| Patent Number |
Title Of Patent |
Date Issued |
| D379231 |
Medical ultrasonic imaging system |
May 13, 1997 |
|
| D369307 |
Intraoperative ultrasound probe |
April 30, 1996 |
|
| D328495 |
Ultrasonic transducer probe |
August 4, 1992 |
|
| D306343 |
Medical ultrasound scanner |
February 27, 1990 |
|
| D300241 |
Medical ultrasound scanner |
March 14, 1989 |
|
| D286325 |
Medical ultrasound scanner |
October 21, 1986 |
|
| D285484 |
Medical ultrasound scanner |
September 2, 1986 |
|
| D280762 |
Medical ultrasound scanner |
September 24, 1985 |
|
| 6104126 |
Composite transducer with connective backing block |
August 15, 2000 |
| A backing block for an ultrasonic array transducer comprises a flex circuit embedded in a body of acoustic backing material, with conductive traces on the flex circuit terminating at the surface of the body at which an array transducer is mounted and extending out from the rear of the bo |
| 6036643 |
Ultrasonic harmonic doppler imaging |
March 14, 2000 |
| An ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system and method are described by which a fundamental frequency signal is transmitted into the body and harmonic (nonlinear) echo returns are received from the transmission. The harmonic echo signals are Doppler processed and displayed. The harmonic Dopp |
| 5951478 |
Two pulse technique for ultrasonic harmonic imaging |
September 14, 1999 |
| Apparatus and methods are disclosed for the detection and imaging of ultrasonic harmonic contrast agents. The harmonic echo effect is detected through alternate polarity acquisition of harmonic contrast agent effects, which provides the benefits of suppressing the harmonic components of |
| 5916168 |
Three dimensional M-mode ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system |
June 29, 1999 |
| A three dimensional M-mode imaging system and techniques are described for acquiring and forming three dimensional ultrasonic M-mode images from ultrasonic data acquired over time from a stationary scanhead. The resultant images exhibit two spatial dimensions and one temporal dimensi |
| 5860924 |
Three dimensional ultrasonic diagnostic image rendering from tissue and flow images |
January 19, 1999 |
| A medical diagnostic ultrasound system is described in which ultrasonic B mode tissue information and Doppler flow information is acquired from a volumetric region of the body and processed in an interleaved sequence to render a three dimensional image. The three dimensional rendering |
| 5846200 |
Ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system for analysis of left ventricular function |
December 8, 1998 |
| An ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system is provided for measuring the volume of a chamber of the heart or other organ or vessel. An ultrasonic transducer probe is used to scan the chamber with a plurality of spatially distinct scan planes. The pixels of the chamber volume of each scan pl |
| 5833613 |
Ultrasonic diagnostic imaging with contrast agents |
November 10, 1998 |
| Apparatus and methods are disclosed for the detection and imaging of ultrasonic contrast agents. Ultrasonic apparatus is provided for coherent imaging of ultrasonic contrast agents, and for detecting harmonic contrast agents. The inventive apparatus includes a dual display for simultaneo |
| 5800356 |
Ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system with doppler assisted tracking of tissue motion |
September 1, 1998 |
| A method and apparatus are presented for tracing the border of tissue through temporally acquired scanlines comprising the steps of reducing noise in the scanlines, producing a map of tissue edges from the scanlines, denoting a tissue border to be traced, and using velocity informati |
| 5782769 |
Ultrasonic diagnostic image flash suppression technique |
July 21, 1998 |
| A flash suppresser for a diagnostic ultrasonic imaging system which processes Doppler signals is provided which eliminates flash artifacts by means of a min-max filter. |
| 5762067 |
Ultrasonic endoscopic probe |
June 9, 1998 |
| An ultrasonic endoscopic probe is provided with an articulating distal tip at which and ultrasonic transducer is located. The articulating section of the probe can be locked in an articulated position by a lock control located at a control section of the probe. The locking force is varia |
| 5752517 |
Intraoperative ultrasound probes for ultrasonic examination during surgery |
May 19, 1998 |
| Intraoperative ultrasound probes are described having contoured side surfaces which enable the probe to be held between the fingers of a surgeon during a surgical ultrasound procedure. The probes advantageously permit the surgeon to conduct a tactile examination of organs of a patient |
| 5722412 |
Hand held ultrasonic diagnostic instrument |
March 3, 1998 |
| A hand held ultrasonic instrument is provided in a portable unit which performs both B mode and Doppler imaging. In a preferred embodiment an array transducer, digital beamformer, digital filter, and image processor are packaged in one or more enclosures weighing ten pounds (4.5 kilogram |
| 5720291 |
Three dimensional medical ultrasonic diagnostic image of tissue texture and vasculature |
February 24, 1998 |
| A medical diagnostic ultrasound system is described in which ultrasonic B mode tissue information and Doppler flow information is acquired from a volumetric region of the body and processed together to render a three dimensional image. The three dimensional rendering processes the B mode |
| 5718229 |
Medical ultrasonic power motion imaging |
February 17, 1998 |
