Patents by Inventor David A. Simon
David A. Simon 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).
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Publication number: 20120255497Abstract: A litter box includes a tray having a bottom wall and side walls extending upward from the bottom wall. At least one of the side walls has an upper portion that is moveable from a retracted position to an upright position. A plurality of bags are in the tray, each containing a layer of litter. The layers of litter are separated from one another by the bags. In another embodiment, the plurality of bags of litter are provided in an outer bag that can be placed into a tray. In use, upper portions of each bag are lifted over the side walls to expose the litter in that bag. After use, the entire layer of litter can be removed by removing the associated bag. The next layer of litter is then exposed for use.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 6, 2012Publication date: October 11, 2012Inventor: David A. Simon
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Patent number: 8176816Abstract: A wrench includes a wrench head mounted on an end of a handle. A handle of the wrench includes a fixed portion and a rotatable portion. Rotation of the rotatable portion of the handle causes movement of at least one contact surface of the wrench head. In one embodiment, rotation of the rotatable portion provides adjustment or movement of one of the jaws of the wrench head relative to another jaw of the wrench head. In another embodiment, rotation of the rotatable portion provides rotation of the wrench head. The rotatable portion of the handle is slidably mounted within the fixed portion of the handle, such that rotatable portion can be selectively extended to provide additional leverage on the wrench.Type: GrantFiled: June 7, 2006Date of Patent: May 15, 2012Inventor: David A. Simon
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Patent number: 8112292Abstract: A method and apparatus to perform a procedure that can include a processor assisted surgical procedure. During the procedure patient space and image space can be registered to allow for tracking of various tracking sensors. An instrument can be placed relative to patient space based upon a plan.Type: GrantFiled: April 21, 2006Date of Patent: February 7, 2012Assignee: Medtronic Navigation, Inc.Inventor: David A. Simon
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Publication number: 20110268248Abstract: Digital x-ray images taken before a surgical procedure by a fluoroscopic C-arm imager are displayed by a computer and overlaid with graphical representations of instruments being used in the operating room. The graphical representations are updated in real-time to correspond to movement of the instruments in the operating room. A number of different techniques are described that aid the physician in planning and carrying out the surgical procedure.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 18, 2011Publication date: November 3, 2011Applicant: Medtronic Navigation, Inc.Inventors: David A. Simon, Kurt R. Smith, Kevin T. Foley
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Publication number: 20110261180Abstract: A system for performing a medical procedure on a patient is provided. The system can include an imaging head defining a field of view relative to the patient. The imaging head can include at least one transmitter that emits at least one signal in the field of view, and at least one receiver that receives at least one reflected signal from the field of view. The at least one reflected signal received can be based on at least one electrical property of at least one material in the field of view. The system can further include a workstation, which can determine, based on the at least one reflected signal received by the at least one receiver, a location of at least one boundary of the material within the field of view. The system can include a display that displays an image of the location of the at least one boundary.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 26, 2010Publication date: October 27, 2011Applicant: Medtronic Navigation, Inc.Inventors: David A. Simon, Andrew Bzostek, Steven L. Hartmann, Brandon Merkl
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Patent number: 7996064Abstract: Images taken before a surgical procedure by an imager are displayed by a computer and overlaid with graphical representations of instruments and/or surgical implants. The graphical representations can be used to determined appropriate sizes of the surgical implants and trajectories for placement. Also, the images can be used in the operating room. The graphical representations can be updated in real-time to correspond to movement of the instruments in the operating room.Type: GrantFiled: October 19, 2009Date of Patent: August 9, 2011Assignee: Medtronic Navigation, Inc.Inventors: David A. Simon, Kurt R. Smith, Kevin T. Foley
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Publication number: 20110071389Abstract: A patient defines a patient space in which an instrument can be tracked and navigated. An image space is defined by image data that can be registered to the patient space. A tracking device can be connected to a member in a known manner that includes imageable portions that generate image points in the image data. Selected image slices or portions can be used to register reconstructed image data to the patient space.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 22, 2010Publication date: March 24, 2011Applicant: Medtronic Navigation, Inc.Inventors: David A. Simon, Steven L. Hartmann
