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:
Mar. 06, 2012
Filed:
Sep. 25, 2008
Shih-ping Wang, Los Altos, CA (US);
Douglas G. Summers, Palo Alto, CA (US);
Jiayu Chen, Palo Alto, CA (US);
Tor C. Anderson, Los Gatos, CA (US);
Shih-Ping Wang, Los Altos, CA (US);
Douglas G. Summers, Palo Alto, CA (US);
Jiayu Chen, Palo Alto, CA (US);
Tor C. Anderson, Los Gatos, CA (US);
U-Systems, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA (US);
Abstract
An apparatus and related methods for ultrasonically scanning a tissue volume are described, the apparatus being particularly advantageous in the context of freehand ultrasound assisted biopsy of the breast although readily applied to non-biopsy contexts and other body parts. The apparatus comprises a casing configured and dimensioned for single-handed manipulation relative to a surface of the tissue, and a texturably couplant-porous material sheet extending across an opening of the casing. The texturably couplant-porous material sheet has an outer side and an inner side relative to the casing, the outer side for compressively contacting the tissue surface. The apparatus further comprises an ultrasound transducer positioned against the inner side of the texturably couplant-porous material sheet and being mechanically translatable thereacross for volumetrically scanning the tissue volume therethrough.