Patents Assigned to Image Systems, Inc.
  • Patent number: 5436978
    Abstract: A method for quickly and easily identifying the five basic components of leukocyte cells: basophils, eosinophils, neutrophils, monocytes and lymphocytes is disclosed. The method measures the size of each of the cells. Computation of the quantile feature of the cells and their color is then made. BA and EO cells are differentiated from LY and MO and NE cells using the present method. BA and EO cells can also be differentiated from LY, MO, and NE cells using methods of the prior art. Once BA and EO cells have been differentiated from the five leukocyte cells, LY cells can be differentiated from MO and NE cells based upon the size of the LY cells. The average color intensity of the LY cells determined is then used as the threshold to differentiate MO cells from NE cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 1993
    Date of Patent: July 25, 1995
    Assignee: International Remote Imaging Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Harvey L. Kasdan
  • Patent number: 5436745
    Abstract: An active matrix liquid crystal display assembly including a flex circuit for interfacing substantially all of the row and column address lines of the display panel with a display output controller. The flex circuit is preferably made of two planar sheets laminated to one another, the first flex circuit sheet interfacing the row address lines with the display output controller and the second sheet interfacing the column address lines of the active matrix with the controller. The flex circuit includes a plurality of extension members, each extension member being electrically adhered to a driver TAB mounted to a peripheral side of the display panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 1994
    Date of Patent: July 25, 1995
    Assignee: OIS Optical Imaging Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Paul A. Voisin, Brian K. Bradford, III
  • Patent number: 5432865
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus for generating a plurality of parameters of an object in a field of view is disclosed. An electrical image of the field of view is formed. The electrical image is processed to form a plurality of different representations of the electrical image where each different representation is a representation of a different parameter of the field of view. The positional information, which represents the boundary of the object, is generated. In response to the positional information that represents the boundary of the object being generated, corresponding locations in each of the different representations is traced. The different parameters from each of the different represents are calculated as the locations are traced in each of the different representations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 1992
    Date of Patent: July 11, 1995
    Assignee: International Remote Imaging Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Harvey L. Kasdan, John Liberty
  • Patent number: 5421334
    Abstract: The present invention provides an improved imaging catheter which is pre-filled with a fluid suitable for the transmission of imaging signals. Such a catheter eliminates the need for the user to fill and flush the catheter with fluid prior to its use. A catheter according to the present invention may be stored in a container which itself contains fluid to prevent fluid loss. Some embodiments will include reservoirs to hold a supply of fluid to replace that lost, for example, to evaporation. In some embodiments, these reservoirs will further include means for applying pressure to the fluid contained therein so that new fluid is forced into the catheter to replace any fluid lost.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 1993
    Date of Patent: June 6, 1995
    Assignee: Cardiovascular Imaging Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Ronald J. Jabba
  • Patent number: 5414283
    Abstract: A thin film transistor (TFT) array in an active matrix liquid crystal display (AMLCD) including a centrally located round source electrode substantially completely surrounded by a substantially annular or circular shaped drain electrode. The geometric design of the TFT of this invention provides for a thin film transistor having a reduced parasitic capacitance and decreased photosensitivity. The TFTs of this invention are located at the intersections of gate and drain lines of an active matrix LCD array thereby increasing the size of the pixel display openings of the matrix array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 1993
    Date of Patent: May 9, 1995
    Assignee: OIS Optical Imaging Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Willem den Boer, Mohshi Yang
  • Patent number: 5404320
    Abstract: Autocorrelation processing finds a series of equally spaced pulses and noise. Pulses that are very narrow with inter-pulsed durations of several hundred times the width of the pulse are processed. A threshold detector receives an input from a sensor, the sensor providing the pulses. The threshold detector enables a flip flop which receives the output of a free running counter. The output of the free running counter is sent to a buffer such as, for example, a first in, first out circular buffer. The events held in the buffer are processed later for further autocorrelation processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 1993
    Date of Patent: April 4, 1995
    Assignee: Loral Infrared & Imaging Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Neal R. Butler
  • Patent number: 5402790
    Abstract: Front-end and side-on intravascular catheters are described that comprise an abrasive head contained substantially within a housing. Aspiration means and flushing means are connected to the region of grinding to remove dislodged debris. A preferred embodiment has the abrasive surface of a rotatable head comprised of diamond powder. Another preferred embodiment has an ultrasonic transducer affixed to the head to permit transluminal imaging of the site of occlusion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 1992
    Date of Patent: April 4, 1995
