Patents by Inventor Scott A. Sarkinen

Scott A. Sarkinen 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: 11147918
    Abstract: A medicament delivery system configured to reduce the risk of inadvertently injecting medicament directly into a patient during a refill procedure via an external refilling apparatus. The medicament delivery system may include an implantable medical pump having a refillable medicament reservoir accessible via an access port, wherein the refillable medicament reservoir includes a flexible diaphragm having a nonlinear spring rate configured to create a relative vacuum within a medicament chamber when medicament is expelled from the medicament chamber beyond a predefined threshold, so as to spontaneously draw a quantity of medicament into the medicament chamber during the refill procedure to reestablish the predefined threshold, thereby confirming proper placement of a portion of the external refilling apparatus into the access port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2021
    Assignee: Medtronic, Inc.
    Inventors: Steven Christenson, Touby Drew, James M. Haase, Scott A. Sarkinen
  • Publication number: 20200121850
    Abstract: A medicament delivery system configured to reduce the risk of inadvertently injecting medicament directly into a patient during a refill procedure via an external refilling apparatus. The medicament delivery system may include an implantable medical pump having a refillable medicament reservoir accessible via an access port, wherein the refillable medicament reservoir includes a flexible diaphragm having a nonlinear spring rate configured to create a relative vacuum within a medicament chamber when medicament is expelled from the medicament chamber beyond a predefined threshold, so as to spontaneously draw a quantity of medicament into the medicament chamber during the refill procedure to reestablish the predefined threshold, thereby confirming proper placement of a portion of the external refilling apparatus into the access port.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 23, 2018
    Publication date: April 23, 2020
    Inventors: Steven Christenson, Touby Drew, James M. Haase, Scott A. Sarkinen
  • Publication number: 20200121849
    Abstract: A medicament delivery system configured to serve as an aid in guiding a user through the procedural steps of refilling an implantable medical pump with an external refilling apparatus by tying the physical acts associated with a refill procedure to relevant information displayed on a user interface of an external programmer. The implantable medical pump may include a refillable medicament reservoir accessible via an access port having a needle detection sensor configured to detect the presence of a portion of an external refilling apparatus within the access port, and an external programmer configured to communicate with the implantable medical pump during the refill procedure, wherein sensed data gathered by the needle detection sensor is utilized by the external programmer to prompt the display of information relative to the procedural steps of the refill procedure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 23, 2018
    Publication date: April 23, 2020
    Inventors: Steven Christenson, Touby Drew, James M. Haase, Scott A. Sarkinen
  • Patent number: 10245378
    Abstract: Reservoir volume of implantable infusion devices may be determined using a volume sensor that provides a signal representative of a distance between the volume sensor and a movable wall of the reservoir. The volume sensor may be a light-based or sound-based sensor, and may be located outside of the reservoir.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignee: MEDTRONIC, INC.
    Inventors: Naresh Lakshman Raman, Alex O. Espe, Nicholas R. Whitehead, Timothy J. Denison, Venkat R. Gaddam, Scott A. Sarkinen, Erik J. Peterson, Jacob A. Otterstetter
  • Publication number: 20180214635
    Abstract: Reservoir volume of implantable infusion devices may be determined using a volume sensor that provides a signal representative of a distance between the volume sensor and a movable wall of the reservoir. The volume sensor may be a light-based or sound-based sensor, and may be located outside of the reservoir.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 27, 2017
    Publication date: August 2, 2018
    Inventors: Naresh Lakshman Raman, Alex O. Espe, Nicholas R. Whitehead, Timothy J. Denison, Venkat R. Gaddam, Scott A. Sarkinen, Erik J. Peterson, Jacob A. Otterstetter
  • Patent number: 9940440
    Abstract: A total dose of a therapeutic agent to be delivered to a patient by an infusion device over a total period of time is automatically divided into a plurality of unit doses to be delivered to the patient over a plurality of unit periods of time. The infusion device is automatically programmed to deliver one of the unit doses of the therapeutic agent to the patient over its respective unit period of time, after which the one unit dose is delivered, and a determination is made of whether an error occurred in delivering the one unit dose to the patient. Delivery of the total dose of the therapeutic agent to the patient may include iteratively automatically programming the infusion device to deliver successive unit doses upon determining that no error occurred in delivering a previous unit dose to the patient. Accordingly, the risk of improperly dosing the patient with the therapeutic agent in an event of a software or hardware anomaly within the infusion device is prevented or reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Assignee: Medtronic, Inc.
