Patents Examined by Devin Henson
  • Patent number: 9993295
    Abstract: A method for treating tissue through a branched luminal network of a patient is provided. A pathway to a point of interest in branched luminal network of a patient is generated. An extended working channel is advanced transorally into the branched luminal network and along the pathway to the point of interest. The extended working channel may be positioned in a substantially fixed orientation at the point interest. A tool is advanced though the extended working channel to the point of interest. Tissue at the point of interest is treated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2018
    Assignee: Covidien LP
    Inventors: Casey M. Ladtkow, Joseph D. Brannan, Darion R. Peterson, Eric W. Larson, Kaylen J. Haley, William J. Dickhans, Jason A. Case
  • Patent number: 9981131
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a grip sensor for quantifying pain experienced by a patient during spinal cord stimulation (SCS). The grip sensor includes an electronics enclosure, an annular outer shell substantially surrounding the electronics enclosure and sized to be held by the patient, a pressure sensor embedded in the outer shell and communicatively coupled to the electronics enclosure, the pressure sensor configured to measure a grip strength of the patient as SCS is applied to the patient, and a plurality of galvanic skin response sensors communicatively coupled to the electronics enclosure and configured to measure an electrical impedance of the skin of the patient as SCS is applied to the patient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: Pacesetter, Inc.
    Inventors: Alexander Kent, Edward Karst, Gene A. Bornzin
  • Patent number: 9974478
    Abstract: The present invention relates to systems and methods for helping subjects improve safety and efficiency of their movements; particularly subjects who have suffered an injury or suffer from a movement or other such disorder. More particularly, the present invention relates to such a system and method for monitoring a subject's movement to detect or predict unsafe, undesirable, or impaired movements, or symptoms of movement disorders, and also a system for providing possible treatment methods for such conditions. The present invention further relates to a method and system of providing cues or stimuli to the subject when such unsafe or undesirable movements, instabilities or symptoms are detected or predicted. Most particularly, the present invention relates to a subject-customized and adaptive movement recovery system, and method of providing therapy and training to improve functional motor recovery and safety of movement of a subject suffering from an injury or from movement disorder(s).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2018
    Assignee: Great Lakes NeuroTechnologies Inc.
    Inventors: Elizabeth Brokaw, Dustin A. Heldman, Christopher L. Pulliam, Joseph P. Giuffrida
  • Patent number: 9974524
    Abstract: A biopsy instrument for removing nodes such as lymph nodes may include one or more of a blade for mechanical cutting of the ducts that connect the node to surrounding tissue and/or an energy emitter for emitting energy to seal the ducts and/or contribute to the gentle removal of the node from its connecting ducts. The biopsy instrument may include a ring clamp assembly made up of two opposing ring structures that may be clamped together such that the desired tissue sample (e.g., a lymph node) is captured within the inside opening of the clamped rings. Connecting ducts may be severed using either a blade or energy emitted from the ring clamps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2018
    Assignee: COVIDIEN LP
    Inventors: Scott E. M. Frushour, Anthony B. Ross
  • Patent number: 9968294
    Abstract: Disclosed is a monitoring system for determining the efficacy of at least one compression device for use in compression therapy. The monitoring system comprises at least one pressure sensor for measuring a pressure exerted onto a body part of a user by the compression device and at least one evaluation unit which is connectable to the pressure sensor. The evaluation unit is adapted to acquire at least one resting pressure prest with the user being in a resting position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2018
    Assignee: 3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY
    Inventors: Jens Bichel, Joannes F. H. M. Schuren, Guido Hitschmann, Martin C. Neuenhahn
  • Patent number: 9962117
    Abstract: Needle support assembly for a venous blood collection device with evacuated vial, comprising a support body having a coupling seat for a vein needle and coupling seat for a vial needle. The support body is provided with an inner chamber having an entrance and an exit. The support body is made at least partially in transparent or semi-transparent material to permit the visualization of the blood flow. The inner chamber has a mean cross-section greater than the cross-sections of both the coupling seats and is divided into compartments communicating with each other which define one or more channels for the blood flow from the entrance to the exit. Each channel defines a path for the blood which moves away from the entrance to the exit. Each channel defines a path for the blood which moves away from the straight line connecting the entrance and the exit and has a smaller cross-section than the mean cross-section of the inner chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2018
    Assignee: VACUTEST KIMA S.R.L.
