Patents by Inventor Dirk Muehlhoff
Dirk Muehlhoff 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: 20100228236Abstract: An adapter contact lens to be applied in contact with an anterior corneal surface. The adapter includes a contact glass portion having a corneal contact surface curvature that is flatter than that of the undeformed anterior corneal surface. When the contact glass is applied the cornea deforms assume a deformed state corneal curvature that is parallel to the flatter corneal contact surface curvature. A mount portion circumferentially surrounds the contact glass and defines a suction duct that is structured to secure the adapter to the cornea by negative pressure when it is brought into contact with a surface of the eye surrounding the contact glass portion. The suction duct being partially defined by a peripheral edge of the mount; that extends outwardly away from the mount portion and toward but not intersecting or extending beyond a geometric continuation of the corneal contact surface curvature.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 24, 2010Publication date: September 9, 2010Applicant: CARL ZEISS MEDITEC AGInventors: Dirk MÜHLHOFF, Elke EBERT, Karsten FESTAG, Uwe WOLF
-
Patent number: 7692865Abstract: An adapter for coupling a laser processing device to an object, said adapter having a central region which can be moved into the beam path of the laser processing device, an illumination beam path through which illumination radiation can be guided for illumination of an object field which can be covered by the central region, and a peripheral region located outside the central region and by which the adapter can be mounted on the object and/or on the laser processing device, wherein the illumination beam path extends in the peripheral region and guides illumination radiation, coupled into the peripheral region, to the object field direct and/or via the central region.Type: GrantFiled: October 18, 2004Date of Patent: April 6, 2010Assignee: Carl Zeiss Meditec AGInventors: Dirk Mühlhoff, Elke Ebert, Karsten Festag, Uwe Wolf
-
Publication number: 20080319464Abstract: A planning device generating control data for a treatment apparatus for refraction-correcting ophthalmic surgery is provided, said apparatus using a laser device to separate a corneal volume, which is to be removed for correction, from the surrounding cornea by at least one cut surface in the cornea of an eye, said planning device comprising an interface for receiving corneal data including information on pre-operative cuts which were generated in a previous ophthalmic operation, and computing means for defining a corneal cut surface which confines the corneal volume to be removed, said computing means defining the corneal cut surface on the basis of the corneal data and generating a control dataset for the corneal cut surface for control of the laser device.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 25, 2008Publication date: December 25, 2008Applicant: Carl Zeiss Meditec AGInventors: Mark Bischoff, Dirk Muehlhoff, Gregor Stobrawa
-
Publication number: 20080234707Abstract: In a contact glass for ophthalmic surgery, which comprises a lens body (22) incorporated into a mount (37), said mount (37) having an anterior lens surface (29) designed to be placed on the eye (2), which anterior lens surface (29) is concave according to a curved surface (K), and an annular gap (44) is formed between the lens body (22) and the mount (37), via which gap a vacuum can be applied for fixing the contact glass (12) to the eye (2), it is envisaged that the mount (37) continues the curved surface (K) in an imaginary extension of the latter or at least does not protrude with respect to said curved surface.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 25, 2006Publication date: September 25, 2008Applicant: CARL ZEISS MEDITEC AGInventors: Dirk Muehlhoff, Elke Ebert, Karsten Festag, Uwe Wolf, Dirk Preuss, Mark Bischoff, Gregor Stobrawa, Dietmar Steinmetz, Steffen Dubnack
-
Publication number: 20080212623Abstract: In a device for material processing by means of laser radiation, said device comprising a source of laser radiation emitting pulsed laser radiation for interaction with the material; optics focusing the pulsed processing laser radiation to a center of interaction in the material; a scanning unit shifting the positions of the center of interaction within the material, wherein each processing laser pulse interacts with the material in a zone surrounding the center of interaction assigned to said laser pulse so that material is separated in the zones of interaction; and a control unit which controls the scanning unit and the source of laser radiation such that a cut surface is produced in the material by sequential arrangement of zones of interaction, it is envisaged that the control unit controls the source of laser radiation and the scanning unit such that adjacent centers of interaction are located at a spatial distance a?10 ?m from each other.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 11, 2007Publication date: September 4, 2008Inventors: Mark Bischoff, Dirk Muehlhoff, Gregor Stobrawa
