Patents by Inventor Thomas R. Nixon

Thomas R. Nixon 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: 7983793
    Abstract: Robotic devices, systems, and methods for use in robotic surgery and other robotic applications, and/or medical instrument devices, systems, and methods includes both a reusable processor and a limited-use robotic tool or medical treatment probe. A memory the limited-use component includes machine readable code with data and/or programming instructions to be implemented by the processor. Programming of the processor can be updated by shipping of new data once downloaded by the processor from a component, subsequent components can take advantage of the updated processor without repeated downloading.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2011
    Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc.
    Inventors: Gregory K. Toth, Nitish Swarup, Thomas R. Nixon, David Q. Larkin, Steven J. Colton
  • Publication number: 20100228264
    Abstract: A method for a minimally invasive surgical system is disclosed including reading first tool information from a storage device in a first robotic surgical tool mounted to a first robotic arm to at least determine a first tool type; reading equipment information about one or more remote controlled equipment for control thereof; comparing the first tool information with the equipment information to appropriately match a first remote controlled equipment of the one or more remote controlled equipment to the first robotic surgical tool; and mapping one or more user interface input devices of a first control console to control the first remote controlled equipment to support a function of the first robotic surgical tool.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 9, 2009
    Publication date: September 9, 2010
    Inventors: David Robinson, Thomas R. Nixon, Michael Hanuschik, Randal P. Goldberg, Jason Hemphill, David O. Larkin, Paul Millman
  • Publication number: 20100228249
    Abstract: A method for a minimally invasive surgical system is disclosed including capturing camera images of a surgical site; generating a graphical user interface (GUI) including a first colored border portion in a first side and a second colored border in a second side opposite the first side; and overlaying the GUI onto the captured camera images of the surgical site for display on a display device of a surgeon console. The GUI provides information to a user regarding the first electrosurgical tool and the second tool in the surgical site that is concurrently displayed by the captured camera images. The first colored border portion in the GUI indicates that the first electrosurgical tool is controlled by a first master grip of the surgeon console and the second colored border portion indicates the tool type of the second tool controlled by a second master grip of the surgeon console.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 9, 2009
    Publication date: September 9, 2010
    Applicant: Intuitive Surgical, Inc.
    Inventors: Paul W. Mohr, David Robinson, Thomas R. Nixon, Michael Hanuschik, Randal P. Goldberg, Salvatore J. Brogna
  • Publication number: 20090171371
    Abstract: A medical robotic system has functionality to determine and display information of a distance indicated by movement of one or more tools being robotically manipulated by an operator. The distance is determined using sensed robotic manipulation of the one or more tools. Information of the distance is displayed on the monitor so as to be visually associated with the movement and/or positions of the tools, such as a virtual tape measure that extends along with or between images of the one or more tools on the monitor or as a virtual ruler with the distance being indicated by a pointer. Alternatively, information of the distance may simply be indicated on a digital read-out shown on the monitor that is displayed and continually updated with the movement of the one or more tools.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 26, 2007
    Publication date: July 2, 2009
    Applicant: Intuitive Surgical, Inc.
    Inventors: THOMAS R. NIXON, Margaret M. Nixon, William C. Nowlin