Software Technology for Magnetic resonance tomography device with pilottone device as well as operation method

Siemens Healthcare GmbH (Erlangen, DE)

Pilot tone devices that is used for gathering physiological information of patients and magnetic resonance tomography systems with a corresponding pilot tone device are offered. A pilot tone transmitter comes in the device for piloting. It is capable of transmitting a pilot tone in an ISM band.

The present embodiments are the pilot tone device that includes a pilot tone transmitter and a pilot tone receiver.

Pilot tone devices transmit an electromagnetic alternating field which is weak and interacts with the body of the patient through damping, reflection, or interference. The frequency and/or the intensity of the signal are changed. There is a time variation that occurs when there are movements within the body of a patient. Therefore, internal movement as a result of breathing, heartbeat, or digestion may also be acquired without putting strain on the body due to sensors in the body or attached to the skin.

Magnetic resonance imaging systems utilize magnetic resonance imaging to create images of objects. They align the nuclear spins on an object using an external magnetic field then apply an rotating magnetic force to cause them to move around the aligned. The precession or the return of the spins that are excited from this state into a state with less energy, in turn, generates, as a response an oscillating magnetic field which is received via antennas.

Utilizing magnetic gradient fields A spatial encoding is applied to the signals that allows for the assigning of the signal received to a volume element. The received signal is then evaluated, and a three-dimensional imagingrepresentation of the object under examination is provided.

The sequence (or pulse sequence) The time required to create an image with a magnetic resonance imaging system could range from a few milliseconds to several minutes. A longer time to acquire can result in minimal noiseartifacts. To avoid motion artifacts caused by motion during image acquisition the image acquisition can be started in every case at a particular phase. For instance, unavoidable movements include breathing and heartbeat. A time of relative rest like when you breathe out or contraction of the heart muscle, is a part of a time that involves movements. This allows imaging over a lengthy period of time with only a only a few movements, which is necessary to get the best possible measurement results.

It is well-known that mechanical sensors and electrodes can be used to gauge the potential for excitation of muscles.

The radio frequency signal can be used to detect movement. This is explained in the paper DE 10 2015203 385. For example, the signal can be permanently recorded in a magnetic resonance imaging system patient recording. Changes in signal due to movement (e.g. due to of shifting interferences and damping) are then evaluated. A movement of the patient that is caused by breathing or heartbeats, could then be identified from certain patterns of the signal.

The publication WO 2015/150953 A1 provides a transmitter to emit a synchronization signal, the two antennas are placed at the end of a patient’s leadthrough. A pilot tone may also be emitted as, for example, a synchronizationsignal.

The publication DE 10 2015 224 158 describes a transmitter for pilot tone navigation in a magnetic resonance tomography system, and a method of tracking the movement of the patient. The transmitter has a power supply and an antenna. It is built to transmit a pilot signal via the antenna. The transmitter also has an element for decoupling in order to shield the power of the transmitter from signals that the antenna receives during magnetic resonance imaging in excitationpulses of the magnetic resonance tomography system. The method employs movement-dependent changes to the pilot tone signal of the transmitter are identified by a control unit of the magnetic resonance imaging system.

Click here to view the patent on USPTO website.

 

Get Patents with PatentPC

What is a patent?

Granted by the government to protect an invention, patents give the inventor exclusive rights to develop, utilize to sell, and market the invention?society benefits when a new technology is brought into the marketplace. The benefits may be direct terms, as it allows people to accomplish previously unattainable things, or indirectly by the economic benefits (business growth and employment) that the innovation offers.

A lot of pharmaceutical companies and university researchers seek patent protection for their research and developments. Patents can be granted to a physical or abstract product or process or technique or composition of materials that are new to the field. In order to be granted protection under a patent the invention must be novel, useful, and not obvious to others within the same subject.

Patents reward inventors for their commercially profitable inventions. They provide a reason for inventors to invent. Patents allow inventors and small businesses to know that there’s an excellent chance that they will get a profit for their efforts, time and money spent on the development of technology. They could earn a decent income from their work.

Businesses with the ability to:

Create and protect innovative products and services;

Enhance the value, popularity, and appeal of your products on the market;

Differentiate yourself and your products from others.

Access technical and business knowledge and data;

Avoid accidentally using third-party content or losing important data, creative outputs, or any other creative output.

Patents transform the knowledge of inventors into a valuable asset which creates new opportunities to create jobs through licensing and joint ventures.

Small companies that have patent protection are more attractive to investors involved in the commercialization and development of technology.

Patenting may lead to new ideas and new inventions. This information can encourage creativity and could be eligible to be protected by patents.

Patents can be used to prevent untrustworthy third parties from profiting through the work of inventions.

Revenues from patent-protected technology that are commercially successful can be used to fund technological research and development (R&D) and improve the chances of developing better technology in the future.

Intellectual property ownership can be used to convince lenders and investors that there are real opportunities to commercialize your product. One patent that is powerful could lead to multiple financing opportunities. Patents can be used along with other IP assets as collateral or security to secure financing. Investors may also look at your patent assets in order to increase their company valuation. Forbes and other publications have noted that every patent can boost the value of your company by as much as $500,000 to $1 Million.

Start-ups need a well-constructed business plan that is built on the IP to show that your product/service is unique and innovative, superior, or superior. Investors will be impressed when you have IP rights are secure or are in the process of becoming secure and they endorse your business strategy.

