Patents by Inventor Stephen Joseph Douglas

Stephen Joseph Douglas 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).

  • Method for manufacturing an ultrasonic transducer incorporating an array of slotted transducer elements
    Patent number: 6038752
    Abstract: An ultrasonic transducer array, and a method for manufacturing it, having a plurality of transducer elements aligned along an array axis in an imaging plane. Each transducer element includes a piezoelectric layer and one or more acoustic matching layers. The piezoelectric layer has a concave front surface overlayed by a front electrode and a rear surface overlayed by a rear electrode. The shape of each transducer element is selected such that it is mechanically focused into the imaging plane. A backing support holds the plurality of transducer elements in a predetermined relationship along the array axis such that each element is mechanically focused in the imaging plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2000
    Assignee: Parallel Design, Inc.
    Inventors: P. Michael Finsterwald, Stephen Joseph Douglas, Ricky Gail Just
  • Ultrasonic transducer array incorporating an array of slotted transducer elements
    Patent number: 6014898
    Abstract: An ultrasonic transducer array having a plurality of transducer elements aligned along an array axis in an imaging plane. Each transducer element includes a piezoelectric layer and one or more acoustic matching layers. The piezoelectric layer has a concave front surface overlayed by a front electrode and a rear surface overlayed by a rear electrode. The shape of each transducer element is selected such that it is mechanically focused into the imaging plane. A backing support holds the plurality of transducer elements in a predetermined relationship along the array axis such that each element is mechanically focused in the imaging plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 1997
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2000
    Assignee: Parallel Design, Inc.
    Inventors: P. Michael Finsterwald, Stephen Joseph Douglas, Ricky Gail Just