Patents by Inventor Thomas R. Mackie

Thomas R. Mackie 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).

  • Publication number: 20230038970
    Abstract: Provided herein is technology relating to radiology and radiotherapy and particularly, but not exclusively, to apparatuses, methods, and systems for multi-axis medical imaging of patients in vertical and horizontal positions with single or dual energy acquisition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 20, 2022
    Publication date: February 9, 2023
    Inventors: Thomas R. Mackie, John Hayes, Brent Harper
  • Patent number: 9934932
    Abstract: An imaging module includes a plurality of cathodes and respective gates, each cathode configured to generate a separate beam of electrons directed across a vacuum chamber and each gate matched to at least one respective cathode to enable and disable each separate beam of electrons from being directed across the vacuum chamber. A target anode is fixed within the vacuum chamber and arranged to receive the separate beam of electrons from each of the plurality of cathodes and, therefrom, generate a beam of x-rays. A deflection system is arranged between the plurality of cathodes and the target anode to generate a variable magnetic field to control a path followed by each of the separate beams of electrons to the target anode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2018
    Assignee: Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
    Inventors: Thomas R. Mackie, Brandon J. Walker, Jonathon R. Seaton
  • Patent number: 9731148
    Abstract: A system and method of delivering a radiation therapy treatment plan to a patient. The treatment plan is delivered using a radiation therapy system including a moveable support for supporting a patient, a gantry moveable relative to the support and supporting a radiation source and multi-leaf collimator for modulating the radiation source. The support and gantry are moved during delivery of the treatment plan.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2017
    Assignee: TOMOTHERAPY INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Gustavo H. Olivera, Thomas R. Mackie, Kenneth J. Ruchala, Paul J. Reckwerdt, John H. Hughes, Jeffrey M. Kapatoes, Eric Schnarr, Weiguo Lu, Eric Schloesser, Gerald D. Fordyce, II, Tim Holzmann
  • Publication number: 20170053772
    Abstract: An imaging module includes a plurality of cathodes and respective gates, each cathode configured to generate a separate beam of electrons directed across a vacuum chamber and each gate matched to at least one respective cathode to enable and disable each separate beam of electrons from being directed across the vacuum chamber. A target anode is fixed within the vacuum chamber and arranged to receive the separate beam of electrons from each of the plurality of cathodes and, therefrom, generate a beam of x-rays. A deflection system is arranged between the plurality of cathodes and the target anode to generate a variable magnetic field to control a path followed by each of the separate beams of electrons to the target anode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 21, 2016
    Publication date: February 23, 2017
    Inventors: Thomas R. Mackie, Brandon J. Walker, Jonathon R. Seaton
  • Patent number: 9490099
    Abstract: An imaging module includes a plurality of cathodes and respective gates, each cathode configured to generate a separate beam of electrons directed across a vacuum chamber and each gate matched to at least one respective cathode to enable and disable each separate beam of electrons from being directed across the vacuum chamber. A target anode is fixed within the vacuum chamber and arranged to receive the separate beam of electrons from each of the plurality of cathodes and, therefrom, generate a beam of x-rays. A deflection system is arranged between the plurality of cathodes and the target anode to generate a variable magnetic field to control a path followed by each of the separate beams of electrons to the target anode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2016
    Assignee: Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
    Inventors: Thomas R. Mackie, Brandon J. Walker, Jonathon R. Seaton
  • Publication number: 20160056008
    Abstract: An imaging module includes a plurality of cathodes and respective gates, each cathode configured to generate a separate beam of electrons directed across a vacuum chamber and each gate matched to at least one respective cathode to enable and disable each separate beam of electrons from being directed across the vacuum chamber. A target anode is fixed within the vacuum chamber and arranged to receive the separate beam of electrons from each of the plurality of cathodes and, therefrom, generate a beam of x-rays. A deflection system is arranged between the plurality of cathodes and the target anode to generate a variable magnetic field to control a path followed by each of the separate beams of electrons to the target anode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 20, 2014
    Publication date: February 25, 2016
    Inventors: Thomas R. Mackie, Brandon J. Walker, Jonathon R. Seaton
  • Patent number: 9006677
    Abstract: An intensity modulator for controlling the intensity of ions, such as protons, controllably block a portion of sub-areas of an area beam to control the average intensity within that sub-area. A fan beam is then created by a focusing process that reforms the area beam while blurring intensity variations in each sub-area to a corresponding beamlet in the fan beam of uniform intensity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2015
    Assignee: Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
    Inventors: Jihad H. Al-Sadah, Thomas R. Mackie
  • Patent number: 8897857
    Abstract: A method of producing a patient image indicating proton stopping power of the tissue may employ photon attenuation information converted to proton stopping power. The conversion uses different conversion functions for particular tissue types to account for a strong atomic number dependency in the conversion process. Megavoltage x-rays may be used for improved accuracy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2014
    Assignee: Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
    Inventors: Wolfgang Axel Tomé, Dongxu Wang, Thomas R. Mackie
  • Patent number: 8778252
    Abstract: A 3-D printer system moves a printed tool over a print surface with a mechanism controlling a rotational angle of an arm holding the print tool and a revolutionary angle of axis of rotation of the printable area to eliminate the disadvantages of conventionally used linear motion mechanisms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2014
    Assignee: Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
