Douglas J Michalsky

6453062, Sep 17, 2002

Apr 28, 1999

09/301467

William MacNutt - Austin TX
Douglas Michalsky - Austin TX

Sulzer Carbomedics Inc. - Austin TX

G06K 900

382141, 382174, 382128

A method and apparatus for inspecting heart valves. The method comprises projecting an actual image of a heart valve onto an image receiver, providing target data corresponding to a desired heart valve, comparing the actual image to the target data using a microprocessor, and determining whether the actual image matches the target data. The apparatus comprises a light source, a image receiver, a holder adapted to support a heart valve between said light source and the image receiver such that an actual image of the heart valve is received at the image receiver, a microprocessor in electronic communication with the image receiver. The microprocessor has access to target values for the regions of interest and compares the actual values in each region of interest to the target values to produce an output pass/fail signal.

20030066338, Apr 10, 2003

Oct 9, 2001

09/973580

Douglas Michalsky - Austin TX, US
Phillip Carr - Austin TX, US
Edwin Hankinson - Georgetown TX, US

G01N019/00
G01M003/02

073/037000, 073/865900

A prosthetic heart valve testing apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a test chamber, a slide plate slidingly and sealingly coupled to the test chamber, the slide plate having an opening formed therein that is adapted to receive a prosthetic heart valve to be tested in the test chamber, a storage member containing a plurality of prosthetic heart valves to be tested in the test chamber, and a load/unload means for transferring at least one of the heart valves in the storage member between the storage member and the slide plate. A method disclosed herein comprises positioning the storage member in a first position, moving a first heart valve from the storage member in the first position to the test chamber, performing at least one test on the first heart valve in the test chamber, and returning the first heart valve from the test chamber to the storage member. The method further comprises moving the storage member to a second position to position a second of the plurality of heart valves for removal from the storage member, moving the second heart valve from the storage member to the test chamber, performing at least one test on the second heart valve in the test chamber, and returning the second heart valve to the storage member.