Patents Examined by G. M. Hyder
  • Patent number: 10795313
    Abstract: An image forming device that prints a first image using first toner and prints a second image using foil on a sheet of paper, includes: a former that forms a first toner image by the first toner of the first image on the paper and forms a second toner image by second toner different from the first toner of the second image on the paper; a fixer that fixes the first toner image and the second toner image formed on the paper; a melter that melts the second toner out of the first toner and the second toner fixed to the paper; and a foil printer that prints the second image by bonding the foil to the melted second toner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Tetsuya Sakai, Yoshinori Tsutsumi, Kenji Tsuru, Munenori Nakano
  • Patent number: 10788552
    Abstract: A control unit (56) operates a gradient coil device of a magnetic resonance imaging system (14). At least one first parameter of the gradient coil device (30) and/or at least one second parameter of the gradient coil device (30) is provided. A damage calculation of an operation of the gradient coil device (30) is performed by use of a mathematical model (66), which model (66) is based on the stress-cycle curve or a modified stress-cycle curve and uses the at least one first parameter (68) and/or the at least one second parameter (70, 72). Second parameters for further operation of said gradient coil device (30) are determined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2020
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
    Inventor: Martijn Krelis Termeer
  • Patent number: 10788557
    Abstract: In a method for creating a pulse sequence for controlling a magnetic resonance tomography apparatus as part of a CAIPIRINHA readout method for generating magnetic resonance image data of an examination object, two or more readout gradients and encoding gradients are used, wherein a readout gradient is positioned on a gradient axis and an encoding gradient is positioned on another gradient axis so as to occur simultaneously with the readout gradient. The encoding gradient has a periodic waveform. This positioning is repeated at different times in the pulse sequence, with the sampling density of a readout gradient being varied during a readout process, and/or the amplitude of the encoding gradients and/or of the readout gradients being varied for different readout processes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2020
    Assignee: Siemens Healthcare GmbH
    Inventor: Mario Zeller
  • Patent number: 10782341
    Abstract: A chuck apparatus includes a nozzle with a first end configured to engage a device under test (DUT), and a clamp extending around a portion of the nozzle proximate the first end. The clamp includes a recess to receive the DUT, and an engagement surface in the recess to engage the DUT. The chuck apparatus also includes a spring that biases a surface of the clamp toward the first end of the nozzle. A method includes translating a chuck to engage a nozzle with a DUT, further translating the chuck to engage and self-align an engagement surface of a spring mounted clamp with the DUT, further translating the chuck to seat the DUT in the spring mounted clamp, translating the chuck with the DUT to a contactor and translating the chuck with the DUT to engage conductive features of the DUT with conductive probes of the contactor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2020
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventor: Mhark Lester Lauron Ponghon
  • Patent number: 10775456
    Abstract: A sample pipe is provided in a sample temperature control pipe. A detection coil is provided in a low-temperature airtight chamber and configured to irradiate a sample with a high-frequency magnetic field. A room-temperature shield is provided on an outer circumferential surface of the sample temperature control pipe or on an inner circumferential surface thereof, and is configured to block irradiation of the high-frequency magnetic field from the detection coil from reaching a region other than an observation object. A low-temperature shield is provided in an airtight chamber and between the detection coil and the room-temperature shield and is configured to block irradiation of the high-frequency magnetic field from the detection coil from reaching the room-temperature shield.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2020
    Assignee: JEOL Ltd.
