Patent US4778997A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
← Back to Patent Explorer
US4778997A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Process and device for depicting the distribution of high activities of radioactive substances

Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1985-09-04
•
Granted: 1988-10-18
•
Expires: 2005-09-04
📄 Original PDF 🌐 Google Patents 🔄 Sync Now

Abstract

Abstract Process for depicting the distribution of high activities of radioactive substances by means of a whole-body scintigraphic device having a camera or the like, such as a gamma camera or scanner, characterized in that the radiation incident upon the camera is partially shielded against as a function of its intensity in order to optimize the counting rate, as well as a device for implementing such a process.

Inventors

  • 👤 Volker Doring

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-11-07 23:10
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01T; G01T1/00; G01T1/16; G01T1/161; G01T1/164; G01T1/1641; G01T1/1648; A; A61; A61B; A61B6/00; A61B6/42; A61B6/4208; A61B6/4258

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 22
Claim 1
Independent Claim 52 words
A process for depicting the distribution of high activities of radioactive substances by means of a whole-body scintigraphic device having a camera means which detects radiation emitted by a radioactive substance, comprising partially shielding said device from said radiation as a function of radiation intensity in order to optimize the counting rate.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 52 words
A process for depicting the distribution of high activities of radioactive substances by means of a whole-body scintigraphic device having a camera means which detects radiation emitted by a radioactive substance, comprising partially shielding said device from said radiation as a function of radiation intensity in order to optimize the counting rate.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 14 words
The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the scintigraphic device comprises a collimator.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 17 words
The process as claimed in claim 2, wherein the whole-body scintigraphic device further comprises a multihole collimator.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 16 words
The process as claimed in claim 3, wherein partial shielding is provided by the multihole collimator.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 25 words
The process as claimed in claim 2 wherein the collimating region of the collimator is reduced in size in order to diminish the incident radiation.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 42 words
The process as claimed in claims 1 or 2, in which the camera means comprises a camera having a whole-body measuring field and a mechanical window, wherein the whole-body measuring field is adapted in shape, size and/or position to the mechanical window.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 50 words
The process as claimed in claim 1, or 2, in which the camera means comprises a camera having a whole-body measuring field and a mechanical window, wherein only the part of the imageable region in which the dwell time of object points is constant is used to construct the image.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim 58 words
The process as claimed in claim 1, 24, 25, 4, or 20, in which the camera means comprises a camera having a whole-body measuring field and a mechanical window, wherein at the start and end of each imaging path the numbers of pulses are corrected in accordance with the dwell times of object points in the whole-body field.
Claim 10
Independent Claim 54 words
An apparatus for depicting the distribution of high activities of radioactive substances by means of a whole-body scintigraphic device comprising a camera means for detecting radiation emitted by a radioactive substance, and means for partially shielding said device from said radiation as a function of radiation intensity in order to optimize the counting rate.
Claim 11
Independent Claim 54 words
An apparatus for depicting the distribution of high activities of radioactive substances by means of a whole-body scintigraphic device comprising a camera means for detecting radiation emitted by a radioactive substance, and means for partially shielding said device from said radiation as a function of radiation intensity in order to optimize the counting rate.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim 46 words
An apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the camera means comprises a camera having a camera field of view, a whole-body measuring field and a mechanical window wherein the camera field of view and/or the whole-body measuring field is partially shieldable by the mechanical window.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim 32 words
An apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the mechanical window has holes formed therein which are distributed over the entire wholebody measuring field or a part of said whole-body measuring field.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim 15 words
An apparatus as claimed in claim 10 wherein said mechanical window has a continuous structure.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim 16 words
An apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the mechanical window is continuously variable in size.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim 15 words
An apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the scintigraphic device further comprises a collimator.
Claim 17
Independent Claim 39 words
An apparatus as claimed in 14 wherein said mechanical window is integrated into said collimator by shape, size and position of the collimating region, and the region of the radiation lying outside the mechanical window is largely shielded against.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim 38 words
An apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein the collimator comprises a plurality of parts assembled to provide a mechanical window wherein the size of said mechanical window is determined by the choice of the part or parts.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim 14 words
An apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the scintigraphic device comprises a collimator.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim 22 words
An apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein the means for partially shielding the device are provided in addition to the collimator.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim 33 words
An apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein the collimator comprises a multihole collimator and one or more of the holes of the collimator are shieldable to provide said means for partially shielding.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim 53 words
An apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the camera means comprises a camera having a camera field of view, a wholebody measuring field and a plurality of mechanical windows of different sizes, wherein the camera field of view and/or the whole-body measuring field is partially shieldable by one of the mechanical windows

References Cited (Backward Citations)

US4348591A Cited
JPH102184A Cited

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 1991-10-18 1992-04-18 1992-10-18 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 1995-10-18 1996-04-18 1996-10-18 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 1999-10-18 2000-04-18 2000-10-18 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

Assigned Categories & Tags

No categories assigned to this patent yet.

Assign Category Tag