The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jan. 23, 2007
Filed:
Mar. 07, 2005
G. Randy Duensing, Gainesville, FL (US);
G. Randy Duensing, Gainesville, FL (US);
Invivo Corporation, Gainesville, FL (US);
Abstract
The subject invention pertains to methods and apparatus for producing excitation for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) from a plurality of local exciting elements such that each local exciting element's excitation is independent of the other local exciting elements' excitation. The methods and apparatus of the subject invention can be utilized in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and in magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), where MRI produces a magnitude for each pixel that combines many frequency components, typically for magnitude images, and MRS produces a spectrum of outputs over a range of frequencies for each pixel, typically a spectral output. The subject method and apparatus can be utilized for exciting proton, and/or other imaging materials relating to spin magnetization, such as, but not limited to, phosphorous, carbon, and fluorine. In a specific embodiment, the subject invention achieves the independence of the local exciting elements' excitations via serial means, such that excitation is produced by each local exciting element at a different time than the other local exiting elements.