Patents by Inventor William E. Butler

William E. Butler 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: 20230371967
    Abstract: Forceps including a housing, a first body, a second body and a drive shaft. The first body has a passageway extending therethrough. The drive shaft extending through the passageway and connected to the first body such that the first body and the drive shaft are slidable with respect to the housing to drive jaws located at a distal portion of the drive shaft between an open position and a closed position. The second body having a second passageway. The drive shaft extending through the second passageway such that the second body is guided by the drive shaft and is slidable relative to the first body and the drive shaft to displace a blade shaft between a retracted position and an extended position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 26, 2023
    Publication date: November 23, 2023
    Inventors: Zane R. Ward, William E. Butler, Jeffrey J. Nelson, Christian J. Fiksen, Eric J. Boone
  • Publication number: 20230316514
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer readable media are provided for reduced-dose angiography using machine learning (e.g., deep learning). Briefly, techniques described herein may use a neural network trained to conserve/preserve angiographic image quality while reducing the angiographic dose of potentially harmful chemical contrast and/or x-ray radiation. As a result, angiographic anatomy may be extracted from an image at reduced angiographic doses using a deep learning neural network. The reduction in chemical contrast and x-ray dose may be achieved based on operations performed before, during, and/or after angiographic imaging.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2023
    Publication date: October 5, 2023
    Inventors: William E. Butler, Hector Andrade-Loarca
  • Patent number: 11684380
    Abstract: Medical devices including a housing, an actuator, a body having a passageway extending through the body, a drive shaft extending through the passageway, and a clip coupled to the body and the drive shaft to fix the body relative to the drive shaft. The medical device further including features to couple the clip to at least one of the body and/or the drive shaft such that back out of the clip is inhibited.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: Gyrus ACMI, Inc.
    Inventors: William E. Butler, Jeffrey Nelson
  • Patent number: 11678899
    Abstract: Forceps including a housing, a first body, a second body and a drive shaft. The first body has a passageway extending therethrough. The drive shaft extending through the passageway and connected to the first body such that the first body and the drive shaft are slidable with respect to the housing to drive jaws located at a distal portion of the drive shaft between an open position and a closed position. The second body having a second passageway. The drive shaft extending through the second passageway such that the second body is guided by the drive shaft and is slidable relative to the first body and the drive shaft to displace a blade shaft between a retracted position and an extended position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2023
    Assignee: Gyrus ACMI, Inc.
    Inventors: Zane R. Ward, William E. Butler, Jeffrey J. Nelson, Christian J. Fiksen, Eric J. Boone
  • Publication number: 20220409226
    Abstract: Forceps can include a drive pin, an outer tube, a first jaw, a second jaw, and an inner shaft. The outer tube can extend along a longitudinal axis. The first jaw can be pivotably connected to the outer tube. The first jaw can include a first flange that can be located at a proximal portion of the first jaw. The first flange can include a first chamfered edge configured to limit extension of the first flange laterally beyond an outer surface of the outer tube when the first jaw is in a closed position. The inner shaft can be located within the outer tube and can extend along the longitudinal axis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 19, 2022
    Publication date: December 29, 2022
    Inventors: Christian J. Fiksen, William E. Butler, Hanam S. Pham
  • Patent number: 11529159
    Abstract: Forceps can include an outer tube, a first jaw, a second jaw, and an inner tube. The outer tube can extend along a longitudinal axis and can include a pair of outer arms extending from a distal portion of the outer tube. The first jaw can be pivotably connected to the outer tube and the first jaw can include a first flange and a second flange each located at a proximal portion of the first jaw. The first flange and the second flange can each include a proximal portion extending outward of the outer tube when the jaws are in an open position. The proximal portions can be shaped to limit extension of the proximal portions laterally beyond the outer arms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2022
    Assignee: Gyrus ACMI, Inc.
