Patents Examined by Michael A Newman
  • Patent number: 9058647
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes a region acquisition unit configured to obtain a specific region of a subject, a tomographic image acquisition unit configured to obtain a tomographic image of the subject, and a display control unit configured to cause a display unit to display a region indicating probability of existence of the specific region in the obtained tomographic image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takuya Ishida, Kiyohide Satoh, Takaaki Endo, Ryo Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 9053351
    Abstract: A finger sensing device may include an integrated circuit (IC) substrate, an array of finger sensing elements on the IC substrate, and image watermark circuitry on the IC substrate and cooperating with the array of finger sensing elements for generating finger image data with an image watermark embedded therein. The finger sensing apparatus may also include match circuitry on the IC substrate for performing finger matching based at least upon the image watermark. The array of finger sensing elements may include an array of finger sensing pixels. The image watermark circuitry may distort values from the array of finger sensing pixels to generate the finger image data with the image watermark embedded therein. The watermark circuitry may distort position values from the array of finger sensing pixels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2015
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Michael Boshra, Jeffrey C. Lee, Gregory Thomas Minteer, Gary S. Porter, Dale R. Setlak, Peter E. Sherlock, Andrew J. Vandamia, James R. Waldron
  • Patent number: 9047660
    Abstract: Methods for analyzing biomedical data include: (a) obtaining macroscopic imaging data; (b) obtaining histopathological imaging data; (c) executing a parallel algorithm stored on a non-transient computer-readable medium to compute one or a plurality of network cycle features of a relative neighborhood graph derived from the histopathological imaging data; (d) registering the macroscopic imaging data and the histopathological imaging data; and (e) correlating the macroscopic imaging data and the network cycle features. Systems for analyzing biomedical data and computer readable storage media are described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2015
    Assignees: Siemens Corporation, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
    Inventors: Parmeshwar Khurd, Ali Kamen, Hari Sundar, John V. Frangioni, Summer Gibbs-Strauss
  • Patent number: 9042623
    Abstract: Systems and methods for processing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data are provided. A method includes receiving MRI data comprising a plurality of k-space points and deriving a plurality of image data sets based on the MRI data, each of the plurality of MRI image sets obtained by zeroing a different one of the plurality of k-space points. The method further includes computing image space metric values for each of the plurality of image data sets and adjusting a portion of the MRI data associated with ones of the image space metric values that fail to meet a threshold value to yield adjusted MRI data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2015
    Assignee: Vanderbilt University
    Inventors: David S. Smith, Edward B. Welch
  • Patent number: 9042634
    Abstract: Aspects of the invention provide a solution for analyzing an object, such as a part of a turbo machine. A planar surface is generated using a curved reformat function based on a surface of a three-dimensional (3D) image of an object. A peel of the 3D image that is adjacent to the surface is determined. Based on the peel, a second planar surface is generated. These two, and/or other similarly generated planar surfaces can be analyzed to determine characteristics of the original object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2015
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Sheri George, Haribaskar Govindasamy, Utkarsh Madhav Kulkarni, Pavel Pokutnev, Marko Rosenmueller, Alexander Suppes
  • Patent number: 9042613
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for evaluating cardiovascular treatment options for a patient. One method includes creating a three-dimensional model representing a portion of the patient's heart based on patient-specific data regarding a geometry of the patient's heart or vasculature; and for a plurality of treatment options for the patient's heart or vasculature, modifying at least one of the three-dimensional model and a reduced order model based on the three-dimensional model. The method also includes determining, for each of the plurality of treatment options, a value of a blood flow characteristic, by solving at least one of the modified three-dimensional model and the modified reduced order model; and identifying one of the plurality of treatment options that solves a function of at least one of: the determined blood flow characteristics of the patient's heart or vasculature, and one or more costs of each of the plurality of treatment options.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2015
    Assignee: HeartFlow, Inc.
