Patents by Inventor Brian D. Hoffman

Brian D. Hoffman 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: 20200246105
    Abstract: A cannula can include a body with proximal and distal portions and a lumen extending through the body, the distal portion configured for insertion into a patient anatomy. An energy interface can be positioned in the proximal portion, and a light emitting device can be coupled to the energy interface and configured to emit light from the body. A system can include the cannula, a support structure, and an energy source. The support structure can include another energy interface that transfers energy to/from the energy interface. The energy source can be coupled to the cannula via the energy interfaces, where the light emitting device emits light from the body in response to energy received from the energy source via the energy interfaces. One or more cannulae can be used to illuminate the patient anatomy.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 17, 2018
    Publication date: August 6, 2020
    Inventors: Marc Levesque, Brian D. Hoffman, Theodore W. Rogers
  • Publication number: 20200188057
    Abstract: A method is provided to produce a multi-modality image of a surgical scene comprising: capture light reflected from the surgical scene; producting first image information corresponding to a first modality image; producing second image information corresponding to a second modality image; selecting a portion of the second image modality based at least in part upon anatomical structure information included within the selected portion; and producing simultaneously within a display at least a portion of the first modality image of the surgical scene and the selected portion of the second modality image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 10, 2017
    Publication date: June 18, 2020
    Inventors: Karen C. Brandao, Mahdi Azizian, Simon P. DiMaio, Brian D. Hoffman, Jonathan M. Sorger
  • Publication number: 20200188047
    Abstract: A method is provided for use with a teleoperated surgical system, the method comprising: determining patient position information during a setup for a performance of the surgical procedure within an instance of the surgical system; determining a match between the determined patient position and a patient position signature; and launching a support arm control signal within the surgical system that corresponds to the matched support arm signature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 10, 2017
    Publication date: June 18, 2020
    Inventors: Brandon D. Itkowitz, Mahdi Azizian, Brian D. Hoffman, Ian E. McDowall, Paul W. Mohr, William C. Nowlin
  • Publication number: 20200192911
    Abstract: A publishing node comprises one or more processors and a first synchronization database. The first synchronization database comprises a subscriber list of a plurality of subscribers, a plurality of first attributes and a plurality of first flags. The publishing node publishes, to a first subscriber from the plurality of subscribers, one or more of the first attributes having a respective one of the first flags set. The respective one of the first flags associates a respective one of the first attributes with the first subscriber. The publishing node also receives an error message from the first subscriber. In response to receiving the error message, the publishing node sets each of the first flags associated with the first subscriber and republishes each of the first attributes associated with each of the first flags associated with the first subscriber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 19, 2020
    Publication date: June 18, 2020
    Inventors: Brian D. Hoffman, Joshua M. Radel
  • Patent number: 10674900
    Abstract: In one embodiment of the invention, a method and system for controlling a telesurgical tool is disclosed. The method and system for controlling a telesurgical tool includes moving a monitor displaying an image of a robotic surgical tool; sensing motion of the monitor; and translating the sensed motion of the monitor into motion of the robotic surgical tool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2020
    Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc.
    Inventors: Brian D. Hoffman, William C. Nowlin
  • Publication number: 20200093357
    Abstract: An exemplary method includes an image processing system Receiving a first frame captured at a first time from light received by an endoscope, the first frame including a first visible image, the first visible image comprising a first plurality of visible color components; receiving a second frame captured at a second time different from the first time from light received from the endoscope, the second frame including a combination image, the combination image being a combination of a second visible image and a first fluorescence image; creating a second fluorescence image, the second fluorescence image comprising artifacts from the first frame and the second frame; creating a third fluorescence image based on the second fluorescence image; and generating, based on the third fluorescence image, an image including an artificial fluorescence image for display by a display system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 27, 2019
    Publication date: March 26, 2020
    Inventors: David D. Scott, Wenyi Zhao, Brian D. Hoffman, John D. Stern, Tao Zhao
  • Publication number: 20200085520
    Abstract: An operator telerobotically controls tools to perform a procedure on an object at a work site while viewing real-time images of the object, tools and work site on a display. Tool information is provided by filtering a part of the real-time images for enhancement or degradation to indicate a state of a tool and displaying the filtered images on the display.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 20, 2019
    Publication date: March 19, 2020
    Inventors: Simon P. DiMaio, Brian D. Hoffman, Brandon D. Itkowitz, Paul W. Mohr, David W. Robinson, Tao Zhao, Wenyi Zhao
  • Patent number: 10592529
    Abstract: A robotic system is provided. The robotic system includes a publishing node including at least one first synchronization database that includes a plurality of attributes, each of the attributes including a tag identifying the attribute and data, a flag associated with each of the attributes, and a subscriber list. The system also includes a subscriber node including at least one second synchronization database. The publishing node is configured to set the flag associated with the attributes when the attributes are written in the at least one first synchronization database or when the data included in the attributes are modified and publish the flagged attributes to the subscriber node.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2020
    Assignee: INTUITIVE SURGICAL OPERATIONS, INC.
