Patents by Inventor Francesco Viola

Francesco Viola 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: 7949498
    Abstract: Methods, systems and computer program products for estimating changes in an object represented by first and second multidimensional datasets. The first dataset is a reference dataset and the second dataset is an altered dataset. Discrete data samples of the first dataset are processed to form a piecewise continuous representation thereof. An error function is computed for comparisons between discrete data samples in the second dataset and the piecewise continuous representation of the first dataset. An alteration of the second dataset relative to the first dataset that minimizes the error function is determined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2011
    Assignee: University of Virginia Patent Foundation
    Inventors: William F. Walker, Francesco Viola
  • Patent number: 7892188
    Abstract: Methods, apparatus and systems for characterizing changes in at least one physical property of soft tissue. A series of acoustic pulses is generated and directed into the soft tissue such that at least one of the pulses is of sufficiently high intensity to induce physical displacement of the tissue. Waves reflected off the tissue, or a flexible member that moves with the tissue, are received and measured to estimate at least one characteristic of the physical displacement induced thereby. Repetition of the generating, receiving and estimating steps provides characterization of the at least one physical property over time. Methods, apparatus and systems for characterizing at least one physical property of blood, by generating a series of acoustic pulses and directing the series of pulses into the blood such that at least one of the pulses is of sufficiently high intensity to induce physical displacement of the blood.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2011
    Assignee: Hemosonics, LLC
    Inventors: William F. Walker, Michael Lawrence, Francesco Viola, Margaret D. Kramer
  • Publication number: 20110034805
    Abstract: Methods, apparatus and systems for characterizing changes in at least one physical property of soft tissue. A series of acoustic pulses is generated and directed into the soft tissue such that at least one of the pulses is of sufficiently high intensity to induce physical displacement of the tissue. Waves reflected off the tissue, or a flexible member that moves with the tissue, are received and measured to estimate at least one characteristic of the physical displacement induced thereby. Repetition of the generating, receiving and estimating steps provides characterization of the at least one physical property over time. Methods, apparatus and systems for characterizing at least one physical property of blood, by generating a series of acoustic pulses and directing the series of pulses into the blood such that at least one of the pulses is of sufficiently high intensity to induce physical displacement of the blood.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 21, 2010
    Publication date: February 10, 2011
    Inventors: William F. Walker, Michael B. Lawrence, Francesco Viola, Margaret Kramer Sande
  • Publication number: 20100142781
    Abstract: Methods, systems and computer readable media for reconstruction of target locations and amplitudes from signals received from one or more real targets in a space are provided, wherein the signals are at least one of signals received from the near-field and broadband signals. The space is modeled as a region of interest, and an array manifold matrix is calculated from signals received from hypothetical targets in the region of interest. One or more signal vectors received from the one or more real targets are reshaped into a data vector. A hypothetical target configuration is identified that, when applied to a signal model comprising the array manifold matrix, matches the data vector, a reconstruction vector is calculated. The reconstruction vector is reshaped into a reconstructed representation of the real targets in the space, and at least one of outputting the reconstructed representation for viewing by a user, and storing the reconstructed representation for later use are performed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 19, 2006
    Publication date: June 10, 2010
    Applicant: UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA PATENT FOUNDATION
    Inventors: William F. Walker, Francesco Viola
  • Publication number: 20090304246
    Abstract: Methods systems and computer readable media are provided for extracting information pertaining to at least one moving target. A set of signal data are inputted to a principal components processor, wherein the set of signal data comprise signal data corresponding to at least one waveform acquired from the at least one moving target. A complex representation of the set of signal data is formed and, using a principal components processor, at least one complex principal component of the complex representation is calculated. At least one of the calculated complex principal components is automatically selected and each of the at least one automatically selected complex principal component is applied to extract information about the at least one moving target. Methods systems and computer readable media are provided extracting information pertaining to at least one moving target.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 15, 2009
    Publication date: December 10, 2009
    Inventors: William F. Walker, Francesco Viola, William F. Mauldin, JR.
  • Patent number: 7498056
    Abstract: The method for reconditioning ducts in air conveying or processing networks envisages generating an air flow with maximum turbulence between two openings of the duct sections to be treated. An aerosol is then generated inside the airflow, consisting of a film-forming product with liquid droplets of predetermined average size, in the vicinity of an upstream section of the duct to be treated relative to the direction of movement of the air flow. The droplets containing polymer precursors are deposited on the inner surface of the duct forming a liquid film which, after a crosslinking step, results in the formation of a uniform and continuous solid coating. Measurement data identifying the geometric form of the duct to be treated are converted during a calculation step performed using a model into at least one pair of values for the flowrate and average size of the droplets, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2009
    Inventor: Francesco Viola
  • Publication number: 20080091678
    Abstract: Methods, systems and computer program products for estimating changes in an object represented by first and second multidimensional datasets. The first dataset is a reference dataset and the second dataset is an altered dataset. Discrete data samples of the first dataset are processed to form a piecewise continuous representation thereof. An error function is computed for comparisons between discrete data samples in the second dataset and the piecewise continuous representation of the first dataset. An alteration of the second dataset relative to the first dataset that minimizes the error function is determined.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2007
    Publication date: April 17, 2008
    Inventors: William Walker, Francesco Viola
  • Publication number: 20060099905
    Abstract: The method for reconditioning ducts in air conveying or processing networks envisages generating an air flow with maximum turbulence between two openings of the duct sections to be treated. An aerosol is then generated inside the airflow, consisting of a film-forming product with liquid droplets of predetermined average size, in the vicinity of an upstream section of the duct to be treated relative to the direction of movement of the air flow. The droplets containing polymer precursors are deposited on the inner surface of the duct forming a liquid film which, after a crosslinking step, results in the formation of a uniform and continuous solid coating. Measurement data identifying the geometric form of the duct to be treated are converted during a calculation step performed using a model into at least one pair of values for the flowrate and average size of the droplets, respectively.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2005
    Publication date: May 11, 2006
    Applicant: Francesco GRIGGIO
    Inventor: Francesco Viola
  • Publication number: 20050148899
    Abstract: Methods, apparatus and systems for characterizing changes in at least one physical property of soft tissue. A series of acoustic pulses is generated and directed into the soft tissue such that at least one of the pulses is of sufficiently high intensity to induce physical displacement of the tissue. Waves reflected off the tissue, or a flexible member that moves with the tissue, are received and measured to estimate at least one characteristic of the physical displacement induced thereby. Repetition of the generating, receiving and estimating steps provides characterization of the at least one physical property over time. Methods, apparatus and systems for characterizing at least one physical property of blood, by generating a series of acoustic pulses and directing the series of pulses into the blood such that at least one of the pulses is of sufficiently high intensity to induce physical displacement of the blood.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 22, 2004
    Publication date: July 7, 2005
    Inventors: William Walker, Michael Lawrence, Francesco Viola, Margaret Kramer