Patents Examined by Bradley Impink
  • Patent number: 9125722
    Abstract: A handheld device for the treatment of glaucoma that includes a casing, an ultrasonic transducer, a power supply, a transmission member operatively associated with the ultrasonic transducer, and a tip member located at the end of the transmission member. The ultrasonic energy is transferred from the ultrasonic transducer to the tip member. The tip includes a concave eye-engaging surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2015
    Inventor: Donald N. Schwartz
  • Patent number: 9125586
    Abstract: A method displays ultrasound color flow image data in a plurality of output frames by continuously acquiring color flow image data. Each output frame includes a plurality of scan lines that collectively represent a field of view for an ultrasound image. The method includes sequentially transmitting a plurality of ultrasound beams. For each of the transmitted beams, multiple receive beams are formed along respective parallel scan lines. As the sequence progresses, sets of co-linear receive beams are formed along each of the respective scan lines at a predetermined rate both within a particular frame and between successive frames. The method also includes processing the sets of co-linear receive beams along each of the respective scan lines to generate color flow image data corresponding to the respective scan lines, and displaying a color flow image representing the generated color flow image data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2015
    Assignee: SHENZHEN MINDRAY BIO-MEDICAL ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Linxin Yao
  • Patent number: 9119549
    Abstract: A method for generating classifiers for identifying neuropsychiatric disease includes acquiring functional neuroimaging data. The acquired functional neuroimaging data may be registered to an atlas of the brain. A discriminative mask is generated based on the registered functional neuroimaging data and the generated discriminative mask is applied to the registered functional neuroimaging data. One or more classifiers are generated for identifying neuropsychiatric disease based on the masked functional neuroimaging data. The accuracy of the generated classifiers may be verified. The generated classifiers may then be used to identify neuropsychiatric disease.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2015
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Lu-yong Wang, Xiaoguang Lu, Bogdan Georgescu, Daniel Fasulo
  • Patent number: 9119588
    Abstract: A catheter device comprising a chamber containing an opacity enhancing substance is disclosed. The opacity enhancing substance is in a dried or semi-dried form within the chamber of the device. Release of a liquid into the chamber suspends the substance and forms an opacity enhancing solution that is released into the lumen of the device in order to enhance the opacity of the device for imaging.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2015
    Assignee: QUALIMED INNOVATIVE MEDIZINPRODUKTE GMBH
    Inventor: Eric K. Mangiardi
  • Patent number: 9117133
    Abstract: An apparatus for analyzing a subject including a hyperspectral image module is provided. It is used to identify a suspect region of a subject by using a hyperspectral sensor (for obtaining a hyperspectral image of the subject), a control computer including a processor unit (PU) and a computer readable memory (CRM) (for controlling and is in electronic communication with the sensor), a control software module including instructions stored in the CRM and executed by the PU (for controlling said at least one operating parameter of the sensor), a spectral calibrator module including instructions stored in the CRM and executed by the PU (for applying a wavelength dependent spectral calibration standard constructed for the sensor to a hyperspectral image), and a light source for illuminating the subject. An optional contact probe module is used to collect a signal of the suspect region for medical diagnosis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2015
    Assignee: Spectral Image, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Barnes, Zhihong Pan, Sizhong Zhang
  • Patent number: 9113840
    Abstract: A catheter device comprising a chamber containing an opacity enhancing substance is disclosed. The opacity enhancing substance is in a dried or semi-dried form within the chamber of the device. Release of a liquid into the chamber suspends the substance and forms an opacity enhancing solution that is released into the lumen of the device in order to enhance the opacity of the device for imaging.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2015
    Assignee: QUALIMED INNOVATIVE MEDIZINPRODUKTE GMBH
    Inventor: Eric K. Mangiardi
  • Patent number: 9108048
    Abstract: Systems and methods for tracking a target volume, e.g., tumor, in real-time during radiation treatment are provided. Under one aspect, a system includes an ultrasound probe, an x-ray imager, a processor, and a computer-readable medium that stores a 3D image of the tumor in a first reference frame and instructions for causing the processor to: instruct the x-ray imager and ultrasound probe to substantially simultaneously obtain inherently registered x-ray and set-up ultrasound images of the tumor in a second reference frame; establish a transformation between the first and second reference frames by registering the 3D image and the x-ray image; instruct the ultrasound probe to obtain an intrafraction ultrasound image of the tumor; registering the intrafraction ultrasound image with the set-up ultrasound image; and track target volume motion based on the registered intrafraction ultrasound image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2015
    Assignee: Accuray Incorporated
    Inventors: Calvin R. Maurer, Jr., Jay West, Petr Jordan
  • Patent number: 9050053
    Abstract: Devices and systems are disclosed that are associated with ultrasound sound devices. In one embodiment, a diaphragm for an ultrasound device comprises a housing configured with a receiving cavity defined by one or more sidewalls, wherein the receiving cavity is configured to hold a conductive medium. A connector formed in the housing is configured to connect the diaphragm to an ultrasound device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2015
    Assignee: Naimco, Inc.
