Patents Represented by Attorney Wiley Rein LLP
  • Patent number: 8340766
    Abstract: A method of identifying potential driver sites for cardiac arrhythmias includes acquiring a plurality of electrograms from a plurality of locations on at least a portion of a patient's heart. Using the acquired electrograms, at least one electrical activity map is generated. Desirable electrical activity maps include complex fractionated electrogram standard deviation and mean maps, dominant frequency maps, peak-to-peak voltage maps, and activation sequence maps. Using one or more of these maps (e.g., by analyzing one or more electrogram morphological characteristics represented by these maps), at least one potential driver site can be detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignee: St. Jude Medical, Atrial Fibrillation Division, Inc.
    Inventors: Kyungmoo Ryu, Valtino X. Afonso
  • Patent number: 8317810
    Abstract: A tissue puncture assembly includes an elongate tubular member having a lumen, a distal portion having a side wall, a side port opening extending through the side wall and, and a guiding surface having a distal end that extends adjacent to a distal edge of the side port opening. The tissue puncture assembly further includes a flexible puncture member insertable through the lumen of the elongate tubular member. The flexible puncture member deflects upon contacting the guiding surface to exit the elongate tubular member through the side port in a lateral direction relative to a longitudinal direction of the elongate tubular member. The tissue puncture member is capable of puncturing tissue at an oblique angle. The tissue puncture member may further adopt a pre-formed shape at its distal end to prevent inadvertent puncture of tissue and to maintain access to the puncture site.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: St. Jude Medical, Atrial Fibrillation Division, Inc.
    Inventors: Todd Raymond Stangenes, Saurav Paul
  • Patent number: 8308719
    Abstract: A control system alters one or more characteristics of an ablating element to ablate tissue. In one aspect, the control system delivers energy nearer to the surface of the tissue by changing the frequency or power. In another aspect, the ablating element delivers focused ultrasound which is focused in at least one dimension. The ablating device may also have a number of ablating elements with different characteristics such as focal length.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2012
    Assignee: St. Jude Medical, Atrial Fibrillation Division, Inc.
    Inventors: John W. Sliwa, Timothy E. Ciciarelli
  • Patent number: 8285566
    Abstract: Disclosed is a system and method for administering a life insurance policy to provide increased interest based on specifically weighted linkage to multiple equity indices that typically may include Standard & Poor's 500 Composite Price Index, Dow Jones EURO STOXX 50, the Hang Seng Index, and/or derivatives thereof wherein the leading-performing index during a look back period is weighted more heavily than any other index. Also disclosed is a computer system using at least one administration component to implement a series of steps associated with administering an equity indexed-interest universal life insurance policy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Assignee: Security Life of Denver Insurance Company
    Inventors: John McSwaney, Anthony Ginsberg, Ben Wolzenski
  • Patent number: 8281704
    Abstract: The mechanism comprises a main frame (1) and its extension (1?), which accommodate a barrel (21) with fixed mounting, a mobile bolt (22) and its guiding pin ensemble (66) and main spring (67) moving in the main frame (1), a mobile mass (34) and its assembly of guiding pin (60), push plate (61) and return spring (62), and a mobile mass catch sear (42) and its spring (7). The mobile mass pivots from a first position under the barrel to a downward position in reaction to the backward movement of the mobile bolt. The placement of the mobile mass in front of the chamber directs counteracting forces down on the barrel to prevent muzzle climb during operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Assignee: Kriss Systems SA
    Inventors: Renaud Kerbrat, Antoine Robert, Jan Henrik Jebsen
  • Patent number: 8281699
    Abstract: The invention comprises an improved recoil control device comprising a bolt head and an inertia block or slider for use in a variety of firearms. In one embodiment, the bolt head and inertia block are articulated so that the displacement of the bolt head results in a force component outside the firing axis of the barrel of the firearm. The device can be incorporated into firearms of a variety of sizes and configurations to produce recoil reduction and/or weight reduction advantages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Assignee: Kriss Systems SA
    Inventors: Jan Henrik Jebsen, Renaud Kerbrat
  • Patent number: 8273548
    Abstract: The present invention relates to novel compounds and their uses, in particular their pharmaceutical or diagnostic uses or their use as pharmacological targets. More particularly, the present invention relates to a novel protein, referred to as PAP1, as well as to novel peptides and compounds which are capable of modulating, at least partially, the activity of parkin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2012
    Assignee: Aventis Pharma S.A.
