Did You Know...
...that Robert Adler has the dubious distinction of being the Father of the Couch Potato? Back in 1955 Adler was employed by what was then Zenith Radio Corp., where he was charged to invent something that would allow viewers to turn down the TV volume without leaving their chairs. After a series of flops (such as a wired contraption that people tripped over), Adler hit on the idea of using sound waves. Thus the Remote Control was born...
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 5347459 | Real time collision detection A method is provided for detecting a collision between a robot and one or more obstacles before it occurs. The robot is modeled by spheres in a voxelized workspace. Each voxel within the workspace is assigned a value which corresponds to its distance from... | 09/13/1994 |
| 5345490 | Method and apparatus for converting computed tomography (CT) data into finite element models A method and apparatus for converting computed tomography (CT) data into finite element models. The system generates both 2-D and 3-D models using the automatic mesh generators, QUADTREE and OCTREE, which are founded on recursive spatial decomposition. Mu... | 09/06/1994 |
| 5313567 | Arrangement for determining and displaying volumetric data in an imaging system An imaging system apparatus and operating method thereof utilize a volumetric resampling technique with interpolation to determine sample point values on user-defined paths traced through a volumetric image comprising a group of predefined data values, wh... | 05/17/1994 |
| 5226113 | Method and apparatus for volumetric projection rendering using reverse ray casting A method for providing a volumetrically-rendered projection image using reverse ray casting, uses the steps of: acquiring, from an object volume of interest, a set of data sampled from each volume element (voxel) therein responsive to a selected character... | 07/06/1993 |
| 5222201 | Method for displaying a portion of the body The problems of selection of objects having complex shapes and usually apprehended by a plurality of facets are solved by making use of curved surfaces, the equation of which is of the second degree. In a test calculation for checking whether a node of an... | 06/22/1993 |
| 5218534 | Method of computation and processing of the image in conical projection, of a sampled three-dimensional object In order to carry out a three-dimensional reconstruction of an object acquired by a series of conical projections on a two-dimensional multidetector, the object is estimated by a sampled function. The sampled function is projected and the projections of t... | 06/08/1993 |
| 5201035 | Dynamic algorithm selection for volume rendering, isocontour and body extraction within a multiple-instruction, multiple-data multiprocessor This is a methodology which reduces the time required to render a volume with extracted isocontours and inserted cutting plane and perform an arbitrary rotation within a three-dimensional volume. The volume is first partitioned among the processors of a m... | 04/06/1993 |
| 5187660 | Arrangement for displaying on a display volumetric data A facility is provided for greatly enhancing the rate at which volumetric data is processed by display on a two-dimensional display. Specifically, the volumetric data is first divided into a predetermined number of sub-blocks, in which a predetermined vox... | 02/16/1993 |
| 5173947 | Conformal image processing apparatus and method A conformal image processing apparatus and method in which image information is quantized into volume elements which are represented and stored in an array in such a fashion as to preserve their positional and orientational correlations. Data thus stored ... | 12/22/1992 |
| 5166875 | Reconstructing two and three dimensional images by two and three dimensional Fourier transforms in an MRI system In an MRI system, three dimensional data is acquired from a specific three dimensional region of a subject to be examined. An image reconstruction process using two dimensional Fourier transform is performed for two dimensional data in one direction of th... | 11/24/1992 |
| 5166876 | System and method for detecting internal structures contained within the interior region of a solid object In a method and apparatus for detecting and displaying arbitrary interior surfaces of a three-dimensional body from a regular array of values of at least one physical property in the interior of the body, the physical property measurements are made with s... | 11/24/1992 |
| 5113357 | Method and apparatus for rendering of geometric volumes A method and apparatus is provided to directly render volumes from volume data whereby the resolution of the volume is not lost and the volume data is completely interactive with geometric data. The volume or portion of the volume to be rendered is aligne... | 05/12/1992 |