    Assignee: Cardiovascular Imaging Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Yue-Teh Jang, William M. Belef
  • Patent number: 5401951
    Abstract: An overload protection circuit for a photomultiplier tube. A light source illuminates a photomultiplier tube which produces a signal proportional to the incoming radiation which is sent to photon counting electronics. The photon counting electronics produces a signal in proportion to the input photons to the photomultiplier tube and also provides an output to a frequency to voltage converter. The frequency to voltage converter is used to modulate a high voltage amplifier which controls the output of the photomultiplier tube. When the photon counting electronics indicate to the frequency to voltage converter that the photons produced by the photomultiplier tube exceed a predetermined maximum the high voltage amplifier reduces the gain of the photomultiplier tube. The gain of the photomultiplier tube is gradually reduced in proportion to the incident light level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 1993
    Date of Patent: March 28, 1995
    Assignee: Loral Infrared & Imaging Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Neal R. Butler, Patrick J. Cobler
  • Patent number: 5397479
    Abstract: A composition and method for separating red blood cells from whole blood including a rouleaux-forming aggregator and an enhancer for enhancing the settling rate. The enhancer is a material which alters directly or indirectly the properties of the red blood cell and may alter the structure and/or reactivity of the aggregator, without adversely affecting the morphology and function of white blood cells. In most instances, the red blood cell enhancers of the invention are osmotic agents. Such agents create a hypertonic solution while not entering the cells themselves. Preferably the enhancer is a salt of oxalic acid, a salt of malonic acid, mannitol or sucrose. Potassium oxalate is most preferred. High molecular weight substances which are large enough to form molecular bridges between red blood cells form the aggregators used in the invention.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 1993
    Date of Patent: March 14, 1995
    Assignee: International Remote Imaging Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Lawrence Kass, Leonard Spolter
  • Patent number: 5383460
    Abstract: A catheter for ultrasonic imaging has a transducer fixed to a cutter. The transducer is moved longitudinally within an artery while in a fixed radial position. Ultrasonic reflections are received and processed to display a planer or rectangular field of view image area of the artery. Other axial planes of the artery can be imaged by radially turning the transducer to a different angular orientation within the artery and then longitudinally moving the transducer to obtain an image of another planer field of view.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 1992
    Date of Patent: January 24, 1995
    Assignee: Cardiovascular Imaging Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Yue-Teh Jang, Axel F. Brisken
  • Patent number: 5373849
    Abstract: An intraluminal imaging catheter system for viewing segments of vessels downstream of the catheter itself is provided. The catheter system incorporates an ultrasonic transducer pivotally mounted adjacent the catheter's distal end. A flexible drive means disposed within a flexible tubular member adapted for insertion into the vessel causes the transducer to pivot back and forth to scan a segment of the vessel. Optionally, the forward viewing catheter system of the present invention may be combined with a work element such as a biopsy tool or other device for use in conjunction with the imaging capability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 20, 1994
    Assignee: Cardiovascular Imaging Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: John F. Maroney, William N. Aldrich, William M. Belef
  • Patent number: 5364347
    Abstract: An intravascular catheter system has a balloon angioplasty device disposed about a common lumen near its distal end. The common lumen is in communication with multiple lumens within a proximal region of the catheter body to allow for positioning of the catheter over a movable guide wire and convenient delivery of imaging or interventional devices to a desired region of the blood vessel being treated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 1993
    Date of Patent: November 15, 1994
    Assignee: Cardiovascular Imaging Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Yue-Teh Jang
  • Patent number: 5363850
    Abstract: In an ultrasound imaging system, ultrasound echoes representing vessel walls are distinguished from ultrasound echoes from blood by using a classifier which employs the mean and variance of the raw data of gray intensities as acquired directly from an ultrasound scanner detector. In a specific embodiment, the statistical parameters of mean and variance are determined in the course of real-time processing and prior to attempted classification and then are used as parameters representing the true image as acquired.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 1994
    Date of Patent: November 15, 1994
    Assignee: Cardiovascular Imaging Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Bobby Soni, Richard Didday, Kean Hurley
  • Patent number: 5363849
    Abstract: In an intraluminal ultrasound imaging system, ultrasound echoes representing vessel walls are distinguished from ultrasound echoes from blood by detecting and examining the phase of all received ultrasound echoes, extracting selected parameters from the phase information and utilizing the extracted parameters to suppress ultrasound echoes representing blood, thereby to enhance the lumen-to-vessel wall contrast. In a first embodiment, parameters are derived from a phase difference between echoes in approximately the same spatial location, including comparisons between neighboring image vectors of the same image frame or comparison between vectors on successive image frames. Selected parameters may be extracted based on statistics of the phase signal or the phase difference signal or from the slope of the phase difference or the phase signal, either between neighboring image vectors in the same image frame or between images of successive image frames.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 1994
