ITK/Patent Bazaar

The Insight Toolkit provides a very open licensing mechanism that allows the use of the software for research, education and comercial applications. This very open license enters in conflict with methods that have been patented. In short, patented methods have inherit restrictions that make them non-suitable to be distributed under the ITK license. In plain words:

   Patented algorithms can not be distributed with ITK

A surprisingly large number of image processing algorithms and methods are covered in full or in part a patents. What makes this even more dificult is the fact that in order to figure out if a particular method is patented you have to search on your own. This page is intended as an open space to welcome any notifications regarding methods that have been patented. In this way, users of the toolkit will be able to make informed decisions regarding whether they use or not such methods. The responsibility for seeking permision from patent holders remains in the users.

Where to search for Patents

The following are the official databases where you can search for issued patents.

United States Patent and Trademark Office

       http://www.uspto.gov/

Common algorithms that are known to be patented

Correlation Ration Metric for Registration

• United States Patent 6,539,127
• Roche , et al. March 25, 2003

Electronic device for automatic registration of images

Abstract

An electronic data processing device receives first and second data sets representing first and second comparable digital images. It comprises registration means comprising a first module which calculates a main function representative of the correlation ratios between the data of the first and second sets, and a second module which determines a registration transformation between one of the images and the other from the main function.

• Inventors: Roche; Alexis (Antibes, FR); Ayache; Nicholas (Nice, FR); Malandain; Gregoire (Antibes, FR); Pennec; Xavier (Antibes, FR)
• Assignee: Inria Institut National de Recherche (Le Chesnay Cedex, FR)
• Appl. No.: 361313
• Filed: July 27, 1999

Image Guided Tracking of Medical Instruments

• United States Patent 6,782,287
• Grzeszczuk , et al. August 24, 2004

Method and apparatus for tracking a medical instrument based on image registration

Abstract

An apparatus, method and system for tracking a medical instrument, as it is moved in an operating space to a patient target site in the space, by constructing a composite, 3-D rendition of at least a part of the operating space based on an algorithm that registers pre-operative 3-D diagnostic scans of the operating space with real-time, stereo x-ray or radiograph images of the operating space. The invention has particular utility in tracking a flexible medical instrument and/or a medical instrument that moves inside the patient's body and is not visible to the surgeon.

• Inventors: Grzeszczuk; Robert (San Francisco, CA); Shahidi; Ramin (San Francisco, CA)
• Assignee: The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University (Stanford, CA); General Electric Company (Schenectady, NY)
• Appl. No.: 892402
• Filed: June 26, 2001

Vessel Tracking

• United States Patent 6,728,566
• Subramanyan , et al. April 27, 2004

Vessel tracking and tree extraction method and apparatus

Abstract

Computed tomography (CT) data (28) is collected for a plurality of slices by a CT scanner (10). At least a portion of the CT data is reconstructed (32) to form a volume image (34) defined by a plurality of two-dimensional image slices. At least one starting point is identified (72) within a blood vessel imaged in the three-dimensional image volume (34). The blood vessel is recursively tracked (70) to form a blood vessel representation (92).

• Inventors: Subramanyan; Krishna (Solon, OH); Chandra; Shalabh (Twinsburg, OH)
• Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics, N.V. (Eindhoven, NL)
• Appl. No.: 990521
• Filed: November 21, 2001

Computer Aided Diagnosis of Thoracic Images

• United States Patent 6,795,521
• Hsu , et al. September 21, 2004
• Computer-aided diagnosis system for thoracic computer tomography images

Abstract

A method of detecting and analyzing abnormalities, like lung nodules, in thoracic computer tomography (CT) images uses digital image processing techniques and adaptive computing methods. The techniques include an automatic detection process to detect candidate abnormalities, an image matching process to match CT slices from two different CT scans, and a measurement process that determines parameters of the candidate abnormalities. Final results and processed CT images are displayed on a user interface.

