Patents by Inventor April C. Pixley

April C. Pixley has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9986505
    Abstract: Specific embodiments of the present invention are for use by a base station (BS) that enables power efficient wireless radio frequency (RF) communication between the BS and a medical device (MD), which may or may not be an implantable medical device (IMD). In an embodiment, once a communication session is established between the BS and the MD, the BS selectively turns a drop link mode on and off. The drop link mode is a communication mode that while turned on (i.e., enabled) reduces and preferably minimizes the length of time that an RF link is maintained between the BS and the MD. In accordance with an embodiment, at any given time during a communication session the drop link mode is either turned on (i.e., enabled) or turned off (i.e., disabled).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: ST. JUDE MEDICAL LUXEMBOURG HOLDINGS SMI S.A.R.L.
    Inventors: April C. Pixley, Cary W R Campbell, Steven T. Brandon
  • Publication number: 20170295542
    Abstract: Specific embodiments of the present invention are for use by a base station (BS) that enables power efficient wireless radio frequency (RF) communication between the BS and a medical device (MD), which may or may not be an implantable medical device (IMD). In an embodiment, once a communication session is established between the BS and the MD, the BS selectively turns a drop link mode on and off. The drop link mode is a communication mode that while turned on (i.e., enabled) reduces and preferably minimizes the length of time that an RF link is maintained between the BS and the MD. In accordance with an embodiment, at any given time during a communication session the drop link mode is either turned on (i.e., enabled) or turned off (i.e., disabled).
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 19, 2017
    Publication date: October 12, 2017
    Applicant: ST. JUDE MEDICAL LUXEMBOURG HOLDINGS SMI S.A.R.L. ("SJM LUX SMI")
    Inventors: April C. Pixley, Cary WR Campbell, Steven T. Brandon
  • Patent number: 9686781
    Abstract: Certain embodiments described herein enable a base station (BS) and a medical device (MD) to establish a radio frequency (RF) link using any one of a plurality of different RF channels. The MD sniffs the RF channels over which a BS may send a link request, and tunes to the RF channel identified, as a result of the sniffing, as the channel over which a BS may be transmitting a link request. The MD may also demodulate a signal received over the RF channel to which the MD is tuned, and determine, based on a portion of the demodulated signal including a channel identifier, a specific one of the RF channels over which a BS is actually transmitting. This enables the MD to change the channel to which it is tuned if it determines that it is not tuned to the RF channel over which a BS is actually transmitting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2017
    Assignee: ST. JUDE MEDICAL LUXEMBOURG HOLDINGS SMI S.A.R.L.
    Inventors: April C. Pixley, Cary W R Campbell, Steven T. Brandon
  • Publication number: 20150305002
    Abstract: Certain embodiments described herein enable a base station (BS) and a medical device (MD) to establish a radio frequency (RF) link using any one of a plurality of different RF channels. The MD sniffs the RF channels over which a BS may send a link request, and tunes to the RF channel identified, as a result of the sniffing, as the channel over which a BS may be transmitting a link request. The MD may also demodulate a signal received over the RF channel to which the MD is tuned, and determine, based on a portion of the demodulated signal including a channel identifier, a specific one of the RF channels over which a BS is actually transmitting. This enables the MD to change the channel to which it is tuned if it determines that it is not tuned to the RF channel over which a BS is actually transmitting.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2015
    Publication date: October 22, 2015
    Applicant: SPINAL MODULATION, INC.
    Inventors: April C. Pixley, Cary WR Campbell, Steven T. Brandon
  • Patent number: 9132272
    Abstract: Methods and systems described herein can be used to automatically turn on and off stimulation of a target dorsal root ganglion (DRG) and/or adjust stimulation parameters. At least one of an input signal (indicative of an electrical field resulting from an electrical signal propagated by adjacent distal sensory nerve fibers toward the target DRG), an output signal (indicative of an electrical field resulting from an electrical signal propagated by adjacent proximal sensory nerve fibers away from the target DRG) or a DRG signal (indicative of an electrical field produced by cell bodies of primary sensory neurons within the target DRG and resulting from an electrical signal propagated by sensory nerve fibers within the target DRG) is/are obtained and analyzed. Delivery of electrical stimulation is turned on and off and/or at least one of pulse amplitude, pulse width and/or pulse repetition rate is/are adjusted based on results of the analysis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2015
    Assignee: SPINAL MODULATION, INC.