    Inventors: Han Koutnikova, Alexis Brice, Alain Fournier, Laurent Pradier, Catherine Prades, Isabelle Arnould-Reguigne, Marie-Françoise Rosier-Montus, Olga Corti
  • Patent number: 8272313
    Abstract: The invention comprises an improved recoil control device comprising a bolt head and an inertia block for use in a variety of firearms. In one embodiment, the bolt head and inertia block are articulated so that the displacement of the bolt head results in a force component outside the firing axis of the barrel of the firearm. The device can be incorporated into firearms of a variety of sizes and configurations to produce recoil reduction and/or weight reduction advantages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2012
    Assignee: Kriss Systems SA
    Inventors: Jan Henrik Jebsen, Renaud Kerbrat
  • Patent number: 8273285
    Abstract: The present invention is a method of manufacturing a flexible tubular body for catheter, sheath or similar medical device. The method comprises pre-extruding an inner layer of the body from a thermoplastic polymer and then pulling the inner layer over a mandrel and tightening the layer down. If wire lumens were not integrally formed in the inner layer when pre-extruded, then two polymer spaghetti tubes, each with wire lumens, are laid 180 degrees apart axially along the outer surface of the inner layer. Deflection wires are then fed into the wire lumens. A cylindrical wire braid is woven or pulled over the inner layer (and the spaghetti tubes, as the case may be) and tightened down. The aforementioned components are then encased in an outer polymer layer. A heat-shrinkable tube is then placed over the outer layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2012
    Assignee: St. Jude Medical, Atrial Fibrillation Division, Inc.
    Inventors: Eric John Wilkowske, Allan Manuel Fuentes, Xiaoping Guo, Xuan Yen Khieu, Linda Kay Nemec, Richard E. Stehr
  • Patent number: 8238816
    Abstract: The invention relates to methods, systems, and satellites that employ an off-set pattern of spot-beams to transmit signals or television signals over a desired area of the earth. In one example, a heavily populated metropolitan area in the continental United States is covered by at least two patterns of spot-beams, where the patterns are off-set to one another by a lateral or translational displacement, rotation, or both. The off-set patterns can be used in conjunction with existing satellites and systems and incorporated into new satellites and systems. The methods reduce problems associated with the straddling of subscriber areas caused by local-into-local requirements, and advantageously allow increased spot-beam capacity, and the reduction in earth uplink stations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2012
    Assignee: Spectrum Five LLC
    Inventor: John D. Kiesling
  • Patent number: 8231569
    Abstract: A catheter includes a handle that advantageously limits the amount of torque that can be imparted to the body of the catheter. This advantageously reduces the likelihood of catheter failure, damage to tissue, or damage to medical devices introduced into the vasculature via the catheter. The catheter handle includes a grip portion that the practitioner manipulates in order to impart a torque and a torque transmitting portion operably coupled thereto that transmits the torque to the catheter body. A torque limiting mechanism decouples the torque transmitting portion from the grip portion, the body, and/or any pull wires when the torque imparted to the grip portion exceeds a torque threshold, thereby preventing excessive torques from being transmitted to the catheter body and/or pull wires. A practitioner may be able to adjust the torque threshold and may be able to disable the torque limiting mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2012
    Assignee: St. Jude Medical, Atrial Fibrillation Division, Inc.
    Inventors: Martin Maitre Grasse, Anthony D. Hill, Don Curtis Deno
  • Patent number: 8229545
    Abstract: A system for presenting information representative of patient electrophysiological activity, such as complex fractionated electrogram information, includes at least one electrode to measure electrogram information from the heart surface, at least one processor coupled to the at least one electrode to receive the electrogram information and measure a location of the at least one electrode within the heart, and a presentation device to present the electrogram information as associated with the location at which it was measured on a model of the patient's heart. A memory may also be provided in which to store the associated electrogram information and measured location. Data may be analyzed using both time-domain and frequency-domain information to create a three-dimensional map. The map displays the data as colors, shades of color, and/or grayscales, and may further utilize contour lines, such as isochrones, to present the information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Assignee: St. Jude Medical, Atrial Fibrillation Division, Inc.
    Inventor: Valtino Afonso
  • Patent number: 8221408
    Abstract: A catheter or lead having electrically conductive traces and external electrical contacts. Each trace may be in electrical connection with one or more external electrical contacts. More specifically, each trace is typically electrically connected to a single contact. The traces and contacts may assist in diagnosis and/or detection of bio-electrical signals emitted by organs, and may transmit such signals to a connector or diagnostic device affixed to the catheter. The external electrical contacts may detect bioelectric energy or may deliver electrical energy to a target site.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2012
    Assignee: St. Jude Medical, Atrial Fibrillation Division, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Johnson, Kirk S. Honour
  • Patent number: 8216228
    Abstract: Apparatus, methods, and computer-readable media herein described, depicted and claimed are applied for curative ablation to achieve the inactivation or destruction of fibrillar myocardium of so-called AF nests or other arrhythmogenic foci within the myocardial substrate. In addition, fibrillar myocardium may be identified and mapped by spectral analysis and phase study of the tissue during sinus rhythm. The procedure may be performed by transseptal puncture using only one catheter for ablation and mapping. The apparatus, methods, and computer-readable media may be used to localize the application targets even during an arrhythmia.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2012
    Assignee: St. Jude Medical, Atrial Fibrillation Division, Inc.