    Inventors: Christian J. Fiksen, William E. Butler, William Kratoska, Hanam Pham
  • Patent number: 11514577
    Abstract: A time sequenced series of optical images of a patient is obtained at a rate faster than cardiac frequency, wherein the time sequenced series of images capture one or more physical properties of intrinsic contrast. A cross-correland signal from the patient is obtained. A cross-correlated wavelet transform analysis is applied to the time sequenced series of optical images to yield a spatiotemporal representation of cardiac frequency phenomena. The cross-correlated wavelet transform analysis comprises performing a wavelet transform on the time-sequenced series of optical images to obtain a wavelet transformed signal, cross-correlating the wavelet transformed signal with the cross-correland signal to obtain a cross-correlated signal, filtering the cross-correlated signal at cardiac frequency to obtain a filtered signal, and performing an inverse wavelet transform on the filtered signal to obtain a spatiotemporal representation of the time sequenced series of optical images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Inventor: William E. Butler
  • Patent number: 11510642
    Abstract: A plurality of image projections are acquired at faster than cardiac rate. A spatiotemporal reconstruction of cardiac frequency angiographic phenomena in three spatial dimensions is generated from two dimensional image projections using physiological coherence at cardiac frequency. Complex valued methods may be used to operate on the plurality of image projections to reconstruct a higher dimensional spatiotemporal object. From a plurality of two spatial dimensional angiographic projections, a 3D spatial reconstruction of moving pulse waves and other cardiac frequency angiographic phenomena is obtained. Reconstruction techniques for angiographic data obtained from biplane angiography devices are also provided herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Inventor: William E. Butler
  • Publication number: 20220361834
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for extracting cardiac frequency angiographic phenomena for an unconstrained vascular object from an angiographic study. In one example, a computer may obtain a series of angiographic image frames obtained at a rate faster than cardiac frequency. Each image frame may comprise a plurality of pixels, and each pixel may have a corresponding intensity. The computer may apply an optical flow technique to the angiographic image frames to generate a plurality of paths corresponding to a displacement of respective pixels from image frame to image frame. The computer may further generate a spatiotemporal reconstruction of cardiac frequency angiographic phenomena based on the plurality of paths and the corresponding intensities associated with respective pixels of the paths, and output for display the spatiotemporal reconstruction of cardiac frequency angiographic phenomena in one or more images.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 12, 2021
    Publication date: November 17, 2022
    Inventors: William E. Butler, Hector Andrade-Loarca
  • Patent number: 11497515
    Abstract: Forceps can include an outer tube, a first jaw, a second jaw, and an inner tube. The outer tube can extend along a longitudinal axis and can include a pair of outer arms extending from a distal portion of the outer tube. The first jaw can be pivotably connected to the outer tube and the first jaw can include a first flange and a second flange each located at a proximal portion of the first jaw. The first flange and the second flange can each include a proximal portion extending outward of the outer tube when the jaws are in an open position. The proximal portions can be shaped to limit extension of the proximal portions laterally beyond the outer arms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: Gyrus ACMI, Inc.
    Inventors: Christian J. Fiksen, William E. Butler, William Kratoska, Hanam Pham
  • Patent number: 11452535
    Abstract: Forceps can include a drive pin, an outer tube, a first jaw, a second jaw, and an inner shaft. The outer tube can extend along a longitudinal axis. The first jaw can be pivotably connected to the outer tube. The first jaw can include a first flange that can be located at a proximal portion of the first jaw. The first flange can include a first chamfered edge configured to limit extension of the first flange laterally beyond an outer surface of the outer tube when the first jaw is in a closed position. The inner shaft can be located within the outer tube and can extend along the longitudinal axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2022
    Assignee: Gyrus ACMI, Inc.
    Inventors: Christian J. Fiksen, William E. Butler, Hanam Pham
  • Patent number: 11291422
    Abstract: Techniques are provided for reconstructing cardiac frequency phenomena from a sequence of angiographic images, i.e., two-dimensional projection images acquired at faster than cardiac rate (greater than two-fold), and analyzed to provide a spatiotemporal reconstruction of moving vascular pulse waves according to that projection. In aspects, a cardiac frequency bandpass filter and/or a Eulerian magnification may be applied to the angiographic data to output the spatiotemporal reconstruction of cardiac frequency angiographic phenomena.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Inventor: William E. Butler
  • Patent number: 11282202
    Abstract: Angiographic data is obtained by injecting a chemical contrast agent intravascularly, and imaging passage of the contrast as a function of time, thereby generating a sequence of images. To correct error from uncalibrated timestamps embedded in the image metadata, radio-opaque markers are used to generate a watermark embedding timestamp data in obtained images. The radio-opaque markers cause opacification on the x-ray images in the form of dynamic watermarks that encode timestamps. The positions of the markers in the watermark (cast from the radio-opaque markers) are then processed and analyzed to generate an accurate timestamp for the image. By generating an accurate timestamp, synchronized calculations of the images with other data sources are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Inventor: William E. Butler
  • Publication number: 20220039862
    Abstract: An electrosurgical device comprising: (a) a stylet including: (i) a first jaw; (ii) a second jaw that is movable relative to the first jaw from a first position where the first jaw and the second jaw are open to a second position where the first jaw and the second jaw move towards each other to grasp tissue therebetween; and (iii) one or more jaw support rods connected to the first jaw, the second jaw, or both; and (b) a housing connected to the stylet and the stylet extending from the housing, the housing including: (i) an operable mechanism including: (1) a fourth link; (2) a second link; (3) a first link being connected to the fourth link via a first pivot and being rotatable relative to the first pivot, and connected to the second link at a second pivot so that movement of the first link moves the second link relative to the fourth link; and (4) a third link being connected to the second link at a third pivot so that movement of the second link moves the third link, and the fourth link being connected to
