Did You Know...
...that Charles Goodyear performed some of his experiments on rubber while in debtor's prison? He was there so often he referred to it as his "hotel". Chronically in debt because of poor business sense and ill health, Goodyear depended on the generosity of friends and family. Even after he unlocked the secret to vulcanizing rubber, he was unable to improve his financial situation. When he died, his estate was $200,000 in debt.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8182433 | Medical apparatus system having optical fiber load sensing capability Apparatus is provided for diagnosing or treating an organ or vessel, wherein a deformable body having at least two optical fiber sensors disposed in a distal extremity thereof is coupled to processing logic programmed to compute a multi-dimensional force vector resp... | 05/22/2012 |
| 8182434 | Equine locomotor flexion algometry device (ELFA) A cordless handheld equine leg flexibility testing device 100 has a handheld assembly module 10, a power source 12, a data storage module 20, and either a leg holder assembly 60 or a hoof holder assembly 40 which is removabl... | 05/22/2012 |
| 8172775 | Joint implant placement Method for planning implant placement, the implant comprising a first implant in a first limb and a second implant in a second limb, the first and the second implant forming an artificial structure joining the first and second limb, the method comprising the steps: ... | 05/08/2012 |
| 8167823 | Method and apparatus for aligning and securing an implant relative to a patient A surgical apparatus includes an orientation sensor that detects an actual orientation of a surgical tool. The apparatus also includes an orientation feedback device that selectively provides an orientation feedback signal. Moreover, the apparatus includes a control... | 05/01/2012 |
| 8147428 | Device and method for quantifying edema The preferred embodiments of the present invention are directed at a device that provides a reliable, accurate and quantifiable measure of a patient's edema. The device improves on the current method of digital manipulation by evaluating the pitting phenomena in a u... | 04/03/2012 |
| 8142369 | Measurement and use of in-socket residual limb volume change data for prosthetic fitting Changes in the volume of residual limbs on which prosthetic sockets are worn can be measured based on bioimpedance measurements along one or more segments of the limb. A current at an appropriate frequency (e.g., in the range from 1 kHz to 1 MHz) is injected at two ... | 03/27/2012 |
| 8142368 | Method of characterization and differentiation of tissue A novel method for soft tissue characterization includes obtaining a sequence of surface stress patterns as a function of an increasing compression force when a probe is pressed against the tissue over the location of the lesion of interest. A number of elasticity f... | 03/27/2012 |
| 8123704 | Calibration and measurement system The present invention is a calibration and measurement system designed primarily for use in the rapid evaluation and characterization of open or visible wounds in patients. The invention in a preferred embodiment comprises a set of colored concentric rings, construc... | 02/28/2012 |
| 8118757 | Methods and devices for ostium measurement Devices and methods for accurately determining the size of an ostium of a patient and in particular sinus ostium. Methods for measuring a target ostium comprise inserting the distal end portion of an ostium measuring device into a patient, locating the target ostium... | 02/21/2012 |
| 8092397 | Apparatus for measuring distal forces on a working instrument A robotic catheter manipulator includes a guide catheter including proximal and distal ends and lumen extending there through. A flexible bellows is secured at one end to the proximal end of the guide catheter and at the other end to a seal configured to receive a w... | 01/10/2012 |
| 8083691 | Apparatus and method for sensing force A medical system comprises a medical probe including an elongated probe body, a lumen extending within the probe body, an axially flexible section, and a push-pull rod slidably disposed within the lumen. The system comprises a ditherer mechanically coupled to the ro... | 12/27/2011 |
| 8083692 | Lumen-measuring devices and method The present invention provides a lumen measuring device and method that allows the user to calculate the exact length and diameter of a suitable interventional prosthesis as well as the height and length of stenosis during the same exploratory procedure. ... | 12/27/2011 |
| 8079962 | Method and apparatus for reproducing content data An apparatus for reproducing a content, includes a reproduction processing unit for reproducing the content, a detecting unit for detecting a motion of a person, a predicting unit for predicting a timing of the motion of the person, based on an output from the detec... | 12/20/2011 |
