Patents by Inventor Dean SWEENEY

Dean SWEENEY 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: 12017072
    Abstract: A gait management apparatus applies stimulation to a user suffering from a neurological disease (such as Parkinson's Disease) gait dysfunction. Motion sensors are arranged to be worn by a patient, and electrical stimulation electrodes are on the legs for stimulation. A controller receives motion sensing signals, and processes these signals to generate stimulation signals for operation of the electrodes to stimulate limb movement upon detection of a gait abnormality. There may be a user actuator for user actuation of electrical stimulation, and the inputs may be a series of taps. The controller may provide signals to prevent occurrence of freezing of gait when it senses that a patient is walking or has an intention to walk. Also, it may apply stimulation at an intensity level which is insufficient for functional muscle stimulation but sufficiently high to trigger activation of efferent nerves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2023
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2024
    Assignee: National University of Ireland, Galway
    Inventors: Gearóid Ó Laighin, Leo Quinlan, Dean Sweeney, Gavin Corley, James Feehilly, Patrick Browne
  • Publication number: 20230264022
    Abstract: A gait management apparatus applies stimulation to a user suffering from a neurological disease (such as Parkinson's Disease) gait dysfunction. Motion sensors are arranged to be worn by a patient, and electrical stimulation electrodes are on the legs for stimulation. A controller receives motion sensing signals, and processes these signals to generate stimulation signals for operation of the electrodes to stimulate limb movement upon detection of a gait abnormality. There may be a user actuator for user actuation of electrical stimulation, and the inputs may be a series of taps. The controller may provide signals to prevent occurrence of freezing of gait when it senses that a patient is walking or has an intention to walk. Also, it may apply stimulation at an intensity level which is insufficient for functional muscle stimulation but sufficiently high to trigger activation of efferent nerves.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2023
    Publication date: August 24, 2023
    Applicant: NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF IRELAND, GALWAY
    Inventors: Gearóid Ó LAIGHIN, Leo QUINLAN, Dean SWEENEY, Gavin CORLEY, James FEEHILLY, Patrick BROWNE
  • Patent number: 11672984
    Abstract: A gait management apparatus applies stimulation to a user suffering from a neurological disease (such as Parkinson's Disease) gait dysfunction. Motion sensors are arranged to be worn by a patient, and electrical stimulation electrodes are on the legs for stimulation. A controller receives motion sensing signals, and processes these signals to generate stimulation signals for operation of the electrodes to stimulate limb movement upon detection of a gait abnormality. There may be a user actuator for user actuation of electrical stimulation, and the inputs may be a series of taps. The controller may provide signals to prevent occurrence of freezing of gait when it senses that a patient is walking or has an intention to walk. Also, it may apply stimulation at an intensity level which is insufficient for functional muscle stimulation but sufficiently high to trigger activation of efferent nerves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: National University of Ireland, Galway
    Inventors: Gearóid Ó Laighin, Leo Quinlan, Dean Sweeney, Gavin Corley, James Feehilly, Patrick Browne
  • Publication number: 20220118256
    Abstract: A gait management apparatus applies stimulation to a user suffering from a neurological disease (such as Parkinson's Disease) gait dysfunction. Motion sensors are arranged to be worn by a patient, and electrical stimulation electrodes are on the legs for stimulation. A controller receives motion sensing signals, and processes these signals to generate stimulation signals for operation of the electrodes to stimulate limb movement upon detection of a gait abnormality. There may be a user actuator for user actuation of electrical stimulation, and the inputs may be a series of taps. The controller may provide signals to prevent occurrence of freezing of gait when it senses that a patient is walking or has an intention to walk. Also, it may apply stimulation at an intensity level which is insufficient for functional muscle stimulation but sufficiently high to trigger activation of efferent nerves.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 26, 2021
    Publication date: April 21, 2022
    Applicant: NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF IRELAND, GALWAY
    Inventors: Gearóid Ó LAIGHIN, Leo QUINLAN, Dean SWEENEY, Gavin CORLEY, James FEEHILLY, Patrick BROWNE
  • Publication number: 20200353254
    Abstract: A gait management apparatus applies stimulation to a user suffering from a neurological disease (such as Parkinson's Disease) gait dysfunction. Motion sensors are arranged to be worn by a patient, and electrical stimulation electrodes are on the legs for stimulation. A controller receives motion sensing signals, and processes these signals to generate stimulation signals for operation of the electrodes to stimulate limb movement upon detection of a gait abnormality. There may be a user actuator for user actuation of electrical stimulation, and the inputs may be a series of taps. The controller may provide signals to prevent occurrence of freezing of gait when it senses that a patient is walking or has an intention to walk. Also, it may apply stimulation at an intensity level which is insufficient for functional muscle stimulation but sufficiently high to trigger activation of efferent nerves.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 24, 2020
