The present invention relates to a system and method for producing and improving images.
Multiple endoscopic devices with multiple cameras and light sources may be used for medical procedures, inspection of small pipes, or remote monitoring. For example, such an endoscopic device may be a medical endoscope comprising a flexible tube, and a camera and a light source mounted on the distal end of the flexible tube. The endoscope is insertable into an internal body cavity through a body orifice to examine the body cavity and tissues for diagnosis. The tube of the endoscope has one or more longitudinal channels, through which an instrument can reach the body cavity to take samples of suspicious tissues or to perform other surgical procedures such as polypectomy.
There are many types of endoscopes, and they are named in relation to the organs or areas with which they are used. For example, gastroscopes are used for examination and treatment of the esophagus, stomach and duodenum; colonoscopes for the colon; bronchoscopes for the bronchi; laparoscopes for the peritoneal cavity; sigmoidoscopes for the rectum and the sigmoid colon; arthroscopes for joints; cystoscopes for the urinary bladder; and angioscopes for the examination of blood vessels.
Each endoscope has a single forward viewing camera mounted at the distal end of the flexible tube to transmit an image to an eyepiece or video camera at the proximal end. The camera is used to assist a medical professional in advancing the endoscope into a body cavity and looking for abnormalities. The camera provides the medical professional with a two-dimensional view from the distal end of the endoscope. To capture an image from a different angle or in a different portion, the endoscope must be repositioned or moved back and forth. Repositioning and movement of the endoscope prolongs the procedure and causes added discomfort, complications, and risks to the patient. Additionally, in an environment similar to the lower gastro-intestinal tract, flexures, tissue folds and unusual geometries of the organ may prevent the endoscope's camera from viewing all areas of the organ. The unseen area may cause a potentially malignant (cancerous) polyp to be missed.
This problem can be overcome by providing an auxiliary camera and an auxiliary light source. The auxiliary camera and light source can be oriented to face the main camera and light source, thus providing an image of areas not viewable by the endoscope's main camera. This arrangement of cameras and light sources can provide both front and rear views of an area or an abnormality. In the case of polypectomy where a polyp is excised by placing a wire loop around the base of the polyp, the camera arrangement allows better placement of the wire loop to minimize damage to the adjacent healthy tissue.
The present invention relates to devices and methods for producing and improving video images generated by the imaging devices of endoscopes.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a method for displaying images includes adjusting at least one characteristic of an image from a first imaging device of an endoscope to match at least one corresponding characteristic of an image from a second imaging device of the endoscope. The characteristic may be one or more of color, contrast and brightness.
In a preferred embodiment, the adjusting step includes creating a histogram for each of RGB colors for the image from the first imaging device and a histogram for each of the RGB colors for the image from the second imaging device; adjusting the gamut of each histogram of the image from the first imaging device to match the gamut of the corresponding histogram of the image from the second imaging device; and using gamma coefficients to adjust a color level of each histogram of the image from the first imaging device to match a color level of the corresponding histogram of the image from the second imaging device.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a method for displaying images includes placing, side by side, an image from a first imaging device of an endoscope and an image from a second imaging device of the endoscope, wherein the imaging devices face each other; and reversing one of the images left for right.
In accordance with still another aspect of the invention, a method for sizing images includes placing an image from a first imaging device of an endoscope and an image from a second imaging device of the endoscope on a display device; and sizing the images so that an object, when placed at the same distance from the imaging devices, appears to have about the same size in the images.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, a method for processing images includes placing image data from first and second imaging devices of an endoscope in one computer file for simultaneous display on a display device. Preferably, the image data from the imaging devices are time-correlated.
In a preferred embodiment, patient information data is also placed in the computer file for simultaneous display with the images on the display device.
In a further preferred embodiment, a time stamp is placed in the computer file for simultaneous display with the images and patient information data on the display device.
In accordance with still yet another aspect of the invention, an endoscopic system includes an endoscope that has a first imaging device and a second imaging device, and a controller that adjusts at least one characteristic of an image from the first imaging device of the endoscope to match at least one corresponding characteristic of an image from the second imaging device of the endoscope. The at least one characteristic may be one or more of color, contrast and brightness.