| 8075498 | Medical apparatus system having optical fiber load sensing capability Apparatus is provided for diagnosing or treating an organ or vessel, wherein a device having at least two optical fiber sensors disposed in a distal extremity thereof is coupled to processing logic programmed to compute a multi-dimensional force vector responsive to... | 12/13/2011 |
| 8075499 | Abnormal motion detector and monitor In an embodiment, a seizure monitor provides intelligent epilepsy seizure detection, monitoring, and alerting for epilepsy patients or people with seizures. In an embodiment, the seizure monitor may be a wearable, non-intrusive, passive monitoring device that does n... | 12/13/2011 |
| 8062236 | Method and system to determine an optimal tissue compression time to implant a surgical element A method for determining an optimal compression of tissue to apply a surgical element has the steps of applying a load to the tissue. The method has the step of determining a reactive load applied by the tissue in response to the load. The method also has the step o... | 11/22/2011 |
| 8057406 | Extravasation detection device One embodiment provides an extravasation detection device having an enclosure, an attachment coupled to the enclosure to be removably connected to a patient, and a detection assembly enclosed within the enclosure, in this embodiment, the detection assembly includes ... | 11/15/2011 |
| 8052621 | Method of sensing forces on a working instrument A method for estimating the force on a distal end of a working catheter includes positioning a portion of a robotically controlled guide catheter and working catheter into a body lumen wherein a distal end of the working catheter projects distally from a distal end ... | 11/08/2011 |
| 8048005 | Hospital bed control apparatus The present invention provides a hospital bed including a force sensor or scale apparatus configured to detect the weight of a patient. ... | 11/01/2011 |
| 8038629 | Digital endotracheal tube sound acquisition and localization device An apparatus and method for determining proper endotreachal placement is disclosed. The apparatus includes an audio receiver having a body, a microphone mount in a center thereof the body and an audio cavity, an audio processing unit; and a signal cable connected at... | 10/18/2011 |
| 8016777 | Hand-held probe for prostate cancer screening A hand-held probe is configured for a prostate cancer screening test and includes a pressure sensor array, a test progression indicator, a display, and an electronic circuit for processing pressure data. The test progression indicator is configured to guide the oper... | 09/13/2011 |
| 8016776 | Wearable ambulatory data recorder A wearable ambulatory data recorder that senses physiological parameters of a patient, and stores physiological parameter data for later retrieval, as well as techniques for using such a wearable ambulatory data recorder, are described. The data recorder includes on... | 09/13/2011 |
| 8012106 | Lumen measuring devices and methods A lumen measuring device generally includes a central member dimensioned to extend into a lumen and an elongate outer member having a flexible region configured to flex outward from the central member in response to retraction of the central member. In measuring a l... | 09/06/2011 |
| 8007448 | System and method for performing arthroplasty of a joint and tracking a plumb line plane A method of performing an arthroplasty of a ball and socket joint with a surgical navigation system includes the step of digitizing landmarks to provide geometrical parameters of the joint and a limb depending there from, including digitizing aspects of a socket reg... | 08/30/2011 |
| 7998094 | System and method of microscopic imaging and soft tissue tension measurements An apparatus and method for examining fiber tension, fiber stress, sarcomere length, etc. in muscle fibers and tension and stress in ligament or tendon tissues as well as brain or nerve fibers by applying a lifting force to lift the fiber or tissue a lifting distanc... | 08/16/2011 |
| 7998092 | Force sensor system for use in monitoring weight bearing A force sensor system for use in monitoring weight bearing on a location. The force sensor system comprises at least one a foot force sensor, a palm force sensor, and a knee force sensor. The foot force sensor comprises a flexible insole containing a plurality of in... | 08/16/2011 |
| 7998093 | Internal nostril or nasal airway sizing gauge Methods of sizing a nasal airway by using certain measurements of digits may include (a) pressing a distal portion of a digit of a hand against a resilient, flat surface, such that flesh of the distal portion of the digit spreads laterally on the surface; (b) measur... | 08/16/2011 |
