Patents by Inventor Robert J. McKenney

Robert J. McKenney 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: 10197645
    Abstract: An intracavity probe for use with a magnetic resonance system includes: a pair of coil loops arranged in a phased array configuration; a pair of decoupling circuits; a pair of output cables; and a spacer material positioned adjacent to an anterior surface of the coil loops. Each coil loop has a drive capacitor and a tuning capacitor. Each decoupling circuit is connected across the tuning capacitor of one of the coil loops. Each output cable is connected at a first end thereof across the drive capacitor of one of the coil loops such that each of the drive capacitors is provided with a separate ground. The spacer material assures a predetermined distance between the pair of coil loops and the region of interest, which thereby reduces intensity of the magnetic resonance signals in proximity to the coil loops, maintains SNR at depth within the region of interest and reduces artifacts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Assignee: Bayer HealthCare LLC
    Inventors: Sriram Sambandamurthy, Maged R. Kamel, Robert J. McKenney
  • Patent number: 9817090
    Abstract: An intracavity probe for use with a magnetic resonance system includes: a pair of coil loops arranged in a phased array configuration; a pair of decoupling circuits; a pair of output cables; and a spacer material positioned adjacent to an anterior surface of the coil loops. Each coil loop has a drive capacitor and a tuning capacitor. Each decoupling circuit is connected across the tuning capacitor of one of the coil loops. Each output cable is connected at a first end thereof across the drive capacitor of one of the coil loops such that each of the drive capacitors is provided with a separate ground. The spacer material assures a predetermined distance between the pair of coil loops and the region of interest, which thereby reduces intensity of the magnetic resonance signals in proximity to the coil loops, maintains SNR at depth within the region of interest and reduces artifacts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: Bayer HealthCare LLC
    Inventors: Sriram Sambandamurthy, Maged R. Kamel, Robert J. McKenney
  • Publication number: 20160131725
    Abstract: An intracavity probe for use with a magnetic resonance system includes: a pair of coil loops arranged in a phased array configuration; a pair of decoupling circuits; a pair of output cables; and a spacer material positioned adjacent to an anterior surface of the coil loops. Each coil loop has a drive capacitor and a tuning capacitor. Each decoupling circuit is connected across the tuning capacitor of one of the coil loops. Each output cable is connected at a first end thereof across the drive capacitor of one of the coil loops such that each of the drive capacitors is provided with a separate ground. The spacer material assures a predetermined distance between the pair of coil loops and the region of interest, which thereby reduces intensity of the magnetic resonance signals in proximity to the coil loops, maintains SNR at depth within the region of interest and reduces artifacts.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 5, 2015
    Publication date: May 12, 2016
    Inventors: SRIRAM SAMBANDAMURTHY, MAGED R. KAMEL, ROBERT J. MCKENNEY
  • Publication number: 20140167758
    Abstract: An intracavity probe for use with a magnetic resonance system includes: a pair of coil loops arranged in a phased array configuration; a pair of decoupling circuits; a pair of output cables; and a spacer material positioned adjacent to an anterior surface of the coil loops. Each coil loop has a drive capacitor and a tuning capacitor. Each decoupling circuit is connected across the tuning capacitor of one of the coil loops. Each output cable is connected at a first end thereof across the drive capacitor of one of the coil loops such that each of the drive capacitors is provided with a separate ground. The spacer material assures a predetermined distance between the pair of coil loops and the region of interest, which thereby reduces intensity of the magnetic resonance signals in proximity to the coil loops, maintains SNR at depth within the region of interest and reduces artifacts.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2011
    Publication date: June 19, 2014
    Applicant: MEDRAD, INC.
    Inventors: Sriram Sambandamurthy, Maged R. Kamel, Robert J. McKenney
  • Patent number: 8610435
    Abstract: A coil for use with a magnetic resonance (MR) system includes an outer loop having a first end and a second end formed from a conductive material for detecting MR signals oriented vertical to a plane of the coil. The outer loop has a plurality of capacitors therein including: (i) a first drive capacitor and a second drive capacitor of approximately equal value serially deployed within the outer loop at the first end of the outer loop with a junction node therebetween; and (ii) a third drive capacitor and a fourth drive capacitor serially deployed within the outer loop at the second end of the outer loop with a junction node therebetween. The coil also includes a first center conductor extending between and evenly bisecting the junction nodes of the outer loop and a second center conductor extending perpendicular to the first center conductor and evenly bisecting the outer loop.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2013
    Assignee: MEDRAD, Inc.