In a preferred embodiment, the controller creates a histogram for each of RGB colors for the image from the first imaging device and a histogram for each of the RGB colors for the image from the second imaging device; adjusts the gamut of each histogram of the image from the first imaging device to match the gamut of the corresponding histogram of the image from the second imaging device; and uses gamma coefficients to adjust a color level of each histogram of the image from the first imaging device to match a color level of the corresponding histogram of the image from the second imaging device.
In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, an endoscopic system includes an endoscope including a first imaging device and a second imaging device, and a display device that displays, side by side, an image from the first imaging device of the endoscope and an image from the second imaging device of the endoscope, wherein the imaging devices face each other, and wherein one of the images is reversed left for right.
In accordance with a still further aspect of the invention, an endoscopic system includes an endoscope including a first imaging device and a second imaging device, and a display device that displays an image from the first imaging device of the endoscope and an image from the second imaging device of the endoscope, wherein the images are sized so that an object, when placed at the same distance from the imaging devices, appears to have about the same size in the images.
In accordance with a yet further aspect of the invention, an endoscopic system includes an endoscope including a first imaging device and a second imaging device, and a controller that places image data from the first and second imaging devices of the endoscope in one computer file for simultaneous display on a display device. Preferably, the image data from the imaging devices are time-correlated.
In a preferred embodiment, patient information data is also placed in the computer file for simultaneous display with the images on the display device.
In a further preferred embodiment, a time stamp is placed in the computer file for simultaneous display with the images and patient information data on the display device.
The endoscope 10 of
The insertion tube 12 preferably is steerable or has a steerable distal end region 18 as shown in
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
Each of the main and auxiliary imaging devices 32, 44 may be an electronic device which converts light incident on photosensitive semiconductor elements into electrical signals. The imaging sensor may detect either color or black-and-white images. The signals from the imaging sensor can be digitized and used to reproduce an image that is incident on the imaging sensor. Two commonly used types of image sensors are Charge Coupled Devices (CCD) such as a VCC-5774 produced by Sanyo of Osaka, Japan and Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) camera chips such as an OVT 6910 produced by OmniVision of Sunnyvale, Calif. Preferably, the main imaging device 32 is a CCD imaging device, and the auxiliary imaging device 44 is a CMOS imaging device.
When the imaging assembly 14 is properly installed in the insertion tube 12, the auxiliary imaging device 44 of the imaging assembly 14 preferably faces backwards towards the main imaging device 32 as illustrated in
As shown in
In the illustrated embodiment, the auxiliary light source 50 of the imaging assembly 14 is placed on the flexible link 46, in particular on the curved concave portion of the flexible link 46. The auxiliary light source 50 provides illumination for the auxiliary imaging device 44 and may face substantially the same direction as the auxiliary imaging device 44 as shown in
The endoscope of the present invention, such as the endoscope 10 shown in
In the embodiment shown in
As shown in
Preferably, the data for the two images 56, 58 and possibly other data 64, such as patient information data or a time stamp, are stored in one computer file. In some cases, the patent information may be associated with one of the two images 56, 58. Preferably, the stored images 56, 58 and possibly other data 64 are time-correlated (i.e., they are captured at the same time). For example, as shown in
In some preferred embodiments, one or more characteristics of one image 56, 58 may be adjusted to match the same or similar one or more characteristics of the other image 58, 56, so that the images 56, 58 and the objects in the images 56, 58 have similar appearances. The characteristics may include, for example, color, contrast, and brightness. In one example, one or more characteristics of the auxiliary imaging device's image 58 are adjusted to match those of the main imaging device's image 56. Matched images make it easier for an operator to observe, identify and correlate the objects in the images.
In one preferred embodiment, the following technique is used to adjust the characteristics of the auxiliary imaging device's image 58 to match those of the main imaging device's image 56. First, a histogram for each of the RGB colors is created for the auxiliary imaging device's image 58 (called “current file”). The image used to create the histograms may be an average of the past images, such as the past two to ten images, preferably the past four images. And a histogram for each of the RGB colors is created also for the main imaging device's image 56 (called “master file”). This histogram may be the average of the histograms of the past images, such as the histograms of the past two to ten images, preferably the histograms of the past four images.
