Patents Examined by Lóuis M. Arana
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Patent number: 7940045Abstract: An in vitro method of determining an analyte concentration of a sample includes placing the sample into a low-field, bench-top time-domain nuclear magnetic resonance (TD-NMR) spectrometer. The NMR spectrometer is tuned to measure a selected type of atom. A magnetic field is applied to the sample using a fixed, permanent magnet. At least one 90 degree radio-frequency pulse is applied to the sample. The radio-frequency pulse is generally perpendicular to the magnetic field. The 90 degree radio-frequency pulse is removed from the sample so as to produce a decaying NMR signal. The decaying NMR signal is measured at a plurality of times while applying a plurality of 180 degree refocusing radio-frequency pulses to the sample. The analyte concentration is calculated from the plurality of measurements associated with the decaying NMR signal and a selected model.Type: GrantFiled: May 13, 2009Date of Patent: May 10, 2011Assignee: Bayer Healthcare LLCInventors: Scott E. Carpenter, Thomas P. Benson
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Patent number: 7940044Abstract: Example systems, methods, and apparatus associated with determining a phase-encoding direction for parallel MRI are described. One example, method includes selecting a set of projection directions along which an MRI apparatus is to apply RF energy to an object to be imaged. The method includes controlling the MRI apparatus to selecting a set of projection directions and to acquire MR signal from the object through a set of detectors. The method includes analyzing the MR signal to identify individual sensitivities for members of the set of detectors and selecting a phase-encoding direction for a pMRI session based on the individual sensitivities for the members. The method produces a concrete, tangible, and useful result by controlling the MRI apparatus to perform the pMRI session based on the selected phase-encoding direction.Type: GrantFiled: May 20, 2010Date of Patent: May 10, 2011Assignees: Case Western Reserve University, Magnetic Resonance of BavaciaInventors: Mark A. Griswold, Martin Blaimer, Felix Breuer
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Patent number: 7928729Abstract: A method for 3D magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with slice-direction distortion correction is provided. One or more selective cross-sections with a thickness along a first axis is excited using a RF pulse with a bandwidth, wherein a selective cross-section is either a selective slice or selective slab. A refocusing pulse is applied to form a spin echo. One or more 2D encoded image signals are acquired with readout along a second axis and phase encoding along a third axis. Slice-direction distortion is corrected by resolving the position by resolving the frequency offset.Type: GrantFiled: August 7, 2008Date of Patent: April 19, 2011Assignee: The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior UniversityInventors: Brian A. Hargreaves, Wenmiao Lu, John M. Pauly, Garry E. Gold, Kim B. Pauly
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Patent number: 7924011Abstract: A cryocooler assembly includes a ferromagnetic shield and a moveable rare-earth regenerator for recondensing of a cooling liquid for cooling of a superconductive magnet of a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus. The ferromagnetic shield effectively provides depletion of a magnet field in the vicinity of the rare-earth regenerator and therefore on the one hand reduces the noise impact of the moving regenerator on the homogeneous magnetic field in the imaging volume of the MRI apparatus and on the other hand reduces the mechanical force exerted by the magnetic field on the rare-earth regenerator.Type: GrantFiled: June 21, 2006Date of Patent: April 12, 2011Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.Inventor: Benjamin Hendricus Aarts
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Patent number: 7924010Abstract: An apparatus and method for supporting a magnetic resonance imaging magnet are provided. The apparatus includes a magnet coil support structure having a main former body with a plurality of channels and an end flange at each end of the main former body. The end flanges are reinforced with a strengthening material at least at corner regions of the end flanges.Type: GrantFiled: March 25, 2009Date of Patent: April 12, 2011Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Longzhi Jiang, John Scaturro, Jr., Clifford Ginfrida, Jr.