| 7993288 | Anatomical recognition and dimensional analysis of breast volume to assist breast surgery Various methods, techniques or modules are provided to allow for the automated analysis of the 3-D representation of the upper front torso (i) to recognize 3-D anatomical features, (ii) to orient the subject with reference to their anatomy or a display, (iii) to det... | 08/09/2011 |
| 7972284 | Apparatus for preventing nerve damage positional injury during surgery A method of preventing nerve damage positional injury during surgery includes providing a nerve damage positional injury pressure monitoring system including a site sensor with a transducer in the form of a transducer element and a ring extending outward from the tr... | 07/05/2011 |
| 7955276 | Capsule endoscope A capsule endoscope is disclosed that includes a capsule and a transparent cover having a central axis and that is located in front of an objective optical system within the capsule. The objective optical system has a depth of field, a field of view, and an image su... | 06/07/2011 |
| 7955278 | Aspiration methods and devices for assessment of viscoelastic properties of soft tissues Methods for assessing viscoelastic properties of soft tissues are based on detecting an inflection point on a pressure-time plot when air is aspirated from a cavity placed over the tissue sample. A small diameter tube through which air aspiration is conducted is ult... | 06/07/2011 |
| 7955274 | Device for sizing a human female breast A device for intraoperative sizing of a human female breast during resizing and/or shaping of the breast composes: a (a) substantially hemispherical, rigid, cup-shaped foraminous body, i.e., a foraminous cup, defining a desired size and shape of the breast; and (b) ... | 06/07/2011 |
| 7955277 | Method and apparatus for physiological testing A device and method to test the level of physical effort of an individual is disclosed. The device has a moveable member which may be a shaft, a sensor for measuring force applied to the shaft; and a resistance means to vary the resistance to movement of the moveabl... | 06/07/2011 |
| 7955275 | Laparoscopic instrument and method for distance measurements of body parts A laparoscopic instrument includes an elongated barrel portion which mountably extends between operable parts for engagement with internal structures and organs of a subject patient, which are disposed at a first end of the barrel portion, and an actuating mechanism... | 06/07/2011 |
| 7955273 | Device for verifying and monitoring vital parameters of the body The invention lies in the domain of medical technology and relates to a diagnosis and monitoring device for the rapid diagnosis and monitoring of vital parameters of the human or animal body, in particular of the heart and/or lungs, said device being compact, withou... | 06/07/2011 |
| 7947000 | Cannula system for free-space navigation and method of use The present invention is directed to a novel shape-transferring cannula system, which provides access to tortuous and unsupported paths. The shape-transferring cannula system and method enables exploration of hollow body structures, and creates a custom-contoured ac... | 05/24/2011 |
| 7947001 | Methods and devices for measuring structural and elastic properties of a hollow organ A spatial profile of structural and elastic parameters along a lumen of a hollow organ is determined based on obtaining the functional dataset of pressure P, balloon volume V, and balloon linear coordinate X while continuously moving the balloon along the lumen. A c... | 05/24/2011 |
| 7922674 | Method and device for real time mechanical imaging of prostate The present invention relates to a method for real time mechanical imaging of a prostate with a transrectal probe. In the method, generating a composite two- and three-dimensional prostate mechanical image from a plurality of partial mechanical images extracted from... | 04/12/2011 |
| 7918807 | System, method and computer instructions for assessing alertness of an operator of an image review system Certain embodiments of the present invention provide a system, method and computer instructions for assessing alertness of an operator of an image review system. In an embodiment, such a system includes: an input module configured to allow alertness data to be input... | 04/05/2011 |
| 7909780 | System and method for determining a position for a scleral pocket for a scleral prosthesis For use with a surgical tool for making incisions in the sclera of an eye to form a scleral pocket to receive a scleral prosthesis, a system and method is disclosed for determining a position on the sclera for locating the scleral pocket. The system and method deter... | 03/22/2011 |
