Patents by Inventor Clark R. Baker

Clark R. Baker 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: 20090320836
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to a system and method for automated medical treatment. Specifically, the disclosure is directed to a first controller capable of monitoring a physiological parameter of a patient and supplying the patient with a delivery parameter based at least in part on the physiological parameter to control the physiological parameter. Further, present embodiments include a second controller capable of determining a therapeutic procedure to be performed on the patient based at least in part on analysis of the delivery parameter, and automatically initiating an alert indicative of the therapeutic procedure and/or automatically performing the therapeutic procedure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2008
    Publication date: December 31, 2009
    Inventor: Clark R. Baker, JR.
  • Publication number: 20090287070
    Abstract: A neural network is used to combine one or more estimates of a physiologic parameter with one or more associated signal quality metrics, creating a more accurate estimate of said physiologic parameter, as well as a second estimate of the accuracy of said physiologic parameter estimate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 15, 2009
    Publication date: November 19, 2009
    Applicant: Nellcor Puritan Bennett LLC
    Inventor: Clark R. Baker, JR.
  • Publication number: 20090253971
    Abstract: Adjusting a pulse qualification criterion includes receiving a signal representing a plurality of pulses, where the signal is generated in response to detecting light scattered from blood perfused tissue. A characteristic is determined. A pulse qualification criterion used for qualifying a pulse is adjusted in accordance with the characteristic. The pulses are evaluated according to the pulse qualification criterion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 12, 2009
    Publication date: October 8, 2009
    Applicant: Nellcor Puritan Bennett LLC
    Inventor: Clark R. Baker, JR.
  • Publication number: 20090241957
    Abstract: The disclosure provides a method for controlling the delivery of a breathing gas to a patient including automatic lung recruitment maneuvers. The method may include regulating the FiO2 and the PEEP of the breathing gas delivered to the patient, determining a blood oxygenation level of the patient, automatically adjusting the FiO2 of the breathing gas delivered to the patient based on at least the blood oxygenation level of the patient, and in response to determining that the FiO2 of the breathing gas delivered to the patient exceeds a pre-determined value: automatically initiating a lung recruitment maneuver; and automatically increasing the PEEP of the breathing gas delivered to the patient.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2009
    Publication date: October 1, 2009
    Applicant: Nellcor Puritan Bennett LLC
    Inventor: Clark R. Baker, JR.
  • Publication number: 20090247848
    Abstract: Embodiments disclosed herein may describe systems and methods for reducing nuisance alarms using probability and/or accuracy of a measured physiological parameter, such as the pulse rate or SpO2 measurement generated by a pulse oximeter. Embodiments may include methods for adjusting a predetermined alarm threshold based on the probability distribution of the estimated pulse rate and/or oxygen saturation of a patient's blood.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 6, 2009
    Publication date: October 1, 2009
    Applicant: Nellcor Puritan Bennett LLC
    Inventor: Clark R. Baker, JR.
  • Publication number: 20090241958
    Abstract: The disclosure provides a method for controlling the delivery of a breathing gas to a patient. The method may include regulating the delivery of the breathing gas delivered to the patient, determining a value for a first ventilation parameter, comparing the determined value of the first ventilation parameter to a pre-determined target value for the first ventilation parameter, automatically adjusting the breathing gas delivered to the patient in response to the comparison between the determined value of the first ventilation parameter and the pre-determined target value for the first ventilation parameter, and automatically determining a new target value for the first ventilation parameter based at least in part on the determined value of the first ventilation parameter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2009
    Publication date: October 1, 2009
    Applicant: Nellcor Puritan Bennett LLC
    Inventor: Clark R. Baker, JR.
