Patents by Inventor Ralf Mekle

Ralf Mekle 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: 20050033151
    Abstract: Techniques for reducing the scan time required for the acquisition of two or more magnetic resonance imaging images of a subject having differing contrasts. In one arrangement, a combo acquisition protocol of N sets of parameters is selected prior to imaging. In order to image a subject, a first set of parameter values is selected from the protocol, a first RF pulse and at least one gradient field are used to excite the subject, a refocusing RF pulse and at least one gradient field is applied to the subject, a phase encoding gradient field is applied to the subject, and then a measurement gradient field is applied to the subject simultaneously while an induced signal is measured. The process is repeated to obtain N measurements, which are then processed into two or more reconstructed images of differing contrast, and where some of the measurements are used during the reconstruction of two or more of the images.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 18, 2002
    Publication date: February 10, 2005
    Inventors: Ed Wu, Ralf Mekle, Robert Delapaz