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Patent number: 7924009Abstract: In an antenna arrangement for a magnetic resonance apparatus and a method for acquiring magnetic resonance signals, which has at least four individually operable antenna conductor loops arranged like a matrix in rows and columns, wherein two antenna conductor loops adjacent in a row or in a column are inductively decoupled from one another; and wherein two antenna conductor loops diagonally adjacent to one another in adjacent rows and columns are capacitively decoupled from one another.Type: GrantFiled: February 26, 2009Date of Patent: April 12, 2011Assignee: Siemens AktiengesellschaftInventors: John Bosshard, Martin Hemmerlein
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Patent number: 7924001Abstract: A method for determining oil viscosity and continuous gas-oil-ratio (GOR) from nuclear magnetic resonance logs (NMR). The method includes obtaining a set of NMR data of a portion of the subterranean formation from inside the wellbore without acquiring formation fluid sample; isolating a quantitative reservoir fluid information associated with oil from oil based mud (OBM) using radial profiling of the set of NMR data, wherein the OBM is used for extracting fluid from the underground reservoir; determining GOR related information associated with the portion of the subterranean formation from the quantitative reservoir fluid information associated with oil, wherein the GOR related information is determined based on a predetermined model; and performing operations for the oilfield based on the GOR related information.Type: GrantFiled: April 14, 2009Date of Patent: April 12, 2011Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corp.Inventor: Chanh Cao Minh
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Patent number: 7915892Abstract: A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus that applies a gradient magnetic field and a radio-frequency magnetic field to a subject in a static magnetic field to image the subject based on magnetic resonance signals emitted from the subject, includes a unit which generates K transmission radio-frequency pulse signals required to produce the radio-frequency magnetic field, an allocation unit which allocates the K transmission radio-frequency pulse signals to K in M transmission signal paths, a connection unit to which at most M radio-frequency coils are attachable and which selectively connects the M transmission signal paths and M reception signal paths to the radio-frequency coils, a selection unit which selects N in magnetic resonance signals which are respectively received by the at most M radio-frequency coils and transmitted through the at most M reception signal paths, and a unit which performs reception processing for each of the selected N magnetic resonance signals.Type: GrantFiled: April 30, 2008Date of Patent: March 29, 2011Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Medical Systems CorporationInventor: Kazuya Okamoto
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Patent number: 7906963Abstract: A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus includes a data acquisition unit and an image data generating unit. The data acquisition unit acquires data according to a sequence derived by adding a coherent control pulse on a Steady-State Free Precession pulse sequence for repeating plural radio frequency excitations with a constant interval. The coherent control pulse has a center at a substantially center time between adjacent radio frequency excitations and a zero-order moment of which amount is zero. The image data generating unit generates image data based on the data.Type: GrantFiled: June 9, 2009Date of Patent: March 15, 2011Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Medical Systems CorporationInventor: Masao Yui
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Patent number: 7906968Abstract: A nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) imaging method in which, with the aid of a gradient system, a spatially and temporally variable magnetic field Bgrad is generated, for the at least two-dimensional spatial encoding of NMR measurement signals in a measurement sample region to be imaged, where the magnetic field Bgrad is employed in at least two forms Bgrad1 and Bgrad2 in the measurement sample region to be imaged during a single measurement cycle from excitation to reading of the NMR measurement signals, where the first form Bgrad1 has essentially ns poles, where ns is an even number > 2, and has ns essentially sectorial sub-regions, in each of which the magnetic field Bgrad is locally monotonic in one direction, where the measurement signals from the measurement sample are recorded by means of at least ns receiver coils which have different sensitivity over the ns sub-regions of the region to be imaged, is characterized in that the second form Bgrad2 is essentially identical to the first form Bgrad1 % witType: GrantFiled: November 12, 2008Date of Patent: March 15, 2011Assignee: Universitaetsklinikum FreiburgInventors: Juergen Hennig, Maxim Zaitsev, Anna Welz, Gerrit Schultz
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Patent number: 7906965Abstract: A magnetic resonance imaging scanner acquires diffusion-weighted imaging data. A reconstruction engine reconstructs the acquired diffusion-weighted imaging data into diffusion-weighted image representations. A diffusion tensor engine constructs a diffusion tensor map of an area of an interest of a subject. An eigenvalue/eigenvector ordering engine obtains and orders eigenvectors and eigenvalues at each voxel. A covariance matrix determining engine constructs a covariance matrix of a major eigenvector of each voxel. A first normalized measure determining engine computes a first normalized measure. A second normalized measure determining engine computes a second normalized measure. A rendering engine generates a human-viewable display of an image representation.Type: GrantFiled: November 3, 2008Date of Patent: March 15, 2011Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Department of Health and Human ServicesInventor: Cheng Guan Koay
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Patent number: 7906967Abstract: An apparatus includes a bore tube inside which an imaging space is formed to place a subject, a static field generating section which is placed outside the tube and generates a static field in the imaging space, a gradient field generating section which is placed between the tube and the static field generating section and generates a gradient field to superimpose on the static field, a cover which is mounted to a side end of the static field generating section and forms a vacuum space in a surrounding of the gradient field generating section together with the tube and the static field generating section, wherein the cover is fixed by fixation parts thereof to the static field generating section and a load of an air pressure to be applied on the cover at a different part from the fixation part is received by the static field generating section.Type: GrantFiled: August 8, 2008Date of Patent: March 15, 2011Assignees: Kaibushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Medical Systems CorporationInventors: Ayumi Katsunuma, Kiyoshi Yamashita
