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. 13, 2015
Filed:
Jul. 31, 2012
Norman Hugh Hossack, Folsom, CA (US);
Blair Walker, Mission Viejo, CA (US);
Stephen Charles Davies, Folsom, CA (US);
Donald Stanley Mamayek, Mountain View, CA (US);
John F. Sheridan, San Diego, CA (US);
Norman Hugh Hossack, Folsom, CA (US);
Blair Walker, Mission Viejo, CA (US);
Stephen Charles Davies, Folsom, CA (US);
Donald Stanley Mamayek, Mountain View, CA (US);
John F. Sheridan, San Diego, CA (US);
Volcano Corporation, San Diego, CA (US);
Abstract
An ultrasound catheter is described herein for insertion into a cavity such as a blood vessel to facilitate imaging within a vasculature. The catheter comprises an elongate flexible shaft, a capacitive microfabricated ultrasonic transducer, and a sonic reflector. The elongate flexible shaft has a proximate end and a distal end. A capacitive microfabricated ultrasonic transducer (cMUT) is mounted to the shaft near the distal end. The reflector is positioned such that a reflective surface redirects ultrasonic waves to and from the transducer. In other embodiments, the catheter comprises a plurality of cMUT elements and operates without the use of reflectors. In further embodiments, integrated circuitry is incorporated into the design.