Second, a minimum and maximum is determined for each histogram by means of thresholding. Then a clip and gain is set for each histogram of the auxiliary imaging device's image to equalize its color gamut to that of the corresponding histogram of the main imaging device's image. In particular, the minimum and maximum for each histogram of the auxiliary imaging device's image are adjusted to match those for the corresponding histogram of the main imaging device's image.
Finally, gamma coefficients are used to adjust the color levels of the histograms of the auxiliary imaging device's image to match those of the histograms of the main imaging device's image. The equations for the gamma coefficients are:
red_gamma_color_balance=(current_profile.m_AverageRed*Master_average)/(master_profile.m_AverageRed*current_average);
green_gamma_color_balance=(current_profile.m_AverageGreen*Master_average)/(master_profile.m_AverageGreen*current_average); and
blue_gamma_color_balance=(current_profile.m_AverageBlue*master_average)/(master_profile.m_AverageBlue*current_average)
Gamma coefficients are used because they are simple and convenient and preserve black and white points and because the code can be re-used for conventional gamma correction.
Additional processing of the images, such as sharpening, frame averaging, and noise reduction, may be performed.
The images described above may be still pictures or continuous video images (such as television images). When the images are video images, in the embodiment of the invention in which one or more characteristics of one image are adjusted to match those of another image, the characteristics are adjusted continuously in real time (i.e., dynamically). For example, the characteristics of the video image may be adjusted for every frame of the image. The reason for real time adjustment is that the video images are changing constantly as the lighting, object distance or tissue color varies.
The implementation of the above-described features may be performed digitally by software or firmware in the controller. Alternately, the image manipulation can be performed by hardware image chipsets, FPGAs or other electrical circuitry. These image manipulation techniques are well known in the field of graphic and video processing and will not be described in detail.
Although in the preferred embodiments described above, the images are from the main and auxiliary imaging devices of the same endoscope, the images may also come from imaging devices of different endoscopes such as laparoscopes. For example, when two laparoscopes are used during a procedure, the images from the laparoscopes may have different characteristics due to, for example, different imaging device types, different manufacturing techniques, or differences in lighting sensitivities. The controller that receives images from the laparoscopes may designate any one of the images as a master and then match the second image to the master image. In this way the operator is able to conduct a procedure with consistent visualization across the laparoscopes. Additionally, the present invention may be used with three or more images from two or more endoscopes. For example, two images may be adjusted to match a third image.
