Patents by Inventor Pauline W. Worters

Pauline W. Worters 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).

  • Balanced steady-state free-precession transient imaging using variable flip angles for a predefined signal profile
    Patent number: 8432166
    Abstract: A magnetic resonance imaging system or method is provided including a balanced steady-state free-precession transient imaging (transient bSSFP) device capable of increasing the overall signal during transient bSSFP acquisition by fully or better utilization of the magnetization through variable RF flip angles. The transient bSSFP device is capable of generating a series of echoes with a desired transverse magnetization profile MT. It is further capable of generating RF pulses each having a distinct RF flip angle for each of the echoes in the series of echoes. The transient bSSFP device is coupled to a computer capable of calculating the distinct RF flip angle for the nth echo in the series of echoes. The computer calculation utilizes a program encoding an analytical inversion of the Bloch equation. Once the RF flip angle is calculated, it is used by the transient bSSFP device in the generation of the nth echo.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2013
    Assignee: The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University
    Inventors: Pauline W. Worters, Brian A. Hargreaves
  • Balanced steady-state free-precession transient imaging using variable flip angles for a predefined signal profile
    Publication number: 20110210732
    Abstract: A magnetic resonance imaging system or method is provided including a balanced steady-state free-precession transient imaging (transient bSSFP) device capable of increasing the overall signal during transient bSSFP acquisition by fully or better utilization of the magnetization through variable RF flip angles. The transient bSSFP device is capable of generating a series of echoes with a desired transverse magnetization profile MT. It is further capable of generating RF pulses each having a distinct RF flip angle for each of the echoes in the series of echoes. The transient bSSFP device is coupled to a computer capable of calculating the distinct RF flip angle for the nth echo in the series of echoes. The computer calculation utilizes a program encoding an analytical inversion of the Bloch equation. Once the RF flip angle is calculated, it is used by the transient bSSFP device in the generation of the nth echo.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2010
    Publication date: September 1, 2011
    Inventors: Pauline W. Worters, Brian A. Hargreaves