[Insight-developers] Re: patented code

[Luis Ibanez]

Simon,

Thanks a lot for pointing this out.


====================================================================
Here is the full link to the U.S. Patent Office
http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=/netahtml/srchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=6,539,127.WKU.&OS=PN/6,539,127&RS=PN/6,539,127

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
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                 This is a can of worms....


    Tracking for medical instruments is also patented
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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
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We just opened a Wiki page on patented code, in order to keep
track of this information:


       http://www.itk.org/Wiki/ITK_Patent_Bazaar


Please let us know of any other algorithms that you suspect
may be covered by a Patent.


    Thanks


      Luis


----------------------
Simon Warfield wrote:
>>
>>
>> Just for the record, the following are some of the
>> algorithms whose "Patented" status need to be discussed:
>>
>>       A - Fuzzy Connectedness
>>       B - Marching Cubes
>>       C - Iterative Closest Point (ICP)
>>       D - Active Shape Models
>>
> My understanding is that some aspects of the `demon's registration' 
> algorithm are patented.
> Also the use of correlation ratio for rigid and affine transformations: 
> 6,539,127 Electronic device for automatic registration of images
> 
> **
> One open source license that is explicit about patents is the so-called 
> Common Public License:
> http://www.opensource.org/licenses/cpl.php
> http://www-106.ibm.com/developerworks/library/os-cplfaq.html
> 
> IBM, Intel and Microsoft, amongst others,  have open source projects 
> using this license.
>