While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications can be made without departing from this invention in its broader aspects. Therefore, the appended claims are to encompass within their scope all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/801,748, filed May 19, 2006, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
3437747 | Sheldon | Apr 1969 | A |
3610231 | Takahashi et al. | Oct 1971 | A |
3643653 | Takahashi et al. | Feb 1972 | A |
3739770 | Mori | Jun 1973 | A |
3889662 | Mitsui | Jun 1975 | A |
3897775 | Furihata | Aug 1975 | A |
3918438 | Hayamizu et al. | Nov 1975 | A |
4261344 | Moore et al. | Apr 1981 | A |
4351587 | Matsuo et al. | Sep 1982 | A |
4398811 | Nishioka et al. | Aug 1983 | A |
4494549 | Namba et al. | Jan 1985 | A |
4573450 | Arakawa | Mar 1986 | A |
4586491 | Carpenter | May 1986 | A |
4625236 | Fujimori et al. | Nov 1986 | A |
4646722 | Silverstein et al. | Mar 1987 | A |
4699463 | D'Amelio et al. | Oct 1987 | A |
4721097 | D'Amelio | Jan 1988 | A |
4727859 | Lia | Mar 1988 | A |
4741326 | Sidall et al. | May 1988 | A |
4790295 | Tashiro | Dec 1988 | A |
4800870 | Reid, Jr. | Jan 1989 | A |
4825850 | Opie et al. | May 1989 | A |
4836211 | Sekino et al. | Jun 1989 | A |
4846154 | MacAnally et al. | Jul 1989 | A |
4852551 | Opie et al. | Aug 1989 | A |
4853773 | Hibino et al. | Aug 1989 | A |
4862873 | Yajima et al. | Sep 1989 | A |
4867138 | Kubota et al. | Sep 1989 | A |
4869238 | Opie et al. | Sep 1989 | A |
4870488 | Ikuno et al. | Sep 1989 | A |
4873572 | Miyazaki et al. | Oct 1989 | A |
4873965 | Danieli | Oct 1989 | A |
4884133 | Kanno et al. | Nov 1989 | A |
4899732 | Cohen | Feb 1990 | A |
4905667 | Foerster et al. | Mar 1990 | A |
4907395 | Opie et al. | Mar 1990 | A |
4911148 | Sosnowski et al. | Mar 1990 | A |
4911564 | Baker | Mar 1990 | A |
4926258 | Sasaki | May 1990 | A |
4947827 | Opie et al. | Aug 1990 | A |
4947828 | Carpenter et al. | Aug 1990 | A |
4979496 | Komi | Dec 1990 | A |
4991565 | Takahashi et al. | Feb 1991 | A |
5019040 | Itaoka et al. | May 1991 | A |
5025778 | Silverstein et al. | Jun 1991 | A |
5026377 | Burton et al. | Jun 1991 | A |
5050585 | Takahashi | Sep 1991 | A |
RE34100 | Opie et al. | Oct 1992 | E |
RE34110 | Opie et al. | Oct 1992 | E |
5159446 | Hibino et al. | Oct 1992 | A |
5166787 | Irion | Nov 1992 | A |
5178130 | Kaiya et al. | Jan 1993 | A |
5187572 | Nakamura et al. | Feb 1993 | A |
5193525 | Silverstein et al. | Mar 1993 | A |
5196928 | Karasawa et al. | Mar 1993 | A |
5253638 | Tamburrino et al. | Oct 1993 | A |
5260780 | Staudt, III | Nov 1993 | A |
5271381 | Ailinger et al. | Dec 1993 | A |
5305121 | Moll | Apr 1994 | A |
5318031 | Mountford et al. | Jun 1994 | A |
5329887 | Ailinger et al. | Jul 1994 | A |
5337734 | Saab | Aug 1994 | A |
5381784 | Adair | Jan 1995 | A |
