Patents Examined by Chih-Cheng G Kao
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Patent number: 7450684Abstract: In a recycling process, the homogeneity of glass cullet decreases and the quality of the recycled glass is diminished. To solve this problem, the present involves using a fluorescent X-ray analyzer to analyze the glass composition of display substrates prior to crushing, and thereby identifying glass of the same composition, converting the same into cullet, and recovering the glass.Type: GrantFiled: May 23, 2005Date of Patent: November 11, 2008Assignee: Panasonic CorporationInventors: Yoshiyuki Tani, Takao Hisazumi
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Patent number: 7450685Abstract: A scanning X-ray fluorescence spectrometer includes a quantitatively analyzing device (18) which calculates the concentration of hexavalent chrome based on the fact that the peak spectroscopic angle, at which the maximum intensity is attained in Cr—K? line (22), changes depending on the ratio of the concentration of the hexavalent chrome vs. the concentration of the intensity of the total chrome. A plurality of detecting device (23) having different resolutions as a combination of a divergence slit (11), a spectroscopic device (6), a receiving slit (20) and a detector (8) is provided such that when the change of the peak spectroscopic angle is to be detected, a detecting device (23B) having a higher resolution than that of the detecting device (23A), which is selected when the concentration or the intensity of the total chrome is to be determined, is selected.Type: GrantFiled: October 17, 2006Date of Patent: November 11, 2008Assignee: Rigaku Industrial CorporationInventors: Yoshiyuki Kataoka, Hisayuki Kohno, Masatsugu Kuraoka, Takashi Shoji, Yasujiro Yamada
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Patent number: 7447298Abstract: A novel x-ray treatment system utilizes one or more large area flat panel sources of x-ray radiation directed into a target zone. A target substance within the target zone is irradiated with x-ray radiation from the one or more flat panel sources, reducing the biological effects of a contaminant presence therein. The flat panel source comprises an electron source, an electron accelerator, and an electron target medium. The electron source may emit electrons either via field emission or thermionic emission. The x-ray source may operate in transmissive, reflective, or combined transmissive/reflective mode. The use of large area flat panel x-ray sources in the inventive systems allows for decreased installation and operational costs as well as increased efficiency.Type: GrantFiled: September 30, 2005Date of Patent: November 4, 2008Assignee: Cabot Microelectronics CorporationInventors: Heinz H. Busta, Stanley D. Lesiak
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Patent number: 7447293Abstract: An X-ray CT apparatus according to this invention comprises X-ray generating unit which irradiates X rays toward a object, detecting unit which detects X rays irradiated from the X-ray generating unit and passed through the object, support unit which supports the X-ray generating unit and the detecting unit, driving unit which rotates the support unit, and control unit which controls the driving unit, accumulates regenerative energy generated when the rotating speed of the support unit is decelerated, and supplies the accumulated regenerative energy to the driving unit to rotate the support unit.Type: GrantFiled: March 14, 2006Date of Patent: November 4, 2008Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Medical Systems CorporationInventor: Yuichi Kasuya
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Patent number: 7443946Abstract: A method includes receiving cine scan data, receiving a plurality of target phases of a periodic waveform, and generating a plurality of images, each image centered at one of the received target phases. A phase shall represent a percentage of a period of a repeating cycle.Type: GrantFiled: April 10, 2006Date of Patent: October 28, 2008Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Timothy Wayne Deller, Kelly Lynn Piacsek, Steven Gerald Kohlmyer
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Patent number: 7440546Abstract: A zone plate multilayer structure includes a substrate carrying a plurality of alternating layers respectively formed of tungsten silicide (WSi2) and silicon (Si). The alternating layers are sequentially deposited precisely controlling a thickness of each layer from a minimum thickness of a first deposited layer adjacent the substrate to a maximum thickness of a last deposited layer. The first minimum thickness layer has a selected thickness of less than or equal to 5 nm with the thickness of the alternating layers monotonically increasing to provide a zone plate multilayer structure having a thickness of greater than 12 ?m (microns). The x-rays are diffracted in Laue transmission geometry by the specific arrangement of silicon and tungsten silicide.Type: GrantFiled: December 6, 2006Date of Patent: October 21, 2008Assignee: UChicago Argonne, LLCInventors: Chian Q. Liu, Raymond P. Conley, Albert T. Macrander, Hyon Chol Kang, G. Brian Stephenson, Jorg Maser
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Patent number: 7436933Abstract: A method of manufacturing a collimator mandrel having variable attenuation characteristics is presented. The manufacturing process includes the placement of a layer of attenuating material on a core of base material. The layer of attenuating material is relatively thin and varies in thickness circumferentially around the core. The collimator mandrel may be manufactured by placing a cast about a core of non-attenuating material, filling a void between the cast and the core with an attenuating material, allowing the material to cure, and removing the cast from the assembly.Type: GrantFiled: August 9, 2007Date of Patent: October 14, 2008Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Rowland Saunders, Steven G. Ross, Thomas L. Toth
