TOMMY CUPPLES, MD
Radiology at Park St, Columbia, SC

6675038, Jan 6, 2004

May 14, 2001

09/854654

Tommy Earl Cupples - Columbia SC
Donald Chin - Palo Alto CA
Karen D. Maroc - San Jose CA

U-Systems, Inc. - San Jose CA

A61B 505

600424

A method, system, and computer program product for providing textual ultrasound probe position information corresponding to an ultrasound image of a target is described. Based on a users graphical manipulations of a probe icon relative to a breast icon, a text sequence corresponding to the users estimate of the position of an ultrasound probe is automatically generated. User error and fatigue are reduced because manual keying of the probe position text sequence is no longer required, and the resulting outputs are standardized in format and therefore more amenable to archiving and electronic analysis. In one preferred embodiment, the user is permitted to select a snapping mode of operation in which the probe icon is snapped to align with a major direction of a preselected coordinate system, further enhancing ease-of-use and reducing user fatigue.

7615008, Nov 10, 2009

Nov 23, 2004

10/997293

Wei Zhang - Union City CA, US
Shih-Ping Wang - Los Altos CA, US
Jiayu Chen - Palo Alto CA, US
Zengpin Yu - Palo Alto CA, US
Tommy Earl Cupples - Columbia SC, US
Thomas P. Neff - Newark CA, US
Michael E. Reed - Sunnyvale CA, US

U-Systems, Inc. - San Jose CA

A61B 8/00

600437, 600443, 600444, 600461, 382128

Displaying breast ultrasound information on an interactive user interface is described, the user interface being useful in adjunctive ultrasound mammography environments and/or ultrasound-only mammography environments. Bilateral comparison is facilitated by a pairwise display of thick-slice images corresponding to analogous slab-like subvolumes in the left and right breasts. Coronal thick-slice imaging and convenient navigation on and among coronal thick-slice images is described. In one preferred embodiment, a nipple marker is displayed the coronal thick-slice image representing a projection of a nipple location thereupon. A convenient breast icon is also displayed including a cursor position indicator variably disposed thereon in a manner that reflects a relative position between the cursor and the nipple marker. Preferably, the breast icon is configured to at least roughly resemble a clock face, the center of the clock face representing the nipple marker location. Bookmark-centric and CAD-marker-centric navigation within and among thick-slice images is also described.

7828733, Nov 9, 2010

Aug 21, 2009

12/545201

Wei Zhang - Union City CA, US
Shih-Ping Wang - Los Altos CA, US
Jiayu Chen - Palo Alto CA, US
Zengpin Yu - Palo Alto CA, US
Tommy Earl Cupples - Columbia SC, US
Thomas P. Neff - Newark CA, US
Michael E. Reed - Sunnyvale CA, US

U-Systems Inc. - San Jose CA

A61B 8/00

600437, 600443, 600444, 600461, 382128

Displaying breast ultrasound information on an interactive user interface is described, the user interface being useful in adjunctive ultrasound mammography environments and/or ultrasound-only mammography environments. Bilateral comparison is facilitated by a pairwise display of thick-slice images corresponding to analogous slab-like subvolumes in the left and right breasts. Coronal thick-slice imaging and convenient navigation on and among coronal thick-slice images is described. In one preferred embodiment, a nipple marker is displayed the coronal thick-slice image representing a projection of a nipple location thereupon. A convenient breast icon is also displayed including a cursor position indicator variably disposed thereon in a manner that reflects a relative position between the cursor and the nipple marker. Preferably, the breast icon is configured to at least roughly resemble a clock face, the center of the clock face representing the nipple marker location. Bookmark-centric and CAD-marker-centric navigation within and among thick-slice images is also described.