  • Publication number: 20090241956
    Abstract: The disclosure provides a method for controlling the delivery of a breathing gas to a patient. The method may include regulating the fractional inspired oxygen (FiO2) of the breathing gas delivered to the patient, determining a blood oxygenation level of the patient, determining a ventilation parameter, and automatically adjusting the FiO2 of the breathing gas delivered to the patient based on the determined blood oxygenation level and the determined ventilation parameter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 20, 2009
    Publication date: October 1, 2009
    Applicant: Nellcor Puritan Bennett LLC
    Inventors: Clark R. Baker, Jr., Joseph Douglas Vandine, Edward F. Karst
  • Publication number: 20090240126
    Abstract: Embodiments disclosed herein may include systems and methods for determining a patient's respiratory effort and blood oxygen saturation based on data acquired from a pulse oximetry sensor and analyzing the parameters in conjunction with each other. For example, the respiratory effort may be determined based on a photo-plethysmographic waveform generated from light attenuation detected by the sensor, and the blood oxygen saturation may be a pulse-based estimate of arterial blood oxygen saturation determined from the detected attenuation. Analysis of the parameters may enable detection and classification of apnea (e.g., obstructive or central) or another underlying cause for respiratory instability. Furthermore, the measured respiratory effort may be compared to respiratory effort supplied by a ventilator to ensure proper sensor placement before enabling automatic adjustment of ventilator settings.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2009
    Publication date: September 24, 2009
    Applicant: Nellcor Puritan Bennett LLC
    Inventors: Clark R. Baker, JR., Michael O'Neil, Shannon Campbell, Gilbert Hausmann
  • Publication number: 20090221889
    Abstract: A pulse oximeter which determines multiple heart rates, and selects between them based on the metrics of only one of the heart rate calculations. A primary heart rate calculation method is selected, and is used unless its metrics indicate questionable accuracy, in which case an alternative rate calculation is available and is used instead.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 7, 2009
    Publication date: September 3, 2009
    Applicant: Nellcor Puritan Bennett LLC
    Inventor: Clark R. Baker, JR.
  • Publication number: 20090171167
    Abstract: Embodiments disclosed herein may include a method and system for determining patient-specific alarm thresholds for monitoring the patient's physiological parameters. For example, in an embodiment, the patient's age, weight, height, diagnosis, medications and/or other factors may affect his or her normal heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, and/or other physiological parameters. Accordingly, in an embodiment, information specific to or generally applicable to the patient may be supplied to a monitoring system to enable determination of the appropriate maximum and minimum thresholds. In an embodiment, if the patient exceeds one of the personalized thresholds, the monitoring system may alert a caregiver that there is a problem.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2008
    Publication date: July 2, 2009
    Applicant: Nellcor Puritan Bennett LLC
    Inventor: Clark R. Baker, JR.
  • Publication number: 20090171173
    Abstract: Embodiments disclosed herein may include a patient sensor which has a low-friction exterior coating. In an embodiment, the exterior surface of the sensor may come into contact with external items, such as, for example, bed linens, clothing, unintended parts of the patient's body, or other people. The low-friction coating disposed on the exterior of the sensor may include a material having a relatively low coefficient of friction with respect to these external items. In an embodiment, the low-friction material may include, for example, a fluoropolymer, a polypropylene, or a polyethylene. Additionally, in an embodiment, an internal surface of the sensor that is in contact with the patient may have a relatively high-friction coating, such as an adhesive. In an embodiment, a stack of adhesive layers may be disposed on the internal surface around one or more light emitting and/or detecting optics.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2008
    Publication date: July 2, 2009
    Applicant: Nellcor Puritan Bennett LLC
    Inventors: Clark R. Baker, JR., Carine Hoarau
  • Publication number: 20090163783
    Abstract: Embodiments disclosed may include a sensor which may be adapted to provide information related to its position on a patient's tissue. A sensor may be provided with tissue contact sensors which may relay a signal related to the sensor's proper placement adjacent a patient's tissue. Such a sensor may be useful for providing information to a clinician about the status of a sensor, such as if a sensor may be located more closely to the tissue in order to provide improved measurements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2007
    Publication date: June 25, 2009
    Inventors: Paul D. Mannheimer, Bruce R. Bowman, Lee M. Middleman, Clark R. Baker, JR.
  • Publication number: 20090163787
    Abstract: In an embodiment, a sensor may be adapted to provide information related to its position on a patient's tissue. postioned adjacenta sensor may be provided with tissue contact sensors which may relay a signal related to the proper placement of the sensor relative to the tissue of a patient. Such a sensor may be useful for providing information to a clinician regarding the location of the sensor in relation to the skin of apatient in order to provide improved measurements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2007
    Publication date: June 25, 2009
    Inventors: Paul D. Mannheimer, BRUCE R BOWMAN, LEE M MIDDLEMAN, Clark R. Baker, JR.