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Patent number: 7436925Abstract: The invention relates to a computer tomography method in which a bundle of rays passes through an object that is moving periodically, in particular a heart. During the acquisition of measured values, a movement signal dependent on the movement of the object is sensed. From this movement signal are determined periodically repeated phases of movement, after which a plurality of intermediate images of a region of the object are reconstructed, in particular at a low resolution, using measured values whose times of acquisition were situated in different phases of movement, thus enabling each intermediate image to be assigned to a phase of movement. The phase of movement in which the object moved least in the region is then identified by determining the intermediate image having the fewest motion artifacts.Type: GrantFiled: December 1, 2004Date of Patent: October 14, 2008Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.Inventors: Robert Manzke, Michael Grass
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Patent number: 7430278Abstract: Methods and arrangements for providing insulation in an X-ray generator are provided. The method includes providing an insulation member having a conductive element electrically coupled to a component within an X-ray system. The insulation member is located at a distance from the component with a thermal transfer fluid between the conductive element and the component. The method further includes configuring the conductive element to have an electric potential substantially equal to an electric potential of the component wherein the electric field within the thermal transfer fluid is reduced.Type: GrantFiled: July 9, 2004Date of Patent: September 30, 2008Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Senthil Kumar Sundaram, Rohini Krishnamoorthy
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Patent number: 7430271Abstract: A digitized tomosynthesis method, system and apparatus is provided for obtaining 3D volumetric imaging of an object wherein a ray of energy from a source travels through the object to impinge on an energy sensor defining an image plane and the object is rotated about an axis whereby an image is acquired by the energy sensor at successive rotational positions of the object, and wherein the object is rotated about an axis of rotation at a canted angle with respect to the image plane.Type: GrantFiled: October 15, 2003Date of Patent: September 30, 2008Assignee: Digitome CorporationInventor: Lionell K. Griffith
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Patent number: 7430281Abstract: An anti-scatter grid for radiology imaging having an anti-scatter layer with a plurality of metallized partitions that enable X-rays emitted from a source located above the grid to pass and absorbing X-rays not derived directly from this source. The grid has at least one plate of expanded polymer material fixed on one surface of anti-scatter layer. The grid may be positioned with a frame.Type: GrantFiled: May 10, 2004Date of Patent: September 30, 2008Assignee: GE Medical Systems Global Technology Co. LLCInventor: Rémy André Klausz
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Patent number: 7430272Abstract: A mammography system using a tissue exposure control relying on estimates of the thickness of the compressed and immobilized breast and of breast density to automatically derive one or more technic factors. The system further uses a tomosynthesis arrangement that maintains the focus of an anti-scatter grid on the x-ray source and also maintains the field of view of the x-ray receptor. Finally, the system finds an outline that forms a reduced field of view that still encompasses the breast in the image, and uses for further processing, transmission or archival storage the data within said reduced field of view.Type: GrantFiled: October 16, 2006Date of Patent: September 30, 2008Assignee: Hologic, Inc.Inventors: Zhenxue Jing, Georgia Hitzke, Donald Kennedy, Andrew Smith, Jay A. Stein
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Patent number: 7426257Abstract: The invention relates to a computer tomography method in which a periodically moving object, in particular an organ of the body, is irradiated by a cone-shaped beam cluster (4) along a trajectory which runs on a cylindrical surface. The radiation transmitted through the object is measured by means of a detector unit (16), and at the same time the periodic movement of the object is recorded. In order to reconstruct the absorption distribution of the object, the measured values or the corresponding beams are rebinned to form a number of parallel projections, where for each of these projections a measured value is determined whose beam irradiates the object. The point in time at which this measured value was acquired is allocated to the respective projection. For the reconstruction, which may for example be carried out using a filtered back-projection, only projections whose allocated points in time lie within a predefined, specific time range (H1) within a period of the object movement are used.Type: GrantFiled: April 2, 2004Date of Patent: September 16, 2008Assignee: Koninklijke Philips electronics N.V.Inventors: Thomas Köhler, Michael Grass, Roland Proksa
