Patents Examined by Gerald J. O'Connor
  • Patent number: 8335697
    Abstract: This invention is a system and method for a matching system that cross-references patients anonymously with doctors and pharmacies. The invention uses patient-unique biometrics, such as fingerprinting, retinal scanning, or another such unique identifier, for patient identification and verification without revealing a patient's name or other personal information. The system tracks patient prescriptions and produces alerts to indicate potential problems, such as drug interactions or possible fraudulent behavior. The system utilizes the biometric data of the prescribing physician as authorization of the prescription. The system can produce a traceable paper trail, for investigation or prosecution, and protects the medical industry, patients, and the public from the consequences of doctor shopping.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2012
    Assignee: Bio-Tech Medical Software, Inc.
    Inventor: Steven Siegel
  • Patent number: 8335695
    Abstract: This invention provides for innovative methods of pricing generic drugs. In a preferred embodiment, wholesale acquisition costs of identified comparable brand drugs for the generic drugs to be priced according to the invention are identified as comparable brand drug values. The comparable brand drug values are averaged to calculate a stable, predictable benchmark value to be used to determine the price of the generic drug, according to methods of this invention.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2012
    Assignee: Express Scripts, Inc.
    Inventor: Jacob Cedergreen
  • Patent number: 8321236
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus for processing a prescription order are described herein. A prescription label for the prescription order may be generated in response to receipt of the prescription order. The prescription label being generated in a priority order based on a plurality of pharmacy factors. The prescription order may be filled according to the priority order based on the plurality of pharmacy factors. Based on the prescription label, a plurality of graphic displays may be generated to verify the prescription order. The patient may be notified of the status of the prescription associated with the prescription order based on the plurality of graphic displays.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: Walgreen Co.
    Inventors: Charles Goodall, Sam Libo, Peter Liccardo, Dejan Kozic
  • Patent number: 8321238
    Abstract: In a method and system for automated association of an assessor with an assessment task (in particular an evaluation of an image data set) an assessor database is used that contains assessors as well as selection information associated with assessors and task information associated with assessment tasks. A medical assessment is automatically associated with an assessor using at least one decision rule, starting from the task information and with consideration of the relevant selection information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Sonja Boehmer-Lasthaus, Rainer Kuth, Sebastian Schmidt
  • Patent number: 8311848
    Abstract: An electronic medical record system enables organic growth of medical conditions or choices linked to predefined human body systems or an anatomical image. These choices are used as blue print launchers that form sentences/paragraphs as a user interacts with the choice lists. The choice lists can include a set of control variables that can be selected to create a medical history of a patient in the form of one or more visit notes. The medical history of the patient is formed by user selection of some of the control variables for insertion into fillable data entry locations in the sentences/paragraphs. The sentences/paragraphs are in the form of blue prints which are available generically to be populated with patient specific information to form customized blue prints for a particular patient. Multiple data perspectives in the electronic medical record system allows relatively easy and simultaneous collection of the complex medical data to produce medical visit notes or letters during a patient office visit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2012
    Inventors: Muthiah Subash, Ilesh Kurani, Brian Kingsbury
  • Patent number: 8311850
    Abstract: A method to schedule resources in delivery of healthcare to a series of patients is provided. The method comprises the steps of identifying an availability of the series of resources to deliver the healthcare to each patient; calculating a predicted duration to deliver the healthcare to each patient; calculating a schedule including a block of time dependent on the predicted duration for each resource to deliver healthcare to the patient, the block of time including a start time and an end time; calculating a confidence level in the schedule, the confidence level including a probability that one or more of the resources will not be available for the block of time of the schedule or calculating a likelihood that one or more resources will be available for the block of time in the schedule; and outputting the schedule and the confidence level in the schedule for display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Christopher Johnson, Kunter Akbay, Jenny M. Weisenberg, Paul Cuddihy, Onur Dulgeroglu, David Toledano
  • Patent number: 8311687
    Abstract: A method and systems for controlling an aircraft during descent are provided. The control system includes an input device configured to receive a speed margin for the vehicle and a processor communicatively coupled to the input device wherein the processor is programmed to automatically determine a flight path of the vehicle that is shallower than an idle flight path for the vehicle and generate a flight control surface control signal configured to maintain the determined flight path using the received speed margin. The control system further includes an output device communicatively coupled to the processor. The output device is configured to transmit the flight control surface control signal to a flight control system of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2012
    Assignee: GE Aviation Systems LLC
    Inventor: Michael John Bakker
  • Patent number: 8311852
    Abstract: A medical information management apparatus is provided which enables the person in charge of the medical services to easily keep track of the amount of services. In a medical information management apparatus according to the present invention, a task information storing unit stores the information indicating the completion of task execution or the progress of task to be executed for the task generated in a plurality of the medical services. A task number counting unit counts for each medical service the number of the tasks to be executed, and a display control unit displays for the respective medical service the number of the counted tasks on a display apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2012
    Assignee: Olympus Medical Systems Corp.