8162833, Apr 24, 2012

Sep 24, 2010

12/890374

Wei Zhang - Union City CA, US
Shih-Ping Wang - Los Altos CA, US
Jiayu Chen - Palo Alto CA, US
Zengpin Yu - Palo Alto CA, US
Tommy Earl Cupples - Columbia SC, US
Thomas P. Neff - Newark CA, US
Michael E. Reed - Sunnyvale CA, US

U-Systems, Inc. - Sunnyvale CA

A61B 8/00

600437, 600443, 600444, 600461, 382128

Displaying breast ultrasound information on an interactive user interface is described, the user interface being useful in adjunctive ultrasound mammography environments and/or ultrasound-only mammography environments. Bilateral comparison is facilitated by a pairwise display of thick-slice images corresponding to analogous slab-like subvolumes in the left and right breasts. Coronal thick-slice imaging and convenient navigation on and among coronal thick-slice images is described. In one preferred embodiment, a nipple marker is displayed the coronal thick-slice image representing a projection of a nipple location thereupon. A convenient breast icon is also displayed including a cursor position indicator variably disposed thereon in a manner that reflects a relative position between the cursor and the nipple marker. Preferably, the breast icon is configured to at least roughly resemble a clock face, the center of the clock face representing the nipple marker location. Bookmark-centric and CAD-marker-centric navigation within and among thick-slice images is also described.

8496586, Jul 30, 2013

Apr 14, 2010

12/760382

Wei Zhang - Union City CA, US
Jiayu Chen - Palo Alto CA, US
Thomas P. Neff - Newark CA, US
Michael E. Reed - Sunnyvale CA, US
Jeanine M. Rader - Rockford IL, US
Douglas G. Summers - Palo Alto CA, US
Shih-Ping Wang - Los Altos CA, US
Tor C. Anderson - Mountain View CA, US
Zengpin Yu - Palo Alto CA, US
Tommy Earl Cupples - Columbia SC, US

U Systems, Inc. - Sunnyvale CA

A61B 8/00

600437, 600407, 600443

Navigation among breast ultrasound volumes derived from different volumetric ultrasonic scans of a same breast is described. On a display of a breast ultrasound workstation, a first image derived from a first ultrasonic volume is displayed. A user election of a source region of interest (ROI) in the first image is received. A destination ROI within a second ultrasonic volume is identified that at least roughly corresponds to a same locality of tissue in the breast as the source ROI. A second image derived from the second ultrasonic volume and including the destination ROI is displayed, the destination ROI being highlighted.

2002017, Nov 21, 2002

May 15, 2001

09/858221

Danhua Zhao - Milpitas CA, US
Tommy Cupples - Columbia SC, US
Zengpin Yu - Palo Alto CA, US

U-Systems, Inc.

A61B008/12

600/437000

A method, system, computer program product, and user interface for real-time ultrasonic visualization enhancement of a biopsy needle are disclosed in which a wide range of needle positions with respect to the ultrasound probe axis and with respect to the imaged plane are accommodated. Ordinary frames are compounded with special purpose frames, the special purpose frames having transmit and receive parameters adapted to highlight reception of echoes from the biopsy needle. Preferably, an elevation beam width associated with the special purpose ultrasound frames is wider than an elevation beam width associated with the ordinary ultrasound frames. Preferably, the beams of the special purpose ultrasound frames are steered such that they are incident upon the biopsy needle at an increased angle as compared to the angle of incidence for ordinary ultrasound frames. A method for automatically and adaptively determining the depth and orientation of a biopsy needle is also described, whereby beam steering parameters, focus parameters, etc. may be automatically and adaptively computed. The user may optionally provide selected beam steering parameters to the ultrasound imaging system using a simple, intuitive user interface.

7018333, Mar 28, 2006

Nov 20, 2001

10/466568

Shih-Ping Wang - Los Altos CA, US
Tommy Earl Cupples - Columbia SC, US
Xiangyong Cheng - Cupertino CA, US

U-Systems, Inc. - San Jose CA

A61B 8/00

600443

An apparatus and related methods for ultrasound-assisted surgical removal of a tumor or other biological object from a patient, the tumor requiring complete removal such that no portion thereof remains inside the patient, is described. According to a preferred embodiment, a specimen containing the tumor is extracted from the patient and suspended in a container holding an acoustically conductive fluid. An ultrasound probe is brought into acoustic communication with the fluid and scans the specimen, preferably at an acoustic power setting higher than a maximum ultrasonic power permitted on live human tissue. Resulting two-dimensional and/or three-dimensional ultrasound images of the specimen, which have a higher quality due to the increased acoustic power of the scan, are viewed on an output display for examining whether any portion of the tumor comes into contact with a surface of the specimen. Preferably, the ultrasound images are segmented and processed by the ultrasound system in a manner that further assists in the determination of whether the specimen contains the entire tumor.