Patents by Inventor Thomas B. Blank

Thomas B. Blank 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: 20240350087
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for proximity sensing in physiological sensors, and more specifically to using one or more proximity sensors located on or within a physiological sensor to determine the positioning of the physiological sensor on a patient measurement site. Accurate placement of a physiological sensor on the patient measurement site is a key factor in obtaining reliable measurement of physiological parameters of the patient. Proper alignment between a measurement site and a sensor optical assembly provides more accurate physiological measurement data. This alignment can be determined based on data from a proximity sensor or sensors placed on or within the physiological sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 3, 2024
    Publication date: October 24, 2024
    Inventors: Thomas B. Blank, Gregory A. Olsen, Cristiano Dalvi, Hung T. Vo
  • Patent number: 12011292
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for proximity sensing in physiological sensors, and more specifically to using one or more proximity sensors located on or within a physiological sensor to determine the positioning of the physiological sensor on a patient measurement site. Accurate placement of a physiological sensor on the patient measurement site is a key factor in obtaining reliable measurement of physiological parameters of the patient. Proper alignment between a measurement site and a sensor optical assembly provides more accurate physiological measurement data. This alignment can be determined based on data from a proximity sensor or sensors placed on or within the physiological sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2024
    Assignee: MASIMO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Thomas B. Blank, Gregory A. Olsen, Cristiano Dalvi, Hung T. Vo
  • Publication number: 20230181068
    Abstract: An optical physiological sensor configured to perform high speed spectral sweep analysis of sample tissue being measured to non-invasively predict an analyte level of a patient. An emitter of the optical physiological sensor can be regulated to operate at different temperatures to emit radiation at different wavelengths. Variation in emitter drive current, duty cycle, and forward voltage can also be used to cause the emitter to emit a range of wavelengths. Informative spectral data can be obtained during the sweeping of specific wavelength regions of sample tissue.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 14, 2022
    Publication date: June 15, 2023
    Inventors: Cristiano Dalvi, Ferdyan Lesmana, Hung Vo, Jeroen Poeze, Jesse Chen, Kevin Pauley, Mathew Paul, Sean Merritt, Thomas B. Blank, Massi Joe E. Kiani
  • Patent number: 11653862
    Abstract: An optical physiological sensor configured to perform high speed spectral sweep analysis of sample tissue being measured to non-invasively predict an analyte level of a patient. An emitter of the optical physiological sensor can be regulated to operate at different temperatures to emit radiation at different wavelengths. Variation in emitter drive current, duty cycle, and forward voltage can also be used to cause the emitter to emit a range of wavelengths. Informative spectral data can be obtained during the sweeping of specific wavelength regions of sample tissue.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: Cercacor Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Cristiano Dalvi, Ferdyan Lesmana, Hung The Vo, Jeroen Poeze, Jesse Chen, Kevin Hughes Pauley, Mathew Paul, Sean Merritt, Thomas B. Blank, Massi Joe E. Kiani
  • Publication number: 20210338159
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for proximity sensing in physiological sensors, and more specifically to using one or more proximity sensors located on or within a physiological sensor to determine the positioning of the physiological sensor on a patient measurement site. Accurate placement of a physiological sensor on the patient measurement site is a key factor in obtaining reliable measurement of physiological parameters of the patient. Proper alignment between a measurement site and a sensor optical assembly provides more accurate physiological measurement data. This alignment can be determined based on data from a proximity sensor or sensors placed on or within the physiological sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 13, 2021
    Publication date: November 4, 2021
    Inventors: Thomas B. Blank, Gregory A. Olsen, Cristiano Dalvi, Hung T. Vo
  • Patent number: 11000232
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for proximity sensing in physiological sensors, and more specifically to using one or more proximity sensors located on or within a physiological sensor to determine the positioning of the physiological sensor on a patient measurement site. Accurate placement of a physiological sensor on the patient measurement site is a key factor in obtaining reliable measurement of physiological parameters of the patient. Proper alignment between a measurement site and a sensor optical assembly provides more accurate physiological measurement data. This alignment can be determined based on data from a proximity sensor or sensors placed on or within the physiological sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2021
    Assignee: MASIMO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Thomas B. Blank, Gregory A. Olsen, Cristiano Dalvi, Hung T. Vo
  • Publication number: 20190223804
