Patents Examined by Jefferey A. Smith
  • Patent number: 7386488
    Abstract: A system and method for notifying salespersons of customer communications including a target item is provided. Individual customers are mapped to one or more salespersons. Target items of interest to a salesperson are defined and a salesperson is associated with a customer. For each salesperson, on-line communication channels are monitored for the occurrence of a communications involving a customer associated with the salesperson and including a target item defined by the salesperson. When such an occurrence happens, a notification is directed to the salesperson. Salesperson access to the system and customer access to the on-line communication channels requires authorization.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2008
    Assignee: AT&T Corp
    Inventor: Steven Todd
  • Patent number: 6309397
    Abstract: Surgical accessories are presented in vivo and used by surgical tools in the surgical site to perform additional tasks without the need to remove the tools from the surgical site for tool change or instrument loading. Examples of in vivo accessories include fastening accessories such as surgical clips for use with a clip applier, single working member accessories such as a blade which can be grasped and manipulated by a grasping tool for cutting, sheath accessories that fit over working members of a tool, flow tubes for providing suction or introducing a fluid into the surgical site, and a retraction member resiliently biased to retract a tissue to expose an area in the surgical site for treatment. The accessories can be introduced into the surgical site by a dedicated accessory introducer, or can be supported on the body of a surgical tool inserted into the surgical site and be manipulated using another surgical tool in the surgical site.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2001
    Assignees: SRI International, Intuitive Surgical, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher A. Julian, Daniel T. Wallace, Frederic H. Moll, Dean F. Hoornaert, David J. Rosa, John G. Freund, John W. Hill