Patents Examined by Frederick Wenderoth
  • Patent number: 10551454
    Abstract: A method for operating a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system that includes: accessing data indicating a first region for imaging a portion of a subject, the portion being placed in a main magnet of the MRI system and the main magnet generating a magnetic field; selecting, from a group of available shimming coils, a first subset of shimming coils arranged and configured such that, when the shimming coils in the first subset are driven, a homogeneity of the magnetic field at the first region is increased; and driving the shimming coils in the selected first subset of shimming coils without driving other shimming coils in the group of available shimming coils such that the homogeneity of the magnetic field at the first region increases relative to the homogeneity of the magnetic field at the first region when the shimming coils of the selected first subset are not driven.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2020
    Assignee: Synaptive Medical (Barbados) Inc.
    Inventors: Chad Tyler Harris, Philip J. Beatty, Alexander Gyles Panther, Jeff Alan Stainsby, David Mark Deschenes
  • Patent number: 10545443
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an information obtainer, a memory, a candidate determining unit, and an image forming device. The information obtainer obtains feature information from the target recording medium. The memory stores at least one set of recording medium information regarding the target recording medium associated with the feature information and at least one set of image forming condition information corresponding to the recording medium information. The recording medium information is identification information. The candidate determining unit determines a candidate recording medium information from the recording medium information stored in the memory based on the feature information of the target recording medium obtained by the information obtainer. The image forming device forms an image on the target recording medium based on the image forming condition information in the memory according to the candidate recording medium information determined by the candidate determining unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2020
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yukifumi Kobayashi, Hideyo Makino, Tetsuya Ofuchi, Takayuki Nishimura, Yasuyuki Sekino, Tohru Matsumoto, Noriaki Takenaga, Satoshi Nakayama
  • Patent number: 10520574
    Abstract: A magnetic resonance tomography scanner is provided for the determination a diffusion tensor of an examination object, and a method is provided for operating the magnetic resonance tomography scanner. The magnetic resonance tomography scanner acquires a volume image of the examination object by imaging magnetic resonance tomography without diffusion encoding. The control system segments the image according to diffusion-relevant symmetry properties and also determines volume elements of a symmetry group. A first and a second component of a diffusion tensor are acquired by the magnetic resonance tomography scanner at different angles and the control unit uses the symmetry property with the acquired components and the volume image to determine a diffusion tensor for the volume elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: Siemens Healthcare GmbH
    Inventor: Peter Speier
  • Patent number: 10520562
    Abstract: The present embodiments relate to an audio unit for reducing an awareness of a noise produced by a magnetic resonance machine, to an audio system, to a magnetic resonance system, and to a method for operating an audio unit. The audio unit includes a vibration sensor unit, a control unit (e.g., a microcontroller), and at least one loudspeaker. The vibration sensor unit may be configured to detect signals transmitted by bone conduction, and may be configured to transmit the signals to the control unit. The control unit may be configured to control the at least one loudspeaker based on the transmitted signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: Siemens Healthcare GmbH
    Inventor: Stefan Popescu
  • Patent number: 10495711
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for comparing a system configuration of a magnetic resonance tomography unit. The magnetic resonance tomography unit includes a controller and an output unit. The configuration device includes a controller and an input unit. A data storage device includes a data connection with the magnetic resonance tomography unit via a first data link and with the configuration device via a second data link. A first system configuration of the magnetic resonance tomography unit is stored on the data storage device. The magnetic resonance tomography unit generates an identification for the first system configuration and outputs the identification. The configuration device detects the identification with the input unit and accesses the first system configuration in the data storage device using the identification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: Siemens Healthcare GmbH
    Inventor: Stefan Schor
  • Patent number: 10481523
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a printing device, an ultrasonic sensor, and a controller. The printing device to which a toner container is mounted is configured to perform printing using toner in the toner container. The ultrasonic sensor arranged so as to correspond to a mounting position of the toner container is configured to (a) output an ultrasonic wave to a specific position of the toner container, (b) detect the ultrasonic wave that passes through the toner container, and (c) output a detection signal corresponding to an intensity of the detected ultrasonic wave. The controller is configured to determine whether the toner container is a genuine product or not on the basis of a level of the detection signal of the ultrasonic sensor when the toner container is mounted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2019
    Assignee: Kyocera Document Solutions, Inc.
