Patents by Inventor Tommy Earl Cupples
Tommy Earl Cupples 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).
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Patent number: 8496586Abstract: Navigation among breast ultrasound volumes derived from different volumetric ultrasonic scans of a same breast is described. On a display of a breast ultrasound workstation, a first image derived from a first ultrasonic volume is displayed. A user election of a source region of interest (ROI) in the first image is received. A destination ROI within a second ultrasonic volume is identified that at least roughly corresponds to a same locality of tissue in the breast as the source ROI. A second image derived from the second ultrasonic volume and including the destination ROI is displayed, the destination ROI being highlighted.Type: GrantFiled: April 14, 2010Date of Patent: July 30, 2013Assignee: U Systems, Inc.Inventors: Wei Zhang, Jiayu Chen, Thomas P. Neff, Michael E. Reed, Jeanine M. Rader, Douglas G. Summers, Shih-Ping Wang, Tor C. Anderson, Zengpin Yu, Tommy Earl Cupples
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Patent number: 8162833Abstract: Displaying breast ultrasound information on an interactive user interface is described, the user interface being useful in adjunctive ultrasound mammography environments and/or ultrasound-only mammography environments. Bilateral comparison is facilitated by a pairwise display of thick-slice images corresponding to analogous slab-like subvolumes in the left and right breasts. Coronal thick-slice imaging and convenient navigation on and among coronal thick-slice images is described. In one preferred embodiment, a nipple marker is displayed the coronal thick-slice image representing a projection of a nipple location thereupon. A convenient breast icon is also displayed including a cursor position indicator variably disposed thereon in a manner that reflects a relative position between the cursor and the nipple marker. Preferably, the breast icon is configured to at least roughly resemble a clock face, the center of the clock face representing the nipple marker location.Type: GrantFiled: September 24, 2010Date of Patent: April 24, 2012Assignee: U-Systems, Inc.Inventors: Wei Zhang, Shih-Ping Wang, Jiayu Chen, Zengpin Yu, Tommy Earl Cupples, Thomas P. Neff, Michael E. Reed
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Publication number: 20110098566Abstract: Displaying breast ultrasound information on an interactive user interface is described, the user interface being useful in adjunctive ultrasound mammography environments and/or ultrasound-only mammography environments. Bilateral comparison is facilitated by a pairwise display of thick-slice images corresponding to analogous slab-like subvolumes in the left and right breasts. Coronal thick-slice imaging and convenient navigation on and among coronal thick-slice images is described. In one preferred embodiment, a nipple marker is displayed the coronal thick-slice image representing a projection of a nipple location thereupon. A convenient breast icon is also displayed including a cursor position indicator variably disposed thereon in a manner that reflects a relative position between the cursor and the nipple marker. Preferably, the breast icon is configured to at least roughly resemble a clock face, the center of the clock face representing the nipple marker location.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 24, 2010Publication date: April 28, 2011Applicant: U-SYSTEMS, INC.Inventors: Wei ZHANG, Shih-Ping Wang, Jiayu Chen, Zengpin Yu, Tommy Earl Cupples, Thomas P. Neff, Michael E. Reed
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Patent number: 7828733Abstract: Displaying breast ultrasound information on an interactive user interface is described, the user interface being useful in adjunctive ultrasound mammography environments and/or ultrasound-only mammography environments. Bilateral comparison is facilitated by a pairwise display of thick-slice images corresponding to analogous slab-like subvolumes in the left and right breasts. Coronal thick-slice imaging and convenient navigation on and among coronal thick-slice images is described. In one preferred embodiment, a nipple marker is displayed the coronal thick-slice image representing a projection of a nipple location thereupon. A convenient breast icon is also displayed including a cursor position indicator variably disposed thereon in a manner that reflects a relative position between the cursor and the nipple marker. Preferably, the breast icon is configured to at least roughly resemble a clock face, the center of the clock face representing the nipple marker location.Type: GrantFiled: August 21, 2009Date of Patent: November 9, 2010Assignee: U-Systems Inc.Inventors: Wei Zhang, Shih-Ping Wang, Jiayu Chen, Zengpin Yu, Tommy Earl Cupples, Thomas P. Neff, Michael E. Reed