• Inventors: Hsu; Li-Yueh (Vienna, VA); Lure; Fleming Y.-M. (Potomac, MD); Li; Ruiping (Rockville, MD); Xu; Xin-Wei (Gaithersburg, MD); Lin; Jyh-Shyan (North Potomac, MD); Martello; Edward A. (Glenwood, MD); Yeh; H.-Y. Michael (Potomac, MD)
• Assignee: Deus Technologies LLC (Rockville, MD)
• Appl. No.: 214464
• Filed: August 8, 2002

Image Segmentation using Flood Fill and Multi-Scale

• United States Patent 6,778,698
• Prakash , et al. August 17, 2004

Method and apparatus for digital image segmentation

Abstract

An image segmenter uses one or more techniques to accurately segment an image, including the use of a progressive flood fill to fill incompletely bounded segments, the use of a plurality of scaled transformations and guiding segmentation at one scale with segmentation results from another scale, detecting edges using a composite image that is a composite of multiple color planes, generating edge chains using multiple classes of edge pixels, generating edge chains using the plurality of scaled transformations, and/or filtering spurious edges at one scale based on edges detected at another scale.

• Inventors: Prakash; Adityo (Redwood Shores, CA); Ratner; Edward R. (Sunnyvale, CA); Chen; John S. (San Jose, CA); Cook; David L. (Playa Del Rey, CA)
• Assignee: PTS Corporation (San Jose, CA)
• Appl. No.: 591438
• Filed: June 9, 2000

Respiratory Compensation in MRI Coronary Imaging

• United States Patent 6,771,997
• Schaffer August 3, 2004

Respiratory compensation in MRI coronary imaging using diminishing variance

Abstract

The effects of complex motion of the heart and surrounding anatomy due to cardiac and respiratory motion is reduced in high resolution imaging of coronary arteries using a diminishing variance algorithm (DVA) using a navigator for tracking heart motion and iteratively reacquiring data frames where a data frame has a positional variance from a cumulative histogram of data. A target position is continually calculated from the cumulative histogram which is smoothed such as by low-pass filtering to continually provide a target position. An image histogram is developed based on a limited number of image frames which are iteratively replaced to attain desired image quality.

• Inventors: Schaffer; Robert W. (Stanford, CA)
• Assignee: The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University (Palo Alto, CA)
• Appl. No.: 952846
• Filed: September 11, 2001

Tomographic Image Reconstruction

• United States Patent 6,788,758
• De Villiers September 7, 2004

Method of reconstructing tomographic images

Abstract

A method of reconstructing a tomographic image of an object from incomplete projection data using a limited angle tomography technique. The method includes using the protection data to obtain a first reconstruction of the image. Thereafter, regions in the first reconstruction that can be predicted with an acceptable degree of certainty in a final reconstruction, are identified. Prior knowledge in the form of possible density levels and piece-wise smoothness that regions in an image can assume, are applied to those regions of acceptable certainty in the first reconstruction so as to obtain a second reconstruction. The projection data is then applied to projections of the second reconstruction using a constraining method to obtain a third reconstruction. In the same way regions of acceptable certainty are identified and the prior knowledge and the projection data are applied to the third reconstruction and subsequent reconstructions until a final reconstruction is achieved.

• Inventors: De Villiers; Mattieu Stefan (Cape Town, ZA)
• Assignee: African Medical Imaging (Proprietary) Limited (Cape Town, ZA)
• Appl. No.: 466496
• Filed: July 16, 2003
• PCT Filed: January 17, 2002
• PCT NO: PCT/IB02/00114
• PCT PUB.NO.: WO02/05800
• PCT PUB. Date: July 25, 2002

Image Registration and Tracking of Targets

• United States Patent 6,788,758
• De Villiers September 7, 2004
• Method of reconstructing tomographic images

Abstract

A method of reconstructing a tomographic image of an object from incomplete projection data using a limited angle tomography technique. The method includes using the protection data to obtain a first reconstruction of the image. Thereafter, regions in the first reconstruction that can be predicted with an acceptable degree of certainty in a final reconstruction, are identified. Prior knowledge in the form of possible density levels and piece-wise smoothness that regions in an image can assume, are applied to those regions of acceptable certainty in the first reconstruction so as to obtain a second reconstruction. The projection data is then applied to projections of the second reconstruction using a constraining method to obtain a third reconstruction. In the same way regions of acceptable certainty are identified and the prior knowledge and the projection data are applied to the third reconstruction and subsequent reconstructions until a final reconstruction is achieved.

• Inventors: De Villiers; Mattieu Stefan (Cape Town, ZA)
• Assignee: African Medical Imaging (Proprietary) Limited (Cape Town, ZA)
• Appl. No.: 466496
• Filed: July 16, 2003
• PCT Filed: January 17, 2002
• PCT NO: PCT/IB02/00114
• PCT PUB.NO.: WO02/05800
• PCT PUB. Date: July 25, 2002