    Inventor: Jun Nishimura
  • Patent number: 10466621
    Abstract: A developing cartridge includes: a photosensitive unit; a developing unit coupled to the photosensitive unit to be movable between a release position and a developing position; an elastic member to provide an elastic force in a direction to maintain the developing unit at the developing position; a movable member including a gear portion, the movable member and capable of moving to a first position to move the developing unit to the release position and second position to move the developing unit to the developing position; and a switching member connected to a driving gear, wherein as the driving gear rotates in a first direction or a second direction, the switching member is switched between a third position at which the switching member is connected to the gear portion to move the movable member from the second position to the first position and a fourth position at which the switching member is spaced apart from the gear portion to allow the movable member to move from the first position to the second pos
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2019
    Assignee: HP PRINTING KOREA CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Ho-jin Jang, Young-chae Kim, Yun-kyu Sim, Gun-soo Chang
  • Patent number: 10466325
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a method for determining a sequence information element of a magnetic resonance sequence, a computer program product and an evaluation unit for performing such a method, and also a magnetic resonance device having such an evaluation unit. The method includes a determination of the sequence information element based on at least one pattern of the magnetic resonance sequence.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2019
    Assignee: Siemens Healthcare GmbH
    Inventors: Andreas Greiser, David Grodzki, Daniel Nico Splitthoff
  • Patent number: 10459051
    Abstract: A method for increasing field of view (FOV) in magnetic resonance imaging includes determining linear field gradients of associated with a gradient coil of a magnetic resonance (MR) scanner and using the MR scanner to acquire a k-space dataset representative of a patient using a plurality of readout gradient amplitudes. An extended FOV image is generated based on the k-space dataset using an iterative reconstruction process to solve a forward model that incorporates a measurement of gradient distortion as a deviation from the linear field gradients.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2019
    Assignees: Siemens Healthcare GmbH, The General Hospital Corporation
    Inventors: Keith Aaron Heberlein, Jason Stockmann
  • Patent number: 10451318
    Abstract: A cryogenic cooling system (CCS) includes a cylindrical housing having a first end and a second end. Also, the CCS includes a displacer disposed within the cylindrical housing and reciprocatingly driven between the first end and the second end of the cylindrical housing to compress or expand a refrigerant gas in a gas chamber. Further, the CCS includes a tubing unit coupled to the second end of the cylindrical housing and disposed adjacent to the at least one superconducting unit, wherein the tubing unit is configured to circulate the refrigerant gas received from the cylindrical housing through the tubing unit to absorb the at least one heat load imposed on the at least one superconducting unit to generate heated refrigerant gas, and convey the heated refrigerant gas to the gas chamber of the cylindrical housing to reduce or maintain a temperature of the at least one superconducting unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2019
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventor: Ernst Wolfgang Stautner
  • Patent number: 10451999
    Abstract: A process cartridge includes a first cartridge and a second cartridge. The first cartridge includes a first wall having a first opening, a first shutter configured to open and close the first opening, and a first operating portion configured to operate together with the first shutter. The second cartridge is mountable onto and demountable from the first cartridge and contains a developer. The second cartridge includes a second wall facing the first wall and having a second opening corresponding to the first opening, a second shutter configured to open and close the second opening, and a second operating portion configured to operate together with the second shutter. The first cartridge further includes a third operating portion. When the second cartridge is mounted onto the first cartridge, the first operating portion and the third operating portion operate together through the second operating portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2019
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shougo Sato
  • Patent number: 10451701
    Abstract: With an MRI apparatus using a transmission coil having multiple channels, a region desired to be diagnosed is efficiently imaged with high image quality. The MRI apparatus comprises a region setting means for setting a region in an imaging region, of which high quality image is desired to be obtained, as a first region, and an optimization means for determining at least one of amplitude and phase of a radio frequency wave transmitted to each of the multiple channels as a radio frequency magnetic field condition, and the optimization means determines the radio frequency magnetic field condition so that at least one of specific absorption ratio and signal value of a region that generates artifacts is not higher than a predetermined value defined for each, under a uniformity constraint condition that uniformity of radio frequency magnetic field distribution in the first region is not lower than a predetermined value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2019
    Assignee: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventors: Yukio Kaneko, Hideta Habara, Yoshihisa Soutome, Yoshitaka Bito
  • Patent number: 10451697
    Abstract: Variable flip angle techniques with constraints for reconstructing MR images include a processor generating a T1app map representing a spatial distribution of T1app within an anatomical region using a first MR dataset corresponding to a first flip angle (FA) and a second MR dataset corresponding to a second FA. The processor can estimate a first and second transmit RF field maps by scaling the T1app map by a first constant value of T1 associated with a first tissue type and a second constant value of T1 associated with a second tissue type, respectively. The processor can generate a third transmit RF field map using the first and second transmit RF field maps, and use the third transmit RF field map to construct MR images of the anatomical region. Weighted subtraction images can be created with improved contrast-to-noise ratio compared to images of the first and second MR datasets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2019
    Assignee: SPINTECH, INC.
