Patents Examined by Valerie Lubin
  • Patent number: 8160902
    Abstract: A system and method for buying and selling life insurance policies includes an online database for storing information concerning in-force policies as needed for evaluation by a potential buyer. Owners of policies, either directly or through agents, who might be willing to sell their policies, register with the online website with critical financial and medical underwriting information relating to their policies, as needed for evaluation by a potential buyer. In the online database such information is organized and categorized as to parameters of various medical and financial information, to be reviewed online in an orderly manner by investors and potential buyers of policies. A membership preferably is required for a potential buyer to have access to the online information. In a preferred implementation of the system, an auction is held online to obtain essentially the best price for each policy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Inventor: Philip F. Spalding, Jr.
  • Patent number: 8155978
    Abstract: A user predefines for a computer a retrieval instruction for primary data of a patient or of several patients. The computer accesses the primary data of this patient and outputs them to the user via a visual display device. The primary data comprise the primary image data recorded by way of a primary imaging modality and/or primary information derived from said primary image data. The computer automatically checks whether it is possible to access secondary data of this patient, which comprise the secondary image data recorded via a secondary imaging modality and/or secondary information derived from said secondary image data. In the affirmative case, the computer outputs a corresponding message to the user via the visual display device and/or by accessing at least a portion of the secondary data of this patient and outputting said data to the user via the visual display device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2012
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Stefan Assmann, Klaus Hambüchen, Joachim Hornegger
  • Patent number: 8108148
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and system for mapping environments containing dynamic obstacles. In one embodiment, the present invention is a method for mapping an environment containing dynamic obstacles using a processor including the steps of forming a current instantaneous map of the environment, determining cells which are free space within the current instantaneous map, determining cells which are occupied space within the current instantaneous map, and integrating the current instantaneous map with an old integrated map of the environment to form a new integrated map of the environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2012
    Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing, North America, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael Robert James
  • Patent number: 8099299
    Abstract: A data processing technique is provided. In one embodiment, a computer-implemented method includes accessing individual patient deviation maps indicative of a structural difference and a functional difference, respectively, of at least one anatomical region of a patient with respect to standardized reference image data. The method may also include generating a composite patient deviation map indicative of both the structural difference and the functional difference based on at least the individual patient deviation maps, and outputting the composite patient deviation map. Additional methods, systems, and manufactures are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Saad Ahmed Sirohey, Gopal B. Avinash, Fausto J. Espinal, Zhongmin Lin, Ananth Mohan
  • Patent number: 7974856
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to computational systems and methods related to nutraceuticals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2011
    Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, LLC
    Inventors: Edward K. Y. Jung, Royce A. Levien, Robert W. Lord, Mark A. Malamud, John D. Rinaldo, Jr., Clarence T. Tegreene, Lowell L. Wood, Jr.
  • Patent number: 7925519
    Abstract: The current invention is directed to methods for reducing the cost of healthcare by improving the standard of care and by encouraging healthy behavior. Additionally, the methods of the current invention are designed to help improve clinical and economic outcomes through the principles of empowerment and accountability. The methods of the current invention provide financial incentives to both the patient and the medical practitioner in an interactive, web-based incentive system that creates appropriate and powerful checks and balances that motivate medical practitioners and patients to participate and to be adherent to beneficial performance standards. The methods of the current invention achieves the objectives of improved healthiness and better and more affordable healthcare by aligning the interests of medical providers, patients/consumers, and healthcare purchasers/payers in a win-win-win proposition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2011
    Assignee: MedEncentive, LLC
    Inventor: Jeffrey C. Greene
  • Patent number: 7912739
    Abstract: A method for managing health plans includes the use of theoretically derived mathematical models. The methods may be used in the analysis of health insurance products. The method may also assist in the selection of a particular health plan's benefit and contribution strategy. The analysis may further be used in the selection of a health plan's funding arrangement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2011
    Assignee: Dominion Ventures, LLC
    Inventors: John Lawrence Colley, Ronald Hampton Bargatze, Timothy Gerard O'Shea
  • Patent number: 7870010
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for processing lease insurance information, including a processor for processing information for generating at least one of an insurance premium and an insurance policy for providing insurance for excess wear or post warranty repairs for a leased entity, wherein the processor generates a information regarding an insurance premium or an insurance policy, wherein the processor generates information regarding at least one of a liability, a potential liability, and a risk of loss, associated with the at least one of an insurance policy and an insurance product, and at least one of a display device and an output device for providing information, the insurance premium, the insurance policy, or the insurance product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2011
    Inventor: Raymond Anthony Joao
  • Patent number: 7778847
    Abstract: A method for determining an optimized surveillance schedule of follow-up diagnostic tests and doctor visits considers the tradeoff between timely detection of relapse and the cost of the diagnostic procedures. A method for generating a surveillance schedule for monitoring a recurrence of a condition includes the steps of (a) scheduling an initial testing date to test for the recurrence of the condition; (b) establishing a threshold, wherein the threshold is the cost associated with a subsequent testing date over the cost per recurrence detected; and (c) scheduling each subsequent testing date to test for the recurrence of the condition when a cumulative risk of recurrence of the condition since the previous testing date exceeds the threshold. A system utilizing this method is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2010
    Assignee: MK Consulting, Inc.