5398685 | Wilk et al. | Mar 1995 | A |
5406938 | Mersch et al. | Apr 1995 | A |
5434669 | Tabata et al. | Jul 1995 | A |
5443781 | Saab | Aug 1995 | A |
5447148 | Oneda et al. | Sep 1995 | A |
5483951 | Frassica et al. | Jan 1996 | A |
5494483 | Adair | Feb 1996 | A |
5518501 | Oneda et al. | May 1996 | A |
5520607 | Frassica et al. | May 1996 | A |
5530238 | Meulenbrugge et al. | Jun 1996 | A |
5533496 | De Faria-Correa et al. | Jul 1996 | A |
5536236 | Yabe et al. | Jul 1996 | A |
5556367 | Yabe et al. | Sep 1996 | A |
5613936 | Czarnek et al. | Mar 1997 | A |
5614943 | Nakamura et al. | Mar 1997 | A |
5626553 | Frassica et al. | May 1997 | A |
5634466 | Gruner | Jun 1997 | A |
5653677 | Okada et al. | Aug 1997 | A |
5667476 | Frassica et al. | Sep 1997 | A |
5679216 | Takayama et al. | Oct 1997 | A |
5681260 | Ueda et al. | Oct 1997 | A |
5682199 | Lankford | Oct 1997 | A |
5685822 | Harhen | Nov 1997 | A |
5692729 | Harhen | Dec 1997 | A |
5696850 | Parulski et al. | Dec 1997 | A |
5702348 | Harhen | Dec 1997 | A |
5706128 | Greenberg | Jan 1998 | A |
5711299 | Manwaring et al. | Jan 1998 | A |
5722933 | Yabe et al. | Mar 1998 | A |
5752912 | Takahashi et al. | May 1998 | A |
5762603 | Thompson | Jun 1998 | A |
5817061 | Goodwin et al. | Oct 1998 | A |
5827177 | Oneda et al. | Oct 1998 | A |
5833603 | Kovacs et al. | Nov 1998 | A |
5843103 | Wulfman | Dec 1998 | A |
5843460 | Labigne et al. | Dec 1998 | A |
5860914 | Chiba et al. | Jan 1999 | A |
5876329 | Harhen | Mar 1999 | A |
5916147 | Boury | Jun 1999 | A |
5924977 | Yabe et al. | Jul 1999 | A |
5938587 | Taylor et al. | Aug 1999 | A |
5982932 | Prokoski | Nov 1999 | A |
5989182 | Hori et al. | Nov 1999 | A |
5989224 | Exline et al. | Nov 1999 | A |
6017358 | Yoon | Jan 2000 | A |
6026323 | Skladnev et al. | Feb 2000 | A |
6066090 | Yoon | May 2000 | A |
6099464 | Shimizu et al. | Aug 2000 | A |
6099466 | Sano et al. | Aug 2000 | A |
6099485 | Patterson | Aug 2000 | A |
6106463 | Wilk | Aug 2000 | A |
6174280 | Oneda et al. | Jan 2001 | B1 |
6190330 | Harhen | Feb 2001 | B1 |
6214028 | Yoon et al. | Apr 2001 | B1 |
6261226 | McKenna et al. | Jul 2001 | B1 |
6261307 | Yoon et al. | Jul 2001 | B1 |
6277064 | Yoon | Aug 2001 | B1 |
6296608 | Daniels et al. | Oct 2001 | B1 |
6301047 | Hoshino et al. | Oct 2001 | B1 |
6350231 | Ailinger et al. | Feb 2002 | B1 |
6369855 | Chauvel et al. | Apr 2002 | B1 |
6375653 | Desai | Apr 2002 | B1 |
6387043 | Yoon | May 2002 | B1 |
6433492 | Buonavita | Aug 2002 | B1 |
6456684 | Mun et al. | Sep 2002 | B1 |
6461294 | Oneda et al. | Oct 2002 | B1 |
6482149 | Torii | Nov 2002 | B1 |
6527704 | Chang et al. | Mar 2003 | B1 |
6547724 | Soble et al. | Apr 2003 | B1 |
6554767 | Tanaka | Apr 2003 | B2 |
6564088 | Soller et al. | May 2003 | B1 |
6640017 | Tsai et al. | Oct 2003 | B1 |
6648816 | Irion et al. | Nov 2003 | B2 |
6683716 | Costales | Jan 2004 | B1 |
6687010 | Horii et al. | Feb 2004 | B1 |
6697536 | Yamada | Feb 2004 | B1 |
6699180 | Kobayashi | Mar 2004 | B2 |