    Publication date: November 12, 2020
    Applicant: NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF IRELAND, GALWAY
    Inventors: Gearóid Ó Laighin, Leo Quinlan, Dean Sweeney, Gavin Corley, James Feehilly, Patrick Browne
  • Patent number: 10744324
    Abstract: A gait management apparatus applies stimulation to a user suffering from a neurological disease (such as Parkinson's Disease) gait dysfunction. Motion sensors are arranged to be worn by a patient, and electrical stimulation electrodes are on the legs for stimulation. A controller receives motion sensing signals, and processes these signals to generate stimulation signals for operation of the electrodes to stimulate limb movement upon detection of a gait abnormality. There may be a user actuator for user actuation of electrical stimulation, and the inputs may be a series of taps. The controller may provide signals to prevent occurrence of freezing of gait when it senses that a patient is walking or has an intention to walk. Also, it may apply stimulation at an intensity level which is insufficient for functional muscle stimulation but sufficiently high to trigger activation of efferent nerves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2020
    Assignee: National University of Ireland, Galway
    Inventors: Gearóid Ó Laighin, Leo Quinlan, Dean Sweeney, Gavin Corley, James Feehilly, Patrick Browne
  • Publication number: 20180140842
    Abstract: A gait management apparatus applies stimulation to a user suffering from a neurological disease (such as Parkinson's Disease) gait dysfunction. Motion sensors are arranged to be worn by a patient, and electrical stimulation electrodes are on the legs for stimulation. A controller receives motion sensing signals, and processes these signals to generate stimulation signals for operation of the electrodes to stimulate limb movement upon detection of a gait abnormality. There may be a user actuator for user actuation of electrical stimulation, and the inputs may be a series of taps. The controller may provide signals to prevent occurrence of freezing of gait when it senses that a patient is walking or has an intention to walk. Also, it may apply stimulation at an intensity level which is insufficient for functional muscle stimulation but sufficiently high to trigger activation of efferent nerves.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 15, 2016
    Publication date: May 24, 2018
    Applicant: NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF IRELAND, GALWAY
    Inventors: Gearóid Ó LAIGHIN, Leo QUINLAN, Dean SWEENEY, Gavin CORLEY, James FEEHILLY, Patrick BROWNE
  • Patent number: 9158516
    Abstract: A dual evaluation mode method for use with computer software that includes the acts of determining, for certain functions and expressions within input computer code, whether each function and expression may have any recursive dependencies, generating eager evaluation mode executable code for one or more elements of the input computer code based on the act of determining and providing both eager evaluation mode executable code and non-eager evaluation mode executable code to runtime software that supports both eager and non-eager evaluation modes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2015
    Assignee: EPIC GAMES, INC.
    Inventor: Timothy Dean Sweeney
  • Patent number: 8819641
    Abstract: A method of analyzing program execution status for use with a computer software debugger that includes identifying one or more non-deterministic execution steps in the program in one or more threads and recording a state of program properties at non-deterministic execution steps to enable determination of prior program execution status.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: Epic Games, Inc.
    Inventor: Timothy Dean Sweeney
  • Patent number: 8402451
    Abstract: A dual evaluation mode method for use with computer software that includes the acts of determining, for certain functions and expressions within input computer code, whether each function and expression may have any recursive dependencies, generating eager evaluation mode executable code for one or more elements of the input computer code based on the act of determining and providing both eager evaluation mode executable code and non-eager evaluation mode executable code to runtime software that supports both eager and non-eager evaluation modes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Assignee: Epic Games, Inc.
    Inventor: Timothy Dean Sweeney
  • Patent number: 7735061
    Abstract: A method of encoding variable-precision numeric types that includes determining a fixed numeric storage size used by a computer system, encoding numeric values that do not fit into the fixed size in a variable-precision numeric value allocated on a program heap and generating a reference to point to the variable-precision numeric value on the program heap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2010
    Assignee: Epic Games, Inc.
    Inventor: Timothy Dean Sweeney