-
Publication number: 20080186551Abstract: The invention concerns a scanning device for focusing a beam of rays in defined regions of a defined volume, comprising an input optics wherein the beam of rays penetrates first, having at least one first optical element; a focusing optics for focusing the beam of rays exiting from the input optics; and a deflecting device arranged between the first optical element and the focusing optics, for deflecting the beam of rays after it has passed through the first optical element, based on a position of the focus to be adjusted in lateral direction. In order to adjust the position of the focus of the beam of rays in the direction of the beam of rays, and optical element of the input optics can be displaced relative to the deflecting device.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 9, 2006Publication date: August 7, 2008Applicant: CARL ZEISS MEDITEC AGInventors: Marco Hanft, Dirk Muehlhoff, Mark Bischoff, Mario Gerlach
-
Publication number: 20080147052Abstract: A method for precise working of material, particularly organic tissue, comprises the step of providing laser pulses with a pulse length between 50 fs and 1 ps and with a pulse frequency from 50 kHz to 1 MHz and with a wavelength between 600 and 2000 nm for acting on the material to be worked. Apparatus, in accordance with the invention, for precise working of material, particularly organic tissue comprising a pulsed laser, wherein the laser has a pulse length between 50 fs and 1 ps and with a pulse frequency of from 50 kHz to 1 MHz is also described.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 1, 2008Publication date: June 19, 2008Inventors: Mark Bendett, Mark Bischoff, Mario Gerlach, Dirk Muehlhoff
-
Publication number: 20080114314Abstract: The invention concerns a manual connector for a hose line to connect to a pressure or vacuum-generating device, where it is equipped with an additional functional element such as a filter, a fluid separator or an identification element.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 31, 2007Publication date: May 15, 2008Applicant: CARL ZEISS MEDITEC AGInventors: Dirk Muehlhoff, Dirk Preuss
-
Patent number: 7351241Abstract: A method for precise working of material, particularly organic tissue, comprises the step of providing laser pulses with a pulse length between 50 fs and 1 ps and with a pulse frequency from 50 kHz to 1 MHz and with a wavelength between 600 and 2000 nm for acting on the material to be worked. Apparatus, in accordance with the invention, for precise working of material, particularly organic tissue comprising a pulsed laser, wherein the laser has a pulse length between 50 fs and 1 ps and with a pulse frequency of from 50 kHz to 1 MHz is also described.Type: GrantFiled: July 23, 2003Date of Patent: April 1, 2008Assignee: Carl Zeiss Meditec AGInventors: Mark Bendett, Mark Bischoff, Mario Gerlach, Dirk Muehlhoff
-
Publication number: 20080058734Abstract: The invention relates to a device for machining an object by laser radiation, in particular by using the photodisruption method. Said device comprises an observation device for imaging the object and a laser scanning device by which the laser radiation is passed over a predetermined sector of the object for scanning said sector. According to the invention, such a device includes the observation device with a first lens for imaging the object; the laser scanning device with a second lens, through which the laser radiation is guided, in which both lenses with regard to the dimension of the regions to be produced in the images and/or with regard to their focal intercept are different from each other. This invention alternately images the respective region of the object in a first operating mode by the first lens and in a second operating mode by the second lens. It is thus possible to use in both operating modes a lens adapted to the intended imaging purpose.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 12, 2005Publication date: March 6, 2008Inventors: Marco Hanft, Dirk Muehlhoff, Mario Gerlach, Elke Ebert
-