    Inventor: G. Chad Morgan
  • Patent number: 9042960
    Abstract: A procedure and system for determining and placing spinal implants or prostheses includes measuring a change in position of vertebrae at an affected level of a patient's spine from a first position where the patient reports greatest pain at the affected level, to a second position where the patient reports least pain at the affected level. Spinal implants or prostheses are selected so as to urge the affected level of the spine toward the second position and away from the first position when the implants are placed at the affected level. In one embodiment, an implant device is formed by one or more inflatable balloons that are placed at determined locations inside a disc space at the affected level. When the balloons are inflated, vertebrae above and below the balloons are urged toward the second position and away from the first position at the affected level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2015
    Inventor: Seth L. Neubardt
  • Patent number: 9031641
    Abstract: A medical device system and associated method to control a laser Doppler unit to emit light from a coherent laser light source and collect a photodetector signal produced by the laser Doppler unit by a signal processor comprising a bandpass filter. The bandpass filter is applied to the photodetector signal to determine a tissue perfusion measurement from the filtered signal. A monitoring unit is enabled to receive the tissue perfusion measurement to detect a physiological condition of the patient in response to the tissue perfusion measurement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2015
    Assignee: Medtronic, Inc.
    Inventors: Vinayakrishnan Rajan, Raphael Alexander Schneider
  • Patent number: 9014787
    Abstract: An implantable device has a body that is substantially rigid and has an imageable shape. The body is further bioabsorbable and may contain permanent metallic elements to aid in its imaging. When the device is implanted in a resected cavity in soft tissue, it can cause the cavity to conform substantially to a known imageable shape. The implantable device is further imageable due to its attenuation properties being different from those of soft tissue such that the boundaries of the tissue corresponding to the predetermined shape can be determined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Assignee: Focal Therapeutics, Inc.
    Inventors: James B. Stubbs, George D. Hermann, Gail S. Lebovic, Michael J. Drews
  • Patent number: 9002426
    Abstract: A surgical apparatus includes a surgical device, configured to be manipulated by a user to perform a procedure on a patient, and a computer system. The computer system is programmed to create a representation of an anatomy of a patient; to associate the anatomy and a surgical device with the representation of the anatomy; to manipulate the surgical device to perform a procedure on a patient by moving a portion of the surgical device in a region of the anatomy; to control the surgical device to provide at least one of haptic guidance and a limit on manipulation of the surgical device, based on a relationship between the representation of the anatomy and at least one of a position, an orientation, a velocity, and an acceleration of a portion of the surgical device; and to adjust the representation of the anatomy in response to movement of the anatomy during the procedure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: MAKO Surgical Corp.
    Inventors: Arthur E. Quaid, Hyosig Kang, Dennis Moses, Rony A. Abovitz, Maurice Ferre, Binyamin Hajaj, Martin Roche, Scott Illsley, Louis K. Arata, Dana C. Mears, Timothy Blackwell, Alon Mozes, Sherif Aly, Amardeep Singh Dugal, Randall Hand, Sandi Glauser, Juan Salcedo, Peter Ebbitt, William Tapia
  • Patent number: 8986210
    Abstract: Ultrasound imaging apparatus including a two-dimensional array of plural transducer elements distributed two-dimensionally and transmits and receives ultrasonic waves while scanning an area to be imaged to create an ultrasound three-dimensional image. Transducer elements are divided into plural element blocks including a first element block of which a size in a second direction of an arrangement surface of the two-dimensional array is larger than a size in a first direction of the surface, and a second element block of which a size in the first direction is larger than a size in the second direction. Each of the element blocks is divided into a predetermined number of groups to form a transmit beam and plural receive beams in the area to be imaged. Further included is a selecting means for making transmit/receive channels of the transducer elements grouped to be one channel in each of the groups.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Medical Corporation
    Inventors: Kunio Hashiba, Shinichiro Umemura, Hiroshi Masuzawa, Satoshi Tamano
  • Patent number: 8989846
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and related computer program products for image-guided radiation treatment (IGRT) are described. For one preferred embodiment, an IGRT apparatus is provided comprising a gantry frame including a ring member, the ring member being rotatable around a substantially horizontal, longitudinally extending central axis, the ring member having first and second horizontally opposing ends. The IGRT apparatus further comprises a radiation treatment head coupled to the ring member by an arm member, the arm member being connected to the ring member at an arm member base. Preferably, the IGRT apparatus is further characterized in that the arm member extends outwardly from the first end of the ring member in a direction away from the second end and is supported only by the arm member base, and the radiation treatment head is dynamically movable in at least a longitudinal direction toward and away from the first end of the ring member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignee: Accuray Incorporated
    Inventors: Gopinath Kuduvalli, Paul D. Treas, Adam J. Weber
  • Patent number: 8977346
