Patents Assigned to Cranfield University
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Publication number: 20080214405Abstract: A computer aided rational molecular design method that includes establishing a virtual library of functional monomers each having a portion that is capable of polymerizing and a functional group that is capable of interacting with a template molecule with the aid of a computer, designing a molecular model of a biological template molecule by a computer facilitated molecular mechanical method and screening said virtual library of functional monomers and selecting those monomers which have the highest binding score to the template molecule by their functional group.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 1, 2007Publication date: September 4, 2008Applicant: Cranfield UniversityInventors: Beining Chen, Richard M. Day, Sreenath Subrahmanyam, Sergiy A. Piletsky, Olena V. Piletska, Anthony P. F. Turner
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Patent number: 7396683Abstract: Measurement of the redox properties of household dust is used to detect the presence of allergen-associated materials. Measurement may be electrochemical, preferably amperometric. A disposable electrode assembly may be made by screen printing with conductive (e.g. carbon and Ag/AgCl) inks. An absorbent pad overlying the electrodes can be used to wipe a surface to collect a sample. It may contain electrolyte and buffer components, so that adding water carries sample in an electrolyte/buffer solution to the electrodes.Type: GrantFiled: November 12, 2001Date of Patent: July 8, 2008Assignee: Cranfield UniversityInventors: John Anthony Bolbot, Steven John Setford, Stephen Frederick White
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Patent number: 7158052Abstract: A system, method and display for monitoring the performance of an aircraft during the take-off maneuver that includes the steps of monitoring the progress of the take-off maneuver by acquiring data representative of the aircraft's motion at a plurality of points during the maneuver, generating a function that best fits the acquired data, and using the generated function to predict future progress of the maneuver.Type: GrantFiled: May 21, 2002Date of Patent: January 2, 2007Assignee: Cranfield UniversityInventors: David Zammit-Mangion, Martin Ewart Eshelby
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Publication number: 20060122288Abstract: Monomers (e.g. thinphenes) are caused to polymerise by mixing them with an oxidising agent (and generally a solvent comprising water) and irradiating the mixture with light (visible or UV). Polymer properties can be varied by doping or chemical modification. Uses include sensor elements for assays and electrical components such as electrodes.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 24, 2003Publication date: June 8, 2006Applicant: Cranfield UniversityInventors: Sergey Piletsky, Olena Piletska, Anthony Turner, Khalku Karim, Beining Chen
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Patent number: 6983643Abstract: For assessing ground quality, such as a condition of a racetrack, a handheld device has a shaft, a plate mounted to its bottom end, and a sensor body also mounted to the bottom of the shaft, independently of the plate. A tine tip projects below the sensor body. The sensor body has compression sensors and shear sensors. The user pushes down on the shaft. The tine tip penetrates the ground until the plate abuts the surface. Continued pushing leads to a compression reading. The user then pushes the top of the shaft so that it tilts, pivoting about an edge of the plate. Shear forces are sensed by the shear sensors. The compression and shear data pass to a data processor that computes a single value indicative of the ground quality.Type: GrantFiled: November 26, 2001Date of Patent: January 10, 2006Assignee: Cranfield UniversityInventors: James Laurent Brighton, Richard John Godwin
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Publication number: 20050082175Abstract: A state, particularly a disease state, associated with the production of volatiles is detected by passing a sample containing the volatiles to a single sensor. This may be a semiconductor gas sensor element or a surface acoustic wave device. This provides an output signal, e.g. in the form of a tailing peak. A plurality of characteristics of the signal (e.g. peak height and maximum positive gradient) are measured to characterise the sample and hence the underlying state. For example we can discriminate between urine samples which are (a) infected with proteus, (b) infected with E. coli or (c) uninfected.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 19, 2002Publication date: April 21, 2005Applicant: Cranfield UniversityInventors: Selwayan Saini, Conrad Bessant, Christian Liedtke, Jan Leiferkus
