Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090216621 | Media Based Entertainment Service - A media based entertainment service provides user requested media to a user. Video, audio, images and other media may be provided to a user for a fee or free of charge. The media may be provided from the service provider to a client device over a network. When providing media without charge, the media service can incorporate one or more ads into the media. The ads may be targeted to the user, media content, and other features using advertisement parameters. The media service provides for revenue generation associated with the viewing of media files. The media service can generate revenue from advertising, pay-per-view, e-commerce, and other financial transactions associated with the media service while focusing on providing the service on user preferences. | 08-27-2009 |
20100228592 | ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING PERSONALIZED ADVERTISEMENTS - Media is provided to a client device in response to a request with dynamically selected advertisements. One or more advertisements can be dynamically selected by an application server based on user data, advertisement parameters and other data to provide in or near the requested media. Attributes can be determined for one or more advertisement sets in which advertisements are placed within the requested media. The advertisement sets may be configured with the identified advertisements by an application server, and the requested media content and identified ads can be provided to the requesting client device. | 09-09-2010 |
20100228613 | Systems and Methods for Interactively Rewarding Users of an Entertainment System - A user is rewarded for actions performed within an entertainment system. Digital content is provided to a client device over a network. Data is then received from the client device over the network. The received data represents an input from a user of the client device in response to the digital content provided to the client device. A value associated with the input from the user is determined. An account balance associated with the user is adjusted by a quantity of credit tokens. The quantity of tokens is determined by the value associated with the input from the user. | 09-09-2010 |
20100228640 | Systems and Methods for Providing Responses to Requests from Users of an Entertainment System - Systems and methods for providing a response to a request are provided. A request may be a transaction request. In some embodiments, a request is received from a client device which is coupled to a display device. The client device is associated to a user. A determination is made whether the request is authorized. A request may be authorized if it includes a key that is associated with sensitive credit card user data stored offsite by a merchant bank. A request is transmitted to a server coupled to the display device. A response from the server is transmitted to the display device for display therein. The response is based on the determination of whether the request is authorized. | 09-09-2010 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090024039 | HANDHELD VOLUMETRIC ULTRASOUND SCANNING DEVICE - 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. | 01-22-2009 |
20100063396 | COMPRESSIVE SURFACES FOR ULTRASONIC SCANNING - An apparatus and related methods for ultrasonically scanning a tissue sample are described, the apparatus comprising an ultrasound transducer and a taut fabric sheet compressing the tissue sample, the ultrasound transducer contacting the taut fabric sheet and ultrasonically scanning the tissue sample therethrough. Preferably, the taut fabric sheet is substantially porous with respect to an acoustic couplant. In another embodiment, an ultrasound transducer and a vented membrane are provided, the vented membrane having a first surface contacting the tissue surface and a second surface opposite the first surface, the ultrasound transducer contacting the second surface and being translated across the second surface for ultrasonically scanning the tissue volume. An acoustic couplant is applied to one of the tissue surface, the first surface, and the second surface, the vented membrane being provided with a void pattern such that it is substantially porous with respect to the acoustic coupling agent. | 03-11-2010 |
20100076311 | THICK-SLICE PROCESSING AND DISPLAY OF INFORMATION FROM A VOLUMETRIC ULTRASOUND SCAN OF A CHESTWARDLY COMPRESSED BREAST - Systems, methods, and related computer program products for acquiring, processing, and displaying breast ultrasound information are described. In one preferred embodiment, a three-dimensional data volume of a sonographic property of a chestwardly compressed breast is acquired, and the data volume is processed to generate a plurality of two-dimensional coronal thick-slice images. Each coronal thick-slice image is representative of the sonographic property within a thick-slice subvolume of the breast substantially parallel to a coronal plane. The thick-slice subvolume has a thickness selected for optimal viewing of terminal ductal lobular unit (TDLU) patterns in a display of the thick-slice images. | 03-25-2010 |
20120130241 | HANDHELD VOLUMETRIC ULTRASOUND SCANNING DEVICE - 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. | 05-24-2012 |
20120302887 | COMPRESSIVE SURFACES FOR ULTRASONIC SCANNING - Automated ultrasonic scanning of a chestwardly compressed breast of a supine patient uses a scanning assembly that moves down to compress the breast through a membrane that is secured to the assembly across a bottom opening. A motorized ultrasound transducer moves across the breast while the breast remains downwardly compressed against the patient's chest, sending and receiving ultrasound energy through the membrane. The membrane is porous with respect to an acoustic coupling liquid that impregnates it. The transducer outputs ultrasound information that is processed to form initial planar images and then reconstructed slice images of breast tissue. | 11-29-2012 |
20140121520 | MEDICAL ULTRASOUND SCANNING WITH CONTROL OVER PRESSURE/FORCE EXERTED BY AN ULTRASOUND PROBE AND/OR A COMPRESSION/SCANNING ASSEMBLY - A system and a method related to improving ultrasound examination of a patient, specifically of a patient's breast by sensing and controlling the pressure/force that an ultrasound probe and/or a compression/scanning assembly housing the probe exert on the breast and/or the chest wall of the patient. | 05-01-2014 |