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Patent number: 7906964Abstract: An exemplary embodiment of system, computer-accessible medium and method for determining exemplary values for acquisition parameters for a given time (e.g., imaging time) is provided, e.g., with the exemplary values being selectable to increase the signal-to-noise ratio. According to certain exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, data (e.g., image data) associated with at least one portion of a target can be generated. For example, a first signal from the target resulting from at least one first excitation pulse forwarded toward the target can be acquired using a plurality of acquisition parameters having first values. Further, a second signal from the target resulting from at least one second excitation pulse forwarded toward the target can be acquired using a plurality of acquisition parameters having second values, with the second values being different from the first values. The data (e.g., image data) may be generated based on the first and second signals.Type: GrantFiled: January 29, 2008Date of Patent: March 15, 2011Assignee: New York UniversityInventors: Lazar Fleysher, Roman Fleysher, Oded Gonen
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Patent number: 7902825Abstract: In tensor MRI, a set of k-space MRI data points is acquired that includes one or more k-space subsets of MRI data points. An object orientation (or spatial transformation) corresponding to each of the k-space subsets is determined. Because the object orientation (or spatial transformation) can differ from subset to subset, the overall set of k-space data can be inconsistent with respect to object orientation (or spatial transformation). This possible inconsistency can be addressed by providing a k-space tensor model that includes object orientation and/or spatial transformation information corresponding to each of the subsets. A tensor MRI image can be reconstructed from the set of k-space MRI data points by using the k-space tensor model to account for object orientation and/or spatial transformation.Type: GrantFiled: May 18, 2009Date of Patent: March 8, 2011Assignee: The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior UniversityInventors: Roland Bammer, Murat Aksoy
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Patent number: 7902826Abstract: A transverse gradient coil for an MRI system is provided. The transverse gradient coil comprises a first coil layer; and an insulation layer made of thermoplastic insulation resin which has a thermal conductivity greater than 1.5 W/m·K, the insulation layer having one side bonded to the first coil layer. A method for manufacturing the transverse gradient coil by injection molding or compression molding is also provided.Type: GrantFiled: December 12, 2008Date of Patent: March 8, 2011Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Weijun Yin, Bruce Campbell Amm, Kathleen Melanie Amm, Tunc Icoz, Yogen Vishwas Utturkar, Wensen Wang
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Patent number: 7898255Abstract: An MRI apparatus capable of selecting an optional direction as a phase encoding direction and achieving a preferable S/N, when an imaging time shortening technique is applied. A receiver coil, used as a receiver coil of a vertical magnetic field MRI apparatus, is a combination of a first coil (solenoid coil) forming a current loop around the outer circumference of a test object, second coils forming even-numbered current loops, and third coils forming odd-numbered current loops, in the direction intersecting the plane of the current loop of the first coil. The second coil and the third coil are arranged in such a manner that, as for the current loops in the array direction thereof, a position where a sensitivity of one coil is minimized approximately coincides with a position where the sensitivity of the other coil is maximized, whereby electromagnetic coupling is suppressed.Type: GrantFiled: February 6, 2006Date of Patent: March 1, 2011Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Medical CorporationInventors: Hisaaki Ochi, Yo Taniguchi, Hiroyuki Takeuchi
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Patent number: 7898257Abstract: An open yoke MRI apparatus has a set of permanent magnets arranged at the inner surfaces of the yoke and spaced apart from one another. A set of annular permanent magnets is included in each magnet arrangement, including a set with trapezoidal cross-sections to provide a more uniform field and to allow greater access to a patient placed within the magnetic field.Type: GrantFiled: August 2, 2007Date of Patent: March 1, 2011Assignee: Aspect Magnet Technologies, Ltd.Inventor: Ehud Katznelson
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Patent number: 7893692Abstract: A method for estimating fluid productivity of a subsurface rock formation from within a wellbore drilled therethrough includes measuring a nuclear magnetic resonance property of the formation at a plurality of lateral depths therein. The measured nuclear magnetic resonance property is used to estimate the fluid productivity.Type: GrantFiled: November 3, 2008Date of Patent: February 22, 2011Assignee: Schlumberger Technology CorporationInventor: Chanh Cao Minh
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Patent number: 7888936Abstract: A method corrects for a phase error in an MR image, in which MR signals of an examination subject are acquired, complex images of the examination subject are generated, phase differences of the phase values for various image points of the complex images are established with an averaged phase value of image points from a first surrounding region of a respective image point, and a phase correction is executed dependent on how well the phase differences correspond to a predetermined phase value, where the order of the image points in which the phase correction is implemented is dependent on how well the phase values in the image points correspond to the predetermined phase value.Type: GrantFiled: April 20, 2010Date of Patent: February 15, 2011Assignee: Siemens AktiengesellschaftInventor: Vladimir Jellus
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Patent number: 7888938Abstract: In a gradient coil and a method to manufacture a gradient coil for a magnetic resonance apparatus, the gradient coil has at least one saddle coil, the saddle coil having a spatially shaped, electrically conductive plate with a line-shaped recess penetrating the plate. Conductor structures that create a gradient magnetic field in an examination region when a current signal flows therethrough are formed by the recess and by the shaping of the plate. The recess is filled with an electrically insulating material before implementation of the spatial shaping.Type: GrantFiled: January 15, 2009Date of Patent: February 15, 2011Assignee: Siemens AktiengesellschaftInventors: Sascha Fath, Ralph Kimmlingen, Johann Schuster, Lothar Schoen, Stefan Stocker