Publication number: 20070237620Abstract: What is described is an adapter for mechanically coupling a laser processing device to an object, said adapter comprising having a central region which can be moved into the beam path of the laser processing device, which beam path extends up to the object along an optical axis, and a peripheral region located outside the central region, said adapter being fixable to the laser processing device on the one hand and being provided so as to contact the object with its central region on the other hand, wherein fixing means are provided at the peripheral region, said means allowing the adapter to be releasably fixed to a receiving part of the laser processing device such that, upon application of a determined pulling force along the optical axis, the fixing means are removable from said receiving part.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 16, 2004Publication date: October 11, 2007Inventors: Dirk Mühlhoff, Elke Ebert, Karsten Festag, Uwe Wolf
-
Publication number: 20070225693Abstract: The invention refers to a system to treat and/or diagnose a patient's eye. The system in this invention comprises several devices for the treatment and/or diagnosis of the eye as well as means for the logical linking of the devices with each other, such as systems for the spatial positioning of the devices relative to each other, configurations for the positioning of the patient and the eye to be treated relative to the respective devices, systems for the controlled supply of the devices with power and auxiliary power, and/or notification tools to transmit information or control commands between the above-mentioned devices, units, configurations and systems, and to put out information.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 12, 2007Publication date: September 27, 2007Inventors: Dirk Muehlhoff, Martin Wiechmann, Mark Bischoff, Karsten Festag
-
Publication number: 20070088409Abstract: In a device for material processing by laser radiation, including a source of laser radiation emitting pulsed laser radiation for interaction with the material; optics focusing the pulsed processing laser radiation to a center of interaction in the material and a scanning unit shifting the positions of the center of interaction within the material. Each processing laser pulse interacts with the material in a zone surrounding the center of interaction assigned to the laser pulse so that material is separated in the zones of interaction. A control unit controls the scanning unit and the source of laser radiation such that a cut surface is produced in the material by sequential arrangement of zones of interaction. The control unit controls the source of laser radiation and the scanning unit such that adjacent centers of interaction are located at a spatial distance a ?10 ?m from each other.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 13, 2006Publication date: April 19, 2007Applicant: Carl Zeiss Meditec AGInventors: Mark Bischoff, Dirk Muehlhoff, Gregor Stobrawa
-
Patent number: 7131968Abstract: Apparatus and method to generate a stream of pulses having a pulse repetition rate of at least about 50000 pulses per second and a per-pulse length of less than one picosecond, and to scan and focus the stream to an output light pattern suitable to sculpt tissue for a surgical procedure (e.g., ophthalmologic) using at least a high number of pulses to complete the operation in a matter of a few second, e.g., 100000 pulses in less than ten seconds. A laser having a optical fiber gain medium generates a stream of femtosecond pulses. Some embodiments create a preconditioning negative dispersion that compensates for positive dispersion in the scanning system. In some embodiments, a lenticule is cut using the laser and scanning system and is mechanically removed through a side slit formed through the cornea surface.Type: GrantFiled: July 23, 2003Date of Patent: November 7, 2006Assignees: Carl Zeiss Meditec AG, IMRA America, Inc.Inventors: Mark Bendett, Mark Bischoff, Mario Gerlach, Dirk Muehlhoff
-
Patent number: 7001026Abstract: In an apparatus for projecting a picture on a projection screen, having a light source (1) emitting light, whereby a luminous area (3) can be generated with said light, having a reflective light modulator (12, 13, 14) that can receive the light emitted from the luminous area (3) and modulates it for the purpose of generating a picture, and further having a projection optics (16) arranged following the light modulator (12, 13, 14) in order to project the picture on the projection screen (17), wherein an optics system (7, 23, 31, 33, 34) is arranged in front of the light modulator (12, 13, 14), wherein the optics system images the light received from the luminous area (3) on the light modulator (12, 13, 14) on the one hand, and on the other hand images the light modulated by means of the light modulator (12, 13, 14) in order to generate a picture in the intermediate image level (ZE) that can be projected on the projection screen by the projection optics.Type: GrantFiled: June 4, 2002Date of Patent: February 21, 2006Assignee: Carl Zeiss Jena GmbHInventors: Guenter Rudolph, Eberhard Piehler, Dirk Muehlhoff
-
