US4849638A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Single-focus collimator and scintillation camera system and method for using it
Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions USA Inc
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Filing: 1987-03-20
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Granted: 1989-07-18
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Expires: 2007-03-20
Abstract
Abstract A collimator is in the shape of a closed curve and has one and only one focal point. The collimator is dimensioned such that, in use, the focal point may be positioned inside the body organ to be imaged. The focal point is caused to densely trace over the body organ of interest to form a tomographic image in less time, without imaging the rest of the body slice.
Inventors
- 👤 Eric G. Hawman
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 15:13
CPC Classifications
G; G21; G21K; G21K1/00; G21K1/02; G21K1/025; A; A61; A61B; A61B6/00; A61B6/02; A61B6/03; A61B6/037; A61B6/44; A61B6/54; G01; G01T; G01T1/00; G01T1/16; G01T1/161; G01T1/164; G01T1/1641; G01T1/1642; G01T1/1648; G01T1/29; G01T1/2914; G01T1/2985; A61B6/50; A61B6/503
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 20
Claim 1
Independent Claim
35 words
A collimator having the shape of a closed curve, the collimator bounding an interior region and, within each image plane of interest, focusing to one and only one focal point located in said interior region.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
35 words
A collimator having the shape of a closed curve, the collimator bounding an interior region and, within each image plane of interest, focusing to one and only one focal point located in said interior region.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
26 words
The collimator of claim 1, wherein there are a plurality of image planes of interest and each focal point lies in its corresponding plane of interest.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
17 words
The system of claim 2, where the image planes are parallel and spaced apart at regular intervals.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
30 words
The system of claim 2, further comprising means for producing relative translational movement of said image planes of interest and said body region along an axis of said body region.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
17 words
The collimator of claim 12, wherein the closed curve is a circle and the collimator is annular.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
65 words
A scintillation camera system, comprising: a collimator having the shape of a closed curve, the collimator bounding an interior region which is large enough to accommodate a body region to be imaged, and, within each image plane of interest, focusing to one and only one focal point located within said body region; and means for moving said focal point with respect to said body region.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
65 words
A scintillation camera system, comprising: a collimator having the shape of a closed curve, the collimator bounding an interior region which is large enough to accommodate a body region to be imaged, and, within each image plane of interest, focusing to one and only one focal point located within said body region; and means for moving said focal point with respect to said body region.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
17 words
The system of claim 6, wherein the closed curve is a circle and the collimator is annular.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
15 words
The system of claim 6, wherein said moving means comprises means for moving the collimator.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
20 words
The system of claim 8, wherein said moving means comprises means for moving the collimator in a polar coordinate system.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
20 words
The system of claim 8, wherein said moving means comprises means for moving the collimator in a Cartesian coordinate system.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
18 words
The system of claim 6, further comprising a scintillator surrounding the collimator and photodetector means surrounding the scintillator.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
22 words
The system of claim 11, wherein said moving means comprises means for moving the scintillator and photodetector means together with the collimator.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
18 words
The system of claim 11, wherein said moving means comprises means for rotating the collimator within the scintillator.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
15 words
The system of claim 6, wherein there are a plurality of image planes of interest.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
123 words
A collimated scintillation camera head, comprising: a collimator having the shape of a closed curve which has an inner surface and an outer surface, the inner surface bounding an interior region which is large enough to accommodate a body region to be imaged, and the collimator focusing to one and only one focal point located within said body region within each of a plurality of parallel image planes of interest; scintillator means for converting ionizing radiation into scintillation light, said scintillator means surrounding said collimator and being secured to said outer surface; and a like plurality of sets of photodetectors, each set of photodetectors lying in a corresponding single one of the image planes and being in optical communication with the scintillator means.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
123 words
A collimated scintillation camera head, comprising: a collimator having the shape of a closed curve which has an inner surface and an outer surface, the inner surface bounding an interior region which is large enough to accommodate a body region to be imaged, and the collimator focusing to one and only one focal point located within said body region within each of a plurality of parallel image planes of interest; scintillator means for converting ionizing radiation into scintillation light, said scintillator means surrounding said collimator and being secured to said outer surface; and a like plurality of sets of photodetectors, each set of photodetectors lying in a corresponding single one of the image planes and being in optical communication with the scintillator means.
Claim 19
Independent Claim
92 words
A method of imaging a slice of a body organ of interest, comprising the following steps: placing a radioisotope in said organ; establishing one and only one focal point which is located in said slice and in said body organ by using a collimator which entirely surrounds said body organ; acquiring a backprojected image of said point using a scintillator which entirely surrounds said collimator; and moving said collimator and body organ relative to each other in a manner that said focal point is traced over said body organ within said slice.
Claim 20
Independent Claim
92 words
A method of imaging a slice of a body organ of interest, comprising the following steps: placing a radioisotope in said organ; establishing one and only one focal point which is located in said slice and in said body organ by using a collimator which entirely surrounds said body organ; acquiring a backprojected image of said point using a scintillator which entirely surrounds said collimator; and moving said collimator and body organ relative to each other in a manner that said focal point is traced over said body organ within said slice.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1992-07-17 | 1993-01-16 | 1993-07-18 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1996-07-17 | 1997-01-16 | 1997-07-18 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2000-07-17 | 2001-01-16 | 2001-07-18 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |