Patents by Inventor Walter Garms

Walter Garms 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: 8260020
    Abstract: Methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable media are provided for image based CT Number and volume corrections for thin objects in computed tomography systems. For example, in one embodiment a method is provide which computes an average computed tomography (“CT”) value and volume of voxels that are part of an object. Thereafter, a surface area and a surface CT Number, a boundary area and a boundary CT Number, and a corrected CT Number and a corrected volume for the object are computed. Embodiments of the invention also include other methods, computer-readable mediums, apparatuses, and systems that contain features similar to the features in the above described method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2012
    Assignee: Morpho Detection, Inc.
    Inventor: Walter Garms
  • Publication number: 20090169079
    Abstract: Image-based density and volume corrections for thin objects in computed tomography systems are provided. For example, in one embodiment a method is provide which computes an average computed tomography (“CT”) value and volume of voxels that are part of an object. Thereafter, a surface area and a surface density, a boundary area and a boundary density, and a corrected density and a corrected volume for the object are computed. Embodiments of the invention also include other methods, computer-readable mediums, apparatuses, and systems that contain features similar to the features in the above described method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 31, 2007
    Publication date: July 2, 2009
    Inventor: Walter GARMS
  • Publication number: 20090169081
    Abstract: Methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable media are provided for image based CT Number and volume corrections for thin objects in computed tomography systems. For example, in one embodiment a method is provide which computes an average computed tomography (“CT”) value and volume of voxels that are part of an object. Thereafter, a surface area and a surface CT Number, a boundary area and a boundary CT Number, and a corrected CT Number and a corrected volume for the object are computed. Embodiments of the invention also include other methods, computer-readable mediums, apparatuses, and systems that contain features similar to the features in the above described method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 30, 2008
    Publication date: July 2, 2009
    Inventor: Walter GARMS
  • Publication number: 20090147908
    Abstract: Methods, computer-readable mediums, apparatuses, and systems are provided. In one embodiment, the method acquires gain data for a view. The gain data is stored for subsequent use. Thereafter, the method acquires raw data for the view. For detectors in the view, the method compares the raw data to the gain data to determine if the result exceeds a threshold. Generally, information that exceeds the threshold is valid data. The method transmits only the valid data. Embodiments of the invention also include other methods, computer-readable mediums, apparatuses, and systems that contain features similar to the features in the above described method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 10, 2007
    Publication date: June 11, 2009
    Inventor: Walter GARMS
  • Patent number: 7515675
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for providing a projection image directly from data acquired by a CT scanner, the method comprising: acquiring an amount of data corresponding to an object that is scanned by the CT scanner, wherein the amount of data is generated by an x-ray source that projects a fan beam of x-rays toward a detector array on an opposite side of a gantry of the CT scanner as the object is passed through an opening in the gantry, the acquired amount of data comprising a reconstruction volume; selecting a viewing direction of the object; selecting a portion of a surface intersecting the reconstruction volume, wherein the selected portion comprises an imaging surface inside the reconstruction volume and corresponding to the viewing direction of the object; dividing the imaging surface into a plurality of rows and columns, thus creating a grid of points corresponding to the imaging surface; determining, for each point in the grid, a data point in the acquired amount of data corresponding to an x-ray sourc
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2009
    Assignee: GE Security, Inc.
    Inventors: Walter Garms, Ugo Di Girolamo, Matthew Merzbacher
  • Patent number: 7492860
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for scanning an object with a helical CT scanner, the method comprising: acquiring an amount of data corresponding to the object that is scanned by the CT scanner, wherein the amount of data is generated by an x-ray source that projects a fan beam of x-rays toward a detector array on an opposite side of a gantry of the CT scanner, the fan beam being generated at multiple x-ray source positions as the x-ray source is rotated about the object as the object passes through an opening in the gantry disposed about a conveyor for moving the object through the opening; monitoring a position of the conveyor as the object passes through the opening in the gantry; determining if the conveyor has been stationary for more than one rotation of the gantry and discarding redundant data after one rotation, optionally turning off the x-ray tube if the conveyor has been stationary for more than one gantry rotation, and if so preventing the conveyor from moving again until the tube is turned on and is sta
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2009
    Assignee: GE Security, Inc.
    Inventors: Walter Garms, Pierfrancesco Landolfi
  • Publication number: 20070237288
    Abstract: A CT scanner acquires CT images at different energy levels and registers those images to provide a composite image that is substantially free of beam hardening artifacts and conspicuously provides atomic information of that imaged.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2006
    Publication date: October 11, 2007
    Inventors: J. Tkaczyk, William Leue, Walter Garms, Joseph Bendahan, Deborah Walter, Sussan Pourjavid-Granfors, Xiaoye Wu, Peter Edic, Pierfrancesco Landolfi
  • Publication number: 20070230657
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for scanning an object with a helical CT scanner, the method comprising: acquiring an amount of data corresponding to the object that is scanned by the CT scanner, wherein the amount of data is generated by an x-ray source that projects a fan beam of x-rays toward a detector array on an opposite side of a gantry of the CT scanner, the fan beam being generated at multiple x-ray source positions as the x-ray source is rotated about the object as the object passes through an opening in the gantry disposed about a conveyor for moving the object through the opening; monitoring a position of the conveyor as the object passes through the opening in the gantry; determining if the conveyor has been stationary for more than one rotation of the gantry and discarding redundant data after one rotation, optionally turning off the x-ray tube if the conveyor has been stationary for more than one gantry rotation, and if so preventing the conveyor from moving again until the tube is turned on and is sta
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 4, 2006
    Publication date: October 4, 2007
    Inventor: Walter Garms
  • Publication number: 20070140414
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for providing a projection image directly from data acquired by a CT scanner, the method comprising: acquiring an amount of data corresponding to an object that is scanned by the CT scanner, wherein the amount of data is generated by an x-ray source that projects a fan beam of x-rays toward a detector array on an opposite side of a gantry of the CT scanner as the object is passed through an opening in the gantry, the acquired amount of data comprising a reconstruction volume; selecting a viewing direction of the object; selecting a portion of a surface intersecting the reconstruction volume, wherein the selected portion comprises an imaging surface inside the reconstruction volume and corresponding to the viewing direction of the object; dividing the imaging surface into a plurality of rows and columns, thus creating a grid of points corresponding to the imaging surface; determining, for each point in the grid, a data point in the acquired amount of data corresponding to an x-ray sourc
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 7, 2005
    Publication date: June 21, 2007
    Inventors: Walter Garms, Ugo Girolamo, Matthew Merzbacher
  • Publication number: 20070140415
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for providing a projection image directly from data acquired by a CT scanner, the method comprising: acquiring an amount of data corresponding to an entire object that is scanned by the CT scanner, wherein the amount of data is generated by an x-ray source that projects a fan beam of x-rays toward a detector array on an opposite side of a gantry of the CT scanner as the object is passed through an opening in the gantry; selecting an imaging plane, the imaging plane corresponding to a view of the object; dividing the imaging plane into a plurality of rows and columns, thus creating a grid of points corresponding to the imaging plane; determining, for each point in the grid, a data point from the acquired data corresponding to an x-ray source position wherein a ray from the x-ray source to the grid point is closest to a perpendicular orientation with respect to the imaging plane, and a detector position where the ray intersects the detector array; and presenting a projection image corres
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 7, 2005
    Publication date: June 21, 2007
    Inventors: Walter Garms, Ugo Girolamo, Matthew Merzbacher