Patents by Inventor Robert J. Nickles

Robert J. Nickles 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: 20040062714
    Abstract: Fluoroalkanes such as fluoromethane labeled with 17F are produced by contacting 17F labeled F2 with alkanes, preferably methane, substituted or unsubstituted alkenes, or substituted or unsubstituted alkynes in the presence of a metal oxide catalyst, preferably a silver oxide catalyst, to produce the 17F labeled fluoroalkane. The 17F may be produced by irradiating 20Ne with protons, preferably having an energy of about 11 MeV and produced by a cyclotron. The 17F labeled fluoromethane or fluoroalkanes may be produced continuously. A method for determining the location of an 17F labeled tracer includes generating an 17F labeled fluoroalkane, administering the 17F labeled fluoroalkane to a test subject, and scanning the test subject with a radiosensitive detector such as a positron emission tomography scanner.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 23, 2003
    Publication date: April 1, 2004
    Applicant: Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
    Inventors: Andrew D. Roberts, Robert J. Nickles
  • Publication number: 20040033196
    Abstract: Fluoroalkanes such as fluoromethane labeled with 17F are produced by contacting 17F labeled F2 with alkanes, preferably methane, substituted or unsubstituted alkenes, or substituted or unsubstituted alkynes in the presence of a metal oxide catalyst, preferably a silver oxide catalyst, to produce the 17F labeled fluoroalkane. The 17F may be produced by irradiating 20Ne with protons, preferably having an energy of about 11 MeV and produced by a cyclotron. The 17F labeled fluoromethane or fluoroalkanes may be produced continuously. A method for determining the location of an 17F labeled tracer includes generating an 17F labeled fluoroalkane, administering the 17F labeled fluoroalkane to a test subject, and scanning the test subject with a radiosensitive detector such as a positron emission tomography scanner.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 23, 2003
    Publication date: February 19, 2004
    Applicant: Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
    Inventors: Andrew D. Roberts, Robert J. Nickles
  • Patent number: 6585953
    Abstract: Fluoroalkanes such as fluoromethane labeled with 17F are produced by contacting 17F labeled F2 with alkanes, preferably methane, substituted or unsubstituted alkenes, or substituted or unsubstituted alkynes in the presence of a metal oxide catalyst, preferably a silver oxide catalyst, to produce the 17F labeled fluoroalkane. The 17F may be produced by irradiating 20Ne with protons, preferably having an energy of about 11 MeV and produced by a cyclotron. The 17F labeled fluoromethane or fluoroalkanes may be produced continuously. A method for determining the location of an 17F labeled tracer includes generating an 17F labeled fluoroalkane, administering the 17F labeled fluoroalkane to a test subject, and scanning the test subject with a radiosensitive detector such as a positron emission tomography scanner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2003
    Assignee: Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
    Inventors: Andrew D. Roberts, Robert J. Nickles
  • Patent number: 6410919
    Abstract: A positron gun is mounted to a PET scanner to illuminate a patient with positrons during a calibration emission scan. A calibration sinogram is produced and used to reconstruct an image which locates boundaries between structures of different attenuation values. An attenuation image is produced and forward projected to provide an attenuation sinogram used to correct emission images acquired by the PET scanner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2002
    Assignee: Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
    Inventor: Robert J. Nickles
  • Publication number: 20020028177
    Abstract: Fluoroalkanes such as fluoromethane labeled with 17F are produced by contacting 17F labeled F2 with alkanes, preferably methane, substituted or unsubstituted alkenes, or substituted or unsubstituted alkynes in the presence of a metal oxide catalyst, preferably a silver oxide catalyst, to produce the 17F labeled fluoroalkane. The 17F may be produced by irradiating 20Ne with protons, preferably having an energy of about 11 MeV and produced by a cyclotron. The 17F labeled fluoromethane or fluoroalkanes may be produced continuously. A method for determining the location of an 17F labeled tracer includes generating an 17F labeled fluoroalkane, administering the 17F labeled fluoroalkane to a test subject, and scanning the test subject with a radiosensitive detector such as a positron emission tomography scanner.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2001
    Publication date: March 7, 2002
    Inventors: Andrew D. Roberts, Robert J. Nickles
  • Patent number: 5230883