6736773 | Wendlandt et al. | May 2004 | B2 |
6748975 | Hartshorne et al. | Jun 2004 | B2 |
6796939 | Konomura et al. | Sep 2004 | B1 |
6833871 | Merrill et al. | Dec 2004 | B1 |
6845190 | Smithwick et al. | Jan 2005 | B1 |
6891977 | Gallagher | May 2005 | B2 |
6916286 | Kazakevich | Jul 2005 | B2 |
6928314 | Johnson et al. | Aug 2005 | B1 |
6929636 | von Alten | Aug 2005 | B1 |
6947784 | Zalis | Sep 2005 | B2 |
6951536 | Yokoi et al. | Oct 2005 | B2 |
6965702 | Gallagher | Nov 2005 | B2 |
6966906 | Brown | Nov 2005 | B2 |
6974411 | Belson | Dec 2005 | B2 |
6997871 | Sonnenschein et al. | Feb 2006 | B2 |
7004900 | Wendlandt et al. | Feb 2006 | B2 |
7029435 | Nakao | Apr 2006 | B2 |
7041050 | Ronald | May 2006 | B1 |
7095548 | Cho et al. | Aug 2006 | B1 |
7103228 | Kraft et al. | Sep 2006 | B2 |
7116352 | Yaron | Oct 2006 | B2 |
7173656 | Dunton et al. | Feb 2007 | B1 |
7228004 | Gallagher et al. | Jun 2007 | B2 |
7280141 | Frank et al. | Oct 2007 | B1 |
7317458 | Wada | Jan 2008 | B2 |
7322934 | Miyake et al. | Jan 2008 | B2 |
7341555 | Ootawara et al. | Mar 2008 | B2 |
7362911 | Frank | Apr 2008 | B1 |
7405877 | Schechterman | Jul 2008 | B1 |
7435218 | Krattiger et al. | Oct 2008 | B2 |
7436562 | Nagasawa et al. | Oct 2008 | B2 |
7507200 | Okada | Mar 2009 | B2 |
7551196 | Ono et al. | Jun 2009 | B2 |
7556599 | Rovegno | Jul 2009 | B2 |
7561190 | Deng et al. | Jul 2009 | B2 |
7621869 | Ratnakar | Nov 2009 | B2 |
7646520 | Funaki et al. | Jan 2010 | B2 |
7678043 | Gilad | Mar 2010 | B2 |
7683926 | Schechterman et al. | Mar 2010 | B2 |
7749156 | Ouchi | Jul 2010 | B2 |
7825964 | Hoshino et al. | Nov 2010 | B2 |
7864215 | Carlsson et al. | Jan 2011 | B2 |
7910295 | Hoon et al. | Mar 2011 | B2 |
7927272 | Bayer et al. | Apr 2011 | B2 |
8009167 | Dekel et al. | Aug 2011 | B2 |
8064666 | Bayer | Nov 2011 | B2 |
8070743 | Kagan et al. | Dec 2011 | B2 |
20010007468 | Sugimoto et al. | Jul 2001 | A1 |
20010037052 | Higuchi et al. | Nov 2001 | A1 |
20010051766 | Gazdzinski | Dec 2001 | A1 |
20010056238 | Tsujita | Dec 2001 | A1 |
20020026188 | Balbierz et al. | Feb 2002 | A1 |
20020039400 | Kaufman et al. | Apr 2002 | A1 |
20020089584 | Abe | Jul 2002 | A1 |
20020095168 | Griego et al. | Jul 2002 | A1 |
20020099267 | Wendlandt et al. | Jul 2002 | A1 |
20020101546 | Sharp et al. | Aug 2002 | A1 |
20020110282 | Kraft et al. | Aug 2002 | A1 |
20020115908 | Farkas et al. | Aug 2002 | A1 |
20020156347 | Kim et al. | Oct 2002 | A1 |
20020193662 | Belson | Dec 2002 | A1 |
20030004399 | Belson | Jan 2003 | A1 |
20030011768 | Jung et al. | Jan 2003 | A1 |
20030032863 | Kazakevich | Feb 2003 | A1 |
20030040668 | Kaneko et al. | Feb 2003 | A1 |
20030045778 | Ohline et al. | Mar 2003 | A1 |
20030065250 | Chiel et al. | Apr 2003 | A1 |
20030088152 | Takada | May 2003 | A1 |
20030093031 | Long et al. | May 2003 | A1 |
20030093088 | Long et al. | May 2003 | A1 |
20030103199 | Jung et al. | Jun 2003 | A1 |
20030105386 | Voloshin et al. | Jun 2003 | A1 |
20030120130 | Glukhovsky | Jun 2003 | A1 |
20030125630 | Furnish | Jul 2003 | A1 |