| 5101475 | Method and apparatus for generating arbitrary projections of three-dimensional voxel-based data A device for generating parallel and perspective projections of 3-D voxel-based images, viewed along arbitrary viewing directions. The method involves using retrieval parameters to retrieve voxels of the 3-D voxel-based image from discrete 3-D voxel space... | 03/31/1992 |
| 5095521 | Method for the computing and imaging of views of an object With a digital volume of data representing a non-destructive investigation conducted on a body, an operation is made for the segmentation of objects contained in this digital volume, as well as an operation to display a view of this object from a given vi... | 03/10/1992 |
| 5091960 | High-speed image rendering method using look-ahead images A look-ahead image is employed during ray tracing of the image rendering process to eliminate the processing of pixels which are of no interest within a given boundary of the ray. During rendering, ray tracing is carried out by jumping over the pixels of ... | 02/25/1992 |
| 5086495 | Solid modelling system with logic to discard redundant primitives A solid modelling system for generating a spatial representation of an object defined by a structure having a plurality of linked nodes representing the object in terms of solid geometric primitives combined by a logical expression, which is adapted to re... | 02/04/1992 |
| 5079699 | Quick three-dimensional display A diagnostic imaging system generates a three-dimensional display from a series of two-dimensional slice images. A region of interest, defined from a boundary of interest, is selected from one slice and is extrapolated to subsequent slices. Pixels represe... | 01/07/1992 |
| 5038302 | Method of converting continuous three-dimensional geometrical representations into discrete three-dimensional voxel-based representations within a three-dimensional voxel-based system Method of converting continuous 3-D geometrical representations into a discrete set of voxels in discrete 3-D voxel space. In one embodiment, a method is provided for converting a continuous 3-D straight line segment into a discrete set of voxels connecte... | 08/06/1991 |
| 5025375 | Volume data transmission system A volume data transmission system for transmitting volume data consisting of voxel data through a communication line includes a projection data generating section, a data selecting section, and a data transmitter section. The projection data generating se... | 06/18/1991 |
| 4987554 | Method of converting continuous three-dimensional geometrical representations of polygonal objects into discrete three-dimensional voxel-based representations thereof within a three-dimensional voxel-based system A method of converting continuous 3-D (three dimension) geometrical representations of polygonal objects into a discrete set of voxels in discrete 3-D voxel space. In one embodiment, a method is provided for converting a continuous 3-D polygon into a disc... | 01/22/1991 |
| 4985834 | System and method employing pipelined parallel circuit architecture for displaying surface structures of the interior region of a solid body Arbitrary interior surfaces of a three-dimensional body are displayed from a regular array of values of at least one physical property in the interior of the body. The physical property measurements may be made with systems such as computerized tomographi... | 01/15/1991 |
| 4985856 | Method and apparatus for storing, accessing, and processing voxel-based data A method and apparatus for storing to and accessing from a memory device, one or more voxels of a beam disposed along one or more of a plurality of storage/retrieval directions of a 3-D matrix array in 3-D discrete voxel space. Voxels are stored into memo... | 01/15/1991 |
| 4984157 | System and method for displaying oblique planar cross sections of a solid body using tri-linear interpolation to determine pixel position dataes A method and apparatus for displaying arbitrary cross-sectional views of a three-dimensional body from a regular array of values of at least one physical property in the interior of the body includes making physical property measurements with such systems... | 01/08/1991 |
| 4982180 | Method of displaying structures three-dimensionally A method of displaying a structure (SML) three-dimensionally, in which a rectangular parallelepiped (RP), having on each of its sides distances (Lx, Ly, Lz) between minimum and maximum positions along each axis of a struct... | 01/01/1991 |
| 4952922 | Predictive look ahead memory management for computer image generation in simulators A method for use with a vehicle simulator which provides for the rapid update of displayed terrain data in areas of non-visible terrain surfaces and terrain image discontinuities. The method is for use with a system which projects a time-varying computer-... | 08/28/1990 |
| 4947347 | Depth map generating method and apparatus A depth map generating apparatus comprises a three-dimensional (3D) region setting section and first through third processors. The 3D region setting section defines and sets a 3D region of a given shape to enclose an object, the 3D region being defined in... | 08/07/1990 |