  • Patent number: 7534212
    Abstract: A pulse oximeter which determines multiple heart rates, and selects between them based on the metrics of only one of the heart rate calculations. A primary heart rate calculation method is selected, and is used unless its metrics indicate questionable accuracy, in which case an alternative rate calculation is available and is used instead.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2009
    Assignee: Nellcor Puritan Bennett LLC
    Inventor: Clark R. Baker, Jr.
  • Publication number: 20090082651
    Abstract: A method and a system for ensemble averaging signals in a pulse oximeter, including receiving first and second electromagnetic radiation signals from a blood perfused tissue portion corresponding to two different wavelengths of light, obtaining an assessment of the signal quality of the electromagnetic signals, selecting weights for an ensemble averager using the assessment of signal quality, and ensemble averaging the electromagnetic signals using the ensemble averager.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2008
    Publication date: March 26, 2009
    Applicants: Nellcor Puritan Bennett LLC, Nellcor Puritan Bennett Incorporated
    Inventor: Clark R. Baker, JR.
  • Patent number: 7474907
    Abstract: A method and a system for ensemble averaging signals in a pulse oximeter, including receiving first and second electromagnetic radiation signals from a blood perfused tissue portion corresponding to two different wavelengths of light, obtaining an assessment of the signal quality of the electromagnetic signals, selecting weights for an ensemble averager using the assessment of signal quality, and ensemble averaging the electromagnetic signals using the ensemble averager.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2009
    Assignee: Nellcor Puritan Bennett Inc.
    Inventor: Clark R. Baker, Jr.
  • Publication number: 20080255436
    Abstract: A method for determining a physiological parameter in the presence of correlated artifact, including obtaining two digital waveforms, x and y, the waveforms being representative of the absorption of two wavelengths of electromagnetic energy received from a blood-perfused tissue, and where each of the waveforms has a component corresponding to a plethysmographic waveform and a component corresponding to the correlated artifact; calculating several weighted difference waveforms of the form x?R*y, where R is a multiplier, by varying R over a range; evaluating the several weighted difference waveforms using a shape characteristic of the weighted difference waveform; identifying a weighted difference waveform most closely representative of and one most different from the plethysmographic waveform; determining a pleth-based physiological parameter using the waveform most closely representative of the plethysmographic waveform; determining at least one artifact-based physiological parameter using the waveform most d
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 20, 2008
    Publication date: October 16, 2008
    Applicant: Nellcor Puritain Bennett Incorporated
    Inventor: Clark R. Baker
  • Publication number: 20080221406
    Abstract: A system and method are provided for a water reserve index. The method includes determining a lean water fraction of tissue for at least one tissue site and determining skin thickness for the at least one tissue site. The lean water fraction and skin thickness are combined to produce a water reserve estimate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 9, 2007
    Publication date: September 11, 2008
    Inventor: Clark R. Baker
  • Publication number: 20080220512
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a tunable laser-based spectroscopy system for accurately and non-invasively measuring body water content. The body water content is one of the important health indicators, by which one can quantitatively monitor the hydration level of body and determine if it is necessary to supplement or reduce the body water. The disclosed systems, devices, and/or methods may improve wavelength accuracy, wavelength resolution, optical spectral power density, signal-to-noise ration, and available implementation options for the spectroscopy system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 9, 2007
    Publication date: September 11, 2008
    Applicant: Nellcor Puritan Bennett LLC
    Inventors: Seungug Koh, Martin Debreczeny, Clark R. Baker
  • Publication number: 20080221426
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus are described for sensing misplacement of an optical sensor on a patient. A wavelength of light which is particularly subject to absorption by a physiological characteristic of interest is used to compare to a reference to determine if the sensor placement is appropriate, such as to generate accurate readings. In one example, the intensity of a wavelength of light which is subject to absorption by bulk tissue, but less subject to absorption by oxygen in the blood will be detected to evaluate the placement of the sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 9, 2007
    Publication date: September 11, 2008
    Applicant: Nellcor Puritan Bennett LLC
    Inventors: Clark R. Baker, Brian Earp