Patents by Inventor Timothy J. Starkweather

Timothy J. Starkweather 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: 20020058906
    Abstract: An implantable infusion pump possesses operational functionality that is, at least in part, controlled by software operating in two processor ICs which are configured to perform some different and some duplicate functions. The pump exchanges messages with an external device via telemetry. Each processor controls a different part of the drug infusion mechanism such that both processors must agree on the appropriateness of drug delivery for infusion to occur. Delivery accumulators are incremented and decremented with delivery requests and with deliveries made. When accumulated amounts reach or exceed, quantized deliverable amounts, infusion is made to occur. The accumulators are capable of being incremented by two or more independent types of delivery requests. Operational modes of the infusion device are changed automatically in view of various system errors that are trapped, various system alarm conditions that are detected, and when excess periods of time lapse between pump and external device interactions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2001
    Publication date: May 16, 2002
    Inventors: Ronald J. Lebel, Varaz Shahmirian, Timothy J. Starkweather, Daniel H. Villegas, Philip T. Weiss
  • Publication number: 20020049480
    Abstract: An implantable infusion pump possesses operational functionality that is, at least in part, controlled by software operating in two processor ICs which are configured to perform some different and some duplicate functions. The pump exchanges messages with an external device via telemetry. Each processor controls a different part of the drug infusion mechanism such that both processors must agree on the appropriateness of drug delivery for infusion to occur. Delivery accumulators are incremented and decremented with delivery requests and with deliveries made. When accumulated amounts reach or exceed, quantized deliverable amounts, infusion is made to occur. The accumulators are capable of being incremented by two or more independent types of delivery requests. Operational modes of the infusion device are changed automatically in view of various system errors that are trapped, various system alarm conditions that are detected, and when excess periods of time lapse between pump and external device interactions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2001
    Publication date: April 25, 2002
    Inventors: Ronald J. Lebel, Varaz Shahmirian, Sam W. Bowman, Timothy J. Starkweather, Daniel H. Villegas, David Y. Choy, Philip T. Weiss
  • Publication number: 20020019606
    Abstract: An implantable infusion pump possesses operational functionality that is, at least in part, controlled by software operating in two processor ICs which are configured to perform some different and some duplicate functions. The pump exchanges messages with an external device via telemetry. Each processor controls a different part of the drug infusion mechanism such that both processors must agree on the appropriateness of drug delivery for infusion to occur. Delivery accumulators are incremented and decremented with delivery requests and with deliveries made. When accumulated amounts reach or exceed, quantized deliverable amounts, infusion is made to occur. The accumulators are capable of being incremented by two or more independent types of delivery requests. Operational modes of the infusion device are changed automatically in view of various system errors that are trapped, various system alarm conditions that are detected, and when excess periods of time lapse between pump and external device interactions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2001
    Publication date: February 14, 2002
    Inventors: Ronald J. Lebel, Varaz Shahmirian, Sam W. Bowman, Timothy J. Starkweather, Wayne A. Morgan
  • Publication number: 20020016568
    Abstract: An implantable infusion pump possesses operational functionality that is, at least in part, controlled by software operating in two processor ICs which are configured to perform some different and some duplicate functions. The pump exchanges messages with an external device via telemetry. Each processor controls a different part of the drug infusion mechanism such that both processors must agree on the appropriateness of drug delivery for infusion to occur. Delivery accumulators are incremented and decremented with delivery requests and with deliveries made. When accumulated amounts reach or exceed, quantized deliverable amounts, infusion is made to occur. The accumulators are capable of being incremented by two or more independent types of delivery requests. Operational modes of the infusion device are changed automatically in view of various system errors that are trapped, various system alarm conditions that are detected, and when excess periods of time lapse between pump and external device interactions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2001
    Publication date: February 7, 2002
    Inventors: Ronald J. Lebel, Timothy J. Starkweather, Philip T. Weiss
  • Publication number: 20010041831