20030125788 | Long | Jul 2003 | A1 |
20030130711 | Pearson et al. | Jul 2003 | A1 |
20030153866 | Long et al. | Aug 2003 | A1 |
20030161545 | Gallagher | Aug 2003 | A1 |
20030167007 | Belson | Sep 2003 | A1 |
20030171650 | Tartaglia et al. | Sep 2003 | A1 |
20030176767 | Long et al. | Sep 2003 | A1 |
20030179302 | Harada et al. | Sep 2003 | A1 |
20030187326 | Chang | Oct 2003 | A1 |
20030195545 | Hermann et al. | Oct 2003 | A1 |
20030197781 | Sugimoto et al. | Oct 2003 | A1 |
20030197793 | Mitsunaga et al. | Oct 2003 | A1 |
20030225433 | Nakao | Dec 2003 | A1 |
20030233115 | Eversull et al. | Dec 2003 | A1 |
20040023397 | Vig et al. | Feb 2004 | A1 |
20040034278 | Adams | Feb 2004 | A1 |
20040049096 | Adams | Mar 2004 | A1 |
20040059191 | Krupa et al. | Mar 2004 | A1 |
20040080613 | Moriyama | Apr 2004 | A1 |
20040097790 | Farkas et al. | May 2004 | A1 |
20040109164 | Horii et al. | Jun 2004 | A1 |
20040111019 | Long | Jun 2004 | A1 |
20040122291 | Takahashi | Jun 2004 | A1 |
20040141054 | Mochida et al. | Jul 2004 | A1 |
20040158124 | Okada | Aug 2004 | A1 |
20040207618 | Williams et al. | Oct 2004 | A1 |
20040242987 | Liew et al. | Dec 2004 | A1 |
20050010084 | Tsai | Jan 2005 | A1 |
20050014996 | Konomura et al. | Jan 2005 | A1 |
20050020918 | Wilk et al. | Jan 2005 | A1 |
20050020926 | Wiklof et al. | Jan 2005 | A1 |
20050038317 | Ratnakar | Feb 2005 | A1 |
20050038319 | Goldwasser et al. | Feb 2005 | A1 |
20050068431 | Mori | Mar 2005 | A1 |
20050085693 | Belson et al. | Apr 2005 | A1 |
20050085790 | Guest et al. | Apr 2005 | A1 |
20050096502 | Khalili | May 2005 | A1 |
20050154278 | Cabiri et al. | Jul 2005 | A1 |
20050165272 | Okada et al. | Jul 2005 | A1 |
20050165279 | Adler et al. | Jul 2005 | A1 |
20050177024 | Mackin | Aug 2005 | A1 |
20050203420 | Kleen et al. | Sep 2005 | A1 |
20050215911 | Alfano et al. | Sep 2005 | A1 |
20050222500 | Itoi | Oct 2005 | A1 |
20050228224 | Okada et al. | Oct 2005 | A1 |
20050267361 | Younker et al. | Dec 2005 | A1 |
20050272975 | McWeeney et al. | Dec 2005 | A1 |
20050272977 | Saadat et al. | Dec 2005 | A1 |
20060044267 | Xie et al. | Mar 2006 | A1 |
20060052709 | DeBaryshe et al. | Mar 2006 | A1 |
20060058584 | Hirata | Mar 2006 | A1 |
20060106286 | Wendlandt et al. | May 2006 | A1 |
20060149127 | Seddiqui et al. | Jul 2006 | A1 |
20060149129 | Watts et al. | Jul 2006 | A1 |
20060183975 | Saadat et al. | Aug 2006 | A1 |
20060217594 | Ferguson | Sep 2006 | A1 |
20060279632 | Anderson | Dec 2006 | A1 |
20060285766 | Ali | Dec 2006 | A1 |
20060293562 | Uchimura et al. | Dec 2006 | A1 |
20070015967 | Boulais et al. | Jan 2007 | A1 |
20070015989 | Desai et al. | Jan 2007 | A1 |
20070083081 | Schlagenhauf et al. | Apr 2007 | A1 |
20070103460 | Zhang et al. | May 2007 | A1 |
20070142711 | Bayer et al. | Jun 2007 | A1 |
20070173686 | Lin et al. | Jul 2007 | A1 |
20070177008 | Bayer et al. | Aug 2007 | A1 |
20070177009 | Bayer et al. | Aug 2007 | A1 |
20070183685 | Wada et al. | Aug 2007 | A1 |
20070185384 | Bayer et al. | Aug 2007 | A1 |