    Inventors: Brian D. Hoffman, Joshua Radel
  • Publication number: 20200077870
    Abstract: A system may control an illuminator to illuminate a surgical site with non-white light and control a camera to capture light reflected from the surgical site. The camera may separate the captured light into a plurality of color components. The plurality of color components may be captured by the camera as a plurality of sets of pixels of a frame in a video stream, and each set of the plurality of sets of pixels may be in a different color channel of the camera. The system may further control, based on color component characteristics of the light captured by the camera, the illuminator to configure the non-white light such that each color channel of the camera has an about equal response to the light captured by the camera for a subsequently captured frame in the video stream.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2019
    Publication date: March 12, 2020
    Inventors: Jeffrey DiCarlo, Stephen J. Blumenkranz, Brian D. Hoffman, Geoff Richmond, Tao Zhao
  • Publication number: 20200078108
    Abstract: A system includes a controller communicatively coupled to an illuminator and to a camera configured to capture a scene including tissue. The controller may change the output optical power of the illuminator from a first output optical power to a second output optical power so that a subsequently captured frame is captured by the camera from reflected light, the reflected light being light from the illuminator having the second output optical power prior to being reflected. The controller may determine that an endoscope contacted the tissue if the change of the output optical power of the illuminator results in a change of a reflected luminance that is less than a predetermined threshold, the change of the reflected luminance being a change from a first reflected luminance for the first output optical power to a second reflected luminance for the second output optical power.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 18, 2019
    Publication date: March 12, 2020
    Applicant: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc.
    Inventors: Geoff Richmond, Brian D. Hoffman, Jeffrey M. DiCarlo
  • Patent number: 10524644
    Abstract: An endoscope with an optical channel is held and positioned by a robotic surgical system. A capture unit captures (1) a visible first image at a first time and (2) a visible second image combined with a fluorescence image at a second time. An image processing system receives (1) the visible first image and (2) the visible second image combined with the fluorescence image and generates at least one fluorescence image. A display system outputs an output image including an artificial fluorescence image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2020
    Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc.
    Inventors: David D. Scott, Wenyi Zhao, Brian D. Hoffman, John D. Stern, Tao Zhao
  • Publication number: 20200007856
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a digital zoom and panning system for digital video is disclosed including an image acquisition device to capture digital video images; an image buffer to store one or more frames of digital video images as source pixels; a display device having first pixels to display images; a user interface to accept user input including a source rectangle to select source pixels within frames of the digital video images, a destination rectangle to select target pixels within the display device to display images, and a region of interest within the digital video images to display in the destination rectangle; and a digital mapping and filtering device to selectively map and filter source pixels in the region of interest from the image buffer into target pixels of the display device in response to the user input.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 12, 2019
    Publication date: January 2, 2020
    Inventors: Brian D. Hoffman, Christopher J. Hasser, William C. Nowlin
  • Patent number: 10512512
    Abstract: Scenes captured with an endoscope (201) of a teleoperated surgical system (200) and displayed on a display unit (251) maintain a consistent brightness even though optical output power of an illuminator (210) changes, and working distance (204) between tissue (203) and the distal tip of the endoscope changes. Teleoperated surgical system (200) also automatically detects when endoscope (201) contacts tissue (203) and adjusts the output optical power of illuminator (210) so that tissue damage does not occur.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2019
    Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc.