    Inventors: Jose Carlos Pachon Mateos, Enrique Indalecio Pachon Mateo
  • Patent number: 8211102
    Abstract: A contact sensing catheter system includes a catheter shaft having a distal end; a flexible conductive polymer electrode located at the distal end of the shaft; and an electro-mechanical contact sensor positioned at least partially within the electrode. The sensor outputs an electrical signal in response to a mechanical force acting thereon. The sensor may be a piezoelectric sensor, a strain gauge, a fiber optic sensor, or another suitable electro-mechanical contact sensor. The electrical signal output by the sensor typically varies in response to variations in the mechanical force acting on the sensor. An output device may receive the signal output by the contact sensor and present to a user of the system an indicator of contact between the electrode and a tissue by assessing, for example, the amplitude or periodicity of the signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: St. Jude Medical, Atrial Fibrillation Division, Inc.
    Inventors: Saurav Paul, Chou Thao, Troy T. Tegg
  • Patent number: 8211096
    Abstract: A control system alters one or more characteristics of an ablating element to ablate tissue. In one aspect, the control system delivers energy nearer to the surface of the tissue by changing the frequency or power. In another aspect, the ablating element delivers focused ultrasound which is focused in at least one dimension. The ablating device may also have a number of ablating elements with different characteristics such as focal length. The invention provides an ablation apparatus and methods for ablating tissue wherein the ablation apparatus may have ablating elements that are moveable relative to the tissue to be ablated without the need to relocate the apparatus as a whole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: St. Jude Medical, Atrial Fibrillation Division, Inc.
    Inventors: Benjamin Pless, Scott C. Anderson, Jonathan L. Podmore, Matthias Vaska, John E. Crowe, Roxanne L. Richman, Timothy Ciciarelli, David A. Gallup, Jack E. Ulstad, Jr.
  • Patent number: 8206383
    Abstract: A system that interfaces with a workstation endocardial mapping system allows for the rapid and successful ablation of cardiac tissue. The system allows a physician to see a representation of the physical location of a catheter in a representation of an anatomic model of the patient's heart. The workstation is the primary interface with the physician. A servo catheter having pull wires and pull rings for guidance and a servo catheter control system are interfaced with the workstation. Servo catheter control software may run on the workstation. The servo catheter is coupled to an RF generator. The physician locates a site for ablation therapy and confirms the location of the catheter. Once the catheter is located at the desired ablation site, the physician activates the RF generator to deliver the therapy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2012
    Assignee: St. Jude Medical, Atrial Fibrillation Division, Inc.
    Inventors: John A. Hauck, Eric Olson, Jeff A. Schweitzer, Jeff Burrell, Mark T. Johnson
  • Patent number: 8186607
    Abstract: An improved method and system is described for applying a leach solution to ore in the process of heap leaching. The Hybrid Irrigation System (HIS) relies on both surface solution delivery techniques as well as sub-surface solution application to improve the solution uniformity and metallurgical performance of a leaching process. The methods and systems allow for controlled application of leach solution with a hydraulic head applied that can be adjusted or varied depending on the conditions of the ore from negative, atmospheric or positive pressure, while distributing leaching solution in a uniform manner independent of surface variability with respect to elevation and infiltration capacity of the ore surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2012
    Assignee: G&S Partners
    Inventors: Amado Guzman, Randolph E. Scheffel
  • Patent number: 8186877
    Abstract: A system and method for using a common subchannel to assess operating characteristics of one of a plurality of transducers that are coupled to said subchannel is disclosed. The plurality of transducers are divided into subsets and each subset is coupled to a subchannel. The system is configured to activate a selected transducer on the subchannel and the subchannel delivers operational information on the activated transducer. The present invention reduces the number of subchannels required to collect information on the plurality of transducers. The present invention may utilize one or more loading conditions to take at least one measurement, which at least one measurement is then used to derive operational information on the transducer. In one configuration, information on the amount of energy being delivered to the transducer is collected simultaneously with information on the operating temperature. In another embodiment only the temperature is measured.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2012
    Assignee: St. Jude Medical, Atrial Fibrillation Division, Inc.
    Inventors: Gleb V. Klimovitch, Timothy E. Ciciarelli, Shena H. Park
  • Patent number: D661662
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: Toshiba Carrier Corporation
    Inventors: Satoko Kikuchi, Osamu Kondo