    Inventors: Katsuyuki Toshima, Shigenori Tsuji, Shinji Nakamura, Fumio Hobo, Takeshi Tsukada, Akifumi Nomura
  • Patent number: 10775469
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus includes processing circuitry. The processing circuitry estimates transmission inhomogeneity caused in a transmit RF magnetic field from a first image based on a first signal received by a whole-body coil, and estimates reception inhomogeneity caused in a receive RF magnetic field from the first image and a second image based on a second signal received by a surface coil. The processing circuitry generates a third image, having a resolution higher than a resolution of the first image and a resolution of the second image, based on a third signal received by the surface coil. The processing circuitry corrects the third image by using the estimated transmission inhomogeneity and reception inhomogeneity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2020
    Assignee: Canon Medical Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Tomoya Tsuruyama, Shuhei Nitta, Tomoyuki Takeguchi
  • Patent number: 10765349
    Abstract: Provided is a technique for calculating an oxygen extraction fraction by using MRI where the oxygen extraction fraction in a brain including brain parenchyma is calculated via a simple processing without an impact on an examinee, such as administration of caffeine. For this purpose, an MRI apparatus of the present invention measures a complex image of nuclear magnetic resonance signals, and calculates from thus measured complex image, a physical property distribution for obtaining a physical property image reflecting the oxygen extraction fraction. Then, thus calculated physical property distribution is separated into tissue-specific physical property distributions for at least two tissues (separated tissue images). After converting any of the separated tissue images into the oxygen extraction fraction, a distribution of the oxygen extraction fraction is estimated based on the condition that a value of any selected pixel is substantially equal to a mean value of pixels surrounding the selected pixel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignee: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventors: Toru Shirai, Ryota Satoh, Yo Taniguchi, Hisaaki Ochi, Yoshihisa Sotome, Yoshitaka Bito, Takenori Murase
  • Patent number: 10768257
    Abstract: In a method, control computer and magnetic resonance (MR) apparatus for generating MR recordings of an examination object, first magnetic MR data are acquired in a first recording region inside a homogeneity volume of the scanner of the MR apparatus, and second MR raw data are acquired in a second recording region outside the homogeneity volume. First image data are reconstructed on the basis of the first MR raw data and second image data are reconstructed on the basis of the second MR raw data. The first image data and the second image data are combined to form combination image data, which cover a region that extends in the first recording region and in the second recording region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignee: Siemens Healthcare GmbH
    Inventor: Stefan Popescu
  • Patent number: 10761478
    Abstract: A process cartridge is detachably mountable to a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus. The cartridge includes an electrophotographic photosensitive drum, a developing roller, a drum unit containing the drum, a developing unit containing the roller and being movable so the roller contacts and is spaced from the drum, and a first force receiver receiving a force from a main-assembly first force applier by movement of a door from open to closed positions when mounting the cartridge and a second force receiver movable from a stand-by position by movement of the first force receiver by a force received from the first force applier. The second force receiver takes a projected position receiving a force from the second force applier to move the developing unit so the roller moves out of contact with the drum, the projected position being higher than the stand-by position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2020
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akira Yoshimura, Kazunari Murayama, Susumu Nittani, Atsushi Numagami
  • Patent number: 10761167
    Abstract: A method for creating a dictionary for a magnetic resonance fingerprinting (MRF) reconstruction includes training a semi-supervised learning system based on at least a set of MRF data and a set of control variables and generating a plurality of signal evolutions using the trained semi-supervised learning system. The method also includes generating an MRF dictionary using the plurality of signal evolutions generated using the trained semi-supervised learning system and storing the MRF dictionary in a memory. In one embodiment, the semi-supervised learning system is a MRF generative adversarial network (GAN).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2020
    Assignee: Case Western Reserve University
    Inventors: Mark A. Griswold, Mingrui Yang
  • Patent number: 10761470
    Abstract: A printing apparatus is provided. The apparatus comprises a light-emitting element, a light-receiving element including a first terminal and a second terminal, a reference current generator supplying a reference current, a comparator comparing a monitor current with the reference current, the light-receiving element supplying the monitor current to the second terminal in accordance with a light emission amount, a driver driving the light-emitting element based on an output of the comparator, and a reference voltage controller. The comparator includes a first input terminal connected to the second terminal and a second input terminal. The reference voltage controller supplies a reference voltage selected from at least two voltage values to the second input terminal, and to control the voltage of the second terminal to be a voltage according to the reference voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2020
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Wataru Endo, Masanobu Ohmura, Hirotaka Shiomichi
  • Patent number: 10761156
    Abstract: According to some aspects, an apparatus is provided comprising a deployable guard device, configured to be coupled to a portable medical imaging device, the deployable guard device further configured to, when deployed, inhibit encroachment within a physical boundary with respect to the portable medical imaging device. According to some aspects, an apparatus is provided comprising a deployable guard device, configured to be coupled to a portable magnetic resonance imaging system, the deployable guard device further configured to, when deployed, demarcate a boundary within which a magnetic field strength of a magnetic field generated by the portable magnetic resonance imaging system equals or exceeds a given threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2020
    Assignee: Hyperfine Research, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher Thomas McNulty, Michael Stephen Poole
  • Patent number: 10747145
