David E Stephens

US Patent:

8360951, Jan 29, 2013

Filed:

Oct 23, 2007

Appl. No.:

11/877339

Inventors:

David Schreiber - Littleton CO, US
Jack C. White - Alpharetta GA, US
David Wesley Stephens - Cornelia GA, US
Nathan Christopher Griffith - Lawrenceville GA, US
Ming K. Tai - Lawrenceville GA, US

Assignee:

Theragenics Corporation - Buford GA

International Classification:

A61M 36/00

US Classification:

600 7, 604 57

Abstract:

A point-of-care seed stranding device for automating assembly of brachytherapy seed strands for implantation in patients. The device includes a number of features to reduce the potential for mistakes by the user, as well as to reduce the potential for damaging the radioactive seeds during the stranding process. Tactile feedback may be provided to prevent exertion of too much force in the packing step of the stranding process, as well as to indicate that the seed and/or strand cartridges are empty and need to be replaced. The device may also include a mechanism for holding seeds or spacers in place to allow automated packing of seeds or spacers having corresponding geometries. The device may also be provided with a seed counter which can be employed to preset the number of seeds in a strand and which disables the device from dispensing or packing additional seeds once the preset number of seeds has been packed into the strand. Also, methods for automated assembly of seed strands including the steps of setting the number of seeds, dispensing seeds and spacers, packing seeds and spacers and transferring assembled strands to another device.

US Patent:

20110167001, Jul 7, 2011

Filed:

Jan 7, 2010

Appl. No.:

12/683771

Inventors:

David Stephens - Arvada CO, US
Kristen Davis - Littleton CO, US
James Ludwig - Stevens PA, US
Joseph Ninan - Saddle Brook NJ, US
Jeannette Russell - Somerset NJ, US
Alexander Varakin - Parsippany NJ, US

Assignee:

The Western Union Company - Englewood CO

International Classification:

G06Q 40/00
G06F 17/30

US Classification:

705 44, 707769, 707E17014, 707E17018

Abstract:

Methods, systems, and devices are described for determining compliance with a listing of persons banned from conducting financial transactions. Words appearing in a listing of a banned person and a financial transaction may be compared with defined words appearing in a database. Common words appearing in both the listing of the banned person and the database, and the transaction record and the database, may be identified, thereby identifying a first and second set of common defined words. The listing of the banned person is linked with countries based on the first set of common defined words and/or phrases and the transaction record is linked with countries based on the second set of common defined words and/or phrases. The countries may then be compared. Based on the outcome, the financial transaction may be permitted or suspended.