Patents by Inventor Gerhard Kraft

Gerhard Kraft 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: 6730921
    Abstract: The invention relates to an ion beam system for irradiating tumor tissues at various irradiation angles in relation to a horizontally arranged patient couch and to a method of carrying out ion irradiations, wherein the patient couch has an apparatus for rotation about a vertical axis and the ion beam system has at least one of the following irradiation systems: a first irradiation system having an asymmetrical scanning system of fixed location, which has a central ion beam deflection region for deflection angles of up to ±15° with respect to the horizontal direction and makes possible scanning of a tumor volume in the central ion beam deflection region, and which has an additional lifting device for the patient couch; a second irradiation system, which has an ion beam deflection apparatus for a deflection angle greater than the first irradiation system and a symmetrical scanning unit for scanning the tumor volume, which scanning unit is arranged downstream of the ion beam deflection apparatus and i
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2004
    Assignee: Gesellschaft fuer Schwerionenforschung mbH
    Inventor: Gerhard Kraft
  • Patent number: 6710362
    Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus and a method for irradiating tumor tissue (3) of a patient (10) by means of an ion beam (2). For that purpose, the apparatus has a deflecting device (1) for the ion beam (2) for slice-wise and area-wise scanning of the tumor tissue (3) and an ion beam energy control device for slice-wise and depth-wise scanning of the ion beam (2). An electromechanically driven ion-braking device (11, 12) is provided as a depth-wise scanning adaptation apparatus (5) for adapting the range of the ion beam (2) and has faster depth-wise adaptation than the energy control device of an accelerator. The movement of a patient is monitored by means of a movement detection device (7) for detecting a temporal and positional change in the location of the tumor tissue (3) in a treatment space (8).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2004
    Assignee: Gesellschaft fuer Schwerionenforschung mbH
    Inventors: Gerhard Kraft, Ulrich Weber
  • Patent number: 6683318
    Abstract: An ion beam therapy system and method for operating the system includes a source of ions (300), an accelerator system (400) and an ion beam transport system (60) for directing an ion beam to a plurality of treatment stations (100) to treat patients. The ion beam transport system (60) includes a gantry (8) carrying a vertical deflection system (45) and horizontal deflection system (55) positioned upstream from a last bending magnet (65) so as to provide a parallel scanning mode by an edge focusing effect.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2004
    Assignee: Gesellschaft fuer Schwerionenforschung mbH
    Inventors: Thomas Haberer, Michael Kraemer, Gerhard Kraft, Wilma Kraft-Weyrather, Dieter Schardt, Michael Scholz, Ulrich Weber, Aleksiy Dolinski, Hartmut Eickhoff, Bernhard Franczak, Udo Krause, Juergen Klabunde, Ludwig Dahl, Marius Pavlovic, Ulrich Ratzinger, Bernhard Schlitt, Joerg Pawelke, Rainer Hinz, Wolfgang Enghardt
  • Publication number: 20030141460
    Abstract: The invention relates to an ion beam system for irradiating tumour tissues at various irradiation angles in relation to a horizontally arranged patient couch and to a method of carrying out ion irradiations, wherein the patient couch has an apparatus for rotation about a vertical axis and the ion beam system has at least one of the following irradiation systems: a first irradiation system having an asymmetrical scanning system of fixed location, which has a central ion beam deflection region for deflection angles of up to ±15° with respect to the horizontal direction and makes possible scanning of a tumour volume in the central ion beam deflection region, and which has an additional lifting device for the patient couch; a second irradiation system, which has an ion beam deflection apparatus for a deflection angle greater than the first irradiation system and a symmetrical scanning unit for scanning the tumour volume, which scanning unit is arranged downstream of the ion beam deflection apparatus an
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 4, 2002
    Publication date: July 31, 2003
    Inventor: Gerhard Kraft
  • Publication number: 20030136924
    Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus and a method for irradiating tumour tissue (3) of a patient (10) by means of an ion beam (2). For that purpose, the apparatus has a deflecting device (1) for the ion beam (2) for slice-wise and area-wise scanning of the tumour tissue (3) and an ion beam energy control device for slice-wise and depth-wise scanning of the ion beam (2). An electromechanically driven ion-braking device (11, 12) is provided as a depth-wise scanning adaptation apparatus (5) for adapting the range of the ion beam (2) and has faster depth-wise adaptation than the energy control device of an accelerator. The movement of a patient is monitored by means of a movement detection device (7) for detecting a temporal and positional change in the location of the tumour tissue (3) in a treatment space (8).
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 8, 2003
    Publication date: July 24, 2003
    Inventors: Gerhard Kraft, Ulrich Weber
  • Patent number: 6112885
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a transport apparatus for thin, board-shaped substrates, for example printed circuit boards, which are conveyed through a coating installation and the like. In order to simplify manipulation during conveying, there is provided a frame (1) for holding a substrate (7), tensioning elements (4) being arranged spaced from one another on frame members (2), lying opposite one another, of the frame (1), which tensioning elements (4) engage the edge of the substrate and tension the substrate, the frame (1) being provided with a device (16) which serves to provide connection to a conveyor belt or the like. The tension springs (4) exert a tension away from the substrate (7) in the direction of the plane of the thin substrate to avoid sagging of the substrate. FIG. (1) illustrates the transport apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2000
    Assignee: Ciba Specialty Chemicals Corp.
    Inventors: Kaspar Kuster, Anton Ruegge, Gerhard Kraft, Torsten Reckert