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Publication number: 20100280375Abstract: Navigation among breast ultrasound volumes derived from different volumetric ultrasonic scans of a same breast is described. On a display of a breast ultrasound workstation, a first image derived from a first ultrasonic volume is displayed. A user election of a source region of interest (ROI) in the first image is received. A destination ROI within a second ultrasonic volume is identified that at least roughly corresponds to a same locality of tissue in the breast as the source ROI. A second image derived from the second ultrasonic volume and including the destination ROI is displayed, the destination ROI being highlighted.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 14, 2010Publication date: November 4, 2010Applicant: U-SYSTEMS, INC.Inventors: Wei Zhang, Jiayu Chen, Thomas P. Neff, Michael E. Reed, Jeanine M. Rader, Douglas G. Summers, Shih-Ping Wang, Tor C. Anderson, Zengpin Yu, Tommy Earl Cupples
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Publication number: 20100040274Abstract: Displaying breast ultrasound information on an interactive user interface is described, the user interface being useful in adjunctive ultrasound mammography environments and/or ultrasound-only mammography environments. Bilateral comparison is facilitated by a pairwise display of thick-slice images corresponding to analogous slab-like subvolumes in the left and right breasts. Coronal thick-slice imaging and convenient navigation on and among coronal thick-slice images is described. In one preferred embodiment, a nipple marker is displayed the coronal thick-slice image representing a projection of a nipple location thereupon. A convenient breast icon is also displayed including a cursor position indicator variably disposed thereon in a manner that reflects a relative position between the cursor and the nipple marker. Preferably, the breast icon is configured to at least roughly resemble a clock face, the center of the clock face representing the nipple marker location.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 21, 2009Publication date: February 18, 2010Applicant: U-SYSTEMS, INC.Inventors: Wei ZHANG, Shih-Ping WANG, Jiayu CHEN, Zengpin YU, Tommy Earl CUPPLES, Thomas P. NEFF, Michael E. REED
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Patent number: 7615008Abstract: Displaying breast ultrasound information on an interactive user interface is described, the user interface being useful in adjunctive ultrasound mammography environments and/or ultrasound-only mammography environments. Bilateral comparison is facilitated by a pairwise display of thick-slice images corresponding to analogous slab-like subvolumes in the left and right breasts. Coronal thick-slice imaging and convenient navigation on and among coronal thick-slice images is described. In one preferred embodiment, a nipple marker is displayed the coronal thick-slice image representing a projection of a nipple location thereupon. A convenient breast icon is also displayed including a cursor position indicator variably disposed thereon in a manner that reflects a relative position between the cursor and the nipple marker. Preferably, the breast icon is configured to at least roughly resemble a clock face, the center of the clock face representing the nipple marker location.Type: GrantFiled: November 23, 2004Date of Patent: November 10, 2009Assignee: U-Systems, Inc.Inventors: Wei Zhang, Shih-Ping Wang, Jiayu Chen, Zengpin Yu, Tommy Earl Cupples, Thomas P. Neff, Michael E. Reed
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Patent number: 7018333Abstract: An apparatus and related methods for ultrasound-assisted surgical removal of a tumor or other biological object from a patient, the tumor requiring complete removal such that no portion thereof remains inside the patient, is described. According to a preferred embodiment, a specimen containing the tumor is extracted from the patient and suspended in a container holding an acoustically conductive fluid. An ultrasound probe is brought into acoustic communication with the fluid and scans the specimen, preferably at an acoustic power setting higher than a maximum ultrasonic power permitted on live human tissue. Resulting two-dimensional and/or three-dimensional ultrasound images of the specimen, which have a higher quality due to the increased acoustic power of the scan, are viewed on an output display for examining whether any portion of the tumor comes into contact with a surface of the specimen.Type: GrantFiled: November 20, 2001Date of Patent: March 28, 2006Assignee: U-Systems, Inc.Inventors: Shih-Ping Wang, Tommy Earl Cupples, Xiangyong Cheng
