Patents by Inventor Dennis James Muhlestein

Dennis James Muhlestein 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: 11529039
    Abstract: Borescopes and related methods that are configured to preclude or minimize imaging in hazy and/or smoky conditions. In some embodiments, the borescope may comprise a shaft made up, at least in part, of a material that is electrically non-conductive material and/or thermally non-conductive, and a tip positioned at a distal end of the shaft. The tip may comprise at least one light source, such as an LED or array of LEDS, configured to deliver electromagnetic radiation in which no more than about 20% of the total spectral output is in the infrared spectrum. The electromagnetic radiation delivered from the at least one light source may comprise a spectrum having at least one of a local maximum and a global maximum between about 450 and about 495 nm. The at least one light source may be configured to deliver between about 20 and about 75 lumens of visible light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2022
    Assignee: Xenocor, Inc.
    Inventors: Lane G. Brooks, Christopher Joseph Pratt, Ashok C. Khandkar, John T. Langell, Dennis James Muhlestein
  • Publication number: 20220107491
    Abstract: Borescopes, such as chip-on-a-tip laparoscopes and endoscopes, having variable and/or active focus lenses. In some preferred embodiments, a chip-on-a-tip borescope may comprise a tip assembly having a fixed focus lens and an active or variable focus lens. The active lens may be part of an active lens assembly, which may comprise a substrate, such as a printed circuit board, along with an active lens unit that may be configured to receive electrical signals, such as voltage steps, that may be used to change the shape of the lens component of the unit to change the focal distance of the device. The substrate may be physically coupled to other elements of the scope and may be electrically coupled with other elements of the scope, such as a voltage driver that may be provided in a printed circuit board in the handle of the scope, for example.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2021
    Publication date: April 7, 2022
    Applicant: Xenocor, Inc.
    Inventors: Lane G. Brooks, Richard A. Dixon, Dennis James Muhlestein, Anthony J. Laurienti, IV
  • Publication number: 20190343371
    Abstract: Borescopes and related methods that are configured to preclude or minimize imaging in hazy and/or smoky conditions. In some embodiments, the borescope may comprise a shaft made up, at least in part, of a material that is electrically non-conductive material and/or thermally non-conductive, and a tip positioned at a distal end of the shaft. The tip may comprise at least one light source, such as an LED or array of LEDS, configured to deliver electromagnetic radiation in which no more than about 20% of the total spectral output is in the infrared spectrum. The electromagnetic radiation delivered from the at least one light source may comprise a spectrum having at least one of a local maximum and a global maximum between about 450 and about 495 nm. The at least one light source may be configured to deliver between about 20 and about 75 lumens of visible light.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 8, 2019
    Publication date: November 14, 2019
    Inventors: Lane G. Brooks, Christopher Joseph Pratt, Ashok C. Khandkar, John T. Langell, Dennis James Muhlestein
  • Publication number: 20190208143
    Abstract: Borescopes, such as laparoscopes and endoscopes, configured to provide for image reorientation. In some embodiments, a portion of the borescope, such as the handle, may be rotatable with respect to another portion of the borescope, such as the shaft/tube. A sensor may be provided to translate the rotational positions of these two portions into digital data to allow an image or stream of images to be digitally rotated, preferably in real time, so that a camera module and/or image sensor may be fixed to the tube, such as positioned in a distal tip of the tube, without compromising the ability of the device to allow a surgeon to fix the rotational orientation of the images in a desired manner.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 3, 2019
    Publication date: July 4, 2019
    Inventors: Lane G. Brooks, Christopher Joseph Pratt, Dennis James Muhlestein, John T. Langell, Ashok C. Khandkar