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for proximity sensing in physiological sensors, and more specifically to using one or more proximity sensors located on or within a physiological sensor to determine the positioning of the physiological sensor on a patient measurement site. Accurate placement of a physiological sensor on the patient measurement site is a key factor in obtaining reliable measurement of physiological parameters of the patient. Proper alignment between a measurement site and a sensor optical assembly provides more accurate physiological measurement data. This alignment can be determined based on data from a proximity sensor or sensors placed on or within the physiological sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 29, 2019
    Publication date: July 25, 2019
    Inventors: Thomas B. Blank, Gregory A. Olsen, Cristiano Dalvi, Hung T. Vo
  • Patent number: 10231670
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for proximity sensing in physiological sensors, and more specifically to using one or more proximity sensors located on or within a physiological sensor to determine the positioning of the physiological sensor on a patient measurement site. Accurate placement of a physiological sensor on the patient measurement site is a key factor in obtaining reliable measurement of physiological parameters of the patient. Proper alignment between a measurement site and a sensor optical assembly provides more accurate physiological measurement data. This alignment can be determined based on data from a proximity sensor or sensors placed on or within the physiological sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2019
    Assignee: MASIMO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Thomas B. Blank, Gregory A. Olsen, Cristiano Dalvi, Hung T. Vo
  • Publication number: 20160367173
    Abstract: An optical physiological sensor configured to perform high speed spectral sweep analysis of sample tissue being measured to non-invasively predict an analyte level of a patient. An emitter of the optical physiological sensor can be regulated to operate at different temperatures to emit radiation at different wavelengths. Variation in emitter drive current, duty cycle, and forward voltage can also be used to cause the emitter to emit a range of wavelengths. Informative spectral data can be obtained during the sweeping of specific wavelength regions of sample tissue.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 20, 2016
    Publication date: December 22, 2016
    Inventors: Cristiano Dalvi, Ferdyan Lesmana, Hung Vo, Jeroen Poeze, Jesse Chen, Kevin Pauley, Mathew Paul, Sean Merritt, Thomas B. Blank, Massi Joe E. Kiani
  • Publication number: 20150366507
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for proximity sensing in physiological sensors, and more specifically to using one or more proximity sensors located on or within a physiological sensor to determine the positioning of the physiological sensor on a patient measurement site. Accurate placement of a physiological sensor on the patient measurement site is a key factor in obtaining reliable measurement of physiological parameters of the patient. Proper alignment between a measurement site and a sensor optical assembly provides more accurate physiological measurement data. This alignment can be determined based on data from a proximity sensor or sensors placed on or within the physiological sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 18, 2015
    Publication date: December 24, 2015
    Inventor: Thomas B. Blank
  • Publication number: 20150005600
    Abstract: A finger-placement sensor tape aligns and removably secures a finger to a sensor pad of a reusable finger-clip optical sensor so as to assure the finger is repeatably aligned between the sensors emitters and detectors and that the finger stays aligned during a test procedure. The sensor tape has a double-sided tape layer having a silicon-based adhesive on a finger side and an acrylic adhesive on a sensor-side. An aperture is defined in the tape layer so as to allow emitters disposed in a top sensor pad to emit light through the tape layer to detectors disposed in a bottom sensor pad. A finger-side release layer is removably disposed over the silicon-based adhesive. A sensor-side release layer is removably disposed over the acrylic adhesive.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2014
    Publication date: January 1, 2015
    Inventors: Thomas B. Blank, Hung The Vo, Cristiano Dalvi, Sean Merritt, Marcelo M. Lamego
  • Publication number: 20140316228
    Abstract: The invention comprises method and apparatus for fluid delivery between a sample probe and a sample. The fluid delivery system includes: a fluid reservoir, a delivery channel, a manifold or plenum, a channel or moat, a groove, and/or a dendritic pathway to deliver a thin and distributed layer of a fluid to a sample probe head and/or to a sample site. The fluid delivery system reduces sampling errors due to mechanical tissue distortion, specular reflectance, probe placement, and/or mechanically induced sample site stress/strain associated with optical sampling of the sample.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 2, 2014
    Publication date: October 23, 2014
    Applicant: GLT Acquisition Corp.
    Inventors: Thomas B. BLANK, Roxanne E. ABUL-HAJ
  • Patent number: 8868147
    Abstract: The invention relates generally to a probe interface method and apparatus for use in conjunction with an optical based noninvasive analyzer. More particularly, an algorithm controls a sample probe position and attitude relative to a skin sample site before and/or during sampling. For example, a sample probe head of a sample module is controlled by an algorithm along the normal-to-skin-axis. Preferably, the sample probe head is positioned in terms of 3-D location in the x-, y-, and z-axes and is attitude orientated in terms of pitch, yaw, and roll. Further, attitude of the probe head is preferably orientated prior to contact of the sample probe head with the tissue sample using indicators, such as non-contact distance feedback from capacitance sensor, contacting or non-contacting optical sensors, and/or contact electrical sensors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignee: GLT Acquisition Corp.
