Patents Assigned to Agfa
  • Publication number: 20140204391
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method as well as a corresponding system (50) for optical coherence tomography, where, by means of an optical coherence tomography equipment, a first image (60) is acquired in the region of a first plane of an object (1) and a second image (61) is acquired in the region of a second plane of the object (1), wherein the second plane of the object (1) is different from the first plane of the object (1). To facilitate a reliable and time-saving examination of the object (1), with the most straightforward handling possible, the first image (60) is acquired in the region of the first plane (S) of the object (1) and the second image (61) is acquired in the region of the second plane (F) of the object (1) in real time, and the first image (60) or the second image (61) is rendered as a real time image and the respectively other image, i.e.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2012
    Publication date: July 24, 2014
    Applicant: AGFA HEALTHCARE NV
    Inventors: Rainer Nebosis, Geert Wellens, Wolfgang Schorre
  • Patent number: 8786651
    Abstract: A method of color laser marking a security document precursor including, in order, at least: a) a polymeric foil; b) at least one colorless color forming layer for generating a color different from black containing at least an infrared absorber, a color forming compound and a polymeric binder; and c) either a lasermarkable polymeric support or a lasermarkable layer for generating a black color; comprising the steps of: (1) laser marking a color different from black in the colorless color forming layer with an infrared laser used in continuous wave mode; and (2) laser marking a black color by carbonization in the lasermarkable polymeric support or the lasermarkable layer with the same infrared laser used in a pulsed mode; and wherein at least one of the polymeric foil and the lasermarkable polymeric support is transparent for the infrared light of the infrared laser.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2014
    Assignee: Agfa-Gevaert N.V.
    Inventors: Ingrid Geuens, Hubertus Van Aert, Paul Callant, Bart Waumans
  • Patent number: 8778590
    Abstract: A lithographic printing plate precursor comprising a coating provided on a support having a hydrophilic surface, the coating containing thermoplastic polymer particles and an IR-dye characterized in that the IR-dye contains a structural element according to Formula I wherein A represents hydrogen, halogen or a monovalent organic group; Y and Y? independently represent —CH— or —N—; R1 and R2 independently represent hydrogen, an optionally substituted alkyl or aryl group or represent the necessary atoms to form a ring; * represents the linking positions to the rest of the molecule.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2014
    Assignee: Agfa Graphics NV
    Inventor: Paul Callant
  • Publication number: 20140193638
    Abstract: A security laminate (1) including in order a transparent oriented polyester support (2), a subbing layer (3) and an adhesive layer (4) which is coated on top of the subbing layer, wherein the binder of the adhesive layer is based on a mixture of a first and a second polymer in a weight ratio from 50/50 to 90/10, wherein the first polymer is a copolymer comprising vinyl acetate and at least 85 wt % of vinyl chloride based on the total weight of the first polymer; wherein the second polymer is a copolymer of styrene, butadiene and methylmethacrylate or a copolymer of vinyl butyral, vinyl acetate and vinyl alcohol; and wherein the binder of the subbing layer is based on a polyester-urethane copolymer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 3, 2012
    Publication date: July 10, 2014
    Applicant: AGFA-GEVAERT N.V.
    Inventors: Vera Drieghe, Peter Cantraine, Bart Waumans, Walther Wouters, Ingrid Geuens
  • Patent number: 8771918
    Abstract: A positive-working lithographic printing plate precursor is disclosed which comprises on a support having a hydrophilic surface or which is provided with a hydrophilic layer a heat and/or light-sensitive coating including an infrared absorbing agent and a compound including a benzoxazine group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2014
    Assignee: Agfa Graphics N.V.