    Abstract: An implanted medical device (e.g. infusion pump) and handheld communication device wherein the implantable device is capable of operating under control of different software programs, wherein a first program operates after resetting the implantable device and is not capable of providing significant medical functionality but is capable of selected telemetry operations including telemetry operations that allow replacement software to be downloaded, and wherein a second program may be caused to take control of the device and is capable of significant medical functionality and selected telemetry operations but is incapable of receiving replacement software. A software image may be received in multiple messages where each message is provided with its own validation code and wherein a validation code for the whole image is provided and wherein each provided validation code must compared to a derived validation code prior to accepting the validity of the replacement software.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2001
    Publication date: November 15, 2001
    Inventors: Timothy J. Starkweather, Ronald J. Lebel, Varaz Shahmirian, Philip T. Weiss
  • Publication number: 20010041920
    Abstract: An implanted medical device (e.g. infusion pump) and handheld communication device wherein the implantable device is capable of operating under control of different software programs, wherein a first program operates after resetting the implantable device and is not capable of providing significant medical functionality but is capable of selected telemetry operations including telemetry operations that allow replacement software to be downloaded, and wherein a second program may be caused to take control of the device and is capable of significant medical functionality and selected telemetry operations but is incapable of receiving replacement software. A software image may be received in multiple messages where each message is provided with its own validation code and wherein a validation code for the whole image is provided and wherein each provided validation code must compared to a derived validation code prior to accepting the validity of the replacement software.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2001
    Publication date: November 15, 2001
    Inventors: Timothy J. Starkweather, Ronald J. Lebel, Varaz Shahmirian, Philip T. Weiss, David J. Marsh
  • Patent number: 6161043
    Abstract: An implantable cardiac device is disclosed having a converter that provides a digital electrocardiogram signal to a controller which is stored in memory or transmitted via the telemetry circuit in an improved compressed fashion. The improved compression scheme comprises sampling the electrogram signal, transmitting the starting value in an uncompressed format followed by a plurality of delta signals in a compressed format. The delta signals may be determined by subtracting successive signals or by subtracting a predicted value from the current value. In either case, the delta signal is then transmitted in a truncated number of bits, e.g., 2 or 4 bits. When the delta signal is too large to be represented in the compressed number of bits, the controller then provides an indicator signal followed by the delta signal in the uncompressed format. In addition, whenever successive delta signals are below a minimum threshold (e.g., zero), they may be compressed into a count.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2000
    Assignee: Pacesetter, Inc.
    Inventors: Kelly H. McClure, Gabriel Mouchawar, Timothy J. Starkweather, James D. Causey, III
  • Patent number: 5836971
    Abstract: An implantable cardioverter/defibrillator/pacemaker (ICD) device having tiered level therapies, detects an arrhythmia through an electrode adapted to be coupled to a patient's heart. An output capacitor is coupled to the electrode through an output switch. A charging circuit, coupled to the output capacitor, charges the output capacitor to a programmed energy level. A control circuit, coupled to the charging circuit and the output switch, generates control signals to control the charging of the output capacitor and the closure of the output switch in accordance with a prescribed tiered therapy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 17, 1998
    Assignee: Pacesetter, Inc.
    Inventor: Timothy J. Starkweather
  • Patent number: 5792188
    Abstract: An implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) device provides capacitor reformation by successively charging and leaking its output capacitor either a specified number of times or until a specified charge remains on the output capacitor after leakage. The ICD delivers therapy with minimal delay should an arrhythmia detection occur during the capacitor reformation process by anticipating an arrhythmia detection and dumping the reformation energy stored on the output capacitor to an acceptable level as soon as a possible arrhythmia detection is anticipated. The ICD further measures the energy level of the last charge delivered following each delivery so that the energy level of subsequent charges may be adjusted to provide optimal therapy to the patient if prior therapy attempts have not successfully terminated the arrhythmia.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 11, 1998
    Assignee: Pacesetter, Inc.
    Inventors: Timothy J. Starkweather, Kelly H. McClure, Min-Yaug Yang