    Inventors: Masakazu Omoto, Koichi Hirose, Nobuaki Matsubara, Michael Ian Krupnick, Philip Michael Pearson
  • Patent number: 8301467
    Abstract: A system and method for computerized medical self-diagnosis is disclosed. Beginning with direct interactive dialog between a patient and a computing device to obtain patient health items, the system automatically obtains a differential self-diagnosis using active and passive strategies based on an analysis of the patient health items in conjunction with known disease properties. In one embodiment, each strategy differential self-diagnosis is obtained with different analysis criteria of the patient health items. At least a portion of the strategy differential self-diagnoses are compared and a consensus self-diagnosis based on the compared differential self-diagnoses is determined and communicated to the patient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: Clinical Decision Support, LLC
    Inventor: Edwin C. Iliff
  • Patent number: 8301468
    Abstract: A computer implemented system and method for matching drugs and diseases and generating a weighted relationship between the matched drugs and diseases. The system stores a quantity of patient medical history billing records identifiable as patient prescription claim records and medical claim records. The system also stores a grouping of drug codes and groupings of diagnosis codes. The system is configured to match drugs identified in a specific patient's prescription claim records with diseases identified in the patient's medical claims. The system generates a weighted relationship between the matched drugs and diseases by calculating a link weight in accordance with a preprogrammed formula for each occurrence of the diagnosis codes identified in the patient's medical claims that is identified as associated with the disease identified and the drug upon which the query is being processed. The link weight provides a statistical match association value to each of the matched diseases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: OptumInsight, Inc.
    Inventors: Gerald Lutgen, Tomás Valdivia, Krista Van Vorst, Adam Bock
  • Patent number: 8296023
    Abstract: An ECU executes a program including the steps of: learning a differential pressure of a lock-up clutch; determining whether or not learning has been completed when a vehicle is in a coasting state and a brake is applied; lowering the lock-up differential pressure such that the lock-up clutch can be disengaged immediately and prohibiting or suppressing control for increasing transmission gain when learning has been completed; and increasing a lower limit guard value for the lock-up differential pressure and performing control for increasing the transmission gain when learning has not been completed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Sei Kojima, Satoshi Kamijo, Shinya Toyoda, Susumu Moritomo
  • Patent number: 8285476
    Abstract: A vehicle position calculating apparatus and vehicle position calculating method which can accurately calculate a current position of a vehicle regardless of the orientation of the vehicle at the time when acquiring positional information. An advancing direction detecting section in a vehicle position calculating ECU detects an advancing direction of a vehicle in a receiving area according to receiving area form information issued from a receiving area form acquiring section, moving distance information issued from a moving distance calculating section, and course change information issued from a course changing action detecting section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yuki Yamada
  • Patent number: 8280747
    Abstract: Systems and methods for a healthcare information collection and analysis system to collect health information, aggregate and/or analyze the information, and use the collected information to provide relevant information in an organized form to one or more system users. The information may be used to provide system users with health information about health conditions and their related procedures and medications. The information may be used by the system users, for example, to determine what procedures and medications they can expect with certain health conditions. The information may also help system users select healthcare providers and may provide system users with a range of approximate costs to expect for the procedures and medications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2012
    Assignee: Intuit Inc.
