Patents by Inventor J. Tkaczyk

J. Tkaczyk 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: 20070237288
    Abstract: A CT scanner acquires CT images at different energy levels and registers those images to provide a composite image that is substantially free of beam hardening artifacts and conspicuously provides atomic information of that imaged.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2006
    Publication date: October 11, 2007
    Inventors: J. Tkaczyk, William Leue, Walter Garms, Joseph Bendahan, Deborah Walter, Sussan Pourjavid-Granfors, Xiaoye Wu, Peter Edic, Pierfrancesco Landolfi
  • Publication number: 20070152159
    Abstract: A two dimensional (2D) collimator assembly and a detector system employing a 2D collimator assembly. More specifically, a collimator assembly is provided, having elements extending in the x and z-planes of a detector system. The 2D collimator assembly includes a number of blades arranged in parallel. Each of the blades includes fins extending from one or both sides of the body of the blade. The fins are coupled to each adjacent array to form the 2D collimator assembly.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 4, 2006
    Publication date: July 5, 2007
    Inventors: Jonathan Short, Martin Lee, J. Tkaczyk, David Hoffman, Brian Yanoff
  • Publication number: 20070092066
    Abstract: A bowtie filter is constructed to have a fluidic envelope filled with attenuating fluid and a displacement insert that can present various x-ray attenuation profiles during a scan. The insert is designed to displace the attenuating fluid to achieve a denied attenuating or filtering profile. The insert can be rotated, twisted, moved, and otherwise contorted within the fluidic envelope as needed during the course of a scan. As the angle, position and shape of the zombie is changed, the x-ray profile of the filter changes. The insert may have a default shape when at rest, but can have its shape changed when external forces are placed thereon. As x-ray filtering needs change during the course of the scan, the insert can be compressed, stretched, and/or contorted to achieve additional filtering profiles.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 20, 2005
    Publication date: April 26, 2007
    Inventors: J. Tkaczyk, Deborah Walter, Xiaoye Wu, Brian Bales, James Leblanc, Yanfeng Du
  • Publication number: 20060251209
    Abstract: A system and method for classifying whether an object within an enclosed article is a threat. The system includes an acquisition subsystem, a reconstruction subsystem, an energy discrimination subsystem, and a classification subsystem. The acquisition subsystem communicates projection data to the reconstruction subsystem.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 6, 2005
    Publication date: November 9, 2006
    Inventors: J. Tkaczyk, William Leue, Deborah Walter, Yangfeng Du
  • Publication number: 20060109949
    Abstract: A system and method are disclosed for reconstructing contrast-enhanced CT images that are substantially free of beam-hardening artifacts. An imaging system includes a radiation source configured to project radiation toward an object to be scanned and an energy discriminating detector assembly having a plurality of detector elements and configured to detect radiation emitted by the radiation source and attenuated by the object to be scanned. The imaging system also includes computer programmed to count a number of photons detected by each detector element and associate an energy value to each counted photon and determine a material composition of a CT view from the number of photons counted and the energy value associated with each counted photon. The computer is also programmed to apply a weighting to the CT view based on the material composition of the CT view and reconstruct an image with differential weighting based on the weighting of the CT view.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 24, 2004
    Publication date: May 25, 2006
    Inventors: J. Tkaczyk, Deborah Walter, Yanfeng Du