| An ultrasonic imaging system is provided which produces signals representative of tissue motion through amplitude detection of echo signals from which stationary clutter has been removed. Tissue motion may be distinguished from noise and flow signals on the basis of the dynamic range |
| 5715823 |
Ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system with universal access to diagnostic information and images |
February 10, 1998 |
| A medical ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system is provided which is capable of being accessed over data communication networks such as the Internet, making the ultrasonic images, diagnostic reports, and ultrasound system diagnostics information and operation accessible to a conventional |
| 5706819 |
Ultrasonic diagnostic imaging with harmonic contrast agents |
January 13, 1998 |
| Apparatus and methods are disclosed for the detection and imaging of ultrasonic harmonic contrast agents. The harmonic echo effect is detected through alternate polarity acquisition of harmonic contrast agent effects, which provides the benefits of suppressing the harmonic components of |
| 5669385 |
Ultrasonic scanning of tissue motion in three dimensions |
September 23, 1997 |
| An ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system is provided which utilizes a multivariate processor to discriminate between Doppler power signals which were produced by moving tissue, and Doppler power signals which were produced by fluid flow. Discriminated moving tissue Doppler power signals |
| 5648942 |
Acoustic backing with integral conductors for an ultrasonic transducer |
July 15, 1997 |
| A two phase composite acoustic backing for an ultrasonic transducer array is formed of a first composite material which is electrically conductive and relatively attenuative to acoustic energy and forms a plurality of isolated conductive paths between individual elements of the array and |
| 5645066 |
Medical ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system with scanning guide for three dimensional imaging |
July 8, 1997 |
| An ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system is provided with a scanning guide which assists a user in conducting three dimensional ultrasonic scanning of a patient. The guide is visual or audible or both, and gives the physician a real time indicator by which to gauge the rate and duration o |
| 5636631 |
Ultrasonic image data formats |
June 10, 1997 |
| A format for ultrasonic image data storage is described that utilizes a standard data formatting system to provide information specific to ultrasonic images and, in particular, sequences of ultrasonic images. The format utilizes a technique of tagged data records with a unique tag that |
| 5634466 |
Ultrasonic transesophageal probe with detachable transducer tip |
June 3, 1997 |
| A multiplane TEE probe is provided for the imaging and diagnosis of multiple scan planes from within a cavity of the body. The probe includes an articulation section formed of a plurality of interconnected links. The articulation section is controlled from the handle of the probe, with t |
| 5634465 |
Continuous display of cardiac blood flow information |
June 3, 1997 |
| A technique for continuously determining and displaying the peak velocities of spectral Doppler information is disclosed. A Doppler noise threshold level is determined from operating characteristics of the ultrasound system, probe, or both. Received spectral Doppler data for a spectral l |
| 5617863 |
Ultrasonic diagnostic image scanning techniques |
April 8, 1997 |
| A technique for scanning an image field with adjacent beams of ultrasonic energy is provided in which initially transmitted beams are transmitted along beam directions at the lateral sides of the image field. Subsequent beams are alternately transmitted on either side of the initially |
| 5606972 |
Ultrasonic doppler measurement of blood flow velocities by array transducers |
March 4, 1997 |
| A Doppler signal processor is provided for an ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system which identifies the peak and mean flow velocities by Doppler interrogation of a sample volume within the body. The effects of spectral broadening resulting from the use of an array transducer are compensa |
| 5603323 |
Medical ultrasonic diagnostic system with upgradeable transducer probes and other features |
February 18, 1997 |
| A remotely upgradeable medical diagnostic ultrasound system is described which is upgradeable with a new transducer probe by means of air shipment of the upgrade hardware and remote transmission of upgrade data which controls operation of the probe. The ultrasound system includes a data |
| 5555887 |
Ultrasonic transducer probe with heat dissipating lens |
September 17, 1996 |
| A multiplane TEE probe is provided in which an aluminum sheet is embedded in the acoustic lens in front of the transducer to dissipate heat which accumulates in the lens. The embedded aluminum foil sheet in front of the transducer helps reduce such heat buildup by spreading out heat whic |
| 5546946 |
Ultrasonic diagnostic transducer array with elevation focus |
August 20, 1996 |
| An ultrasonic diagnostic transducer array is provided for providing electronic focusing in the longitudinal plane and elevational focusing. Elements of the array are subdiced in the elevational direction to provide subelements with aspect ratios varying in proportion to their distance to |
| 5529070 |
Acquisition and display of ultrasonic images from sequentially oriented image planes |
June 25, 1996 |