    Inventors: Timothy W. Stippick, Thomas B. Blank, Timothy L. Ruchti, Christopher Slawinski
  • Patent number: 8718738
    Abstract: The invention comprises method and apparatus for fluid delivery between a sample probe and a sample. The fluid delivery system includes: a fluid reservoir, a delivery channel, a manifold or plenum, a channel or moat, a groove, and/or a dendritic pathway to deliver a thin and distributed layer of a fluid to a sample probe head and/or to a sample site. The fluid delivery system reduces sampling errors due to mechanical tissue distortion, specular reflectance, probe placement, and/or mechanically induced sample site stress/strain associated with optical sampling of the sample.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2014
    Assignee: GLT Acquisition Corp.
    Inventors: Thomas B. Blank, Roxanne E. Abul-Haj
  • Patent number: 8504128
    Abstract: Sampling is controlled in order to enhance analyte concentration estimation derived from noninvasive sampling. More particularly, sampling is controlled using controlled fluid delivery to a region between a tip of a sample probe and a tissue measurement site. The controlled fluid delivery enhances coverage of a skin sample site with the thin layer of fluid. Delivery of contact fluid is controlled in terms of spatial delivery, volume, thickness, distribution, temperature, and/or pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2013
    Assignee: GLT Acquisition Corp.
    Inventors: Thomas B. Blank, Stephen L. Monfre, Kevin H. Hazen, Timothy L. Ruchti, Christopher Slawinski, Sedar R. Brown
  • Patent number: 7787924
    Abstract: The invention involves the monitoring of a biological parameter through a compact analyzer. The preferred apparatus is a spectrometer based system that is attached continuously or semi-continuously to a human subject and collects spectral measurements that are used to determine a biological parameter in the sampled tissue. The preferred target analyte is glucose. The preferred analyzer is a near-IR based glucose analyzer for determining the glucose concentration in the body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2010
    Assignee: Sensys Medical, Inc.
    Inventors: George M. Acosta, James R. Henderson, N. Alan Abul Haj, Timothy L. Ruchti, Stephen L. Monfre, Thomas B. Blank, Kevin H. Hazen
  • Patent number: 7697966
    Abstract: The invention provides a targeting system used to direct a measuring system to a targeted sample site or volume. The targeting system increases analyte estimation performance by increasing precision and accuracy of sampling and/or by targeting an analyte rich tissue volume.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2010
    Assignee: Sensys Medical, Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen L. Monfre, Thomas B. Blank, Kevin H. Hazen, Alan Abul-Haj, Tim Ruchti, James Ryan Henderson, Tim Stippick, Roxanne Abul-Haj
  • Patent number: 7640140
    Abstract: This invention provides a method and apparatus that corrects for tissue related interference calibration and/or measurement of biological parameters noninvasively. The invention concerns such terms as outlier identification, filtering, spectral correction, and baseline subtraction steps that, when used together, provides for noninvasive measurement of biological parameters, such as glucose concentration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2009
    Assignee: Sensys Medical, Inc.
    Inventors: Timothy L. Ruchti, Thomas B. Blank, Alexander D. Lorenz
  • Publication number: 20090318786
    Abstract: Sampling is controlled in order to enhance analyte concentration estimation derived from noninvasive sampling. More particularly, sampling is controlled using controlled fluid delivery to a region between a tip of a sample probe and a tissue measurement site. The controlled fluid delivery enhances coverage of a skin sample site with the thin layer of fluid. Delivery of contact fluid is controlled in terms of spatial delivery, volume, thickness, distribution, temperature, and/or pressure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 25, 2008
    Publication date: December 24, 2009
    Inventors: Thomas B. BLANK, Timothy L. RUCHTI, Stephen L. MONFRE, Kevin H. HAZEN, Sedar BROWN, Christopher SLAWINSKI
  • Patent number: RE41333
    Abstract: A method of multi-tier classification and calibration in noninvasive blood analyte prediction minimizes prediction error by limiting co-varying spectral interferents. Tissue samples are categorized based on subject demographic and instrumental skin measurements, including in vivo near-IR spectral measurements. A multi-tier intelligent pattern classification sequence organizes spectral data into clusters having a high degree of internal consistency in tissue properties. In each tier, categories are successively refined using subject demographics, spectral measurement information and other device measurements suitable for developing tissue classifications. The multi-tier classification approach to calibration utilizes multivariate statistical arguments and multi-tiered classification using spectral features.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2010
    Assignee: Sensys Medical, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas B. Blank, Stephen L. Monfre, Timothy L. Ruchti, Suresh N. Thennadill