William Andrew Brandt, Brian Ralph Dearden