    Inventors: Ryan Spilker, David Eberle, Leo Grady
  • Patent number: 9036882
    Abstract: Overview images that represent the overview of a structure (e.g., the large intestine) are generated based on volume data, and displayed on a screen. Points within the overview images and points corresponding thereto in the volume data are set as target points. A target volume that includes the target points and line of sight vectors within the volume data having the target points as endpoints and a movable viewpoint as a starting point are set within the volume data. The directions of the line of sight vectors are changed by moving the viewpoint, and the target volumes are projected onto projection planes perpendicular to the directions of the line of sight vectors to generate detailed images that represent details of the structure in the vicinity of the target points. The detailed images are displayed on the screen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2015
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Jun Masumoto, Masaki Miyamoto
  • Patent number: 9031311
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for identifying a position of a surface on an aircraft. Image data for an image of the surface on the aircraft is received. The image data is processed to determine whether the position of the surface on the aircraft is a desired position. A surface position identification report comprising information identifying whether the position of the surface on the aircraft is the desired position is generated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2015
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventor: Brian J. Tillotson
  • Patent number: 9025861
    Abstract: Systems and methods for reconstructing a floorplan of a building for generating a three-dimensional model are provided. One aspect of the present disclosure is directed to a computer-implemented method for generating a three-dimensional model of a building. The method includes estimating a floor height and a ceiling height of the building. The method also includes identifying a core region of a two-dimensional graph, the core region corresponding to an interior of the building. The method includes determining a solution path that circumnavigates the core region and minimizes a cost formula, the cost formula providing an edge cost for each of a plurality of edges. The method further includes generating a three-dimensional model of the interior of the building based on the floor height, the ceiling height, and the solution path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2015
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Yasutaka Furukawa, Ricardo de Silveira Cabral
  • Patent number: 9025881
    Abstract: An intensity image is collected at each of a plurality of locations spaced apart in a propagation direction of a light beam. Information from the intensity images is combined using a Kalman filter which assumes that at least one co-variance matrix has a diagonal form. This leads to considerable reduction in computational complexity. An augmented Kalman filter model (augmented space state model) is used in place of the standard Kalman filter model. The augmented Kalman filter improves the robustness to noise.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2015
    Assignee: Nanyang Technological University
    Inventors: Justin Dauwels, Jingshan Zhong
  • Patent number: 8995780
    Abstract: A method for creating a binary mask image from an inputted digital image of a scanned document, including the steps of creating a binarized image by binarizing the inputted digital image, detecting first text regions representing light text on a dark background, and inverting the first text regions, such that the inverted first text regions are interpretable in the same way as dark text on a light background. A method for comparing in a binary image a first pixel blob with a second pixel blob to determine whether they represent matching symbols, including the steps of detecting a line in one blob not present in the other and/or determining if one of the blobs represents an italicized symbol where the other does not.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: I.R.I.S.
    Inventors: Michel Dauw, Pierre De Muelenaere
  • Patent number: 8983162
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for reconstructing an image by generating a scatter-corrected sinogram are provided. In the reconstructed image in which initial scattering is not corrected, an emission position of a photon is determined. A graphics processing unit (GPU) calculates migration of the photon using a Monte-Carlo simulation. A 3-dimensional (3D) line of response (LoR) may be calculated through a position in which the photon reaches a detector. The calculated LoR may be converted into a 3D sinogram form and stored in a prompt sinogram and a scatter-corrected sinogram. A final scatter-corrected sinogram may be generated by adjusting a scale of the scatter-corrected sinogram.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2015
    Assignee: Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
    Inventors: Jong Chul Ye, Kyung Sang Kim
  • Patent number: 8971582
    Abstract: An improved system and method for capturing and uploading pertinent information related to a motor vehicle that is accurate, simple to use, and may be implemented on a wide-array of mobile devices in a cost-effective manner. Methods are also disclosed for users of the mobile devices to send identifying information to a database, where the identifying information is compared to other motor vehicle identifying information located the database.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2015
    Assignee: Digital Recognition Network, Inc.