    Abstract: Improved methods of selectively localizing, imaging and/or treating tumors, which have a net negative charge, employ novel compositions containing non-immunogenic complexes having a net positive charge in a sterile solution. The complexes contain polylysine, a linking agent bound to less than all of the lysyl groups of the polylysine, and an imaging agent or a chemotherapeutic agent which is also bound to the linking agent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 1992
    Date of Patent: July 27, 1993
    Assignee: Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
    Inventors: Steven Kornguth, Patrick Turski, H. Ian Robins, Robert J. Nickles
  • Patent number: 4631410
    Abstract: Radioactive specimens are placed in the well (12) of a plastic scintillator body (11), and the light flashes from the scintillator body (11) are picked up by a photomultiplier tube (13). The anode (44) and dynodes (43) of the photomultiplier tube (13) are electrically isolated and a selected biasing voltage is provided across the cathode (42) and dynodes to operate the photomultiplier tube in its linear range at the activity level of the specimen. At high activity levels, the current flowing from the anode (44) is measured by an electrometer (21) to determine a value which is directly related to the activity of the specimen, whereas at lower activity levels where anode current is not accurately measurable, the pulses at the last dynode (50) are counted to determine the scintillation rate and thereby the activity level of the specimen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 1984
    Date of Patent: December 23, 1986
    Assignee: Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
    Inventor: Robert J. Nickles
  • Patent number: 4058728
    Abstract: A method of and circuitry for correcting gamma ray camera data signals for signal processing circuitry is disclosed. Pulses are artificially generated which replicate the data signals produced at the output of photomultiplier tubes of the gamma ray scintillation camera and are inserted in the gamma ray camera internal processing circuitry in such a manner as to remain distinguishable from the data signals generated by the photomultiplier tubes. By monitoring the number of artificial pulses produced artificially and the number of such pulses actually counted by the data processing circuitry of the gamma scintillation camera, a factor indicative of the losses of scintillation count in the processing circuitry may be determined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 1976
    Date of Patent: November 15, 1977
    Assignee: Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
    Inventor: Robert J. Nickles
  • Patent number: 4033335
    Abstract: A method and device for multiplexing time varying amplitude physiological data signals with the signals provided by the photomultiplier tubes of a gamma ray scintillation camera. The time varying amplitude signals from physiological sensors are converted to a series of uniformly shaped pulses having a pulse frequency which is directly proportional to the amplitude of the physiological signal. The pulses are shaped to correspond to the shape and size of significant pulses provided at the output circuitry of the photomultiplier tubes of the camera. The shaped pulses are combined with the pulses provided by a photomultiplier tube, and are processed by the internal circuitry of the gamma ray camera in the same manner as gamma ray scintillation data. A computer can be utilized to process the data thus provided, and to display the gamma ray scintillation data in time synchrony with the physiological signal source data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 1975
    Date of Patent: July 5, 1977
    Assignee: Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
    Inventor: Robert J. Nickles
  • Patent number: 3978337
    Abstract: A pair of fast acting elongated plastic scintillation bars are arranged in a skewed spatial relationship to thereby define a unique tetrahedron in space which constitutes the positron sensitive volume of the camera. Each scintillation bar is serviced by a pair of fast acting photomultiplier tubes disposed immediately adjacent the ends of the bars, so that four substantially coincident relative times of activation of the photomultipliers occur when the two opposed 511 keV gamma rays, arising from a positron annihilation within the tetrahedron, happen to hit and be stopped by the two scintillation bars, causing scintillations therein.From measurements and analysis of the various time differences of photomultiplier activations, the location of the respective scintillations along the two bars is defined, thereby defining the gamma ray flight line joining the two scintillations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 1975
    Date of Patent: August 31, 1976
    Assignee: Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
    Inventors: Robert J. Nickles, Hans O. Meyer