    Abstract: A mechanism of quantitative dual-spectrum IR imaging (QDS-IR) system for examining the breast cancer is reported. The major mechanism of the system is a pair of long-wave Infra-red (LIR) and middle-wave Infra-red (MIR) cameras with the keen temperature sensitivity and the high spatial resolution. The optical axes of cameras are calibrated by the help of two calibration makers set up on the seat for carrying an object to make them parallel to each other and locate on the same level. The design provides an imaging system with the high reproducibility supported by 7 free degrees and the high adjustability. The proposed system could ensure the positions of the object and two cameras are the same at the different time points and find the best relative positions between the seat and two cameras for the objects with different body types. Therefore, it has potential ability to detect breast cancer or monitor the effect of chemotherapy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2015
    Assignee: National Taiwan University
    Inventors: Chen Chung-Ming, Lee Si-Chen, Lee Wan-Jou, Chang Che-Wei, Lee Ching-Yen, Chien Yu-Chun, Lee Chia-Yen, Yeun-Chung Chang, Chiun-Sheng Huang
  • Patent number: 8971986
    Abstract: A medical imaging system (10) comprises one or more displays (66). A viewer device (86) generates an interactive user interface screen (80) on the display (66), which viewer device (86) enables a user to simultaneously inspect selected image data of multiple patients or multiple images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2015
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
    Inventors: Yang-Ming Zhu, Xiangyu Wu, Charles A. Nortmann, Ronald W. Sukalac, Steven M. Cochoff, L. Alan Love, Richard Cheng-Hsiu Chen, Chris A. Dauterman, Madhavi Ahuja, Dawn M. Maniawski
  • Patent number: 8948851
    Abstract: A tomographic fluorescent imaging device for imaging fluorophores in biological tissues has a scanned laser for scanning the tissue and a camera for receiving light from the biological tissue at an angle to the beam at a second wavelength ten or more nanometers greater in wavelength than the wavelength of the laser. Use of both intrinsic and extrinsic fluorophores is described. Images are obtained at each of several positions of the beam. An image processing system receives the series of images, models a path of the beam through the tissue, and determines depth of fluorophore in tissue from intersections of the modeled path of the beam and the path of the received light. The laser is of 600 nm or longer wavelength, to provide penetration of tissue. The imaging device is used during surgery to visualize lesions of various types to ensure complete removal of malignant tumors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: The Trustees of Dartmouth College
    Inventors: Frederic Leblond, David W. Roberts, Brian W. Pogue, Keith D. Paulsen, Alex Hartov, Scott C. Davis, Dax Kepshire
  • Patent number: 8911375
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device and to a method for adaptive three-dimensional derivation of a proximal isokinetic shell of a proximal flow convergence zone that forms in an observation area in a moving fluid, wherein the magnitude of the velocity of the fluid at each point of the proximal isokinetic shell is identical and equal to a velocity reference value, the method including: a) preparing locally distributed velocity measurements in a surrounding area of the observation area, the measurements representing at least one directional component of the local velocity of the fluid in a respective measurement direction, b) preparing an approximation surface as an initial proximal isokinetic shell) in such a way that the entire flow, at least substantially, in the flow convergence zone penetrates the approximation surface, c) establishing a plurality of approximation points on the approximation surface, d) determining the respective velocity measurements at the respective approximation points, e) calculating a
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2014
    Assignee: Tomtec Imaging Systems GmbH
    Inventors: Marcus Schreckenberg, Georg Schummers
  • Patent number: 8911374
    Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is configured as follows. Namely, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is provided with a control unit which collets a heart synchronized signal, etc. synchronizing with workings of a heart of a patient, etc., and an image processing unit which detects an overlapped area of the three-dimensional data acquired by ultrasonic scanning from different echo windows, for the three dimensional image data group acquired in the same time phase in synchronization with the heart synchronized signal or aspiration synchronized signal, combines the three-dimensional image data, and generates a panorama three-dimensional image data group consisting of panorama three-dimensional image data which are continued in time and have a display area larger than each of the three-dimensional image data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2014
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Shinichi Hashimoto, Yoshitaka Mine, Tomohiko Kihara, Eiichi Shiki
  • Patent number: 8909323
    Abstract: A system provides a single composite image including multiple medical images of a portion of patient anatomy acquired using corresponding multiple different types of imaging device. A display processor generates data representing a single composite display image including, a first image area showing a first image of a portion of patient anatomy acquired using a first type of imaging device, a second image area showing a second image of the portion of patient anatomy acquired using a second type of imaging device different to the first type. The first and second image areas include first and second markers respectively. The first and second markers identify an estimated location of the same corresponding anatomical position in the portion of patient anatomy in the first and second images respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.
    Inventor: John Baumgart