Eric Stephen Willis, Age 4817819 Route 37, West Frankfort, IL 62896

6447525, Sep 10, 2002

Aug 19, 1999

09/377894

Brett Follmer - Santa Clara CA
Stephen Boyd - Moss Beach CA
Eric Willis - Santa Cruz CA

Fox Hollow Technologies, Inc. - Redwood City CA

A61B 1722

606159

Devices, methods, and kits for removing material from a body lumen. The devices and methods may be used in a variety of body lumens, including but not limited to coronary arteries and other blood vessels. In general, the device or catheter has a scoop-shaped cutting blade mounted on a catheter body for removing material from a body lumen. The cutting blade has a cutting edge that travels a curved path about a pivot point of the blade, preferably moving in an outward direction from the catheter body to engage the target material for removal. The scoop-shaped blade has a collection surface located behind the cutting edge to collect material removed from said body lumen. Advantageously, a scoop-shaped cutting blade according to the present invention facilitates material engagement and the collection surface may be used to bring material back into the catheter body as the blade begins to part-off material. The cutting blade is usually mounted to move in an inward direction towards the catheter body after the cutting edge has engaged the material. The cutting blade can also more easily engage occlusive material that is compressed against the body lumen wall.

6605794, Aug 12, 2003

Sep 3, 2002

10/232653

Henry Peter Offer - Santa Cruz CA
Eric Russel Willis - San Jose CA

General Electric Company - Schenectady NY

B23K 1100

219 7617, 219 7801, 219 7802

Electrical resistance welding with low heat input in conjunction with applied forces effecting compressive forces in the weld are utilized to weld materials sensitive to hot cracking. An electrode coupled with a force applicator performs a low heat input resistance-type weld with triaxial compressive forces introduced in the weld to prevent or inhibit the formation of tensile induced cracks in the weld. This enables subsequent fusion welding overlying the initial weld without risk of hot cracking in the final weld.

6834092, Dec 21, 2004

Jul 15, 2002

10/193992

Eric R. Willis - San Jose CA
Sampath Ranganath - San Jose CA
Paul Van Diemen - Morgan Hill CA

General Electric Company - Schenectady NY

G21C 13028

376260, 376203, 376292, 2940207

The method facilitates sealing a control rod drive (CRD) housing to a stub tube in a reactor pressure vessel of a nuclear reactor, if any cracks develop proximate a heat affected zone of the stub tube at a CRD housing re-attachment weld. The method includes cutting the CRD housing to separate an upper portion of the CRD housing from a lower portion of the CRD housing. The lower portion remains in place and in substantial alignment with the upper portion of the CRD housing. A lower portion member, which may be the lower portion that was cut, is re-attached to the reactor vessel by a re-attachment weld at a location below potential differential leakage paths along the CRD housing. The heat affected zone (e. g. , at the re-attachment weld) is covered with a corrosion resistant material to prevent future leaking, and to protect the weld from inter-granular stress corrosion cracking (IGSCC).

7206372, Apr 17, 2007

May 14, 2004

10/845318

Eric R. Willis - San Jose CA, US
Sampath Ranganath - San Jose CA, US
Paul Van Diemen - Morgan Hill CA, US

General Electric Company - Schenectady NY

G21C 19/00

376260, 376203, 376292, 376347

In a method for sealing a hollow, elongate member within a reactor pressure vessel of a nuclear reactor, a section of the elongate member may be removed to separate the elongate member into an upper portion and a lower portion with an opening there between. The lower portion may be attached to a surface of the reactor pressure vessel in-situ, so as to seal off a potential leakage path through the elongate member.

7621895, Nov 24, 2009

May 17, 2006

11/436709

Geoffrey H. Willis - Redwood City CA, US
Eric Willis - Santa Cruz CA, US
Shuji Uemura - San Francisco CA, US
Mike Stewart - San Jose CA, US
Alfredo Cantu - Pleasanton CA, US

Abbott Cardiovascular Systems Inc. - Santa Clara CA

A61M 5/00

604173, 604158, 60416401, 604272

Methods and delivery devices for maximizing injectate dispersion in lesioned tissue using needle-based injection devices are herein disclosed. The delivery devices include injection devices with various needle arrays and/or modified needle tip configurations. The needle tip configurations can include linear, hooked or corkscrew tips and/or multiple circumferential openings.

2003001, Jan 23, 2003

Sep 16, 2002

10/245858

Brett Follmer - Santa Clara CA, US
Stephen Boyd - Moss Beach CA, US
Eric Willis - Santa Cruz CA, US

Fox Hollows Technologies, Inc. - Redwood City CA

A61B017/22

606/159000

Devices, methods, and kits for removing material from a body lumen. The devices and methods may be used in a variety of body lumens, including but not limited to coronary arteries and other blood vessels. In general, the device or catheter has a scoop-shaped cutting blade mounted on a catheter body for removing material from a body lumen. The cutting blade has a cutting edge that travels a curved path about a pivot point of the blade, preferably moving in an outward direction from the catheter body to engage the target material for removal. The scoop-shaped blade has a collection surface located behind the cutting edge to collect material removed from said body lumen. Advantageously, a scoop-shaped cutting blade according to the present invention facilitates material engagement and the collection surface may be used to bring material back into the catheter body as the blade begins to part-off material. The cutting blade is usually mounted to move in an inward direction towards the catheter body after the cutting edge has engaged the material. The cutting blade can also more easily engage occlusive material that is compressed against the body lumen wall.

2003012, Jul 3, 2003

Jan 22, 2002

10/051057

Henry Offer - Los Gatos CA, US
Eric Willis - San Jose CA, US
Paul van Diemen - San Jose CA, US
Steven Kaylor - San Jose CA, US

General Electric Company

B23K001/20

228/214000

Method of welding cladding to a surface of a metal component of a nuclear reactor at a region susceptible to stress corrosion cracking, in which the metal is welded to the surface of the component under conditions of low heat input to achieve reduced thermal sensitization at the edges of and within the newly clad region.

2003012, Jul 3, 2003

Nov 4, 2002

10/288559

Himanshu Patel - San Jose CA, US
John Simpson - Woodside CA, US
Darren Doud - San Jose CA, US
Gautama Venegas - Pleasanton CA, US
Eric Willis - Santa Cruz CA, US
Brett Follmer - Santa Clara CA, US
Tim Corvi - San Mateo CA, US

FOX HOLLOW TECHNOLOGIES, INC. - REDWOOD CITY CA

A61B017/22

606/159000

A debulking catheter comprising a tissue debulking assembly for removing material from a body lumen. Catheters of the present invention generally include a catheter body having proximal and distal portions and a tissue debulking assembly disposed at least partially within the distal portion. The tissue debulking assembly is radially movable to expose at least a portion of the assembly through a window on the catheter body to contact material in the body lumen. The catheter may then be moved to allow the tissue debulking assembly to remove all or a portion of the material. In exemplary embodiments, the distal portion of the catheter body is rotatably coupled to the proximal portion such that rotation or deflection of the distal portion, relative to the proximal portion, urges the window against material in the body lumen, exposes the tissue debulking assembly through the window, or both. In some embodiments, the flexible proximal portion includes a rigid distal portion to enhance positioning of the debulking assembly within the body lumen.