    Inventor: Renzo Chiarin
  • Patent number: 9962096
    Abstract: A device includes an EMG processing application operable with a processing module to receive audio output from EMG testing, wherein the audio output represents electrical activity of at least one muscle. The EMG processing application is operable to process the audio output to detect at least one type of waveform of a plurality of types of waveforms from the audio output and display the detected at least one type of waveform.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2018
    Inventor: Tomasz Andrzej Kosierkiewicz
  • Patent number: 9956064
    Abstract: The invention concerns methods and a device for the determination of the centric position of a human set of teeth with improved precision. This is needed for the adjustment of an articulator in the production of dentures. For this purpose a plurality of successive bite movements or displacement movements of the lower jaw are recorded in form of electronic signal data and evaluated for the determination of the centric position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: KALTENBACH & VOIGT GMBH
    Inventor: Hans-Walter Lang
  • Patent number: 9949663
    Abstract: One embodiment of an apparatus for analysis of body composition and hydration status by detecting resistance of the human subject at zero and infinite frequency including a method for measuring indirectly extracellular water mass, intracellular water mass, lean body mass, and body fat mass; daily changes of extracellular water mass, intracellular water mass, lean body mass, and body fat mass; and acute changes of extracellular water mass and intracellular water mass; and for individualized calibration of these indirect measurements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2018
    Assignee: ORI DIAGNOSTIC INSTRUMENTS, LLC
    Inventor: Zsolt Peter Ori
  • Patent number: 9949630
    Abstract: A method is provided for manipulating target tissue of a patient during a medical procedure. The method includes introducing a medical instrument system to a general site of target tissue. At least one characteristic of the target tissue is identified using an imaging device located in a working channel of the medical instrument system. The imaging device is removed from the working channel of the medical instrument system, and a medical instrument is inserted through the working channel of the medical instrument system. The target tissue is then manipulated using the medical instrument. A medical instrument system is also provided for manipulating target tissue of a patient during a medical procedure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2018
    Assignee: The Trustees Of The University Of Pennsylvania
    Inventors: Alexander Kutikov, Thomas Fitzsimons
  • Patent number: 9943251
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for determining stretch values and movement of body parts, e.g. a foot, by analyzing stretch data from a stretch sensor. By analyzing data from the stretch sensor it is possible to determine stretch samples which are associated with particular motion phases. Thereby the stretch values determined from the stretch samples have a particular physical meaning since they are associated with particular motion phases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2018
    Assignees: Region Nordjylland, Ingeniørhøjskolen Aarhus Universitet
    Inventors: Ole Simonsen, Henrik Karstoft, Simon Lind Kappel, Dan Hermann, Michael Skovdal Rathleff, Peter Ahrendt
  • Patent number: 9936911
    Abstract: A testing device according to the present invention includes a housing including a skin surface sheet and an upper surface cover. A hollow needle configured to interlock with the upper surface cover and a testing reagent or equipment are accommodated in the housing. Through deformation of the upper surface cover by application of an external force, the hollow needle perforates the skin. A body fluid flows in the space inside of the housing and is brought into contact with the testing reagent or equipment to acquire information on the body fluid. Through recovery of the upper surface cover to an original shape by elimination of the external force, the hollow needle again becomes accommodated in the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Assignee: SOSAIKOUSEIKAI CLINICAL FOUNDATION MATSUNAMI RESEARCH PARK
    Inventors: Hidetoshi Matsunami, Kuniaki Saito, Yushi Matuo, Masao Takemura
  • Patent number: 9918705
    Abstract: A device comprises a tubular member with a longitudinal axis having a proximal end and a distal end, at least one partial cut located at, along or near the distal end of the tubular member, the at least one partial cut comprising an orientation that is angled relative to both the longitudinal axis and an axis transverse to the longitudinal axis, a pusher member positioned within an interior of the tubular member and configured to selectively advance the distal end of the tubular member longitudinally, wherein the distal end of the tubular member is configured to at least partially rotate when the pusher member is advanced relative to the tubular member so at to facilitate placement of the distal end in a particular branch of a subject's intraluminal network, wherein the distal end of the tubular member is configured to longitudinally elongate along or near an area of the at least one partial cut.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Inventor: Brian Giles
  • Patent number: 9901290