    Inventors: Xavier André, Philippe Moriamé, Hubertus Van Aert
  • Publication number: 20140186657
    Abstract: The present invention concerns a method for the treatment of stimulable phosphors and/or screens for use in diagnosis, in particular medical radiography. The method comprises subjecting the stimulable phosphors and/or screens to an epoxide containing gaseous compound, promptly following their manufacture. By applying the method according to the invention yellowing of the stimulable phosphors and/or screens is prevented in a safe and efficient manner; thereby the disadvantages known as such resulting from such yellowing will not occur.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 23, 2012
    Publication date: July 3, 2014
    Applicant: AGFA HEALTHCARE NV
    Inventors: Paul Leblans, Jean-Pierre Tahon
  • Patent number: 8759441
    Abstract: A pigment dispersion includes a color pigment and a polymeric dispersant having at least one pending chromophore group covalently bound to the polymeric backbone of the polymeric dispersant through a linking group, wherein the at least one pending chromophore group is a derivative from a color pigment selected from the group consisting of monoazo pigments, disazo pigments, ?-naphtol pigments, naphtol AS pigments, azo pigment lakes, benzimidazolone pigments, disazo condensation pigments, metal complex pigments, isoindolinone pigments, isoindolinine pigments, phthalocyanine pigments, quinacridone pigments, diketopyrrolo-pyrrole pigments, thioindigo pigments, anthraquinone pigments, anthrapyrimidine pigments, indanthrone pigments, flavanthrone pigments, pyranthrone pigments, anthanthrone pigments, isoviolanthrone pigments, aluminum pigment lakes, dioxazine pigments, triarylcarbonium pigments, and quinophthalone pigments; the at least one pending chromophore group is a chromophore group occurring as a side group
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Assignee: Agfa Graphics NV
    Inventors: Johan Loccufier, Wojciech Jaunky, Geert Deroover, Lambertus Groenendaal
  • Patent number: 8759412
    Abstract: A polymerisable photoinitiator according to Formula (I): wherein: R1 and R2 are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted alkenyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted alkynyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted aralkyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted alkaryl group, a substituted or unsubstituted aryl or heteroaryl group, a halogen, an ether group, a thioether group, an aldehyde group, a ketone group, an ester group, an amide group, an amine and a nitro group; R1 and R2 may represent the necessary atoms to form a five to eight membered ring; L represents an n+m-valent linking group comprising 1 to 30 carbon atoms; A represents a radically polymerizable group selected from the group consisting of an acrylate group, a methacrylate group, a styrene group, an acryl amide group, a methacryl amide group, a maleate group, a fumarate group, an itaconate group, a vinyl ether group, an allyl ether group, a viny
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Assignee: Agfa Graphics NV
    Inventor: Johan Loccufier
  • Patent number: 8757789
    Abstract: An inkjet printing method includes in order the steps of: a) providing to an inkjet printer one or more colorless liquids and a white ink including a pigment with a refractive index greater than 1.60; b) mixing the white ink in a controlled amount with the one or more colorless liquids to form a white ink-mixture wherein the viscosity is reduced by at least 5 mPa·s by reference to the white ink when measuring the viscosity at 40° C. with a Brookfield DV-II+Pro at 12 rotations per minute; and c) printing the white ink-mixture with the inkjet printer onto an ink-receiver. Additionally, a color inkjet ink set includes the one or more colorless liquids and the white ink, and an inkjet printer for use in the inkjet printing method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Assignee: Agfa Graphics NV
    Inventors: Etienne Van Thillo, Frank De Voeght, Emiel Verdonck
  • Patent number: 8734893
    Abstract: A process comprising a duplex type impregnating apparatus providing the steps of: (i) providing an elongated porous web, said elongated porous web comprising two outermost surfaces; (ii) transporting said elongated porous web downwards between two impregnating heads comprising two slots each with substantially vertical upper and lower slot faces substantially parallel to said elongated porous web providing simultaneously to both surfaces of said elongated porous web metered substantially identical quantities of a dope, comprising at least one membrane polymer and at least one solvent therefor; (iii) thereby impregnating said elongated porous web completely with said dope and providing substantially equally thick dope layers on each surface of said outermost surfaces of said elongated porous web with a thickness independent of the gap between one of said lower slot faces and the surface of said elongated porous web nearest thereto; (iv) subjecting said dope associated with said elongated porous web to symmetri
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2014
    Assignees: Agfa-Gevaert N.V., Vito N.V.
    Inventors: Willem Mues, Bart Cobben, Wim Doyen
  • Publication number: 20140132669
    Abstract: A system and a method for cleaning a printhead by providing from a first slit a laminar flow of cleaning fluid that flows through a pretensioned brush for brushing the nozzle plate and collecting debris. The cleaning fluid with the debris is drained by a first slit having a first under pressure and next by a second slit that has a second under pressure that is greater than the first under pressure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 25, 2012
    Publication date: May 15, 2014
    Applicant: AGFA GRAPHICS NV
    Inventor: Luc De Roeck
  • Publication number: 20140109784
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a curable jettable fluid for making a flexographic printing master characterized in that the jettable fluid comprises a monofunctional (meth)acrylate monomer, a polyalkylene glycol di(meth)acrylate monomer of which the polyalkylene glycol chain has a MW of at least 300 and at least 1 wt. % of a difunctional (meth)acrylate monomer according to Formula I) or (II), wherein k and m in Formula (I) is an integer ranging from 0 to 5, l in Formula (I) is an integer ranging from 1 to 20, n in Formula (II) is 1, 2, 3 or 4, R in Formula (I) and (II) is H or CH3, and R? in Formula (II) is H or an alkyl group.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 18, 2012
    Publication date: April 24, 2014
    Applicant: AGFA GRAPHICS NV
    Inventors: Eddie Daems, Luc Vanmaele
  • Patent number: 8703390
    Abstract: A method of making a flexographic printing sleeve form includes the steps of forming a sleeve body by providing one or more at least partially cured uniform layers on a sleeve carrier; forming a relief image on the sleeve body by imagewise jetting a curable jetting fluid; and optionally overall post-curing; characterized in that between formation of the sleeve body and formation of the relief image no polishing or grinding is performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2014
