Patents by Inventor Kenneth Stafford

Kenneth Stafford 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: 11602266
    Abstract: An articulating, steerable surgical probe includes an elongated, flexible transfer tube adapted for insertion into a surgical region for endoscopic laryngeal laser surgery. A lumen is defined by an interior of the transfer tube, and a laser fiber extends through the lumen for delivering a therapeutic laser signal to a distal end of the laser fiber. An articulating tip at the distal end of the transfer tube is responsive to articulating forces from a retractable tether for directing the treatment probe in a direction of the articulation, and a linkage to the tether from a control module effects controlled retraction of the tether for articulating the tip towards a surgical target, such that the articulating tip imposing a bend radius based on a signal loss through the laser fiber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2023
    Assignee: Worcester Polytechnic Institute
    Inventors: Loris Fichera, Kevin O'Brien, Zachary R. Boyer, Cory T. Brolliar, Benjamin G. Mart, Gregory S. Fischer, Kenneth Stafford, Thomas Carroll, Karim A. Tarabein
  • Publication number: 20200289201
    Abstract: An articulating, steerable surgical probe includes an elongated, flexible transfer tube adapted for insertion into a surgical region for endoscopic laryngeal laser surgery. A lumen is defined by an interior of the transfer tube, and a laser fiber extends through the lumen for delivering a therapeutic laser signal to a distal end of the laser fiber. An articulating tip at the distal end of the transfer tube is responsive to articulating forces from a retractable tether for directing the treatment probe in a direction of the articulation, and a linkage to the tether from a control module effects controlled retraction of the tether for articulating the tip towards a surgical target, such that the articulating tip imposing a bend radius based on a signal loss through the laser fiber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2020
    Publication date: September 17, 2020
    Inventors: Loris Fichera, Kevin O'Brien, Zachary R. Boyer, Cory T. Brolliar, Benjamin G. Mart, Gregory S. Fischer, Kenneth Stafford, Thomas Carroll
  • Patent number: 7852261
    Abstract: The present invention relates to tracking waveforms in radar which minimizes the dwell time and energy in a tracking waveform while maintaining a specified track positional accuracy and consequently velocity accuracy. The present invention provides a method and apparatus for selecting a tracking waveform in a radar apparatus comprising determining a target range rate; determining a signal strength; determining the radiated frequency of the subsequent transmitted tracking waveform; and modifying the energy and pulse repetition frequency used on subsequent tracking waveforms on the basis of the determined target range rate, signal strength and next transmitted tracking waveform frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2010
    Assignee: BAE Systems PLC
    Inventor: William Kenneth Stafford
  • Publication number: 20100225526
    Abstract: The present invention relates to tracking waveforms in radar which minimizes the dwell time and energy in a tracking waveform whilst maintaining a specified track positional accuracy and consequently velocity accuracy. The present invention provides a method and apparatus for selecting a tracking waveform in a radar apparatus comprising determining a target range rate; determining a signal strength; determining the radiated frequency of the subsequent transmitted tracking waveform; and modifying the energy and pulse repetition frequency used on subsequent tracking waveforms on the basis of the determined target range rate, signal strength and next transmitted tracking waveform frequency.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2005
    Publication date: September 9, 2010
    Applicant: BAE SYSTEMS plc
    Inventor: William Kenneth Stafford