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a light-weight, small and portable ambulatory sensor for measuring and monitoring a person's physical activity. Based on these measurements and computations, the invented system quantifies the subject's physical activity, quantifies the subject's gait, determines his or her risk of falling, and automatically detects falls. The invention combines the features of portability, high autonomy, and real-time computational capacity. High autonomy is achieved by using only accelerometers, which have low power consumption rates as compared with gyroscope-based systems. Accelerometer measurements, however, contain significant amounts of noise, which must be removed before further analysis. The invention therefore uses novel time-frequency filters to denoise the measurements, and in conjunction with biomechanical models of human movement, perform the requisite computations, which may also be done in real time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignee: BIOSENSICS LLC
    Inventors: Bijan Najafi, Ashkan Vaziri, Ali-Reza Boloori
  • Patent number: 9877677
    Abstract: An integrated-testing system includes a meter, a lancing device and a storage case. The meter includes a housing, a display and a processor. The storage case holds the meter and the lancing device in a relatively fixed position to each other. The meter and the lancing device are maintained in the storage case in the relatively fixed position until a fluid sample is desired, at which time a first portion of the lancing device is advanced to a position external to the storage case to obtain the fluid sample and a second portion of the lancing device remains relatively fixed in the storage case while the fluid sample is obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: Ascensia Diabetes Care Holdings AG
    Inventor: Steven C. Charlton
  • Patent number: 9861292
    Abstract: A method and a device for determining biological impedance data of a person, in which least one impedance value is measured with the use of at least two electrodes and is transmitted to an evaluation unit. In the area of at least one output device, information concerning the person is made available for assuming an optimum body posture for the measurement of the biological impedance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: SECA AG
    Inventors: Frederik Vogel, Marc-Oliver Von Maydell
  • Patent number: 9855005
    Abstract: In one aspect, a method for formulating a wearable posture advisory system will be described. A three dimensional body model of at least a part of a body of a user is obtained. A model for 3D printing a wearable posture advisory system is generated based on the 3D body model. The system model models one or more sensors that are arranged to help determine a posture of a user and one or more actuators that are arranged to help instruct the user to adjust his or her posture. The system model is provided to a 3D printer so that the 3D printer can print the wearable posture advisory system. Various embodiments relate to devices, arrangements and executable computer code that are associated with the above method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Doreen Cheng
  • Patent number: 9839386
    Abstract: A body fluid sensing device with a body fluid capture structure and a body fluid measurement sensor positioned in the body fluid capture structure. A capacitance sensor is coupled to the body fluid measurement sensor. The capacitance sensor is used to assist in the positioning of a body part relative to the body fluid capture structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2017
    Assignee: Sanofi-Aventis Deustschland GmbH
    Inventors: Dominique M. Freeman, Don Alden, Barry Dean Briggs
  • Patent number: 9833174
    Abstract: A method for determining hearing thresholds in the absence of pure-tone testing includes an adaptive speech recognition test which includes a calibrated item pool, each item having a difficulty value (di) and associated standard error (se). Test items are administered to a group of individuals having mild to moderately severe hearing loss to obtain responses. The responses are subjected to multiple regression statistical methods to develop an equation for converting an individual's test score to hearing threshold values at several frequencies. The adaptive speech recognition test can be administered to an individual and their score can be converted into hearing thresholds at each of the several frequencies by use of the equation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: ROCHESTER INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Joseph H. Bochner, Wayne M. Garrison
  • Patent number: 9826910
    Abstract: Intravascular devices, systems, and methods are disclosed. In some embodiments, a guidewire system for treating a patient includes an internal sensor mount having a body and a first cutout extending through a wall of the body; a core wire secured to the internal sensor mount; a sensor assembly for detecting a physiological characteristic of a patient secured to the internal sensor mount; an external housing disposed about the internal sensor mount and including an opening in communication with the cutout of the internal sensor mount; a proximal flexible member secured to at least one of the internal sensor mount and the external housing; a first distal flexible member secured to at least one of the internal sensor mount and the external housing; and at least one conductor electrically coupled to the sensor assembly and extending proximally beyond the internal sensor mount through the proximal flexible member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: VOLCANO CORPORATION
    Inventor: David H. Burkett