Patents by Inventor Alec HUGHES

Alec HUGHES has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20240041429
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for performing transcranial diagnostic procedures using a transcranial ultrasound transducer array. The array elements are positioned and oriented such that far field regions respectively associated therewith spatially overlap within the brain of a patient. The array elements may be oriented approximately normal to the skull, permitting efficient coupling of ultrasound energy into the brain. The array elements are controlled to generate ultrasound pulses, where the timing of the pulses is controlled, based on registration between the array elements and volumetric image data, such that ultrasound energy is focused at a target within spatially overlapping far fields of the array elements. The transcranial ultrasound transducer array elements may be positioned and oriented relative to the skull such that their respective ultrasound beams are focused within the skull and diverging with the brain.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 6, 2023
    Publication date: February 8, 2024
    Inventors: Kullervo HYNYNEN, Alec HUGHES, Lulu DENG, Meaghan O'REILLY
  • Patent number: 11793490
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for performing transcranial diagnostic procedures using a transcranial ultrasound transducer array. The array elements are positioned and oriented such that far field regions respectively associated therewith spatially overlap within the brain of a patient. The array elements may be oriented approximately normal to the skull, permitting efficient coupling of ultrasound energy into the brain. The array elements are controlled to generate ultrasound pulses, where the timing of the pulses is controlled, based on registration between the array elements and volumetric image data, such that ultrasound energy is focused at a target within spatially overlapping far fields of the array elements. The transcranial ultrasound transducer array elements may be positioned and oriented relative to the skull such that their respective ultrasound beams are focused within the skull and diverging with the brain.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: SUNNYBROOK RESEARCH INSTITUTE
    Inventors: Kullervo Hynynen, Alec Hughes, Lulu Deng, Meaghan O'Reilly
  • Publication number: 20220233890
    Abstract: Various example embodiments of the present disclosure provide systems and methods for the dynamic correction and reduction of thermal variations in skull-induced aberrations during a focused ultrasound therapy procedure. Unlike conventional approaches involving static corrections for skull-induced aberrations, various example embodiments of the present disclosure employ ultrasound detection and a skull thickness estimate from volumetric image data to intermittently and dynamically determine corrections for skull-induced aberrations, such that aberration correction reduction is updated intraoperatively and maintained despite local thermally-induced changes in the speed of sound of the local skull region due to intraoperative intracranial heating.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 28, 2020
    Publication date: July 28, 2022
    Inventors: KULLERVO HYNYNEN, ALEC HUGHES, LULU DENG
  • Publication number: 20210330294
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for performing transcranial diagnostic procedures using a transcranial ultrasound transducer array. The array elements are positioned and oriented such that far field regions respectively associated therewith spatially overlap within the brain of a patient. The array elements may be oriented approximately normal to the skull, permitting efficient coupling of ultrasound energy into the brain. The array elements are controlled to generate ultrasound pulses, where the timing of the pulses is controlled, based on registration between the array elements and volumetric image data, such that ultrasound energy is focused at a target within spatially overlapping far fields of the array elements. The transcranial ultrasound transducer array elements may be positioned and oriented relative to the skull such that their respective ultrasound beams are focused within the skull and diverging with the brain.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 6, 2021
    Publication date: October 28, 2021
    Inventors: Kullervo HYNYNEN, Alec HUGHES, Lulu DENG, Meaghan O'REILLY
  • Patent number: 11071522
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for performing transcranial diagnostic procedures using a transcranial ultrasound transducer array. The array elements are positioned and oriented such that far field regions respectively associated therewith spatially overlap within the brain of a patient. The array elements may be oriented approximately normal to the skull, permitting efficient coupling of ultrasound energy into the brain. The array elements are controlled to generate ultrasound pulses, where the timing of the pulses is controlled, based on registration between the array elements and volumetric image data, such that ultrasound energy is focused at a target within spatially overlapping far fields of the array elements. The transcranial ultrasound transducer array elements may be positioned and oriented relative to the skull such that their respective ultrasound beams are focused within the skull and diverging with the brain.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2021
    Assignee: SUNNYBROOK RESEARCH INSTITUTE
    Inventors: Kullervo Hynynen, Alec Hughes, Lulu Deng, Meaghan O'Reilly
  • Publication number: 20180177491
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for performing transcranial diagnostic procedures using a transcranial ultrasound transducer array. The array elements are positioned and oriented such that far field regions respectively associated therewith spatially overlap within the brain of a patient. The array elements may be oriented approximately normal to the skull, permitting efficient coupling of ultrasound energy into the brain. The array elements are controlled to generate ultrasound pulses, where the timing of the pulses is controlled, based on registration between the array elements and volumetric image data, such that ultrasound energy is focused at a target within spatially overlapping far fields of the array elements. The transcranial ultrasound transducer array elements may be positioned and oriented relative to the skull such that their respective ultrasound beams are focused within the skull and diverging with the brain.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2017
    Publication date: June 28, 2018
    Inventors: Kullervo HYNYNEN, Alec HUGHES, Lulu DENG, Meaghan O'REILLY