    Date of Patent: November 15, 1994
    Assignee: Cardiovascular Imaging Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Veijo Suorsa, Axel Brisken
  • Patent number: 5361768
    Abstract: A longitudinal position translator includes a probe drive module and a linear translation module. The probe drive module is coupled operatively to an ultrasonic imaging probe assembly having a distally located ultrasound transducer subassembly in such a manner that longitudinal shifting of the transducer subassembly may be effected. The probe drive module is preferably mounted to the linear translation unit so as to be moveable between a condition whereby longitudinal shifting of the transducer subassembly can be conducted either manually or automatically. When in the automatically-operable condition, the probe drive module will be engaged with a motor-driven screw associated with the linear translation module so as to cause the probe drive module to be longitudinally displaced at a constant motor-driven rate. In this manner, the distally located ultrasound transducer is longitudinally shifted during an ultrasound scan of surrounding intravascular (or other) tissue to thereby allow axially-spaced 360.degree.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 1992
    Date of Patent: November 8, 1994
    Assignee: Cardiovascular Imaging Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: William E. Webler, Mark S. Buhr
  • Patent number: 5348017
    Abstract: The present invention provides an improved drive shaft for use in a catheter system having a rotating imaging or interventional work element. A drive shaft according to the present invention is formed at least in part of a material having super elastic properties. This material provides an advantageous combination of column strength and torsional rigidity with the ability to sustain substantial bending without permanent deformation. Preferred embodiments are formed as hollow tubes to allow electrical conducting wires to be disposed within the body of the drive shaft. Some embodiments combine relatively rigid proximal segments with relatively flexible distal segments to allow for entry of the work element into narrow and twisting regions of a patient's vascular system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 1993
    Date of Patent: September 20, 1994
    Assignee: Cardiovascular Imaging Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Peter Thornton, Stephen M. Salmon
  • Patent number: 5343538
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for identifying an object under examination. The object has a discernible boundary. An image of the object is first formed. The image is segmented to form a plurality of pixels. The boundary of the object under examination in the image is then detected. The parameters of the pixels measured within the boundary detected are formed in an ordered sequence:P.sub.1 . . . P.sub.k . . . P.sub.Nwhere P.sub.1 is the first value of the parameter of the pixel within the boundary detected;where P.sub.N is the last value of the parameter of the pixel within the boundary detected;N is the total number of pixels within the boundary detected; and k is the index to the N pixels. The P.sub.k data point is determined such that k, the index satisfies the following relationship: ##EQU1## M--total number of quantile partitions i-i.sup.th fraction of partition or i.sup.th quantile partition. The object under examination is identified based upon the P.sub.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 1992
    Date of Patent: August 30, 1994
    Assignee: International Remote Imaging Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Harvey L. Kasdan
  • Patent number: 5314408
    Abstract: The present invention provides improvement usable with an intravascular catheter having a single common distal lumen with a reduced profile connected to two or more proximal lumens. The catheter will be loadable over a guidewire into a region of interest within a patient's vascular system. According to one aspect of the present invention, means are provided to ensure that the guidewire enters into a desired one of the proximal lumens. In a preferred embodiment, a special tool is provided to achieve this. According to a second aspect of the present invention, the catheter is provided with a proximal housing and an axially expandable member to shield the rotating parts at the proximal end of the catheter and to allow for convenient movement of a work element within the catheter body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 1992
    Date of Patent: May 24, 1994
    Assignee: Cardiovascular Imaging Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen M. Salmon, John R. McKenzie, Peter Thornton, Richard Ginn
  • Patent number: 5268966
    Abstract: A method of identifying a plurality of different types of particles in the field of view is disclosed. A first parameter is measured for each of the plurality of different particles. One of the type of particles is identified based upon the first parameter measured. Once the one type of particle is identified, a second parameter, different from the first parameter, is then measured for the one type of particle. The other types of particles in the field of view can be identified based upon the second parameter associated with the one type of particle which has been identified. In one example, color is first used to differentiate various different particles in the field of view and to identify one particular type of particle. Thereafter, a morphological parameter, such as size, associated with the one type of particle identified is measured.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 7, 1993
    Assignee: International Remote Imaging Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Harvey L. Kasdan
  • Patent number: D342137
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 1990
    Date of Patent: December 7, 1993
    Assignee: Medical Imaging Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Robert L. Guentner