    Inventor: E. Mark Haacke
  • Patent number: 10429771
    Abstract: A transfer device includes a holding body that holds a toner image and to which a first tension and a second tension, which is smaller than the first tension, are applied, a transfer body that transfers the toner image to a recording medium while transporting the recording medium between the transfer body and the holding body, and a setting portion that sets tension applied to the holding body to the second tension when a mass of a toner of an uppermost toner layer constituting the toner image and disposed on the holding body is equal to or exceeds a threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2019
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO.,LTD.
    Inventors: Yoshiki Shimodaira, Masaaki Yamaura, Toshiaki Baba, Satoshi Shigezaki
  • Patent number: 10401461
    Abstract: An object (10) placed in an examination volume of a MR device (1) is subject to an imaging sequence including multi-slice RF pulses for simultaneously exciting two or more spatially separate image slices. MR signals are received in parallel via a set of RF coils (11, 12, 13) having different spatial sensitivity profiles within the examination volume. An MR image is reconstructed for each image slice from the acquired MR signals. MR signal contributions from the different image slices are separated on the basis of the spatial sensitivity profiles of the RF coils (11, 12, 13). Side-band artifacts, namely MR signal contributions from regions excited by one or more side-bands of the multi-slice RF pulses, are suppressed in the reconstructed MR images on the basis of the spatial sensitivity profiles of the RF coils (11, 12, 13).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V.
    Inventors: Zhaolin Chen, Miha Fuderer
  • Patent number: 10393847
    Abstract: In a method and magnetic resonance (MR) apparatus for recording calibration data for establishing convolution kernels for GRAPPA algorithms for reconstruction of image data from measurement data recorded using echo planar imaging with simultaneous recording of a number of slices of a slice stack. A slice GRAPPA algorithm is used to reconstruct the image data of the individual slices and an inplane GRAPPA algorithm is used to reconstruct undersampled magnetic resonance data within the slices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: Siemens Healthcare GmbH
    Inventor: Mario Zeller
  • Patent number: 10393846
    Abstract: Disclosed is a functional magnetic resonance imaging quality detection phantom and method. The phantom includes two independent shells which are movably connected with each other, wherein a BOLD simulation signal module is arranged in the first shell, and a basic imaging detection module is arranged in the second shell; the BOLD simulation signal module includes a locating accuracy test component and a BOLD signal simulation component, the locating accuracy test component includes two locating blocks placed in a crossing manner, a wedge-shaped passage composed of isosceles right triangle blocks is arranged on the locating blocks, and the BOLD signal simulation component includes an artificial brain for functional magnetic resonance imaging; and the present invention can simulate human body BOLD signal changes and simulate a brain activation area in a magnetic resonance system, and is for the test analysis and researches on the accuracy, reliability and repeatability of brain function imaging.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: TAISHAN MEDICAL UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Jianfeng Qiu, Guozhu Wang
  • Patent number: 10394160
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a toner cartridge for an image forming apparatus, a developing cartridge including the toner cartridge, and the image forming apparatus. The toner cartridge includes a housing, the housing includes a toner chamber configured to store toner, and a developing roller is disposed at a rear side of the housing. The toner cartridge also includes a storage member disposed on a lower surface of the housing and configured to store information of the toner cartridge; and with respect to the rear side of the housing for disposing the developing roller, the storage member is located closer to a front side of the housing opposite to the rear side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: ZHUHAI SEINE TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Aiguo Yin, Chaohao Huang, Li Wan
  • Patent number: 10386440
    Abstract: A magnetic resonance (MR) imaging (MRI) system (100, 1500), includes at least one controller (110, 1510) configured to: perform a multi-shot image acquisition process to acquire MR information for at least one multi-shot image set; train a convolution kernel including data on at least a portion of the MR information obtained without the use of the gradient or by using a self-training process. The convolution kernel includes convolution data. The MR information obtained with the use of a gradient for at least two of the image shots of the at least one multi-shot image set is iteratively convolved with the trained convolution kernel. The synthetic k-space data for the at least two image shots of the at least one multi-shot image set is projected into image space. The projected synthetic k-space data that are projected into the image space to form image information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignee: KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V.
    Inventors: Feng Huang, George Randall Duensing, Bida Zhang
  • Patent number: 10371772
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus includes a gradient magnetic field power supply, a voltmeter, and processing circuitry. The gradient magnetic field power supply includes an amplifier amplifying an input signal based on information of a gradient magnetic field waveform and outputting the amplified input signal to a gradient coil, a power supply device supplying power to the amplifier, and a capacitor bank supplying power, together with the power supply device, to the amplifier. The voltmeter measures a voltage of the capacitor bank. The processing circuitry calculates frequency characteristics of an impedance of the gradient coil, based on a voltage variation of the capacitor bank which was measured by the voltmeter, and controls imaging in accordance with the calculated frequency characteristics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Medical Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Sho Kawajiri, Motohiro Miura, Naoyuki Furudate, Yutaka Machii