    Inventors: Irfan Z. Ali, Donald L. Villalta, Scott A. Sarkinen
  • Patent number: 9586012
    Abstract: A support tool for a supply assembly delivers a functional fluid to an implantable medical device. The supply assembly defines a supply axis. The support tool includes a support member defining an opening. The opening has a support axis, and the opening is configured to receive the supply assembly. The support member includes a three dimensionally contoured nesting surface that conforms to a corresponding three dimensionally contoured surface of the supply assembly. The corresponding surface of the supply assembly nests against the nesting surface to support the supply assembly such that the supply axis remains substantially fixed relative to and aligned with the support axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignee: Medtronic, Inc.
    Inventors: Scott L. Kalpin, Andrew Bzostek, Steven L. Hartmann, Matthew W. Koenig, Brad Jacobsen, Scott A. Sarkinen, Peter J. Borowitz, Bradley A. Jascob
  • Patent number: 9555188
    Abstract: An implantable infusion device includes a pump, a charge storage unit, and a charging circuit configured to supply current to the charge storage unit from a battery in preparation for actuating the pump. The implantable infusion device also includes a pump actuator circuit configured to actuate the pump using energy from the charge storage unit, and a voltage boost circuit configured to provide a boosted battery voltage generated from the battery. The charging circuit is configured to supply current to the charge storage unit from the voltage boost circuit instead of directly from the battery in response to (i) a comparison of a voltage of the battery with a predetermined threshold and (ii) a comparison of a voltage of the charge storage unit with the voltage of the battery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: Medtronic, Inc.
    Inventors: Scott A. Sarkinen, Christopher Ambri, Charles Randall Rogers, Naveed Alam
  • Patent number: 9401894
    Abstract: Systems, devices and methods employing coded magnetic fields or transfer of encryption key information via proximity telemetry are described. The systems, methods and devices help prevent or reduce unintended or unintentional distance telemetry communication between an external medical device and an implantable medical device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2016
    Assignee: MEDTRONIC, INC.
    Inventors: Scott L. Kalpin, Patrick S. Leong, Scott A. Sarkinen, Earle T. Roberts, William J. Mitchell
  • Patent number: 9381039
    Abstract: Transdermal insertion of a transcutaneous filling apparatus, for the purpose of filling a fill chamber of an implanted therapy delivery device, is monitored by measuring each impedance between pairs of electrodes of a needle of the apparatus, and comparing each to a threshold impedance; the electrodes, preferably at least three in number, are isolated and spaced apart from one another along a length of the needle. A confirmation signal is generated when at least one of the measured impedances is greater than the threshold impedance, and another is less than the threshold, the condition indicating that one of the electrodes is located within a non-conductive septum, through which the apparatus must pass to access the fill chamber. A detection circuit, which may be located in a housing of the apparatus that is attached to a proximal end of the needle, measures and compares the impedances.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2016
    Assignee: Medtronic, Inc.
    Inventors: Keith A. Miesel, Scott A. Sarkinen, Emem D. Akpan, Douglas E. Hentges, Mark E. Dunlap, Darrin Schauble, Cindy Konen, Mark R. Bilitz
  • Patent number: 9339601
    Abstract: A support tool or a supply assembly that delivers a functional fluid to a patient includes an antenna array for receiving or sensing a navigation field. The navigation field can be generated from a localizer. The localizer can be incorporated or included in an implanted device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2016
    Assignee: Medtronic, Inc.
    Inventors: Scott L. Kalpin, Andrew Bzostek, Steven L. Hartmann, Matthew W. Koenig, Brad Jacobsen, Scott A. Sarkinen, Peter J. Borowitz, Bradley A. Jascob
  • Patent number: 9216257
    Abstract: A system to generate a navigation field relative to an implanted device is disclosed. The system can include a small and/or thin localizer array positioned in the implanted device. A power management scheme and circuits can be provided to conserve and resource power in the implanted device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2015
    Assignee: Medtronic, Inc.
    Inventors: Scott L. Kalpin, Andrew Bzostek, Steven L. Hartmann, Matthew W. Koenig, Brad Jacobsen, Scott A. Sarkinen, Peter J. Borowitz, Bradley A. Jascob
  • Patent number: 9192719
    Abstract: A method of detecting a fault condition within an implantable medical pump comprises delivering therapeutic fluid using a medical pump comprising an actuation mechanism configured to be energized to provide a pump stroke, detecting a property associated with energizing the actuation mechanism, and determining whether the property associated with energizing the actuation mechanism indicates that a fault condition exists with the medical pump.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: Medtronic, Inc.