    Inventor: Cort DeHart
  • Patent number: 8971600
    Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is provided for displaying a color map on which a difference in blood flow dynamics is reflected. Setting a test subject who is administered a contrast agent is assumed as an imaging target, and a probe transmits and receives ultrasonic waves to and from the target for contrast imaging. Image data is constructed based on signals received by the probe and a time-intensity curve is generated from intensity values of the image data. According to the time-intensity curve, a value of a predetermined parameter is calculated for producing a distribution image of blood flow dynamics. The distribution image (color map) of the blood flow dynamics is produced from the parameter value. The color map is a two-dimensional or a three-dimensional image being color-coded according to the parameter value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2015
    Assignee: Hitachi Medical Corporation
    Inventors: Hideki Yoshikawa, Takashi Azuma
  • Patent number: 8971579
    Abstract: A system and method to capture an image of an oncoming target vehicle and localize the windshield of the target vehicle. Upon capturing an image, it is then analyzed to detect certain features of the target vehicle. Based on geometrical relationships of the detected features, the area of the image containing the windshield of the vehicle can then be identified and localized for downstream processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2015
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Beilei Xu, Peter Paul
  • Patent number: 8958626
    Abstract: Currency bills are transported past an image scanner to one or more output receptacles. Each of the bills is imaged to produce image data from which a visually readable image of each bill can be reproduced. The serial number, denomination, and/or secondary identifiers of a bill is attempted to be extracted and/or determined from the image data associated with the bill. The serial number of the bill has an integer number, X, of characters. One or more of the X characters of the serial number of the currency bill is not extracted with a predetermined confidence. In response to failing to extract all of the X characters of the serial number of the bill with the predetermined confidence, a serial number field in an electronic record associated with the bill is populated with a serial number snippet image. The electronic record is stored in a non-transitory memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2015
    Assignee: Cummins-Allison Corp.
    Inventors: Douglas U. Mennie, Antony D. Susai, William J. Jones, Frank M. Csulits, Matthew L. Anderson, Robert J. Klein, Ralf H. Jaeger, David R. Badalamenti, Dale E. Beutel
  • Patent number: 8948477
    Abstract: An derivation method of a nail apparatus melanoma discrimination threshold includes a first step of assuming a color image of longitudinal melanonychia as three-dimensional vectors each composed of RGB parameter values of each pixel and finding an angle between each of the three-dimensional vectors and a reference vector, a second step of finding a probability of occurrence according to a frequency distribution of the angles found in the first step, and a third step of finding, according to the probability of occurrence found in the second step, a threshold for a parameter to discriminate whether the longitudinal melanonychia is malignant or benign.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Mitaka Kohki Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takayuki Sota, Juzo Fujii, Atsushi Nakamura, Shinya Ohtsubo
  • Patent number: 8948486
    Abstract: A method to process radiological images is provided. The method comprises partitioning a radiological image of a region to be treated into a superimposition of layers, the region to be treated comprising at least one first structure and a second structure, wherein one layer solely comprises part of the first structure to be isolated from the remainder of the image, the layer solely comprising that part of the first structure to be isolated from the remainder of the image being determined by means of a parametric model of the first structure. The method further comprises determining an image of the region to be treated from the layering thus obtained, in which the isolated part of the first structure is omitted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Vincent Bismuth, Regis Vaillant
  • Patent number: 8942437
    Abstract: A method and device for using a small area-array sensor to produce a larger image of a biological object is disclosed. In a method according to the invention, the presence of a biological object is detected, and images of the biological object are collected using the area-array sensor. Pixels from at least some of the collected area-images are discarded to produce a set having modified area-images, and the area-images of the set are combined to form an extended image using an image merging algorithm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2015
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: John K. Schneider, Jack C. Kitchens
  • Patent number: 8942426
    Abstract: An automatic inspection system is provided for monitoring rail track for detecting and generating alerts for certain hazards to the operation of trains that may cause various safety concerns and even derailment. The monitoring is during normal railway service runs without interrupting the normal railway services. In one implementation, an imaging module is used on a passenger or freight train to capture video images of the rail track under the train in motion. In one implementation, the captured video images are automatically processed in a computer using a software module which is based on digital image processing techniques and algorithms to determine whether an irregularity is present on the rail track. In one implementation, video images containing detected irregularities on the rail track are transmitted to a control center for further analysis and possible alert.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2015
    Inventor: Michael Bar-Am