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Patent number: 6852818Abstract: A polymer (e.g. a peptide) is produced by polymerizing monomers in the presence of a template, particularly a biologically active molecule or sample. The polymer is extracted and a soluble (preferably water-soluble) fraction is derived which specifically binds the template. Thus it can have complementary activity (e.g. biological). Applications include therapy, detection systems and separation systems.Type: GrantFiled: October 23, 2000Date of Patent: February 8, 2005Assignee: Cranfield UniversityInventors: Sergiy Anatoliyovich Piletsky, Olena Volodimirivna Piletska, Ganna Valentinivna Elska, Hakan Syen Andersson, Ian Alan Nicholls, Anthony Peter Francis Turner
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Patent number: 6717658Abstract: Liquid, particularly leaked oil or other hydrophobic liquid, is detected by a sensor. This preferably has a hydrophobic membrane (G) that takes up the oil selectively, a radiation source (A) that beams radiation at an interface between the membrane (G) and a window (F), and a radiation detector (H) that receives radiation resulting from interaction (such as reflection, scattering or fluorescence) of the input radiation with the liquid-containing membrane (G). The detector may employ a spectrofluorimeter (H) whose output can be used to characterise the liquid.Type: GrantFiled: October 17, 2001Date of Patent: April 6, 2004Assignees: Cranfield University, The National Grid Company PLCInventors: Selwayan Saini, Lawrence Ritchie, Clive Patrick Ferguson
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Patent number: 6680204Abstract: Reaction of a dialdehyde, particularly phthaldialdehyde (I), with R—Z where Z is a nucleophilic group (preferably SH) and R is polymerisable (e.g. allyl) gives a reactive thioacetal (V) which can react with an amine ligand L—NH2 to produce an isoindole (IV) which may be fluorescent. At some stage, generally before interaction with L—NH2, the R groups are polymerised, possibly leading to self-assembly of the polymer on a metal or SH-bearing surface. Such a coated surface is useful as a transducer in assays or as a binding medium e.g. for chromatography.Type: GrantFiled: April 22, 2002Date of Patent: January 20, 2004Assignee: Cranfield UniversityInventors: Anthony P. F. Turner, David C. Cullen, Sergiy A. Piletsky, Olena V. Piletska, Uwe Schedler, David Weston
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Patent number: 6664712Abstract: An ultrasonic motor is described which uses radial vibrations of an electro-active material disc (7) amplified by one or more flextensional diaphragms (6) to drive a rotor (4) pressed in frictional contact with the diaphragm (6) by a force imposed by a spring (3) or magentic attraction. The vibrations are converted by elastic fins (5) into rotary motion of the rotor (4). The motor can be operated in any resonant mode that generates vibration at the surface perpendicular to the contact area. Versions of the motor with one or two rotors are disclosed with the two rotor version being used to produce an output in the same direction or opposite directions.Type: GrantFiled: November 7, 2001Date of Patent: December 16, 2003Assignee: Cranfield UniversityInventors: Philip J. Rayner, Roger W Whatmore
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Patent number: 6345539Abstract: An ultrasonic insertion flowmeter (100) is disclosed having a probe (101) which is adapted to be inserted into a duct, the probe having at least first and second ultrasonic transducer means, the probe (101) being adapted to measure the transit time difference of an ultrasonic pulse along a first path and a second path, the difference in transit time for signals along the two paths enabling the flow rate to be measured. Preferably, the probe takes measurements in both the forward and reverse directions along each path, and is adapted to rotate after initial insertion from an insertion position to a measurement position, whereafter the probe (101) may be drawn up against a wall of the duct so that alignment of the probe within the duct is readily achieved.Type: GrantFiled: April 19, 1999Date of Patent: February 12, 2002Assignee: Cranfield UniversityInventors: William Leslie Hodges Rawes, Michael Langley Sanderson