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Patent number: 7853305Abstract: A method and apparatus for determining, calculating, and/or viewing a trajectory. The trajectory can be displayed on a display relative to image data of a patient. A user can use the system to determine relationships between two or more trajectories that have been determined. The relationships can be within two dimensional, three-dimensional, or four dimensional space. The relationships can include distance, angle, etc. The relationships can also be determined between real time trajectories and stored trajectories, or combinations thereof.Type: GrantFiled: May 13, 2005Date of Patent: December 14, 2010Assignee: Medtronic Navigation, Inc.Inventors: David A Simon, Kevin T Foley, Thomas A Carls, Anthony J Melkent
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Publication number: 20100291521Abstract: A method to determine the location of an instrument within a patient can be based upon the measuring of a characteristic within the patient and matching the currently measured characteristic with a previously measured characteristic. If the measurements of a characteristic matches in an appropriate or selected manner then a location match can be determined. The characteristic can be any appropriate characteristic and measured in any appropriate way.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 13, 2009Publication date: November 18, 2010Applicant: MEDTRONIC NAVIGATION, INCInventor: David A. Simon
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Publication number: 20100041985Abstract: Digital x-ray images taken before a surgical procedure by a fluoroscopic C-arm imager are displayed by a computer and overlaid with graphical representations of instruments being used in the operating room. The graphical representations are updated in real-time to correspond to movement of the instruments in the operating room. A number of different techniques are described that aid the physician in planning and carrying out the surgical procedure.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 19, 2009Publication date: February 18, 2010Applicant: Surgical Navigation Technologies, Inc.Inventors: David A. Simon, Kurt R. Smith, Kevin T. Foley
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Patent number: 7630753Abstract: A surgical instrument navigation system is disclosed that allows a surgeon to invert the three-dimensional perspective of the instrument to match their perspective of the actual instrument. A data processor is operable to generate a three-dimensional representation of a surgical instrument as it would visually appear from either of at least two different perspectives and to overlay the representation of the surgical instrument onto an image data of the patient. The image data and the representations can be displayed on a display.Type: GrantFiled: July 25, 2005Date of Patent: December 8, 2009Assignee: Medtronic Navigation, Inc.Inventors: David A Simon, Greg Rutz, Monish Rajpal, Gordon Goodchild, Michael Haas
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Publication number: 20090262111Abstract: A surgical instrument navigation system is disclosed that allows a surgeon to invert the three-dimensional perspective of the instrument to match their perspective of the actual instrument. A data processor is operable to generate a three-dimensional representation of a surgical instrument as it would visually appear from either of at least two different perspectives and to overlay the representation of the surgical instrument onto an image data of the patient. The image data and the representations can be displayed on a display.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 29, 2009Publication date: October 22, 2009Applicant: Surgical Navigation Technologies, Inc.Inventors: David A. Simon, Greg Rutz, Monish Rajpal, Gordon Goodchild, Micheal Haas
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Patent number: 7606613Abstract: Digital x-ray images taken before a surgical procedure by a fluoroscopic C-arm imager are displayed by a computer and overlaid with graphical representations of instruments being used in the operating room. The graphical representations are updated in real-time to correspond to movement of the instruments in the operating room. A number of different techniques are described that aid the physician in planning and carrying out the surgical procedure.Type: GrantFiled: September 5, 2002Date of Patent: October 20, 2009Assignee: Medtronic Navigation, Inc.Inventors: David A Simon, Kurt R Smith, Kevin T Foley
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Publication number: 20090232374Abstract: A system and method can increase confidence or other factors of a tract identified in a selected image data. The system can use various confidence determining factors to identify confidence in the identified tract. The identified tract can be used for various purposes, such as diagnosis or treatment.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 12, 2008Publication date: September 17, 2009Applicant: Medtronic Navigation, Inc.Inventor: David A. Simon
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Patent number: 7059221Abstract: A wrench includes a wrench head mounted on an end of a handle. A handle of the wrench includes a fixed portion and a rotatable portion. Rotation of the rotatable portion of the handle causes movement of at least one contact surface of the wrench head. In one embodiment, rotation of the rotatable portion provides adjustment or movement of one of the jaws of the wrench head relative to another jaw of the wrench head. In another embodiment, rotation of the rotatable portion provides rotation of the wrench head. The rotatable portion of the handle is slidably mounted within the fixed portion of the handle, such that rotatable portion can be selectively extended to provide additional leverage on the wrench.Type: GrantFiled: May 9, 2003Date of Patent: June 13, 2006Inventor: David A. Simon
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Patent number: 6990368Abstract: A medical imaging system is provided that detects any change in relative position between the patient and the imaging device and corrects the image data for any motion that occurs. The medical imaging system includes: an imaging device for capturing two or more image data sets representative of a patient; a tracking subsystem for capturing patient position data that is indicative of the position of the patient and device position data that is indicative of the position of the imaging device; an image subtraction subsystem for performing a digital subtraction operation between at least two image data sets; and a motion correction subsystem configured to detect a change in the relative position between the patient and the imaging device and, upon detecting a change in the relative position, compensate in at least one of the first image data set and the second image data set for the change in relative position prior to performing the digital subtraction operation.Type: GrantFiled: April 4, 2002Date of Patent: January 24, 2006Assignee: Surgical Navigation Technologies, Inc.Inventors: David A. Simon, Kevin Foley, Mark Hunter
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Publication number: 20050273004Abstract: A surgical instrument navigation system is disclosed that allows a surgeon to invert the three-dimensional perspective of the instrument to match their perspective of the actual instrument. A data processor is operable to generate a three-dimensional representation of a surgical instrument as it would visually appear from either of at least two different perspectives and to overlay the representation of the surgical instrument onto an image data of the patient. The image data and the representations can be displayed on a display.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 25, 2005Publication date: December 8, 2005Inventors: David A. Simon, Greg Rutz, Monish Rajpal, Gordon Goodchild, Michael Haas
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Patent number: 6947786Abstract: A surgical instrument navigation system is provided that allows a surgeon to invert the three-dimensional perspective of the instrument to match their perspective of the actual instrument. The surgical instrument navigation system includes: a surgical instrument; an imaging device that is operable to capture image data representative of a patient; a tracking subsystem that is operable to capture in real-time position data indicative of the position of the surgical instrument; and a data processor adapted to receive the image data from the imaging device and the position data from the tracking subsystem. The data processor is operable to generate a three-dimensional representation of the surgical instrument as it would visually appear from either of at least two different perspectives and to overlay the representation of the surgical instrument onto the image data of the patient.Type: GrantFiled: February 28, 2002Date of Patent: September 20, 2005Assignee: Surgical Navigation Technologies, Inc.Inventors: David A. Simon, Greg Rutz, Monish Rajpal, Gordon Goodchild, Michael Haas
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Publication number: 20040221690Abstract: A wrench includes a wrench head mounted on an end of a handle. A handle of the wrench includes a fixed portion and a rotatable portion. Rotation of the rotatable portion of the handle causes movement of at least one contact surface of the wrench head. In one embodiment, rotation of the rotatable portion provides adjustment or movement of one of the jaws of the wrench head relative to another jaw of the wrench head. In another embodiment, rotation of the rotatable portion provides rotation of the wrench head. The rotatable portion of the handle is slidably mounted within the fixed portion of the handle, such that rotatable portion can be selectively extended to provide additional leverage on the wrench.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 9, 2003Publication date: November 11, 2004Inventor: David A. Simon
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Publication number: 20040168489Abstract: A motor vehicle anti-theft device adapted to disable the brake pedal of the vehicle. In a first embodiment the device includes an outer housing and an inner shaft member mounted within the housing for relative rotary and telescopic movement. A first clamp structure is journaled on the shaft and a second clamp structure is threaded on the shaft so that as the shaft is rotated in the housing the clamp members are moved toward and away from each other into an out of locking engagement with the brake pedal. The inner shaft and outer housing are slid telescopically relative to each other to firmly engage the fire wall of the vehicle with the clamp members clamped about the brake pedal and a lock structure is provided to preclude relative rotary and relative longitudinal movement of the housing and the shaft.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 26, 2004Publication date: September 2, 2004Inventors: David A. Simon, Michael T. Laba