    Inventors: Geoff Richmond, Brian D. Hoffman, Jeffrey M. DiCarlo
  • Patent number: 10506914
    Abstract: Non-white light from an endoscope (201) of a teleoperated surgical system (200) is used to illuminate a surgical site (203). A camera (220L) captures an image of the surgical site, and the image is displayed on a monitor (251). The non-white light illumination minimizes noise in the images of the surgical site presented on the monitor relative to images captured using white light illumination and displayed on the monitor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2019
    Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey DiCarlo, Tao Zhao, Stephen J. Blumenkranz, Brian D. Hoffman, Geoff Richmond
  • Patent number: 10507066
    Abstract: An operator telerobotically controls tools to perform a procedure on an object at a work site while viewing real-time images of the object, tools and work site on a display. Tool information is provided by filtering a part of the real-time images for enhancement or degradation to indicate a state of a tool and displaying the filtered images on the display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2019
    Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc.
    Inventors: Simon P. DiMaio, Brian D. Hoffman, Brandon D. Itkowitz, Paul W. Mohr, David W. Robinson, Tao Zhao, Wenyi Zhao
  • Patent number: 10432921
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a digital zoom and panning system for digital video is disclosed including an image acquisition device to capture digital video images; an image buffer to store one or more frames of digital video images as source pixels; a display device having first pixels to display images; a user interface to accept user input including a source rectangle to select source pixels within frames of the digital video images, a destination rectangle to select target pixels within the display device to display images, and a region of interest within the digital video images to display in the destination rectangle; and a digital mapping and filtering device to selectively map and filter source pixels in the region of interest from the image buffer into target pixels of the display device in response to the user input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2019
    Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc.
    Inventors: Brian D. Hoffman, Christopher J. Hasser, William C. Nowlin
  • Publication number: 20190282312
    Abstract: A teleoperated surgical system is provided comprising: a first robotic surgical instrument; an image capture; a user display; a user input command device coupled to receive user input commands to control movement of the first robotic surgical instrument; and a movement controller coupled to scale a rate of movement of the first robotic surgical instrument, based at least in part upon a surgical skill level at using the first robotic surgical instrument of the user providing the received user input commands, from a rate of movement indicated by the user input commands received at the user input command device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 10, 2017
    Publication date: September 19, 2019
    Inventors: William C. Nowlin, Mahdi Azizian, Simon P. DiMaio, Brian D. Hoffman, Anthony M. Jarc, Henry C. Lin, May Quo-Mei Liu, Ian E. McDowall, Brent Tokarchuk
  • Publication number: 20190282311
    Abstract: A method is provided for intra-surgical use of a surgical patient health record in a teleoperated surgical system that includes a surgical instrument and a surgical instrument actuator, comprising: receiving user input commands to control movement of a robotic surgical instrument; tracking robotic surgical instrument actuator state in response to the user input commands; and transitioning robotic surgical instrument actuator state to a safety mode in response to the robotic surgical instrument transitioning to a prescribed actuator state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 10, 2017
    Publication date: September 19, 2019
    Inventors: William C. Nowlin, Mahdi Azizian, Simon P. DiMaio, Brian D. Hoffman, Paul W. Mohr
  • Publication number: 20190247131
    Abstract: Methods and system perform tool tracking during minimally invasive robotic surgery. Tool states are determined using triangulation techniques or a Bayesian filter from either or both non-endoscopically derived and endoscopically derived tool state information, or from either or both non-visually derived and visually derived tool state information. The non-endoscopically derived tool state information is derived from sensor data provided either by sensors associated with a mechanism for manipulating the tool, or sensors capable of detecting identifiable signals emanating or reflecting from the tool and indicative of its position, or external cameras viewing an end of the tool extending out of the body. The endoscopically derived tool state information is derived from image data provided by an endoscope inserted in the body so as to view the tool.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 26, 2019
    Publication date: August 15, 2019
    Inventors: Brian D. Hoffman, David Q. Larkin, Giuseppe Maria Prisco, Guanghua G. Zhang, Rajesh Kumar
  • Publication number: 20190231459
    Abstract: A system comprises a teleoperational assembly including an operator control system and a first teleoperational manipulator configured for operation by an operator control device of the operator control system. The first teleoperational manipulator is configured to control the operation of a first medical instrument in a surgical environment. The system also comprises a processing unit including one or more processors. The processing unit is configured to display an image of a field of view of the surgical environment and display a menu proximate to an image of the first medical instrument in the image of the field of view. The menu includes at least one icon representing a function for the first medical instrument.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 25, 2017
    Publication date: August 1, 2019
    Inventors: Tabish Mustufa, Heath Feather, Daniel H. Gomez, Brian D. Hoffman, Paul W. Mohr, Huan L. Phan