    Abstract: A drum cartridge is configured to be detachably mounted on an apparatus main body in a state where a toner cartridge is mounted on the drum cartridge. A first shutter and a second shutter are configured such that: when the drum cartridge is mounted onto the apparatus main body in a state where the toner cartridge is mounted on the drum cartridge, the first shutter moves from a first closed position to a first open position and the second shutter moves from a second closed position to a second open position, and when the drum cartridge is detached from the apparatus main body in a state where the toner cartridge is mounted on the drum cartridge, the first shutter moves from the first open position to the first closed position and the second shutter moves from the second open position to the second closed position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2020
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yasumasa Fujii, Takashi Arakawa, Shougo Sato
  • Patent number: 10739488
    Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide a small-sized metal detection sensor for detecting fine metal contaminants, using an electromagnetic induction detection technique. A metal detection sensor for 20 detecting metal 14 contained in an object under inspection moving through a passageway 18 comprises: magnets 24, 26 generating static magnetic field; and a coil 30 for detecting a magnetic field 28 generated by the metal 14. The magnets 24, 26 are located outside of the coil 30 along its axial direction, and the coil 30 is located outside of the magnets 24, 26 along the axial direction connecting the N poles and the S poles of the magnets 24, 26. The magnets 24, 26 are opposed to the coil 30.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2020
    Assignee: EBARA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Taro Takahashi, Mitsuo Tada
  • Patent number: 10724974
    Abstract: The present invention generally relates to a method of using NMR relaxation rates (R2) of water molecules as an indicator of the extent of aggregation of biopharmaceutical formulations. The biopharmaceutical can be evaluated nondestructively without the vial or container being opened or protective seal compromised (i.e., broken). The method is applicable to all biopharmaceuticals and the water signal obtained by magnetic resonance relaxometry is very strong and sensitive because water is used as the solvent and is present in high (>90%) concentrations in every biopharmaceutical formulation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2020
    Assignee: UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, BALTIMORE
    Inventors: Yihua Bruce Yu, Marc Taraban, Yue Feng
  • Patent number: 10718843
    Abstract: A device and a method for detecting a spike during a magnetic resonance scan are provided. The device has a first receiver with a first signal connection for connecting a local coil and a second receiver with a second signal connection for connecting a reference antenna. The device is configured to compare a first signal received by the first receiver via the first signal connection with a second signal received by the second receiver via the second signal connection and, in the event of a predetermined deviation, to emit a warning signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2020
    Assignee: Siemens Healthcare GmbH
    Inventor: Jürgen Nistler
  • Patent number: 10719050
    Abstract: A replaceable unit for an electrophotographic image forming device according to one example embodiment includes a housing having a reservoir for storing toner. A rotatable shaft is positioned within the reservoir and has an axis of rotation. A first magnet and a second magnet are connected to the shaft and rotatable around the axis of rotation in response to rotation of the shaft. The first magnet and the second magnet pass near at least a portion of an inner wall of the housing forming the reservoir during rotation of the first and second magnets. An amount of angular offset between the first magnet and the second magnet varies depending on an amount of toner in the reservoir.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2020
    Assignee: Lexmark International, Inc.
    Inventors: Brian Scott Carpenter, Robert Watson McAlpine
  • Patent number: 10712686
    Abstract: A toner cartridge for use with an image forming apparatus includes a memory storing identification data of the toner cartridge and parameter information including image formation process parameters dependent on toner characteristic or ambient conditions. A transceiver unit communicates with the image forming apparatus to send the process parameter information stored in the memory to the image forming apparatus when the identification data is authentic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2020
    Assignees: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA, TOSHIBA AMERICA BUSINESS SOLUTIONS, INC.
    Inventors: Toru Homma, Hiroshi Hashidume, Hisanobu Ajima, Nobuo Tohata, Takahiro Nakajima, Takumi Hatano
  • Patent number: 10712416
    Abstract: Various methods and systems are provided for reconstructing magnetic resonance images from accelerated magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data. In one embodiment, a method for reconstructing a magnetic resonance (MR) image includes: estimating multiple sets of coil sensitivity maps from undersampled k-space data, the undersampled k-space data acquired by a multi-coil radio frequency (RF) receiver array; reconstructing multiple initial images using the undersampled k-space data and the estimated multiple sets of coil sensitivity maps; iteratively reconstructing, with a trained deep neural network, multiple images by using the initial images and the multiple sets of coil sensitivity maps to generate multiple final images, each of the multiple images corresponding to a different set of the multiple sets of sensitivity maps; and combining the multiple final images output from the trained deep neural network to generate the MR image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2020
    Assignees: GE PRECISION HEALTHCARE, LLC, THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE LELAND STANFORD JUNIOR UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Christopher Michael Sandino, Peng Lai, Shreyas Vasanawala, Joseph Yitan Cheng
  • Patent number: 10712698
    Abstract: In an image forming operation of transferring one developer image to a recording material, when a plurality of image forming portions include a non-image forming portion that is an image forming portion which does not form a developer image on an image bearing member, applying means for applying a charging bias to a charging member which comes into contact with and charges the image bearing member applies a second charging bias to the charging member in the non-image forming portion, the second charging bias having a same polarity as a first charging bias for forming a developer image and being a voltage equal to or lower than a discharge start voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2020
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takashi Mukai, Kazuhiro Okubo, Takahiro Kawamoto, Masanori Tanaka