Patents by Inventor DONALD L. TONN

DONALD L. TONN 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: 10771167
    Abstract: Methods and system are provided to mitigate RF interferences during operation of an electrosurgical system. An electrosurgical system configured to output therapeutic RF energy may refrain from outputting RF energy in order to measure an RF interference for a group of candidate frequencies, and to select a frequency from the group of candidate frequencies for which the measured RF interference is below a threshold value, and to produce a feedback signal (a control signal) at the selected frequency to control operation of the electrosurgical system. During operation of the electrosurgical system the feedback signal may be filtered by a BPF whose fundamental frequency is set to the selected frequency, to thus obtain an interference free feedback signal and, consequently, a reliable control of the electrosurgical system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignee: Covidien LP
    Inventors: Donald W. Heckel, William D. Faulkner, Donald L. Tonn, Fred B. Pelton
  • Publication number: 20190254736
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to electrosurgical systems and methods for controlling electrical treatment energy in connection with electrical arcs. A method in accordance with the present disclosure includes providing electrical treatment energy to an instrument based on an indicated electrical energy level, accessing voltage signal values over time relating to voltage of the electrical treatment energy and/or current signal values over time relating to current of the electrical treatment energy, determining whether an arc generated by the instrument is an arc to be maintained or an arc to be extinguished based on a threshold value and at least one of the voltage signal values or the current signal values, and controlling the electrical treatment energy based on determining that the arc is an arc to be extinguished.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 20, 2018
    Publication date: August 22, 2019
    Inventors: ROBERT H. WHAM, WILLIAM D. FAULKNER, DONALD L. TONN
  • Publication number: 20190132062
    Abstract: Methods and system are provided to mitigate RF interferences during operation of an electrosurgical system. An electrosurgical system configured to output therapeutic RF energy may refrain from outputting RF energy in order to measure an RF interference for a group of candidate frequencies, and to select a frequency from the group of candidate frequencies for which the measured RF interference is below a threshold value, and to produce a feedback signal (a control signal) at the selected frequency to control operation of the electrosurgical system. During operation of the electrosurgical system the feedback signal may be filtered by a BPF whose fundamental frequency is set to the selected frequency, to thus obtain an interference free feedback signal and, consequently, a reliable control of the electrosurgical system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 2, 2017
    Publication date: May 2, 2019
    Inventors: DONALD W. HECKEL, WILLIAM D. FAULKNER, DONALD L. TONN, FRED B. PELTON
  • Publication number: 20190090931
    Abstract: The disclosed systems and methods relate to controlling the application of electrosurgical energy by an electrosurgical instrument to minimizing arcing and subsequent wear of electrosurgical instruments. An electrosurgical generator in accordance with the present disclosure includes a processor and a memory storing instructions executable by the processor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 5, 2018
    Publication date: March 28, 2019
    Inventors: DONALD L. TONN, JAMES E. DUNNING, WILLIAM D. FAULKNER, JENNIFER R. McHENRY, DEVON E. SCOTT-DRECHSEL, ERIC M. WESTRA
  • Publication number: 20190090932
    Abstract: The present disclosure includes an electrosurgical generator that controls treatment energy to be provided in a coagulation mode, where the treatment energy has an adjustable voltage ramp rate which can be set to a ramp rate in a range of voltage ramp rates. The generator receives signals from an instrument over time relating to load impedance. When the load impedance is above a threshold, the generator sets the adjustable voltage ramp rate to a ramp rate in the range of voltage ramp rates, and decreases, at the adjustable voltage ramp rate, a voltage of the treatment energy. When the load impedance is below the threshold, the generator sets the adjustable voltage ramp rate to a ramp rate in the range of voltage ramp rates, and increases, at the adjustable voltage ramp rate, the voltage of the treatment energy.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 5, 2018
    Publication date: March 28, 2019
    Inventors: DONALD L. TONN, JAMES E. DUNNING, WILLIAM D. FAULKNER, JENNIFER R. McHENRY, DEVON E. SCOTT-DRECHSEL, ERIC M. WESTRA
  • Publication number: 20190090930
    Abstract: The disclosed systems and methods relate to controlling the application of electrosurgical energy by an electrosurgical instrument. An electrosurgical generator in accordance with the present disclosure includes a processor and a memory storing instructions executable by the processor. When the instructions are executed, they cause the generator to receive signals from the instrument over time relating to whether tissue is grasped by the instrument, receive an indication to provide an indicated treatment power to the instrument where the indicated treatment power is set by a user, determine based on the signals that tissue is currently grasped and that, for at least a predetermine length of time prior, no tissue had been grasped, and based on the determination, provide a treatment power surge to the instrument for a surge time period, where the treatment power surge is greater than the indicated treatment power.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 5, 2018
    Publication date: March 28, 2019
    Inventors: DONALD L. TONN, JAMES E. DUNNING, WILLIAM D. FAULKNER, JENNIFER R. McHENRY, DEVON E. SCOTT-DRECHSEL, ERIC M. WESTRA
  • Publication number: 20160310202
    Abstract: A controller for an electrosurgical generator includes an RF inverter, a signal processor, a software compensator, a hardware compensator, and an RF inverter controller. The RF inverter generates an electrosurgical waveform and the signal processor outputs a measured value of at least one of a voltage, a current, or power of the electrosurgical waveform. The software compensator generates a desired value for at least one of the voltage, the current, or the power of the electrosurgical waveform, and the hardware compensator generates a phase shift based on the measured value and the desired value. The RF inverter controller generates a pulse-width modulation (PWM) signal based on the phase shift to control the RF inverter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 14, 2016
    Publication date: October 27, 2016
    Inventors: ROBERT H. WHAM, DONALD L. TONN, AARON MATTMILLER, WILLIAM D. FAULKNER, EDWARD L. BRANNAN, MARK A. JOHNSTON
  • Patent number: 5821798
    Abstract: To increase compatibility, a method is used to determine whether a bidirectional or a unidirectional data line circuit is connected to an interface circuit. A first logic level is generated on a non dedicated lead of the interface circuit if a bidirectional data line circuit is connected to the interface circuit. Otherwise, a second logic level is generated on the non dedicated lead of the interface circuit. The logic level on the non dedicated lead after a reset signal determines which type of data line circuit is connected to the interface circuit. Typically the non dedicated lead is a data line lead of the interface circuit and can be used for normal data transfer, if necessary, after detecting which type of data line circuit is connected to the interface circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 1996
    Date of Patent: October 13, 1998
    Assignee: Adaptec, Inc.
    Inventor: Donald L. Tonn, Jr.