Patents by Inventor Carson Thomas

Carson Thomas 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).

  • Patent number: 7415146
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for using a flat panel detector to determine bone mineral density are provided. The apparatus includes a dual energy X-ray emitter, a flat panel detector for receiving X-rays sent from the X-ray emitter, and may optionally include an image corrector, adapted to emit corrected image information. The apparatus also includes a basis material decomposer that includes a calibration database, the decomposer being adapted to create a bone image and a soft tissue image. The apparatus further includes a bone mineral density calculator that is adapted to compute bone mineral density from the first image, and a display for displaying at least the computed bone mineral density. A method for using a flat panel detector to detect multiple disease states is also provided. The method includes emitting X-rays from a dual energy X-ray source through an area of a patient's body sought to be imaged and receiving X-rays with a flat panel detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2008
    Assignee: GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company, LLC
    Inventors: Christopher D. Unger, Jianguo Zhao, Gopal Avinash, Carson Thomas, Jeffrey W. Eberhard
  • Publication number: 20080031507
    Abstract: A method, system, and storage medium for computer aided processing of an image set includes employing a data source, the data source including an image set acquired from X-ray projection imaging, x-ray computed tomography, or x-ray tomosynthesis, defining a region of interest within one or more images from the image set, extracting feature measures from the region of interest, and reporting at least one of the feature measures on the region of interest. The method may be employed for identifying bone fractures, disease, obstruction, or any other medical condition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 21, 2007
    Publication date: February 7, 2008
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Renuka Uppaluri, Gopal Avinash, Carson Thomas, John Sabol, Kadri Jabri, Amber Rader
  • Publication number: 20070110212
    Abstract: The presently described technology provides a tomosynthesis imaging system that comprises an x-ray tube and an anti-scatter grid. The x-ray tube is configured to emit x-rays from a plurality of positions during movement of the x-ray tube along a long axis of a mobile patient surface. The anti-scatter grid is configured to filter out scattered x-rays and includes a grid line parallel to the long axis of the mobile patient surface. The x-rays emitted from the plurality of positions are reconstructed into at least one image of at least one plane of a patient anatomy. The described technology is useful in emergency or trauma applications where a patient may be quickly and easily moved on a mobile patient surface to a position near an x-ray detector used in combination with the x-ray tube and anti-scatter grid.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2005
    Publication date: May 17, 2007
    Inventors: Baojun Li, Renuka Uppaluri, Carson Thomas, Gerald Schulte, Gopal Avinash, Rowland Saunders, Tammy Merisotis
  • Publication number: 20050240882
    Abstract: A method and system which may be used to display a number of computer-detected regions of pathological interest using interactive CAD markers are presented. In one embodiment, a layer of uniquely identified CAD markers corresponding to computer-detected regions of pathological interest of an anatomical feature may be simultaneously displayed with an image of the anatomical feature. Each individual CAD marker may be configured to incorporate viewable classification data entered by a user and may further be configured to visually indicate the probability of cancer determined by the CAD algorithm. Each individual CAD marker and the information associated therewith may also be saved with the image such that it may be incorporated into, for example, a structured reporting system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 21, 2004
    Publication date: October 27, 2005
    Inventors: Mark Morita, Steven Fors, Khal Rai, Carson Thomas
  • Publication number: 20050163278
    Abstract: A method for detecting an anomaly includes performing a computed tomography (CT) scout scan to obtain data, and supplying the obtained data to a radiographic computer aided detection (CAD) algorithm.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 28, 2004
    Publication date: July 28, 2005
    Inventors: Stephen Metz, Carson Thomas, Gopal Avinash, Jiang Hsieh
  • Publication number: 20040078238
    Abstract: An apparatus for anonymizing medical data 10 is provided, including a first communications input 39 receiving one or more patient files 22 which include a patient identifier 46, a pair list database 44 storing a plurality of related pair identifiers54 each of which includes one of the patient identifiers 46 and an associated anonymous identifier 48, a pair list retriever 56 to search the pair list database 44 to find a first associated anonymous identifier 48 paired with a first patient identifier 44, a pair list generator 58 to create a new associated anonymous identifier 48 to pair with a new patient identifier 46 forming a new related pair identifiers 54 added to the pair list database 44, and an anonymous file generator 62 that creates one or more anonymous files 42 from the one or more patient files 22 by replacing each of the patient identifiers 46 with an associated anonymous identifier 48 from the related pair identifiers 54.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2002
    Publication date: April 22, 2004
    Inventors: Carson Thomas, Sally Lee, Renuka Uppaluri
  • Publication number: 20030194120
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for using a flat panel detector to determine bone mineral density are provided. The apparatus includes a dual energy X-ray emitter, a flat panel detector for receiving X-rays sent from the X-ray emitter, and may optionally include an image corrector, adapted to emit corrected image information. The apparatus also includes a basis material decomposer that includes a calibration database, the decomposer being adapted to create a bone image and a soft tissue image. The apparatus further includes a bone mineral density calculator that is adapted to compute bone mineral density from the first image, and a display for displaying at least the computed bone mineral density. A method for using a flat panel detector to detect multiple disease states is also provided. The method includes emitting X-rays from a dual energy X-ray source through an area of a patient's body sought to be imaged and receiving X-rays with a flat panel detector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 12, 2002
    Publication date: October 16, 2003
    Inventors: Christopher D. Unger, Jianguo Zhao, Gopal Avinash, Carson Thomas, Jeffrey W. Eberhard