| An ultrasonic imaging system is disclosed which produces a sequence of images of planes of a subject including both image and spatial positional information of the image plane. In one embodiment the positional information is developed from a plurality of accelerometers located within |
| 5517994 |
Self diagnostic ultrasonic imaging systems |
May 21, 1996 |
| A method and apparatus are described for testing the integrity of an ultrasonic transducer probe or the ultrasound system connected to the probe. The elements of the transducer are pulsed at a time when the probe is not in contact with a patient and the surface of the probe lens is e |
| 5485842 |
Ultrasonic diagnostic scan conversion for three dimensional display processing |
January 23, 1996 |
| A method and apparatus are provided for processing ultrasonic diagnostic image information acquired in a plurality of scan planes for presentation as a three dimensional display of a volumetric region of the body. The image points in each scan plane are repositioned by approximating the |
| 5482047 |
Intraoperative ultrasound probe |
January 9, 1996 |
| An intraoperative ultrasonic transducer probe is described comprising a handle section and a transducer section which resemble a tiny leg and foot. The two sections are obtusely angled relative to each other so that the physician may continue to clearly view the surgical site while holdi |
| 5482045 |
Ultrasonic diagnostic system gain control |
January 9, 1996 |
| An ultrasonic diagnostic system is provided which automatically sets up the TGC characteristic to be used for a given ultrasound examination. Upon user selection of a particular ultrasound application, a setup controller accesses a predetermined TGC characteristic for the selected applic |
| 5479930 |
Ultrasonic transesophageal probe with articulation control for the imaging and diagnosis of mult |
January 2, 1996 |
| A multiplane TEE probe is provided for the imaging and diagnosis of multiple scan planes from within a cavity of the body. The probe includes an articulation section formed of a plurality of interconnected links. The articulation section is controlled from the handle of the probe, with t |
| 5476097 |
Simultaneous ultrasonic imaging and Doppler display system |
December 19, 1995 |
| An ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system is provided by which an ultrasonic image and Doppler flow information are simultaneously displayed from echo acquisition sequences alternating between image signal acquisition and Doppler signal acquisition. To continuously display Doppler informat |
| 5474073 |
Ultrasonic diagnostic scanning for three dimensional display |
December 12, 1995 |
| An ultrasonic diagnostic system and scanning technique are described for producing three dimensional ultrasonic image displays utilizing power Doppler signal information. In a preferred embodiment the power Doppler signal information is displayed in the absence of structural (B mode) |
| 5471990 |
Ultrasonic doppler power measurement and display system |
December 5, 1995 |
| An ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system is provided which calibrates and quantifies colors of a color power Doppler display to produce quantified measurements of Doppler power intensity. The colors of a color power Doppler image are divided into discrete colors and each color assigned a |
| 5471989 |
Ultrasonic diagnostic imaging with enhanced zoom |
December 5, 1995 |
| An ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system is provided in which a portion of an ultrasonic image can be selected for enlarged display as a "zoom" image. When the image portion is displayed in its enlarged format, the bandwidth of a filter in the ultrasonic information path is extended to |
| 5456257 |
Ultrasonic detection of contrast agents |
October 10, 1995 |
| An ultrasonic diagnostic system is provided which detects the presence of coated microbubble contrast agents in the body of a patient by transmitting ultrasonic energy which causes the destruction of the coated microbubbles and detects the microbubble destruction through phase insens |
| 5450851 |
Ultrasonic probe assembly |
September 19, 1995 |
| An ultrasonic probe assembly in which an ultrasonic transducer is mechanically scanned in response to a drive motor which is located in a housing spaced from the transducer such that the transducer can be positioned in a body cavity of a patient while the housing containing the drive |
| 5438994 |
Ultrasonic diagnostic image scanning |
August 8, 1995 |
| A technique for scanning an image field with adjacent beams of ultrasonic energy is provided in which initially transmitted beams are transmitted along beam directions down the center of the image field. Subsequent beams are alternately transmitted on either side of the initially transmi |
| 5402793 |
Ultrasonic transesophageal probe for the imaging and diagnosis of multiple scan planes |
April 4, 1995 |
| A multiplane TEE probe is provided in which rotation of the ultrasonic transducer is motor controlled. The motor is controlled to rotate the transducer either clockwise or counterclockwise, and at either a high rotational speed or a low rotational speed. The motor is also automatical |
| 5390674 |
Ultrasonic imaging system with interpolated scan lines |
February 21, 1995 |
| An ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system is provided which scans an image region to receive a plurality of spatially arranged lines of ultrasonic image information signals. These ultrasonic line information signals are used in an interpolater to interpolate one or more lines which are |