    Inventors: Sriram Sambandamurthy, Robert J. McKenney
  • Patent number: 8581590
    Abstract: An intracavity probe for use with an MR system allows images and spectra of internal anatomical structures to be obtained. The intracavity probe houses within its balloon-type enclosure a single-element quadrature coil sensitive to both the vertical and horizontal components of the MR signal. The quadrature coil by means of its output line is designed to plug into a dedicated interface device with which to interface the quadrature coil with the MR system. Drive capacitors within the coil in conjunction with the electrical length of the output line and phase shifting networks within the interface device enable complete decoupling of the quadrature coil from the transmit fields generated by the MR system. Preamplifier, power splitting and combining networks within the interface device process voltage signals representative of the horizontal and vertical components of the MR signal and enable them to be conveyed to the input port(s) of the MR system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2013
    Assignee: MEDRAD, Inc.
    Inventors: George J. Misic, Robert J. McKenney
  • Publication number: 20110121833
    Abstract: A coil for use with a magnetic resonance (MR) system includes an outer loop having a first end and a second end formed from a conductive material for detecting MR signals oriented vertical to a plane of the coil. The outer loop has a plurality of capacitors therein including: (i) a first drive capacitor and a second drive capacitor of approximately equal value serially deployed within the outer loop at the first end of the outer loop with a junction node therebetween; and (ii) a third drive capacitor and a fourth drive capacitor serially deployed within the outer loop at the second end of the outer loop with a junction node therebetween. The coil also includes a first center conductor extending between and evenly bisecting the junction nodes of the outer loop and a second center conductor extending perpendicular to the first center conductor and evenly bisecting the outer loop.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 23, 2010
    Publication date: May 26, 2011
    Inventors: Sriram Sambandamurthy, Robert J. McKenney
  • Patent number: 7911209
    Abstract: A head coil for use with a parallel-imaging compatible MR system is disclosed, as is a method of making, and a neurovascular array (NVA) equipped with, same. The head coil includes conductive rings and rods configured to produce a plurality of electrically-adjacent primary resonant substructures about a birdcage-like structure, with each such primary resonant substructure including two rods neighboring each other and the short segment of each of the first and second rings interconnecting them. The primary resonant substructures are isolated from each other via a preamplifier decoupling scheme and an offset tuning scheme thereby enabling each primary resonant substructure (i) to receive an MR signal from tissue within its field of view and (ii) to be operatively couplable to one processing channel of the MR system for conveyance of the MR signal received thereby (iii) while being simultaneously decoupled from the other primary resonant substructures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2011
    Assignee: Medrad, Inc.
    Inventors: Fahad Alradady, William J. Monski, George J. Misic, Robert J. McKenney, Jr., Timothy S. Zibrat, Jaroslaw Wlodarczyk
  • Publication number: 20080275332
    Abstract: A head coil for use with a parallel-imaging compatible MR system is disclosed, as is a method of making, and a neurovascular array (NVA) equipped with, same. The head coil includes conductive rings and rods configured to produce a plurality of electrically-adjacent primary resonant substructures about a birdcage-like structure, with each such primary resonant substructure including two rods neighboring each other and the short segment of each of the first and second rings interconnecting them. The primary resonant substructures are isolated from each other via a preamplifier decoupling scheme and an offset tuning scheme thereby enabling each primary resonant substructure (i) to receive an MR signal from tissue within its field of view and (ii) to be operatively couplable to one processing channel of the MR system for conveyance of the MR signal received thereby (iii) while being simultaneously decoupled from the other primary resonant substructures.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 22, 2005
    Publication date: November 6, 2008
    Applicant: MEDRAD INC.
    Inventors: Fahad Alradady, William J. Monski, George J. Misic, Robert J. McKenney, Timothy S. Zibrat, Jaroslaw Wlodarczyk