    Inventors: Thomas R. Mackie, Nathan James Patterson, Benjamin L. Cox, Nathan D. Schumacher, George Wicks Petry
  • Patent number: 8767917
    Abstract: A system for and method of delivering radiation therapy to a moving region of interest is disclosed. The method, in one implementation, includes the acts of generating a plurality of treatment plans for providing radiation therapy, delivering radiation therapy to the patient following one of the plurality of treatment plans, monitoring the patient while providing radiation therapy, and changing the treatment plan based at least in part on monitoring the patient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2014
    Assignee: Tomotherapy Incorpoated
    Inventors: Kenneth J. Ruchala, Gustavo H. Olivera, Weiguo Lu, Eric Schnarr, John H. Hughes, Jeffrey M. Kapatoes, Thomas R. Mackie, Paul J. Reckwerdt
  • Publication number: 20140125790
    Abstract: A device and method are provided for generating a three dimensional image of a volume of biological material. A plurality of layers of biological material are sequentially removed therefrom. Images of each layer of the biological sample are captured prior to removal. Each image includes information from a layer and from a portion of the biological material below the layer. The information from the layer is isolated from the portion of material below the layer for each image. The three dimensional image is generated from the isolated information of each layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 8, 2012
    Publication date: May 8, 2014
    Applicant: Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
    Inventors: Thomas R. Mackie, Kevin W. Eliceiri, Jeremy Bredfeldt, George Petry
  • Publication number: 20130189435
    Abstract: A 3-D printer system moves a printed tool over a print surface with a mechanism controlling a rotational angle of an arm holding the print tool and a revolutionary angle of axis of rotation of the printable area to eliminate the disadvantages of conventionally used linear motion mechanisms
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 20, 2012
    Publication date: July 25, 2013
    Inventors: Thomas R. Mackie, Nathan James Patterson, Benjamin L. Cox, Nathan D. Schumacher, George Wicks Petry
  • Publication number: 20130108014
    Abstract: A method of producing a patient image indicating proton stopping power of the tissue may employ photon attenuation information converted to proton stopping power. The conversion uses different conversion functions for particular tissue types to account for a strong atomic number dependency in the conversion process. Megavoltage x-rays may be used for improved accuracy.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2011
    Publication date: May 2, 2013
    Inventors: Wolfgang Axel Tomé, Dongxu Wang, Thomas R. Mackie
  • Patent number: 8309915
    Abstract: A mass spectrogram employs a set of controllable electrodes to produce a time varying axially inhomogenous electric field and enhance separation of charged particles by exposing the charged particles to different electric field strengths based on their spatial positions. The fields may be tailored to provide a traveling wave that expands portions of a spectrographic plot of the particles and/or to provide focusing or other effects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2012
    Assignee: Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
    Inventors: Thomas R. Mackie, Adam A. Hecht, Joseph J. Bisognano
  • Patent number: 8269196
    Abstract: A system for modulating a fan beam for radiation treatment employs shutters that may move rapidly into and out of different beamlets of a fan beam, the shutters having a systematic weighting so that a limited number of shutters may obtain a far greater number of regularly spaced energy reductions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2012
    Assignee: Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
    Inventors: Patrick M. Hill, Thomas R. Mackie, Jihad H. Al-Sadah
  • Patent number: 8232535
    Abstract: A radiation therapy treatment system and method of treating a patient with radiation. The system integrates positioning of the patient, treatment planning, and delivery of the plan. As a result of the integration of imaging capabilities into the treatment apparatus, and efficient processes for contouring and planning, a patient can be treated in approximately 20 minutes or less. The method includes acquiring image data from the patient, defining a target region with one or more predefined shapes, generating a treatment plan based on the defined target region, and delivering radiation to the target region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2012
    Assignee: Tomotherapy Incorporated
    Inventors: Gustavo H. Olivera, Thomas R. Mackie, Jeffrey M. Kapatoes, John H. Hughes, Kenneth J. Ruchala, Paul J. Reckwerdt
  • Patent number: 8154001
    Abstract: An ion radiation therapy machine provides a steerable beam for treating a tumor within the patient where the exposure spot of the beam is controlled in width and/or length to effect a flexible trade-off between treatment speed, accuracy, and uniformity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2012
    Assignee: Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
    Inventors: Ryan Thomas Flynn, Thomas R. Mackie
  • Patent number: 8129701
    Abstract: A modulator for radiation therapy provides modulation of an area beam to decrease treatment time. Separate channels passing modulated “beamlets” are possible by spacing the channels such that spreading of the beams and multiple angles of treatment eliminate cold spots. The space between the channels allows well-defined channel walls and space for modulator mechanisms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Inventors: Jihad H. Al-Sadah, David C. Westerly, Patrick M. Hill, Thomas R. Mackie
  • Patent number: 8093568
    Abstract: A radiation therapy system for heavy ions employs a rocking motion of a fan beam used to treat the patient, the fan beam having individually modulated beamlets, the rocking limited in angular extent to provide improved conformance of the dose to a tumor while shielding distal tissue from radiation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
    Inventors: Thomas R. Mackie, Michael William Kissick, Ryan Thomas Flynn
  • Patent number: 8076657
    Abstract: An improved beam forming system for ions used in radiation treatment employs a magnet system of successive quadrupole magnets to convert an ion pencil beam to a fan beam with reduced neutrons production compared with conventional beam spreading techniques using scattering foils.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2011
    Assignee: Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
    Inventors: Thomas R. Mackie, David C. Westerly