    Assignee: Agfa Graphics NV
    Inventors: Luc Leenders, Eddie Daems
  • Patent number: 8703238
    Abstract: A method for inkjet printing includes, in order, the steps of a) providing an ink-receiver; b) jetting an image on the ink-receiver with a curable inkjet ink; and c) jetting and curing on the image an outermost layer of a curable liquid; wherein the curable liquid contains a silicon modified or fluorinated polymerizable compound in an amount between 20 wt % and 99.6 wt % based on the total weight of the curable liquid and the silicon modified or fluorinated polymerizable compounds are either absent or present in the curable inkjet ink in a concentration of less than 20 wt % based on the total weight of the curable inkjet ink. A curable inkjet ink set includes curable inkjet inks and one curable liquid wherein the curable liquid contains a silicon modified or fluorinated polymerizable compound in an amount between 20 wt % and 99.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2014
    Assignee: Agfa Graphics NV
    Inventors: Luc Leenders, Eddie Daems
  • Patent number: 8705144
    Abstract: A relief print master is created by printing a sequence of layers on top of each other by an inkjet printing system. The top layer corresponds with the binary halftoned image that is to be printed by the print master and the lower intermediate layers are supporting layers. The features in a lower supporting layer have an area that is larger than the corresponding features in a higher supporting layer. A circular spread function is applied on the features of a higher intermediate layer to increase the area of the features in a lower intermediate layer. By using a sequence of two non-circular spread functions, the circular spread function is approximated and the number of required calculations can be reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2014
    Assignee: Agfa Graphics NV
    Inventors: Chris Gullentops, Rudi Lenders
  • Patent number: 8705821
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method and a corresponding apparatus for multimodal visualization of volume data sets of an object, in particular a patient, comprising the following steps: acquiring a first volume data set of the object with a first imaging modality and a second volume data set of the object with a second imaging modality, said first and second volume data set each comprising a plurality of sample points and values (f1,f2) associated with said sample points, establishing a transfer function, said transfer function defining optical properties (c,?) of certain values (f1,f2) of said first and second volume data set, and visualizing the optical properties (c,?) of said certain values (f1,f2) of said first and second volume data set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2014
    Assignee: Agfa HealthCare NV
    Inventors: Armin Kanitsar, Martin Haidacher, Stefan Bruckner, Eduard Groeller
  • Publication number: 20140104619
    Abstract: The invention relates to a system and to a corresponding method for optical coherence tomography having an interferometer (10) for emitting light with which a specimen (1) is irradiated, the interferometer (10) comprising a beam splitter (13) and at least one reflector (12) the optical distance (I) of which from the beam splitter (13) can be changed by an optical path (L), and a detector (30) with a first number of detector elements arranged in a first area for collecting light which is reflected by the specimen (1). In order to be able to record images of a specimen, in particular in real time, more simply and quickly, the system is operated in a first mode in which light reflected by the specimen (1) is only collected by a second number of detector elements of the detector (30) and converted into corresponding detector signals, the second number of detector elements being smaller than the first number of detector elements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 22, 2013
    Publication date: April 17, 2014
    Applicant: AGFA HEALTHCARE NV
    Inventor: Rainer Nebosis
  • Patent number: 8699801
    Abstract: A method of processing an image, the image having pixel data with a bit range not capable of being encoded in a selected encoding format, the method comprising: splitting the pixel data into a base channel and at least one delta channel, at least one of the base channel and the at least one delta channel capable of being encoded in the selected encoding format; encoding at least one of the base channel and the at least one delta channel; transmitting the base channel and the at least one delta channel to a client; decoding the base channel and the at least one delta channel at the client; and recombining the base channel and the at least one delta channel at the client to form the pixel data. In some embodiments, the method further comprises: applying a window level to the pixel data formed from said recombining; and displaying the window level on a display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2014
    Assignee: AGFA Healthcare Inc.
    Inventor: William Eric Wallace
  • Patent number: 8695802
    Abstract: The invention relates to a receptacle (28, 88, 122) for receiving a phosphor storage plate (20) comprising a phosphor storage layer (22) for storing X-ray information. Said receptacle (28, 88, 122) comprises a cover plate (98) with a first recess (102) and a base plate (100) which is at a distance from the cover plate (98) such that a receiving chamber (90, 92, 94, 96, 124) for receiving the phosphor storage plate (20) is arranged between the base plate (100) and the cover plate (98). Said phosphor storage plate (20) is maintained in the receiving chamber (90, 92, 94, 96, 124) between the cover plate (98) and the base plate (100). The first recess (102) of the cover plate (98) is above the surface of the phosphor storage layer (22) of the received phosphor storage plate (20) when the phosphor storage plate (20) is received. The invention also relates to an X-ray cassette (12, 42, 50, 78, 82) provided with said type of receiving device (28, 88, 122).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2014
    Assignee: Agfa HealthCare NV
    Inventor: Anton Pirmann
  • Publication number: 20140099482
    Abstract: A method for preparing a colour laser marked article comprising the steps of: a) infrared laser marking a security element including a polymeric support and a colour forming layer comprising a colour forming compound, an infrared dye and a polymeric binder comprising vinyl acetate and at least 85 wt % of vinyl chloride based on the total weight of the binder; and b) exposing the laser marked security element with light having a wavelength higher than 440 nm. The light exposure of step b) hinders the falsification of an issued security document without significant increase of background density.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 10, 2012
    Publication date: April 10, 2014
    Applicant: Agfa-Gevaert N.V.
    Inventors: Bart Waumans, Paul Callant