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Publication number: 20040152981Abstract: An apparatus and related methods for ultrasound-assisted surgical removal of a tumor or other biological object from a patient, the tumor requiring complete removal such that no portion thereof remains inside the patient, is described. According to a preferred embodiment, a specimen containing the tumor is extracted from the patient and suspended in a container holding an acoustically conductive fluid. An ultrasound probe is brought into acoustic communication with the fluid and scans the specimen, preferably at an acoustic power setting higher than a maximum ultrasonic power permitted on live human tissue. Resulting two-dimensional and/or three-dimensional ultrasound images of the specimen, which have a higher quality due to the increased acoustic power of the scan, are viewed on an output display for examining whether any portion of the tumor comes into contact with a surface of the specimen.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 2, 2004Publication date: August 5, 2004Inventors: Shih-Ping Wang, Tommy Earl Cupples, Xiangyong Cheng
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Patent number: 6675038Abstract: A method, system, and computer program product for providing textual ultrasound probe position information corresponding to an ultrasound image of a target is described. Based on a user's graphical manipulations of a probe icon relative to a breast icon, a text sequence corresponding to the user's estimate of the position of an ultrasound probe is automatically generated. User error and fatigue are reduced because manual keying of the probe position text sequence is no longer required, and the resulting outputs are standardized in format and therefore more amenable to archiving and electronic analysis. In one preferred embodiment, the user is permitted to select a snapping mode of operation in which the probe icon is snapped to align with a major direction of a preselected coordinate system, further enhancing ease-of-use and reducing user fatigue.Type: GrantFiled: May 14, 2001Date of Patent: January 6, 2004Assignee: U-Systems, Inc.Inventors: Tommy Earl Cupples, Donald Chin, Karen D. Maroc
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Patent number: 6524247Abstract: A method, system, computer program product, and user interface for real-time ultrasonic visualization enhancement of a biopsy needle are disclosed in which a wide range of needle positions with respect to the ultrasound probe axis and with respect to the imaged plane are accommodated. Ordinary frames are compounded with special purpose frames, the special purpose frames having transmit and receive parameters adapted to highlight reception of echoes from the biopsy needle. Preferably, an elevation beam width associated with the special purpose ultrasound frames is wider than an elevation beam width associated with the ordinary ultrasound frames. Preferably, the beams of the special purpose ultrasound frames are steered such that they are incident upon the biopsy needle at an increased angle as compared to the angle of incidence for ordinary ultrasound frames.Type: GrantFiled: May 15, 2001Date of Patent: February 25, 2003Assignee: U-Systems, Inc.Inventors: Danhua Zhao, Tommy Earl Cupples, Zengpin Yu
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Publication number: 20020173719Abstract: A method, system, computer program product, and user interface for real-time ultrasonic visualization enhancement of a biopsy needle are disclosed in which a wide range of needle positions with respect to the ultrasound probe axis and with respect to the imaged plane are accommodated. Ordinary frames are compounded with special purpose frames, the special purpose frames having transmit and receive parameters adapted to highlight reception of echoes from the biopsy needle. Preferably, an elevation beam width associated with the special purpose ultrasound frames is wider than an elevation beam width associated with the ordinary ultrasound frames. Preferably, the beams of the special purpose ultrasound frames are steered such that they are incident upon the biopsy needle at an increased angle as compared to the angle of incidence for ordinary ultrasound frames.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 15, 2001Publication date: November 21, 2002Applicant: U-Systems, Inc.Inventors: Danhua Zhao, Tommy Earl Cupples, Zengpin Yu
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Publication number: 20020167549Abstract: A method, system, and computer program product for providing textual ultrasound probe position information corresponding to an ultrasound image of a target is described. Based on a user's graphical manipulations of a probe icon relative to a breast icon, a text sequence corresponding to the user's estimate of the position of an ultrasound probe is automatically generated. User error and fatigue are reduced because manual keying of the probe position text sequence is no longer required, and the resulting outputs are standardized in format and therefore more amenable to archiving and electronic analysis. In one preferred embodiment, the user is permitted to select a snapping mode of operation in which the probe icon is snapped to align with a major direction of a preselected coordinate system, further enhancing ease-of-use and reducing user fatigue.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 14, 2001Publication date: November 14, 2002Inventors: Tommy Earl Cupples, Donald Chin, Karen D. Maroc