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 21, 2021
    Publication date: February 10, 2022
    Inventor: William E. Butler
  • Patent number: 11123035
    Abstract: The brain appears to have organized cardiac frequency angiographic phenomena with such coherence as to qualify as vascular pulse waves. Separate arterial and venous vascular pulse waves may be resolved. This disclosure states the method of extracting a spatiotemporal reconstruction of the cardiac frequency phenomena present in an angiogram obtained at faster than cardiac frequency. A wavelet transform is applied to each of the pixel-wise time signals of the angiogram. If there is motion alias then instead a high frequency resolution wavelet transform of the overall angiographic time intensity curve is cross-correlated to high temporal resolution wavelet transforms of the pixel-wise time signals. The result is filtered for cardiac wavelet scale then pixel-wise inverse wavelet transformed. This gives a complex-valued spatiotemporal grid of cardiac frequency angiographic phenomena. It may be rendered with a brightness-hue color model or subjected to further analysis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: William E. Butler and Angiowave Imaging, LLC
    Inventors: William E. Butler, Benjamin I. Rapoport
  • Patent number: 10960181
    Abstract: An apparatus for imparting a tensile force to deflect a distal portion of a catheter while maintaining its exterior dimensions may include a handle grip including a cross-section of generally predetermined exterior dimensions, and a longitudinal axis. A flexible elongate member may include proximal and distal end portions, with the proximal end portion being coupled to the handle grip. An adjustment knob may include a cross-section of generally predetermined exterior dimensions, and is rotatably coupled to the handle grip around the longitudinal axis. An elongate deflection member may be operably coupled to the adjustment knob and to the distal end portion of the elongate member. Rotation of the adjustment knob may impart a tensile force to the deflection member thereby causing the distal end portion of the elongate member to deflect from a prior configuration while maintaining the generally predetermined exterior dimensions of the handle grip and the adjustment knob.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2021
    Assignee: St. Jude Medical, Atrial Fibrillation Division, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael C. Bednarek, Eric J. Wilkowske, Richard E. Stehr, William E. Butler
  • Publication number: 20200397396
    Abstract: The brain appears to have organized cardiac frequency angiographic phenomena with such coherence as to qualify as vascular pulse waves. Separate arterial and venous vascular pulse waves may be resolved. This disclosure states the method of extracting a spatiotemporal reconstruction of the cardiac frequency phenomena present in an angiogram obtained at faster than cardiac frequency. A wavelet transform is applied to each of the pixel-wise time signals of the angiogram. If there is motion alias then instead a high frequency resolution wavelet transform of the overall angiographic time intensity curve is cross-correlated to high temporal resolution wavelet transforms of the pixel-wise time signals. The result is filtered for cardiac wavelet scale then pixel-wise inverse wavelet transformed. This gives a complex-valued spatiotemporal grid of cardiac frequency angiographic phenomena. It may be rendered with a brightness-hue color model or subjected to further analysis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2020
    Publication date: December 24, 2020
    Inventors: William E. Butler, Benjamin I. Rapoport
  • Publication number: 20200320710
    Abstract: A time sequenced series of optical images of a patient is obtained at a rate faster than cardiac frequency, wherein the time sequenced series of images capture one or more physical properties of intrinsic contrast. A cross-correland signal from the patient is obtained. A cross-correlated wavelet transform analysis is applied to the time sequenced series of optical images to yield a spatiotemporal representation of cardiac frequency phenomena The cross-correlated wavelet transform analysis comprises performing a wavelet transform on the time-sequenced series of optical images to obtain a wavelet transformed signal, cross-correlating the wavelet transformed signal with the cross-correland signal to obtain a cross-correlated signal, filtering the cross-correlated signal at cardiac frequency to obtain a filtered signal, and performing an inverse wavelet transform on the filtered signal to obtain a spatiotemporal representation of the time sequenced series of optical images.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 6, 2020
    Publication date: October 8, 2020
    Inventor: William E. Butler
  • Publication number: 20200305960
    Abstract: Forceps including a frame and a motion transfer assembly to transfer forces from or more actuators to an end effector. The motion transfer assembly can include a body having a passageway, a drive shaft extending through the passageway, and a drive link. The body and the drive shaft slidable with respect to the frame, and the body rotationally fixed to the drive shaft to transfer a rotational input received from a first actuator into a rotational motion of the drive shaft relative to the frame. The drive link operably coupled to the frame and the body to transfer a force received from a second actuator into a linear motion of the body and the drive shaft relative to the frame.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2020
    Publication date: October 1, 2020
    Inventors: William E. Butler, Jeffrey J. Nelson, Theodore C. Blus
  • Publication number: 20200305910
    Abstract: Medical devices, such as forceps including a handpiece having a housing and an inner shaft that extends out of the handpiece along a longitudinal axis to transfer motion to an end effector. The inner shaft being rotatable with respect to the handpiece. An outer shaft that is rotatable with respect to the housing is boated around the inner shaft. The medical device further including an end effector coupled to the inner shaft and the outer shaft. The outer shaft rotationally constrained to the inner shaft at a first longitudinal location and at a second longitudinal location.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2020
    Publication date: October 1, 2020
    Inventors: John Mensch, William E. Butler