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Patent number: 7424092Abstract: An apparatus and method for accurately analyzing transition metal such as iron and copper contained as impurities in a hafnium-containing film on a semiconductor substrate, which is a sample, is provided. Ir-L? rays selected and split by a monochromator from X rays generated from an X-ray tube having an anode containing iridium, is applied to the sample so as to totally reflect on a hafnium film of the sample, and the fluorescent X rays generated in a direction other than the total reflection direction are detected by a detector. This makes it possible not only to detect Fe—K? rays, but also to suppress generation of Hf-L? rays which interferes with detection of Cu—K rays, and to shift the upper limit energy of the Raman scattering to be small so as to cancel overlapping with Cu—K rays.Type: GrantFiled: April 17, 2006Date of Patent: September 9, 2008Assignee: Technos Co., ltd.Inventor: Shinichi Terada
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Patent number: 7424090Abstract: The present invention is a directed method and apparatus for collimating a radiation beam such that the full intensity of the radiation beam does not impinge detectors of a radiation detector assembly that are particularly susceptible to saturation or over-ranging. This collimation can be dynamically adjusted on a per view basis using empirical or scout scan data.Type: GrantFiled: May 8, 2007Date of Patent: September 9, 2008Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Jerome Stephen Arenson, David Ruimi, Oded Meirav, Robert Harry Armstrong
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Patent number: 7421059Abstract: An X-ray CT apparatus which executes a first X-ray tomography on a sectional plane having a desirable thickness in an object to be examined (0) with the object interposed between an X-ray generator (1) and a two-dimensional X-ray image sensor (2) provided so as to hold their mutual facing positional relation, and also executes a second X-ray tomography for obtaining a CT image of the interested area of the object (0). The first X-ray tomography is executed on the object (0) while the object (0) is held and fixed by an object holder (4) with the center of the orbit of the X-ray circulating radiation fixed, and while the object holder (4) is moved by an object mover (5) along the X-ray sectional image forming path according to the rotary angle of the X-ray circulating radiation.Type: GrantFiled: April 10, 2003Date of Patent: September 2, 2008Assignee: J. Morita Manufacturing CorporationInventors: Masakazu Suzuki, Takahiro Yoshimura, Masanobu Yoshida, Masanori Otsuka, Hideki Yoshikawa
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Patent number: 7416335Abstract: Methods of designing an x-ray tube shielded for operation in static and dynamic externally applied magnetic fields are described. The methods include passive shielding of the insert frame, housing, design of an external shield envelope, tube port, tube collimator, and combinations thereof. The resulting x-ray tube devices are appropriate for use in a variety of applications ranging from magnetic navigation with x-ray monitoring and guidance for interventional procedures to multi-modality imaging and interventional procedures using an x-ray system in the vicinity of an MRI system.Type: GrantFiled: July 11, 2006Date of Patent: August 26, 2008Assignee: Sterotaxis, Inc.Inventor: Gareth T. Munger
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Patent number: 7418078Abstract: A radiographic imaging device includes an X-ray source having a finite focal spot characterized by a determined intensity distribution. The X-ray source emits a beam of X-ray radiation toward an object. A detector assembly receives at least part of the X-ray radiation after it passes through the object. The detector assembly produces a signal in response to the received radiation. An image processor constructs an image from the signal generated by the detector assembly using the determined intensity distribution of the X-ray source. By inverse filtering the aggregated detector image from the detector assembly, the effects of the finite focal spot size of the X-ray source are mitigated, improving the quality of the resulting image.Type: GrantFiled: May 6, 2005Date of Patent: August 26, 2008Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.Inventors: Wolf-Ekkehard Blanz, Ali Bani-Hashemi
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Patent number: 7418074Abstract: A computed tomography system with an adjustable focal spot-to-detector distance has a gantry provided with a patient opening, an x-ray tube and a detector, respectively mounted at opposite sides of the gantry. The x-ray tube has a focal spot and the x-ray fan beam radiated from the focal spot exhibits a fixed aperture angle. The x-ray tube is installed on a linear track and can be moved along the rail of the linear track.Type: GrantFiled: March 29, 2006Date of Patent: August 26, 2008Assignee: Siemens AktiengesellschaftInventor: Jian Du
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Patent number: 7412029Abstract: A treatment planning, simulation, and verification system is described. According to one embodiment, a treatment plan and a fluoroscopy data image of a treatment volume are received and the treatment plan is automatically adjusted based on the movement of the fluoroscopy data image. According to another embodiment, a system includes a treatment planning component to generate a treatment plan and a simulation component to simulate the execution of the treatment plan.Type: GrantFiled: June 25, 2003Date of Patent: August 12, 2008Assignee: Varian Medical Systems Technologies, Inc.Inventor: Jeremy R. Myles