    Inventors: Jeffrey M. Alves, April C. Pixley, Jeyakumar Subbaroyan, Jeffery M. Kramer, Lynn Elliott
  • Patent number: 9113473
    Abstract: Specific embodiments of the present invention are for use by a base station (BS) that enables power efficient wireless radio frequency (RF) communication between the BS and a medical device (MD), which may or may not be an implantable medical device (IMD). In an embodiment, once a communication session is established between the BS and the MD, the BS selectively turns a drop link mode on and off. The drop link mode is a communication mode that while turned on (i.e., enabled) reduces and preferably minimizes the length of time that an RF link is maintained between the BS and the MD. In accordance with an embodiment, at any given time during a communication session the drop link mode is either turned on (i.e., enabled) or turned off (i.e., disabled).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2015
    Assignee: SPINAL MODULATION, INC.
    Inventors: April C. Pixley, Cary W R Campbell, Steven T. Brandon
  • Publication number: 20140343623
    Abstract: Methods and systems described herein can be used to automatically turn on and off stimulation of a target dorsal root ganglion (DRG) and/or adjust stimulation parameters. At least one of an input signal (indicative of an electrical field resulting from an electrical signal propagated by adjacent distal sensory nerve fibers toward the target DRG), an output signal (indicative of an electrical field resulting from an electrical signal propagated by adjacent proximal sensory nerve fibers away from the target DRG) or a DRG signal (indicative of an electrical field produced by cell bodies of primary sensory neurons within the target DRG and resulting from an electrical signal propagated by sensory nerve fibers within the target DRG) is/are obtained and analyzed. Delivery of electrical stimulation is turned on and off and/or at least one of pulse amplitude, pulse width and/or pulse repetition rate is/are adjusted based on results of the analysis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 15, 2014
    Publication date: November 20, 2014
    Applicant: Spinal Modulation, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey M. Alves, April C. Pixley, Jeyakumar Subbaroyan, Jeffery M. Kramer, Lynn Elliott
  • Publication number: 20120277828
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to neurostimulation systems, methods for use with neurostimulation systems, and devices (e.g., programmers) of neurostimulation systems. Such a neurostimulation system can include, e.g., a neurostimulator, a programmer configured to communicate with and program the neurostimulator, and one or more leads connected to the neurostimulator, wherein each lead includes one or more electrodes. A method, according to an embodiment of the present invention, is for enabling efficient identification of one or more preferred sets of neurostimulation parameters from among numerous possible sets of neurostimulation parameters, wherein each set of neurostimulation parameters specifies a lead, an electrode configuration for the specified lead, and one or more pulse parameters (e.g., a pulse amplitude value, a pulse width value and/or a pulse frequency value).
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 27, 2012
    Publication date: November 1, 2012
    Applicant: SPINAL MODULATION, INC.
    Inventors: Richard W. O'Connor, April C. Pixley, Daniel M. Brounstein, David C. Blaha
  • Publication number: 20120258756
    Abstract: Specific embodiments of the present invention are for use by a base station (BS) that enables power efficient wireless radio frequency (RF) communication between the BS and a medical device (MD), which may or may not be an implantable medical device (IMD). In an embodiment, once a communication session is established between the BS and the MD, the BS selectively turns a drop link mode on and off. The drop link mode is a communication mode that while turned on (i.e., enabled) reduces and preferably minimizes the length of time that an RF link is maintained between the BS and the MD. In accordance with an embodiment, at any given time during a communication session the drop link mode is either turned on (i.e., enabled) or turned off (i.e., disabled).
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 21, 2012
    Publication date: October 11, 2012
    Applicant: Spinal Modulation, Inc.
    Inventors: April C. Pixley, Cary WR Campbell, Steven T. Brandon