    Inventors: Charles R. Rogers, Irfan Z. Ali, Ronald L. Mezera, Keith A. Miesel, Scott A. Sarkinen, Nicholas R. Whitehead
  • Patent number: 9113812
    Abstract: A system can include an implantable device, an instrument, a display device and a processor. The implantable device can include a port and a localizer for generating a navigation field. The instrument can include a tracking device for sensing the navigation field. The processor can be operably coupled to the tracking and display devices and operable to determine a real-time location of the instrument relative to the port and a trajectory of the instrument relative to an insertion axis of the port. The processor system can be operable to cause the display device to graphically render the instrument as a plurality of two or three-dimensional rings positioned around an axis coincident with the determined trajectory and in spaced relation to each other along the axis. A first ring of the plurality of rings can be positioned at the determined instrument location relative to a graphical representation of the port location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2015
    Assignee: Medtronic, Inc.
    Inventors: Scott L. Kalpin, Andrew Bzostek, Steven L. Hartmann, Matthew W. Koenig, Brad Jacobsen, Scott A. Sarkinen, Peter J. Borowitz, Bradley A. Jascob
  • Patent number: 8920389
    Abstract: Systems for detecting needle insertion into a port chamber of an implantable medical device include a pressure sensor. The system detects characteristic pressure profiles associated with needle insertion into the port chamber through a septum and may generate a sensory cue to a clinician that proper needle placement has been achieved. Methods for detecting needle insertion into a port chamber of an implantable medical device includes detecting characteristic pressure profiles associated with needle insertion into the port chamber through a septum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2014
    Assignee: Medtronic, Inc.
    Inventors: Scott L. Kalpin, Scott A. Sarkinen
  • Publication number: 20140276573
    Abstract: Transdermal insertion of a transcutaneous filling apparatus, for the purpose of filling a fill chamber of an implanted therapy delivery device, is monitored by measuring each impedance between pairs of electrodes of a needle of the apparatus, and comparing each to a threshold impedance; the electrodes, preferably at least three in number, are isolated and spaced apart from one another along a length of the needle. A confirmation signal is generated when at least one of the measured impedances is greater than the threshold impedance, and another is less than the threshold, the condition indicating that one of the electrodes is located within a non-conductive septum, through which the apparatus must pass to access the fill chamber. A detection circuit, which may be located in a housing of the apparatus that is attached to a proximal end of the needle, measures and compares the impedances.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Inventors: Keith A. Miesel, Scott A. Sarkinen, Emem D. Akpan, Douglas E. Hentges, Mark E. Dunlap, Darrin Schauble, Cindy Konen, Mark R. Bilitz
  • Patent number: 8801668
    Abstract: A medical device system comprises a reservoir configured to store a therapeutic fluid and a medical pump configured to deliver the therapeutic fluid from the reservoir to a patient. The system also comprises a sensor that can detect a characteristic associated with the pump and a processor to determine if the characteristic detected indicates the reservoir is empty or near empty. The characteristic may comprise a characteristic of a noise made by an actuator within the pump at the end of a pump stroke.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: Medtronic, Inc.
    Inventors: Irfan Z. Ali, Keith A. Miesel, Scott L. Kalpin, Scott A. Sarkinen
  • Publication number: 20140153719
    Abstract: Systems, devices and methods employing coded magnetic fields or transfer of encryption key information via proximity telemetry are described. The systems, methods and devices help prevent or reduce unintended or unintentional distance telemetry communication between an external medical device and an implantable medical device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 3, 2014
    Publication date: June 5, 2014
    Applicant: MEDTRONIC, INC.
    Inventors: Scott L. Kalpin, Patrick S. Leong, Scott A. Sarkinen, Earle T. Roberts, William J. Mitchell
  • Patent number: 8682437
    Abstract: Systems, devices and methods employing coded magnetic fields or transfer of encryption key information via proximity telemetry are described. The systems, methods and devices help prevent or reduce unintended or unintentional distance telemetry communication between an external medical device and an implantable medical device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: Medtronic, Inc.
    Inventors: Scott L. Kalpin, Patrick S. Leong, Scott A. Sarkinen, Earle T. Roberts, William J. Mitchell
  • Patent number: 8657587
    Abstract: Detection of end of stroke for an electromagnetic pump may be performed using, for example, a calculated first flux derivative. Further, inductance of a coil that can be energized to produce a pump stroke may be calculated (e.g., the pump may include an actuator moveable in response to the energization of the coil). For example, the inductance may be calculated as a function of sense coil current and source electrical potential when the actuator is not moving for use in determining position of the actuator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2014
    Assignee: Medtronic, Inc.
    Inventors: Scott A. Sarkinen, James M. Haase, Ronald L. Mezera, Christian Michel Peclat