JOSEPH ANTHONY BALLIS
Pilots at Owasso Hts Rd, Saint Paul, MN

3968802, Jul 13, 1976

Jan 24, 1975

5/543978

Joseph A. Ballis - Roseville MN

Medtronic, Inc. - Minneapolis MN

A61N 136

128419PG

A cautery protection circuit is disclosed for use with a heart pacemaker and comprises circuit elements for preventing those signals induced within the output portion of the heart pacemaker circuit by an electric field established by cautery procedures, from being rendered unsymmetrical in wave form, thereby minimizing the possible adverse effects of such induced signals, e. g. fibrillation of the patient's heart. In one embodiment, a diode is disposed from the emitter to the collector of a pacemaker output transistor to offset the unsymmetrical conduction of the output transistor. In another embodiment, a capacitor of a value presenting an effective short circuit to the frequencies of interest, is inserted across the output transistor to shunt thereabout signals induced by cautery procedures. In addition, the cautery protection circuit includes a suitable inductive element to reduce the high frequency current flow to the pacemaker electrodes to a level below that at which the patient's heart may be excited and further, a capacitor to detune the resonant circuit established by the capacitances of the diodes and the transistor junction, and the inductive element, from the frequencies of interest.

5117824, Jun 2, 1992

Nov 14, 1990

7/612760

John G. Keimel - New Brighton MN
Joseph A. Ballis - Shoreview MN
Glenn M. Roline - Anoka MN

Medtronic, Inc. - Minneapolis MN

A61N 139

128419D

An implantable cardiac pacemaker and/or cardioverter/defibrillator employing an R-wave detector which atuomatically adjusts its sensing threshold in response to R-wave amplitude. The R-wave detector produces an output which is used to indicate the occurrence of ventricular contractions, and is used to reset the timing of the pacemaker and to indicate the occurrence of ventricular contractions for purposes of activating the associated cardioverter/defibrillator. Adjustment of the threshold is disable for a predetermined period following the delivery of each pacing pulse such that in the presence of continuous pacing for a predetermined period of time, the sensing threshold is returned to a desired, lower threshold level, allowing for detection of lower level R-waves, which may be indicative of tachyarrhythmia or fibrillation. The R-wave detector disclosed also eliminates the necessity for blanking of the input of the sense amplifier following sensing of naturally occurring R-waves, without increasing susceptibility to sensing of spontaneous T-waves which occur thereafter.

8027728, Sep 27, 2011

Mar 16, 2007

11/687457

Craig L. Schmidt - Eagan MN, US
Lonny V. Cabelka - Chandler AZ, US
Joseph A. Ballis - Shoreview MN, US

Medtronic, Inc. - Minneapolis MN

A61N 1/08

607 34, 607 2

A power control circuit for an implantable medical device is presented. The power control circuit includes a first high rate cell, a second high rate cell, at least one resistive load, and at least one control circuit. The at least one resistive load is connected between the first and the second high rate cells. The at least one control circuit is coupled to the first and the second high rate cells.

2004024, Dec 2, 2004

May 30, 2003

10/449428

Joseph Ballis - Shoreview MN, US

A61N001/37

607/027000

An apparatus and method are disclosed including an implantable medical device electrically coupled to a patient, having a sensor for sensing physiologic conditions and circuitry coupled to the sensor for emitting therapy in response to sensed physiologic conditions. A detector is coupled to the cardiac device for detecting the presence of electromagnetic interference and the intensity thereof and an alarm is coupled to the detector to signal the patient of the implantable medical device of the presence of electromagnetic interference.

2010005, Mar 4, 2010

Aug 27, 2009

12/548850

Joseph J. Ballis - Shoreview MN, US

Medtronic, Inc. - Minneapolis MN

A61N 1/08

607 5, 607 63, 607 17

An apparatus and method are disclosed including an implantable medical device electrically coupled to a patient, having a sensor for sensing physiologic conditions and circuitry coupled to the sensor for emitting therapy in response to sensed physiologic conditions. A detector is coupled to the cardiac device for detecting the presence of electromagnetic interference and the intensity thereof and an alarm is coupled to the detector to signal the patient of the implantable medical device of the presence of electromagnetic interference.

5265588, Nov 30, 1993

Jan 15, 1992

7/823107

Gary E. Nelson - Schaumburg IL
Eric Persson - Minnetonka MN
Joseph A. Ballis - Shoreview MN

Medtronic, Inc. - Minneapolis MN

A61N 139

607 5

A battery powered cardioverter or defibrillator employing output capacitors for delivery of cardioversion or defibrillation pulses. The capacitors are charged by means of a step-up transformer, coupled and uncoupled from the battery by means of a voltage controlled oscillator which varies its off and on times as a function of the voltage on the battery and the voltage stored on the output capacitor to allow for rapid charging of the capacitor even under conditions of battery depletion. The voltage controlled oscillator is constructed to provide a highly accurate timing signal with a low current drain.