Ultrasound Tissue Harmonic Imaging

RCT offers nonexclusive licenses for landmark ultrasound tissue harmonic imaging technology

Work in the early 1990s by P. Ted Christopher, Ph.D., at the University of Rochester's Center for Biomedical Ultrasound in New York, let to a new mode of ultrasound imaging that has become an important part of medicine today. This breakthrough, called tissue harmonics, enabled development of second- and higher-order harmonic responses of tissue to an ultrasound beam that produces a sharper image than that of the fundamental frequency.

Research Corporation Technologies (RCT) is the assignee for three U.S. patents directed to the ultrasound harmonic imaging technology invented by Christopher. RCT has been working diligently with Christopher and the University of Rochester for more than 10 years to assist in commercializing this technology, which has had a lengthy patent prosecution. The landmark patent covers an ultrasound system that forms images of a sample by sending out a fundamental ultrasound frequency, wherein the sample causes a nonlinear distortion that generates a higher-order harmonic signal and then receiving the higher-order tissue harmonic signal that forms an image from the harmonic signal. The image formed by the higher-order signal is a significant improvement over other signals in most clinical applications, as it provides better lateral and axial resolution as well as improved signal-to-noise and contrast-to-noise ratios.
Because of the improved images generated with higher-order tissue harmonics, industry has widely adopted tissue harmonics on their various platforms. RCT is offering nonexclusive licenses to companies that use tissue harmonics covered by the Christopher patents and is in discussions with numerous companies in the industry. Tissue harmonics imaging has significantly improved ultrasound imaging today and the fees or royalties under the licenses should recognize this value.

Patent Information

We encourage companies to contact us if they have further interest in or questions about the technology. The RCT patent portfolio includes:

U.S. Patents (pdf format)

• 7,104,956, "Finite amplitude distortion-based inhomogeneous pulse echo ultrasonic imaging," issued Sept. 12, 2006 (1.6MB)
• 7,004,905, "Finite amplitude distortion-based inhomogeneous pulse echo ultrasonic imaging," issued March 27, 2001 (1.6MB)
• 6,206,833, "Finite amplitude distortion-based inhomogeneous pulse echo ultrasonic imaging," issued Feb. 28, 2006 (continuation of application U.S. Ser. No 08/746,360, filed Nov. 8, 1996) (1.5MB)

Ultrasound Tissue Harmonic Imaging Overview

Download PDF (127KB)

RCT Contact

Christopher P. Martin, Senior Vice President and CFO