US4768516A — Method and apparatus for in vivo evaluation of ti…

Claim 1

Independent Claim 290 words

A method of assessing and classifying the physiological and compositional state of internal matter within an individual examination subject comprised of organic material and the like which is transmissible by at least certain selected light energy wavelength spectra, comprising the steps: applying the selected light energy spectra to each of a plurality of examination subjects including said individual examination subject in a manner which infuses at least certain of such light energy into the interior of each such subject; detecting the presence of said infused light after the same has transmissed at least a portion of the interior of each such subject; quantifying the detected light energy for each examination subject as a sequence of values correlated with at least certain of said selected wavelengths to thereby produce a sequence of discrete wavelength-related values for each such examination subject; conditioning said discrete values for each such examination subject at least partially on the basis of the distance within the interior of said subject transmissed by said infused light energy, to produce a series of wavelength-related individual conditioned quantified values particularizing the individual examination subject; determining an average of at least selected such individual wavelength-related values from at least certain of the plurality of series of wavelength-related individual conditioned quantified values obtained by examination of said plurality of examination subjects; further conditioning the series of wavelength-related individual conditioned quantified values for said individual examination subject by subtracting therefrom the said average determined from selected values in the series thereof for the plurality of examination subjects; and comparatively analyzing said further-conditioned series of wavelength-related individual values for said individual examination subject to assess and classify the composition of internal matter within the said individual examination subject transmissed by said infused light energy.

Claim 2

Independent Claim 290 words

A method of assessing and classifying the physiological and compositional state of internal matter within an individual examination subject comprised of organic material and the like which is transmissible by at least certain selected light energy wavelength spectra, comprising the steps: applying the selected light energy spectra to each of a plurality of examination subjects including said individual examination subject in a manner which infuses at least certain of such light energy into the interior of each such subject; detecting the presence of said infused light after the same has transmissed at least a portion of the interior of each such subject; quantifying the detected light energy for each examination subject as a sequence of values correlated with at least certain of said selected wavelengths to thereby produce a sequence of discrete wavelength-related values for each such examination subject; conditioning said discrete values for each such examination subject at least partially on the basis of the distance within the interior of said subject transmissed by said infused light energy, to produce a series of wavelength-related individual conditioned quantified values particularizing the individual examination subject; determining an average of at least selected such individual wavelength-related values from at least certain of the plurality of series of wavelength-related individual conditioned quantified values obtained by examination of said plurality of examination subjects; further conditioning the series of wavelength-related individual conditioned quantified values for said individual examination subject by subtracting therefrom the said average determined from selected values in the series thereof for the plurality of examination subjects; and comparatively analyzing said further-conditioned series of wavelength-related individual values for said individual examination subject to assess and classify the composition of internal matter within the said individual examination subject transmissed by said infused light energy.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 29 words

The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said step of subjecting said further-conditioned values for said individual examination subject to comparative analysis includes graphically plotting such values.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 24 words

The method as set forth in claim 1, including the step of determining said average from an examination subject population which is selectively chosen.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 57 words

The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said step of comparative analysis includes comparison of said further-conditioned series of wavelength-related individual examination subject values with an analogous plot of further-conditioned values which are generally normative of a class of examination subjects to which said individual subject is directly related in at least one characteristic parameter.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 28 words

The method as set forth in claim 4, wherein said examination subjects comprise living beings and said characteristic parameter includes the chronological age of the individual examination subject.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 37 words

The method as set forth in claim 5, wherein said step of comparative analysis includes the step of visual comparison of a plot of said individual examination subject values with said like plot of said normative values.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 30 words

The method as set forth in claim 6, wherein said visual comparison is carried out at least in part by placing said plots in juxtaposed visual alignment with each other.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 57 words

The method as set forth in claim 4, wherein said comparison includes the step of particularly comparing selected portions of said series of individual examination subject values which are representative of particular examination wavelengths selected from the totality of those applied to the examination subjects with subsantially same selected wavelength-represented portions of the series of normative values.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 31 words

The method as set forth in claim 8, wherein said visual comparison is carried out visually at least in part by viewing graphical plots of at least portions of said series.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 30 words

The method as set forth in claim 9, wherein said visual comparison is carried out at least in part by placing said plots in juxtaposed visual alignment with each other.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 29 words

The method as set forth in claim 8, wherein said particular examination wavelengths include at least those within the band of from about 850 nanometers to about 1,000 nanometers.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 29 words

The method as set forth in claim 8 wherein said particular examination wavelengths include at least those within the band of from about 950 nanometers to about 1,000 nanometers.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 29 words

The method as set forth in claim 8 wherein said particular examination wavelengths include at least those within the band of from about 900 nanometers to about 950 nanometers.

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 29 words

The method as set forth in claim 8 wherein said particular examination wavelengths include at least those within the band of from about 850 nanometers to about 900 nanometers.