    Inventor: Mark Kantrowitz
  • Patent number: 7778843
    Abstract: It is provided with a medical inquiry processing unit for acquiring the response to a medical inquiry presenting medical inquiry items to a person to be examined, a nutrient requirement amount calculating unit for calculating the nutrient requirement amount of the person to be examined from the response to the medical inquiry, a nutritional supplement suggesting unit for suggesting the blend of a nutritional supplement based on the nutrient requirement amount of the person to be examined and a nutritional supplement blending unit for blending nutrients to prepare the nutritional supplement based on the blend of the nutritional supplement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2010
    Assignee: Nutrition Act. Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masahito Ishikawa, Kayo Sano
  • Patent number: 7725327
    Abstract: A healthcare risk index is generated using a patient or individual's pharmacy claims. The index may be used to explain and predict variation in pharmacy-related costs and variation in total healthcare costs or utilization. In particular, the index is generated by first examining the individual's pharmacy claims to identify any chronic conditions possessed by the individual. Similarly, the individual's pharmacy claims are examined to identify any compliance medications prescribed to the individual. The chronic condition information is used to generate a chronic condition score by summing regression coefficients for each chronic condition possessed by the individual. Likewise, the compliance medication information is used to generate a compliance medication score by summing products of regression coefficients for each compliance medication prescribed to the individual with associated medication supply weights.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2010
    Assignee: Medco Health Solutions, Inc.
    Inventors: Kimberly A. McGuigan, Debra A. Maldonato, Qingshan Qian, Kurtis W. Andrews, Keith J. Bradbury, George Fulop, Joseph A. Boscarino
  • Patent number: 7707049
    Abstract: The present invention provides a system and method capable of providing an estimated premium without extensive and repetitive questioning. The present invention utilizes unique assumptions to dramatically reduce the amount of information that must be provided by the customer. In one embodiment, the present invention utilizes a mainframe computer system, an application server, and an external rules management system to interact with the customer via an attractive graphic user interface. Once logged onto the website of the present invention, the customer may choose to engage in a fast quote process which utilizes assumptions, driver information, and vehicle information to assess the risk associated with insuring the customer and then calculates an estimated cost to insure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2010
    Assignee: United Services Automobile Association
    Inventors: Robert Jackson Van Cleave, James Steven Kuhn, Karen Marie Moritz, Steven Carl Mills, Myron Leo Dye, Larry Wayne Clark, David Ray Pawelek
  • Patent number: 7630930
    Abstract: A method of optimizing a portfolio includes selecting an investment universe with a finite number of assets, forming a belief matrix based on one or more homogeneous inequality relationships among the expected returns of assets in the universe, selecting those asset returns that are consistent with the belief matrix to form a consistent set of return vectors, selecting a set of allowable weight vectors for the assets in the universe, determining a centroid vector of the consistent set of return vectors with respect to a probability measure, and finding an optimal portfolio by finding a weight vector on a boundary of the set of allowable weight vectors that maximizes an inner product with the centroid vector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2009
    Inventors: Robert Frederick Almgren, Neil Andrew Chriss
  • Patent number: 7523043
    Abstract: A method for determining an optimized surveillance schedule of follow-up diagnostic tests and doctor visits considers the tradeoff between timely detection of relapse and the cost of the diagnostic procedures. Determining subsequent testing dates for detection of a disease includes the steps of: a.) choosing a surveillance schedule, wherein the surveillance schedule includes a plurality of time segments for which a corresponding test is scheduled, wherein the first surveillance schedule has associated therewith a plurality of probabilities representing the probabilities that relapse will be detected in the corresponding plurality of time segments of the surveillance schedule; b.) determining a solution for an equation ? i = m + 1 n ? P ? ( i ) ? C / T and c.) delaying each subsequent testing date until the cost per detected relapse is below a probability threshold of C/T.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2009
    Assignee: MK Consulting, Inc.
    Inventor: Mark Kantrowitz