| 4914589 | Three-dimensional images obtained from tomographic data using a variable threshold Three-dimensional images are formed from tomographic data collected in a medical diagnostic imaging system. The images include structures of specific interest having voxel densities not confined to a single, exclusive area of the image histogram. A variab... | 04/03/1990 |
| 4894776 | Binary space interpolation A process and system for constructing three dimensional images by acquiring two dimensional image data maps of two spaced apart planes and using binary interpolation to provide image data on planes between the two spaced apart planes. The acquired image d... | 01/16/1990 |
| 4888583 | Method and apparatus for rendering an image from data arranged in a constructive solid geometry format A method and an apparatus render on a display screen (14) an image of a three-dimensional object. The object is represented by image data arranged in a constructive solid geometry format including at least one halfspace that divides an object space (28) i... | 12/19/1989 |
| 4879668 | Method of displaying internal surfaces of three-dimensional medical images A count is kept of the number of surfaces traversed, in a variety of three-dimensional imaging systems which are particularly advantageous for use in medical applications based upon data generated by magnetic resonance imaging systems and computerized axi... | 11/07/1989 |
| 4875165 | Method for determination of 3-D structure in biplane angiography A novel method for determination of 3-D structure in biplane angiography, including determining the distance of a perpendicular line from the focal spots of respective x-ray sources to respective image planes and defining the origin of each biplane image ... | 10/17/1989 |
| 4868748 | Rapid processing of three-dimensional graphical objects from tomographic data Three-dimensional objects within a tomographic data-base are extracted for viewing by comparing the tomographic data to a predetermined threshold or range defining the object boundaries. A surface extraction method is structured so as to allow for several... | 09/19/1989 |
| 4860221 | Magnetic resonance imaging system An magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system comprises an image pick-up section having a slice selector for selecting a position and a gradient of a slice, the image pick-up section exciting the magnetic resonance (MR) in a slice of an object under inspecti... | 08/22/1989 |
| 4835712 | Methods and apparatus for imaging volume data with shading Method and apparatus for shading an image volume so that surfaces and boundaries may be rendered to subvoxel accuracy. A gradient vector is generated for each voxel of an image volume by calculating the change in opacity across that voxel in relation to i... | 05/30/1989 |
| 4835688 | Three-dimensional image processing apparatus A three-dimensional image processing apparatus includes a first three-dimensional memory for storing first voxel data representing a three-dimensional CT image, a level detector for comparing the first voxel data with CT values of an epidermis, a bone, an... | 05/30/1989 |
| 4821210 | Fast display of three-dimensional images A system and method for scanning a plurality of volumetric cells containing three dimensional image information onto a two-dimensional viewplane comprising the steps of: organizing the cells to conjointly represent a volume by arranging them contiguous to... | 04/11/1989 |
| 4821213 | System for the simultaneous display of two or more internal surfaces within a solid object A dual pipeline architecture for a system for preprocessing image data gathered from such systems as magnetic resonance imaging and computer axial tomography scanners. In one simultaneously operable dual pipeline, normal vectors are computed for each voxe... | 04/11/1989 |
| 4791567 | Three dimensional connectivity system employing an equivalence schema for determining connected substructures within a body An apparatus and method for determining connected substructures within a body is disclosed. The system and method are particularly advantageous for use in medical diagnostic imaging applications. In particular, three dimensional regions exhibiting the sam... | 12/13/1988 |
| 4766556 | Three-dimensional solid object manipulating apparatus and method therefor A three-dimensional solid object manipulating apparatus and means stores elemental data defining at least one elemental three-dimensional solid object and first memory means. Next, a three-dimensional solid shape corresponding to the elemental data is set... | 08/23/1988 |
| 4729098 | System and method employing nonlinear interpolation for the display of surface structures contained within the interior region of a solid body A method and apparatus for displaying three dimensional surface images includes the utilization of a case table for rapid retrieval of surface approximation information. Eight cubically adjacent data points associated with a given voxel element are compar... | 03/01/1988 |