It is essential to keep an invention secret before applying for patent protection. Making an invention public prior to its filing often destroy its novelty and make it ineligible for patent protection. Thus, disclosures that are filed prior to filing (e.g., for test-marketing investors, test-marketing, or any other business partners) must only be done upon signing a confidentiality contract.

There are many types of patents. Understanding the different types of patents is vital to protect your invention. Utility patents cover new processes and machine creations. Design patents cover ornamental designs. Utility patents are best to protect the proprietor from copies and competitors. Most often the utility patents are issued for improvements or modifications to existing inventions. Patents issued under utility can be used to enhance or modify existing inventions. For example, a procedure patent will cover acts or methods of doing a specific act, whereas chemical compositions will comprise the combination of components.

How long will a patent last? Utility patents are valid for 20 years from the initial filing dates, but their expirations can be extended because of patent office delays, for example.

Are you considering the patenting of your idea? Patents are granted only to applicants who file first, therefore you need to file your patent application quickly. Contact PatentPC today to get your patent application approved!

When you are writing an application for patents, you should do an internet search for patents, since the search can provide some insight into other people’s concepts. This will allow you to restrict the extent of your idea. You can also find out about the state of the art within your area of invention. You’ll have a better idea of what your invention should be and will be better prepared for writing the patent application.

How to Search for Patents

Patent searches are the very first step to getting your patent. You can do a google patent search or do a USPTO search. Patent-pending is the name used to describe the product that has been included in the patent application. You can use the public pair to locate the patent application. Once the patent office approves the application, you can do a patent number search to locate the patent issued, and your product is now patented. You can also utilize the USPTO search engine. Check out the following article for more information. You can get help from a patent lawyer. Patents granted in the United States are granted by the US trademark and patent office as well as the United States patent office. The office also examines trademark applications.

Are you interested in finding similar patents? These are the steps to follow:

1. Create a list of terms that describe your invention based on the purpose, composition and application.

Begin by writing down a brief, precise description of your invention. Do not use generic terms such as “device,” “process,” and “system.” Look for synonyms to the terms you picked initially. Next, note important technical terms and key words.

To help you identify keywords and concepts, use the questions below.

• What’s the goal of this invention? Is it a utilitarian device or an ornamental design?
• Is invention a way to make something or carry out a function? Or is it a thing or procedure?
• What is the basis of the invention? What is the physical makeup of the invention?
• What’s the purpose of the invention?
• What are technical terms and keywords that describe the characteristics of an invention? To assist you in finding the appropriate terms, use the technical dictionary.

2. These terms allow you to find pertinent Cooperative Patent Classifications using the Classification Search Tool. If you are unable to find the correct classification to describe your invention through the classification’s class Schemas (class schedules) and then try again. If you don’t get any results from the Classification Text Search, you may want to consider replacing the words to describe your invention with synonyms.

3. Go through the CPC Classification Definition to verify the accuracy of the CPC classification you’ve discovered. The link to a CPC classification definition is given when the classification you have selected has a blue box that includes “D” to its left. CPC classification definitions will aid you in determining the classification’s boundaries so that you can select the most relevant. The definitions could also contain some search tips or other recommendations that could be helpful for further investigation.

4. The Patents Full-Text Database and the Image Database allow you to find patent documents that are accompanied by the CPC classification. You can search and narrow down the most relevant patent documents by focusing first on the abstract and drawings representative of.

5. Use this selection of the most pertinent patent documents to study each one in depth for any the similarities to your idea. Take note of the specification and claims. Refer to the applicant and patent examiner for any additional patents.

6. You can find patent applications published in the public domain that fit the CPC classification you picked in Step 3. You can apply the same method of search as Step 4, narrowing your results to the most relevant patent applications by examining the abstract and drawings that appear on each page. Next, carefully examine the published patent applications with particular attention paid to the claims and the additional drawings.

7. Locate additional US patents using keywords search in AppFT or PatFT databases, classification search of non-U.S. patents in the below, and searching for non-patent publications of inventions with web search engines. For example:

• Add keywords to your search. Keyword searches may turn up documents that are not well-categorized or have missed classifications during Step 2. For example, US patent examiners often supplement their classification searches with keyword searches. Think about the use of technical engineering terminology rather than everyday words.
• Search for foreign patents using the CPC classification. Then, re-run the search using international patent office search engines such as Espacenet, the European Patent Office’s worldwide patent publication database of over 130 million patent publications. Other national databases include:
• European Patent Office (EPO) provides esp@cenet to access a network of Europe’s patent databases with access to machine translation of European patents. 
• Japan Patent Office (JPO) – with access to machine translations of Japanese patents.
• World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) offers PATENTSCOPE with a full-text search of published international patent applications and machine translations for some documents, as well as a list of international patent databases.
• Korean Intellectual Property Rights Information Service (KIPRIS)
• State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) with machine translation of Chinese patents.
• Other International Intellectual Property Offices with online patent databases include Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, India, Israel, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and Taiwan.
• Search non-patent literature. Inventions can be made public in many non-patent publications. It is recommended that you search journals, books, websites, technical catalogs, conference proceedings, and other print and electronic publications.

To review your search, you can hire a registered patent attorney to assist. A preliminary search will help one better prepare to talk about their invention and other related inventions with a professional patent attorney. In addition, the attorney will not spend too much time or money on patenting basics.