Patents by Inventor Mark Attwood

Mark Attwood has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 8704171
    Abstract: A system and methods are described for generating reagent ions and product ions for use in a mass spectrometry system. Applications for the system and method are also disclosed for detecting volatile organic compounds in trace concentrations. A microwave or high-frequency RF energy source ionizes particles of a reagent vapor to form reagent ions. The reagent ions enter a chamber, such as a drift chamber, to interact with a fluid sample. An electric field directs the reagent ions and facilitates an interaction with the fluid sample to form product ions. The reagent ions and product ions then exit the chamber under the influence of an electric field for detection by a mass spectrometer module. The system includes various control modules for setting values of system parameters and analysis modules for detection of mass and peak intensity values for ion species during spectrometry and faults within the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2014
    Assignee: MKS Instruments, Inc.
    Inventors: Timothy Roger Robinson, Mark Attwood, Xing Chen, William M. Holber, Mark Philip Longson, Jonathan Henry Palk, Ali Shajii, John A. Smith
  • Patent number: 8334505
    Abstract: A system and methods are described for generating reagent ions and product ions for use in a mass spectrometry system. Applications for the system and method are also disclosed for detecting volatile organic compounds in trace concentrations. A microwave or high-frequency RF energy source ionizes particles of a reagent vapor to form reagent ions. The reagent ions enter a chamber, such as a drift chamber, to interact with a fluid sample. An electric field directs the reagent ions and facilitates an interaction with the fluid sample to form product ions. The reagent ions and product ions then exit the chamber under the influence of an electric field for detection by a mass spectrometer module. The system includes various control modules for setting values of system parameters and analysis modules for detection of mass and peak intensity values for ion species during spectrometry and faults within the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2012
    Assignee: MKS Instruments, Inc.
    Inventors: Timothy Roger Robinson, Mark Attwood, Xing Chen, William M. Holber, Mark Philip Longson, Jonathan Henry Palk, Ali Shajii, John A. Smith
  • Publication number: 20120003748
    Abstract: A system and methods are described for generating reagent ions and product ions for use in a mass spectrometry system. Applications for the system and method are also disclosed for detecting volatile organic compounds in trace concentrations. A microwave or high-frequency RF energy source ionizes particles of a reagent vapor to form reagent ions. The reagent ions enter a chamber, such as a drift chamber, to interact with a fluid sample. An electric field directs the reagent ions and facilitates an interaction with the fluid sample to form product ions. The reagent ions and product ions then exit the chamber under the influence of an electric field for detection by a mass spectrometer module. The system includes various control modules for setting values of system parameters and analysis modules for detection of mass and peak intensity values for ion species during spectrometry and faults within the system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 6, 2008
    Publication date: January 5, 2012
    Applicant: MKS Instruments, Inc.
    Inventors: Timothy Roger Robinson, Mark Attwood, Xing Chen, William M. Holber, Mark Philip Longson, Jonathan Henry Palk, Ali Shajii, John A. Smith
  • Patent number: 8003935
    Abstract: A system and methods are described for generating reagent ions and product ions for use in a quadruple mass spectrometry system. A microwave or high-frequency RF energy source ionizes particles of a reagent vapor to form reagent ions. The reagent ions enter a chamber, such as a drift chamber, to interact with a fluid sample. An electric field directs the reagent ions and facilitates an interaction with the fluid sample to form product ions. The reagent ions and product ions then exit the chamber under the influence of an electric field for detection by a quadruple mass spectrometer module. The system includes various control modules for setting values of system parameters and analysis modules for detection of mass values for ion species during spectrometry and faults within the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2011
    Assignee: MKS Instruments, Inc.
    Inventors: Timothy Roger Robinson, Mark Attwood, Xing Chen, William M. Holber, Mark Philip Longson, Jonathan Henry Palk, Ali Shajii, John A. Smith
  • Patent number: 8003936
    Abstract: A system, components thereof, and methods are described for time-of-flight mass spectrometry. A microwave or high-frequency RF energy source is used to ionize a reagent vapor to form reagent ions. The reagent ions enter a chamber and interact with a fluid sample to form product ions. The reagent ions and product ions are directed to a time-of-flight mass spectrometer module for detection and determination of a mass value for the ions. The time-of-flight mass spectrometer module can include an optical system and an ion beam adjuster for focusing, interrupting, or altering a flow of reagent and product ions according to a specified pattern. The time-of-flight mass spectrometer module can include signal processing techniques to collect and analyze an acquired signal, for example, using statistical signal processing, such as maximum likelihood signal processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2011
    Assignee: MKS Instruments, Inc.
    Inventors: Timothy Roger Robinson, Mark Attwood, Xing Chen, William M. Holber, Mark Philip Longson, Jonathan Henry Palk, Ali Shajii, John A. Smith
  • Patent number: 7693687
    Abstract: The present invention relates to control of and data collection from sensors associated with tools. In particular, it relates to using a controller to mediate communications among a tool, sensors associated with the tool and data users, such as a host system or distributed processors. Particular aspects of the present invention are described in the claims, specification and drawings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2010
    Assignee: MKS Instruments, Inc.