20070225552 | Segawa et al. | Sep 2007 | A1 |
20070225734 | Bell et al. | Sep 2007 | A1 |
20070238927 | Ueno et al. | Oct 2007 | A1 |
20070244354 | Bayer | Oct 2007 | A1 |
20070279486 | Bayer et al. | Dec 2007 | A1 |
20070280669 | Karim | Dec 2007 | A1 |
20070293720 | Bayer | Dec 2007 | A1 |
20080021269 | Tinkham et al. | Jan 2008 | A1 |
20080021274 | Bayer et al. | Jan 2008 | A1 |
20080033450 | Bayer et al. | Feb 2008 | A1 |
20080039693 | Karasawa | Feb 2008 | A1 |
20080064931 | Schena et al. | Mar 2008 | A1 |
20080065110 | Duval et al. | Mar 2008 | A1 |
20080071291 | Duval et al. | Mar 2008 | A1 |
20080079827 | Hoshino et al. | Apr 2008 | A1 |
20080097292 | Cabiri et al. | Apr 2008 | A1 |
20080114288 | Whayne et al. | May 2008 | A1 |
20080130108 | Bayer et al. | Jun 2008 | A1 |
20080154288 | Belson | Jun 2008 | A1 |
20080199829 | Paley et al. | Aug 2008 | A1 |
20080275298 | Ratnakar | Nov 2008 | A1 |
20090015842 | Leitgeb et al. | Jan 2009 | A1 |
20090023998 | Ratnakar | Jan 2009 | A1 |
20090036739 | Hadani | Feb 2009 | A1 |
20090049627 | Kritzler | Feb 2009 | A1 |
20090082629 | Dotan et al. | Mar 2009 | A1 |
20090105538 | Van Dam et al. | Apr 2009 | A1 |
20090137867 | Goto | May 2009 | A1 |
20090213211 | Bayer et al. | Aug 2009 | A1 |
20090231419 | Bayer et al. | Sep 2009 | A1 |
20100217076 | Ratnakar | Aug 2010 | A1 |
20110160535 | Bayer et al. | Jun 2011 | A1 |
20110213206 | Boutillette et al. | Sep 2011 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
1 628 603 | Jun 2005 | CN |
1628603 | Jun 2005 | CN |
196 26433 | Jan 1998 | DE |
19626433 | Jan 1998 | DE |
20 2006 017 173 | Mar 2007 | DE |
0 586 162 | Mar 1994 | EP |
1 570 778 | Sep 2005 | EP |
1 769 720 | Apr 2007 | EP |
711 949 | Sep 1931 | FR |
49-130235 | Dec 1974 | JP |
56-9712 | Jan 1981 | JP |
62-094312 | Jun 1987 | JP |
63-309912 | Dec 1988 | JP |
3-159629 | Jul 1991 | JP |
5-341210 | Dec 1993 | JP |
6-130308 | May 1994 | JP |
7-352 | Jan 1995 | JP |
7-354 | Jan 1995 | JP |
7-021001 | Apr 1995 | JP |
8-206061 | Aug 1996 | JP |
7-136108 | May 1998 | JP |
11-76150 | Mar 1999 | JP |
WO 9315648 | Aug 1993 | WO |
WO-9917542 | Apr 1999 | WO |
WO-9930506 | Jun 1999 | WO |
WO 02085194 | Oct 2002 | WO |
WO-02085194 | Oct 2002 | WO |
WO-02084105 | Nov 2002 | WO |
WO-02094105 | Nov 2002 | WO |
WO-2006073676 | Jul 2006 | WO |
WO-2006073725 | Jul 2006 | WO |
WO-2006110275 | Oct 2006 | WO |
WO-2006110275 | Oct 2006 | WO |
WO-2007015241 | Feb 2007 | WO |
WO-2007015241 | Feb 2007 | WO |
WO-2007070644 | Jun 2007 | WO |
WO-2007087421 | Aug 2007 | WO |
WO-2007092533 | Aug 2007 | WO |
WO-2007092636 | Aug 2007 | WO |
WO-2007136859 | Nov 2007 | WO |
WO-2007136879 | Nov 2007 | WO |
WO-2009015396 | Jan 2009 | WO |
WO-2009015396 | Jan 2009 | WO |
WO-2009014895 | Jan 2009 | WO |
WO-2009049322 | Apr 2009 | WO |
WO-2009049322 | Apr 2009 | WO |
WO-2009062179 | May 2009 | WO |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20070270642 A1 | Nov 2007 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
60801748 | May 2006 | US |