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Patent number: 6343512Abstract: An ultrasound probe includes a cross-linked hydrophilic material as an integral couplant, wherein the hydrophilic material is capable of transmitting a frequency in the range of 5 to 20 MHz, and wherein the attenuation of the transmission is less than 1.5 dB.mm−1 at 5 MHz. For example, the invention provides a wheel-type probe, where the hydrophilic material 19 forms the tire.Type: GrantFiled: September 15, 1999Date of Patent: February 5, 2002Assignee: Cranfield UniversityInventors: Simon Bourne, Donald James Highgate, Wayne Woodhead, Marcus Newborough
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Publication number: 20010040130Abstract: High purity water, particularly that intended for the pharmaceutical or electronics industry, is analyzed for the presence of pyrogen or other impurities by causing the water to come into contact with a direct affinity sensor, which may be a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) device or other sensor relying on an evanescent wave phenomenon. A property of the surface—refractive index in the case of SPR—changes on the binding of impurity, thereby enabling impurity to be detected. The invention overcomes the cumbersome nature and batch-to-batch variability of the conventional in vivo tests as well as the in vitro Limulus Amoebocyte Lysate (LAL) assay and for the first time allows the continuous or real time monitoring of high purity water for pyrogen.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 25, 2001Publication date: November 15, 2001Applicant: Cranfield UniversityInventors: Walter F. Lorch, David C. Cullen
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Patent number: 6172511Abstract: A device for measuring a crack in a workpiece or sample (3) comprises a resistive layer (1) arranged to be fixed to the workpiece so that the layer is fractured by the propagation of cracks in the workpiece or sample (3) to change the impedance of the layer (1). Two elongate electrodes (2) are provided on the resistive layer (1) and arranged to pass a current through it, and, measuring means are provided for measuring the impedance of the resistive layer (1), and for thereby determining the size of cracks in the workpiece or sample (3). Preferably another resistive layer (6), is provided adjacent the resistive layer (1), which is arranged not to be fractured by the propagation of cracks in the workpiece or sample (3). This enables environmental effects to be compensated for.Type: GrantFiled: July 29, 1998Date of Patent: January 9, 2001Assignee: Cranfield UniversityInventors: John Rayment Nicholls, Roger David Tidswell
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Patent number: 5922616Abstract: The invention provides a sensor for detecting an analyte comprising a support for a bioreceptor or biomimic and a detection means, wherein the support can retain a bioreceptor or biomimic and the support and the bioreceptor or biomimic and the detection means can be arranged such that when the sensor is placed in a medium containing a substrate, the substrate contacts the bioreceptor or biomimic and reacts to generate a response which is detectable by the detection means and which is relatable to the concentration of the analyte, and the support comprises a non-volatile organic liquid.Type: GrantFiled: July 23, 1997Date of Patent: July 13, 1999Assignee: Cranfield UniversityInventors: Manus Joseph Dennison, Jennifer Maeve Hall, Anthony Peter Francis Turner
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Patent number: 5521101Abstract: A method of determining an analyte in the gaseous or vapour phase and in which a bioreceptor or biomimic is retained at an electrode. The bioreceptor or biomimic is preferably retained at a support at the electrode which comprises a solid or gel matrix of an electrolyte, especially organic salt electrolytes. Electrochemical detection of analytes in this way has several advantages over existing methods which rely on solution monitoring. For example gas sensors can be prepared for monitoring an analyte by the occurrence of a reaction with a bioreceptor or biomimic, in addition to monitoring the presence of toxins due to inhibition of the bioreceptor or biomimic reaction. Furthermore, the invention enables gas or vapour analyte monitoring with increased sensitivity and speed and greater stability of the sensors can be achieved. The invention also relates to novel media for carrying out bioelectrochemical reactions.Type: GrantFiled: August 26, 1993Date of Patent: May 28, 1996Assignee: Cranfield UniversityInventors: Selwayan Saini, Anthony P. F. Turner