    Inventors: Uzi Lev-Ami, Guenter Sifnatsch, Mark Attwood
  • Publication number: 20090095902
    Abstract: A system, components thereof, and methods are described for time-of-flight mass spectrometry. A microwave or high-frequency RF energy source is used to ionize a reagent vapor to form reagent ions. The reagent ions enter a chamber and interact with a fluid sample to form product ions. The reagent ions and product ions are directed to a time-of-flight mass spectrometer module for detection and determination of a mass value for the ions. The time-of-flight mass spectrometer module can include an optical system and an ion beam adjuster for focusing, interrupting, or altering a flow of reagent and product ions according to a specified pattern. The time-of-flight mass spectrometer module can include signal processing techniques to collect and analyze an acquired signal, for example, using statistical signal processing, such as maximum likelihood signal processing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 10, 2007
    Publication date: April 16, 2009
    Applicant: MKS Instruments, Inc.
    Inventors: TIMOTHY ROGER ROBINSON, Mark Attwood, Xing Chen, William M. Holber, Mark Philip Longson, Jonathan Henry Palk, Ali Shajii, John A. Smith
  • Publication number: 20090095901
    Abstract: A system and methods are described for generating reagent ions and product ions for use in a quadrupole mass spectrometry system. A microwave or high-frequency RF energy source ionizes particles of a reagent vapor to form reagent ions. The reagent ions enter a chamber, such as a drift chamber, to interact with a fluid sample. An electric field directs the reagent ions and facilitates an interaction with the fluid sample to form product ions. The reagent ions and product ions then exit the chamber under the influence of an electric field for detection by a quadrupole mass spectrometer module. The system includes various control modules for setting values of system parameters and analysis modules for detection of mass values for ion species during spectrometry and faults within the system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 10, 2007
    Publication date: April 16, 2009
    Applicant: MKS Instruments, Inc.
    Inventors: Timothy Roger Robinson, Mark Attwood, Xing Chen, William M. Holber, Mark Philip Longson, Jonathan Henry Palk, Ali Shajii, John A. Smith
  • Publication number: 20070150235
    Abstract: The present invention relates to control of and data collection from sensors associated with tools. In particular, it relates to using a controller to mediate communications among a tool, sensors associated with the tool and data users, such as a host system or distributed processors. Particular aspects of the present invention are described in the claims, specification and drawings.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 4, 2006
    Publication date: June 28, 2007
    Applicant: MKS Instruments, Inc.
    Inventors: Uzi Lev-Ami, Guenter Sifnatsch, Mark Attwood
  • Patent number: 7146237
    Abstract: The present invention relates to control of and data collection from sensors associated with tools. In particular, it relates to using a controller to mediate communications among a tool, sensors associated with the tool and data users, such as a host system or distributed processors. Particular aspects of the present invention are described in the claims, specification and drawings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2006
    Assignee: MKS Instruments, Inc.
    Inventors: Uzi Lev-Ami, Guenter Sifnatsch, Mark Attwood
  • Patent number: 6993404
    Abstract: A graphical user interface for enabling a user to graphically observe on a displaying mechanism a statistical measure of the process quality of a manufacturing process provides for the display of an icon representing a workpiece. The location and color of the icon on the displaying mechanism indicates the process quality of the manufacturing process for the represented workpiece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2006
    Assignee: MKS Instruments, Inc.
    Inventors: Uzi Lev-Ami, Guenter Sifnatsch, Mark Attwood
  • Publication number: 20050228529
    Abstract: The present invention relates to control of and data collection from sensors associated with tools. In particular, it relates to using a controller to mediate communications among a tool, sensors associated with the tool and data users, such as a host system or distributed processors. Particular aspects of the present invention are described in the claims, specification and drawings.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 7, 2004
    Publication date: October 13, 2005
    Applicant: MKS Instruments, Inc.
    Inventors: Uzi Lev-Ami, Guenter Sifnatsch, Mark Attwood
  • Publication number: 20050010318
    Abstract: A graphical user interface for enabling a user to graphically observe on a displaying mechanism a statistical measure of the process quality of a manufacturing process provides for the display of an icon representing a workpiece. The location and color of the icon on the displaying mechanism indicates the process quality of the manufacturing process for the represented workpiece.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2003
    Publication date: January 13, 2005
    Inventors: Uzi Lev-Ami, Guenter Sifnatsch, Mark Attwood
  • Publication number: 20050010317
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for automated bidirectional integration of peripheral data sources for a production tool couples the system components together in a web-based arrangement. The process tools and the peripheral data sources are configured as websites to provide information to the system. Certain components of the system are also configured as browsers to obtain available information and use this information to make decisions and perform actions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2003
    Publication date: January 13, 2005
    Inventors: Ron Hadar, John Smith, Gerhard Rupp, Bernhard Schimunek, Mark Attwood, Lior Landesmann, Brent Elliott, Tim Robinson, Uzi Lev-Ami
  • Patent number: D462691
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2002
    Inventors: Stephen Mark Attwood, Sonie Kayleen Susan Attwood