Patents by Inventor Joseph T. FRANCIS

Joseph T. FRANCIS 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: 20210282696
    Abstract: A reinforcement learning brain-machine interface (RL-BMI) can have a policy that governs how detected signals, emanating from a motor cortex of a subject's brain, are translated into action. The policy can be improved by detecting a motor signal having a characteristic and emanating from the motor cortex. The system can provide, to a device and based on (i) the motor signal and (ii) an instruction policy, a command signal resulting in a first action by a device. Additionally, an evaluation signal, emanating from the motor cortex in response to the first action, can also be detected. With the foregoing information, the system can adjust the policy based on the evaluation signal such that a subsequent motor signal, from the subject's brain, having the characteristic results in a second action, by the device, different from the first action, as needed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2020
    Publication date: September 16, 2021
    Inventors: Joseph T. FRANCIS, Venkata S. Aditya TARIGOPPULA, Brandi T. MARSH
  • Patent number: 10835146
    Abstract: A reinforcement learning brain-machine interface (RL-BMI) can have a policy that governs how detected signals, emanating from a motor cortex of a subject's brain, are translated into action. The policy can be improved by detecting a motor signal having a characteristic and emanating from the motor cortex. The system can provide, to a device and based on (i) the motor signal and (ii) an instruction policy, a command signal resulting in a first action by a device. Additionally, an evaluation signal, emanating from the motor cortex in response to the first action, can also be detected. With the foregoing information, the system can adjust the policy based on the evaluation signal such that a subsequent motor signal, from the subject's brain, having the characteristic results in a second action, by the device, different from the first action, as needed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: THE RESEARCH FOUNDATION FOR THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK
    Inventors: Joseph T. Francis, Venkata S. Aditya Tarigoppula, Brandi T. Marsh
  • Patent number: 10384064
    Abstract: Sensory information can be delivered to a subject mammal, for example, for restoring a sense of cutaneous touch and limb motion to the subject mammal. A biomimetic electrical signal is generated based on (a) a stimulation reference signal applied to a somatosensory region of a nervous system of a reference mammal, (b) a stimulated-response signal acquired from a sensory cortex of the reference mammal in response to application of the stimulation reference signal to the thalamic nucleus, and (c) a natural-response signal acquired from the sensory cortex in response to peripheral touch stimuli and/or peripheral nerve stimulation of the reference mammal. The biomimetic electrical signal is applied to a somatosensory region of a nervous system of the subject mammal to induce an activation response, in a sensory cortex of the subject mammal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignee: The Research Foundation for the State University of New York
    Inventors: John S. Choi, Joseph T. Francis
  • Publication number: 20190025917
    Abstract: A reinforcement learning brain-machine interface (RL-BMI) can have a policy that governs how detected signals, emanating from a motor cortex of a subject's brain, are translated into action. The policy can be improved by detecting a motor signal having a characteristic and emanating from the motor cortex. The system can provide, to a device and based on (i) the motor signal and (ii) an instruction policy, a command signal resulting in a first action by a device. Additionally, an evaluation signal, emanating from the motor cortex in response to the first action, can also be detected. With the foregoing information, the system can adjust the policy based on the evaluation signal such that a subsequent motor signal, from the subject's brain, having the characteristic results in a second action, by the device, different from the first action, as needed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 11, 2015
    Publication date: January 24, 2019
    Inventors: Joseph T. FRANCIS, Aditya TARIGOPPULA, Brandi T. MARSH
  • Publication number: 20180333580
    Abstract: Sensory information can be delivered to a subject mammal, for example, for restoring a sense of cutaneous touch and limb motion to the subject mammal. A biomimetic electrical signal is generated based on (a) a stimulation reference signal applied to a somatosensory region of a nervous system of a reference mammal, (b) a stimulated-response signal acquired from a sensory cortex of the reference mammal in response to application of the stimulation reference signal to the thalamic nucleus, and (c) a natural-response signal acquired from the sensory cortex in response to peripheral touch stimuli and/or peripheral nerve stimulation of the reference mammal. The biomimetic electrical signal is applied to a somatosensory region of a nervous system of the subject mammal to induce an activation response, in a sensory cortex of the subject mammal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2018
    Publication date: November 22, 2018
    Applicant: The Research Foundation for the State University of New York
    Inventors: John S. CHOI, Joseph T. FRANCIS
  • Patent number: 9974957
    Abstract: Sensory information can be delivered to a subject mammal, for example, for restoring a sense of cutaneous touch and limb motion to the subject mammal. A biomimetic electrical signal is generated based on (a) a stimulation reference signal applied to a somatosensory region of a nervous system of a reference mammal, (b) a stimulated-response signal acquired from a sensory cortex of the reference mammal in response to application of the stimulation reference signal to the thalamic nucleus, and (c) a natural-response signal acquired from the sensory cortex in response to peripheral touch stimuli and/or peripheral nerve stimulation of the reference mammal. The biomimetic electrical signal is applied to a somatosensory region of a nervous system of the subject mammal to induce an activation response, in a sensory cortex of the subject mammal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2018
    Assignee: THE RESEARCH FOUNDATION FOR THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK
    Inventors: John S. Choi, Joseph T. Francis
  • Publication number: 20170043166
    Abstract: Sensory information can be delivered to a subject mammal, for example, for restoring a sense of cutaneous touch and limb motion to the subject mammal. A biomimetic electrical signal is generated based on (a) a stimulation reference signal applied to a somatosensory region of a nervous system of a reference mammal, (b) a stimulated-response signal acquired from a sensory cortex of the reference mammal in response to application of the stimulation reference signal to the thalamic nucleus, and (c) a natural-response signal acquired from the sensory cortex in response to peripheral touch stimuli and/or peripheral nerve stimulation of the reference mammal. The biomimetic electrical signal is applied to a somatosensory region of a nervous system of the subject mammal to induce an activation response, in a sensory cortex of the subject mammal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 14, 2015
    Publication date: February 16, 2017
    Applicant: Research Foundation for State University of New York (The)
    Inventors: John S. CHOI, Joseph T. FRANCIS