Claim 16

Dependent Claim 47 words

The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said step of subjecting said further-conditioned values to comparative analysis is carried out with respect to values which are representative of examination wavelengths generally within the overall spectral band of from about 550 nanometers to about 1,200 nanometers.

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 62 words

The method as set forth in claim 1, and including the procedure of conducting contralateral comparisons for paired portions of an examination subject by subjecting each such portion to corresponding such wavelength-related examinations, to thereby produce paired series of said wavelength-related individual values, and conducting said comparative analysis at least in part by comparing one such series of values to the other.

Claim 18

Dependent Claim 41 words

The method as set forth in claim 16, wherein said step of conducting comparative analysis is further carried out by comparing said paired series of wavelength-related individual subject values with respect to other such series of values characterizing normative examination subjects.

Claim 19

Dependent Claim 43 words

The method as set forth in claim 17, wherein said examination subjects comprise living beings and said other such series of values characterizing normative subjects is selectively structural to represent a chronological age grouping which includes the age of said individual examination subject.

Claim 20

Dependent Claim 26 words

The method as set forth in claim 18, wherein said step of conducting comparative analysis includes graphically plotting at least certain of said series of values.

Claim 21

Dependent Claim 48 words

The method as set forth in claim 17, wherein said step of conducting comparative analysis includes the step of particularly comparing selected portions of said paired series of values which are representative of particular examination wavelengths selected from the overall spectrum which is applied to the examination subject.

Claim 22

Dependent Claim 29 words

The method as set forth in claim 20, wherein said particular examination wavelengths include at least those within the band of from about 850 nanometers to about 1,000 nanometers.

Claim 23

Dependent Claim 29 words

The method as set forth in claim 21, wherein said particular examination wavelengths include at least those within the band of from about 950 nanometers to about 1,000 nanometers.

Claim 24

Dependent Claim 46 words

The method as set forth in claim 16, wherein said step of subjecting said further-conditioned values to comparative analysis is carried out with respect to values which are representative of examination wavelengths generally within the spectral band of from about 550 nanometers to about 1,200 nanometers.

Claim 25

Dependent Claim 124 words

In a method of optically assessing the internal physiological characteristics of an individual examination subject which is comprised of matter transmissible by at least certain selected light energy wavelengths, wherein such light energy is applied to the subject so as to inject the light internally within the subject and injected light is detected at a location whose distance from that at which the light is injected is particularly determined, the process of assessing said internal characteristics which comprises the steps of classifying separate portions of said detected light as a function of particular wavelength groupings, and interpreting the amounts of detected light which are so classified as relative quantities of specific types of constituent matter which are particularly characterized by said particular wavelength groupings.

Claim 26

Dependent Claim 124 words

In a method of optically assessing the internal physiological characteristics of an individual examination subject which is comprised of matter transmissible by at least certain selected light energy wavelengths, wherein such light energy is applied to the subject so as to inject the light internally within the subject and injected light is detected at a location whose distance from that at which the light is injected is particularly determined, the process of assessing said internal characteristics which comprises the steps of classifying separate portions of said detected light as a function of particular wavelength groupings, and interpreting the amounts of detected light which are so classified as relative quantities of specific types of constituent matter which are particularly characterized by said particular wavelength groupings.

Claim 27

Dependent Claim 54 words

The method for optical methodology as recited in claim 24, wherein said step of interpreting including the comparison of said quantities of specific types of matter relating to an individual examination subject with normative quantities of such types of matter present in examination subjects of the general class to which such individual subject belongs.

Claim 28

Dependent Claim 29 words

The method for optical methodology as recited in claim 24, wherein said particular wavelength groupings comprise wavelengths within the band of from about 540 nanometers to about 1,250 nanometers.

Claim 29

Dependent Claim 33 words

The method for optical methodology as recited in claim 24, wherein at least one of said particular wavelength groupings comprises wavelengths within the band extending from about 950 nanometers to about 1,000 nanometers.

Claim 30

Dependent Claim 33 words

The method for optical methodology as recited in claim 24, wherein at least one of said particular wavelength groupings comprises wavelengths within the band extending from about 900 nanometers to about 950 nanometers.

Claim 31

Dependent Claim 33 words

The method for optical methodology as recited in claim 24, wherein at least one of said particular wavelength groupings comprises wavelengths within the band extending from about 900 nanometers to about 950 nanometers.

Claim 32

Dependent Claim 33 words

The method for optical methodology as recited in claim 24, wherein at least one of said particular wavelength groupings comprises wavelengths within the band extending from about 800 nanometers to about 850 nanometers.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1991-09-06	1992-03-07	1992-09-06	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1995-09-06	1996-03-07	1996-09-06	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	1999-09-06	2000-03-07	2000-09-06	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Method and apparatus for in vivo evaluation of tissue composition

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