Patent number: 6872202Abstract: A laser slit lamp comprising a slit lamp base, a slit lamp head and a slit lamp microscope. The laser slit lamp is connected with an applicator. It comprises a device for uniting radiation from at least two radiation sources collinearly and for directing the radiation of a treatment beam or working beam onto the location to be treated in or on the eye of a patient, a device for generating a target beam or marking beam for targeting and observing the location to be treated in or on the eye, and an adjusting device in the applicator for changing the intensity and diameter of the working beam spot used for treatment. The radiation sources are laser radiation sources arranged in the slit lamp head, in the slit lamp base or in the slit lamp microscope for generating the working beam, illumination beam and/or target beam. Devices for control, regulation and monitoring are likewise arranged in the interior of the slit lamp.Type: GrantFiled: January 10, 2002Date of Patent: March 29, 2005Assignee: Carl Zeiss Jena GmbHInventors: Mario Gerlach, Martin Wiechmann, Olaf Kittelmann, Diego Zimare, Michael Kempe, Dirk Muehlhoff, Alexander Kalies
-
Publication number: 20040243111Abstract: A method for precise working of material, particularly organic tissue, comprises the step of providing laser pulses with a pulse length between 50 fs and 1 ps and with a pulse frequency from 50 kHz to 1 MHz and with a wavelength between 600 and 2000 nm for acting on the material to be worked. Apparatus, in accordance with the invention, for precise working of material, particularly organic tissue comprising a pulsed laser, wherein the laser has a pulse length between 50 fs and 1 ps and with a pulse frequency of from 50 kHz to 1 MHz is also described.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 23, 2003Publication date: December 2, 2004Inventors: Mark Bendett, Mark Bischoff, Mario Gerlach, Dirk Muehlhoff
-
Publication number: 20040243112Abstract: Apparatus and method to generate a stream of pulses having a pulse repetition rate of at least about 50000 pulses per second and a per-pulse length of less than one picosecond, and to scan and focus the stream to an output light pattern suitable to sculpt tissue for a surgical procedure (e.g., ophthalmologic) using at least a high number of pulses to complete the operation in a matter of a few second, e.g., 100000 pulses in less than ten seconds. A laser having a optical fiber gain medium generates a stream of femtosecond pulses. Some embodiments create a preconditioning negative dispersion that compensates for positive dispersion in the scanning system. In some embodiments, a lenticule is cut using the laser and scanning system and is mechanically removed through a side slit formed through the cornea surface.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 23, 2003Publication date: December 2, 2004Inventors: Mark Bendett, Mark Bischoff, Mario Gerlach, Dirk Muehlhoff
-
Patent number: 6817719Abstract: In an apparatus for projecting a multi-colored picture on a projection screen (17), having a light source (1) that emits multi-colored light, a color unit (9, 35), a first and a second light modulator (12, 13, 14) arranged following the color unit (9, 35), and a projection optics (16), wherein the color unit (9, 35) is illuminated with light from the light source (1) and separates light in a first and a second color and directs it on the first and second light modulator (12, 13), wherein the light modulators (12, 13, 14) modulate the light shining on them, in order to generate a color frame each of the multi-colored picture, and wherein the modulated light is superimposed to a common luminous beam by means of the color unit (9, 35), where the luminous beam illuminates the projection optics (16), and wherein an optics system (7, 23, 28, 31) that is illuminated by the common luminous beam is provided between the color unit (9, 35) and the projection optics (16) comprising a curved mirror (21, 24, 26), wherein tType: GrantFiled: June 5, 2003Date of Patent: November 16, 2004Assignee: Carl Zeiss Jena GmbHInventors: Guenter Rudolph, Eberhard Piehler, Marco Pretorius, Dirk Muehlhoff
-
Patent number: 6796978Abstract: A medical laser therapy device, particularly for use in ophthalmology and surgery, comprises a controllable pump module with a coupling element for a waveguide, a beam control device in the form of a waveguide for supplying the pumping radiation delivered by the pump module to the applicator which is provided with a coupling element for the waveguide for introducing a target beam and/or treatment beam into the eye to be treated.Type: GrantFiled: January 10, 2002Date of Patent: September 28, 2004Assignee: Carl Zeiss Jena GmbHInventors: Mario Gerlach, Martin Wiechmann, Olaf Kittelmann, Diegeo Zimare, Michael Kempe, Dirk Muehlhoff, Alexander Kalies