Patents by Inventor Walter Francis Block

Walter Francis Block 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).

  • Patent number: 8502536
    Abstract: A method for producing an image of a subject with a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system is provided. Image data is acquired at a sequence of multiple echo times occurring within two or more repetition times (TRs). Odd-numbered echoes are sampled during odd-numbered TRs, and even-numbered echoes are sampled during even-numbered TRs. Images are reconstructed and used to calculate the respective signal contributions of two or more chemical species using, for example, an IDEAL separation technique. The respective signal contributions are then used to produce images that depicts substantially only one of the chemical species. For example, separated water and fat images may be produced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2013
    Assignee: Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
    Inventors: Walter Francis Block, Catherine Judith Moran, Scott Brian Reeder, Ethan K Brodsky
  • Publication number: 20120256625
    Abstract: A method for producing an image of a subject with a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system is provided. Image data is acquired at a sequence of multiple echo times occurring within two or more repetition times (TRs). Odd-numbered echoes are sampled during odd-numbered TRs, and even-numbered echoes are sampled during even-numbered TRs. Images are reconstructed and used to calculate the respective signal contributions of two or more chemical species using, for example, an IDEAL separation technique. The respective signal contributions are then used to produce images that depicts substantially only one of the chemical species. For example, separated water and fat images may be produced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 8, 2011
    Publication date: October 11, 2012
    Inventors: Walter Francis Block, Catherine Judith Moran, Scott Brian Reeder, Ethan K. Brodsky
  • Patent number: 7309984
    Abstract: A method for reconstructing an image from undersampled, parallel MRI data sets acquired with a pulse sequence that samples k-space along radial trajectories includes the synthesis of training k-space data from the acquired data. The training k-space data is produced by reconstructing training images from the fully sampled, central k-space region of the acquired MRI data sets, and the training k-space data is used in a radial GRAPPA image reconstruction method to produce an image frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2007
    Assignee: Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
    Inventors: Arjun Arunachalam, Alexey A. Samsonov, Walter Francis Block