    Inventors: Steven A. Sholtis, Terry F. LeClair
  • Patent number: 8280139
    Abstract: A cell feature amount calculating apparatus is provided that is capable of capturing the state of nuclear DNA. This cell feature amount calculating apparatus includes an image input unit that inputs an image of a cell, a cell nucleus region extracting unit that extracts a cell nucleus region of the cell from the image, a standard contour length calculating unit that calculates a standard contour length of the cell nucleus region, a contour length sequence calculating unit that extracts, for each threshold value of a plurality of different threshold values, a specific region which is a region having a pixel value larger than or equal to the threshold value from the cell nucleus region and calculating a contour length sequence by calculating a contour length of the specific region, and a contour complexity calculating unit that calculates a feature amount of the cell based on the standard contour length and the contour length sequence.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2012
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventor: Tomoharu Kiyuna
  • Patent number: 8275634
    Abstract: The method, system and user-interface allows alignment of refill dates associated with a plurality of prescriptions to a plurality of alignment dates, such that a plurality of selected prescriptions require refills on each of the plurality of alignment dates, thus limiting the number of occasions on which a customer must visit the pharmacy to retrieve refills of the aligned prescriptions, and increasing the likelihood that the customer will comply with the recommended medication regimen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2012
    Assignee: Walgreen Co.
    Inventors: Christina M. Palazzolo, Greg Pankow, Gyula Jozsef Nadas, Hee Kyu Oh, Peter Liccardo, Laura Jean Tebbe, Guirong Zhou Webb, Steve Scott Dorfman, Rishi Khullar
  • Patent number: 8271303
    Abstract: A method and computerized system is disclosed for managing the underwriting, quoting and binding an insurance policy with regard to the technology used to militate against the financial consequences of property losses. The invention utilizes a classifier for categorizing and weighing risk, composed of data representing in an identified building, a first unmitigated insurance risk and a second insurance risk, based upon the use of certain technology. A plurality of such weights are summed such that the weights generate a minimized risk for a building structure under consideration. Combinations of technologies, employed in existing building structures, are assigned to a classification, which then permits an underwriter to establish a premium. In another aspect of the invention data structures representing the quantification of risk reduction attendant a given technology or product are chained into a plurality of decision trees that process a construction phase and a pruning phase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2012
    Assignee: Hartford Fire Insurance Company
    Inventors: Jonathan Helitzer, G. Stewart Murchie, Kelly L. Frey, Sr., Casey Ellen Campbell, Joseph R. Carvalko, Jr.
  • Patent number: 8265371
    Abstract: A novel method for evaluating cell detachment which can be used in passage operation and the like in culture of adhesive cells; a method of detaching a cultured cell utilizing the same; an apparatus for evaluating cell detachment for carrying out the aforementioned method for evaluating cell detachment; and an automated cell culture apparatus in which the apparatus is used are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2012
    Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Osamu Ohji, Toshihisa Doi
  • Patent number: 8265955
    Abstract: Described herein are methods and systems useful for characterizing clinical outcomes of a subject. Provided herein includes computer-assessed methods, medical information systems, and computer-readable instructions that can aid an end-user in diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of a clinical outcome.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2012
    Assignee: Theranos, Inc.
    Inventors: Seth Michelson, Timothy Michael Kemp, Ian Gibbons, Elizabeth A. Holmes
  • Patent number: 8265952
    Abstract: Methods and systems for implementing coding changes for a transaction are provided. At least one transaction in an original format is received and normalized into a different format. The normalized transaction may be processed and the processing results may be associated with the original format to transmit the processing results in the original format to a recipient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2012
    Assignee: Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield
    Inventor: Joseph S. Smith
  • Patent number: 8265951
    Abstract: Adequate use item information and subject's condition criterion information are determined in advance. Actual use item information and actual subject's condition information are inputted. The actual use item information includes information of at least one used medical device and information of at least one used medicine. The actual subject's condition information indicates biological conditions of the subject after conduction of the inspection. The actual use item information is compared with the adequate use item information and the actual subject's condition information is compared with the subject's condition criterion information so that pieces of information with difference therebetween are extracted as difference information. Whether the conducted specific medical inspection was carried out adequately or not is determined based on the difference information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2012
    Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation
    Inventors: Kazumi Koike, Kunimasa Shimizu, Takayoshi Kiuchi, Goro Miura, Kenji Sawada, Koichiro Miyazaki