Patents Represented by Attorney Kimberley Elcess
  • Patent number: 5455594
    Abstract: An array antenna includes a means of thermally isolating the feed network from the space illuminated by the antenna. Filtering layers are incorporated into the structure between the feed and the radiating patches. These filtering layers are transparent to radiation in the frequency range of operation of the antenna, primarily microwaves and millimeter waves, but reflect much shorter wavelengths such as infrared and visible light. This rejection of short wavelengths results in reduced heating of the feed network and so to a reduced heat load on a cooling system. One preferred embodiment employs the radiation shield to advantage by incorporating superconductive elements in the antenna. These elements can be cooled efficiently enough to be practical due to the rejection of heat by the incorporated filtering layers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 1994
    Date of Patent: October 3, 1995
    Assignee: Conductus, Inc.
    Inventors: Raymond R. Blasing, Edwin F. Johnson, Douglas G. Lockie, Cliff Mohwinkel, Barry Whalen, Richard S. Withers
  • Patent number: 5366953
    Abstract: A novel method of producing weak-link grain boundary Josephson junctions in high temperature superconducting thin films is disclosed. These junctions are reliably and reproducibly formed on uniform planar substrates (10) by the action of a seed layer (40) placed intermediate the substrate (10) and the superconductor film (20). The superconductor film (22) grown atop the seed (42) is misoriented from the rest of the film (24) by an angle between 5.degree. and 90.degree.. The grain boundary (30) so formed acts as a high quality weak-link junction for superconductor devices. The performance of these junctions can be improved by the addition of buffer layers (50, 60) between the substrate (10) and the superconductor film (20).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 1993
    Date of Patent: November 22, 1994
    Assignee: Conductus, Inc.
    Inventors: Kookrin Char, Stephen M. Garrison, Nathan Newman, Gregory G. Zaharchuk
  • Patent number: 5351007
    Abstract: A broadband matching network for coupling a magnetic resonance probe to a preamplifier utilizes superconducting matching coils and superconducting locatable shields to detect very weak magnetic signals over a broad bandwidth. The superconducting matching coils and shields minimize signal loss in the matching amplifier. When used with a superconducting magnetic resonance probe, the circuit provides a significant broadening in bandwidth over that of the probe without loss of performance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 1992
    Date of Patent: September 27, 1994
    Assignee: Conductus, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard S. Withers, Guo-Chun Liang
  • Patent number: 5276398
    Abstract: A magnetic resonance probe coil is fabricated using a superconductive material for the coil. Three distinct embodiments are described: a single-layer coil with no crossovers; a dual-film coil wherein the capacitors are formed through an intermediate dielectric layer; a single-layer coil incorporating a superconducting crossover. All of the embodiments are designed to take advantage of the properties of the superconducting material to achieve very high quality factors (Q) of tens of thousands to over a million. The superconductor is patterned into a spiral design to achieve self-resonance at a desired frequency in the range of 1 to 1000 MHz and the device operates at temperatures higher than 30 K. A broadband matching network is also disclosed which, when operated in conjunction with the superconducting magnetic resonance probe coil, allows operation over a wide range of frequencies while maintaining extremely low loss.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 1992
    Date of Patent: January 4, 1994
    Assignee: Conductus, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard S. Withers, Guo-Chun Liang
  • Patent number: 5241828
    Abstract: A Seebeck effect thermoelectric cooler, operative at cryogenic temperatures, in which two materials having different Seebeck coefficients are in electrical contact so that current flow thereacross cools the junction. One or both of the materials comprise a metal-insulator transition material characterized by doping, alloying, or other means to be just slightly metallic so that electrical resistance becomes lower at lower temperatures, but the Seebeck coefficient does not decline at lower temperatures, as would be the case if the material were allowed to become fully metal-like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 1992
    Date of Patent: September 7, 1993
    Assignee: Conductus, Inc.
    Inventor: Aharon Kapitulnik
  • Patent number: 5233500
    Abstract: A lobed package for the protection and electrical connection of microwave devices is presented. The distinctive shape of the package allows several large devices to be connected in series in a coplanar arrangement. In the preferred embodiment, a base layer is formed into a trefoil shape with a central raised pedestal. Three wafer sized modules are cut to fit together at 120.degree. angles and are placed on the pedestal and electrically interconnected. A retaining shim is placed around the outside of the modules. An intermediate spring retaining plate with a recessed three-lobed well is placed atop the modules. Springs are placed in holes in the retaining plate. The springs are compressed by a cover plate placed on top of the retaining plate. Electrical connections are made to the cascaded device through the base or edge of the package. One application is to packaging three delay lines in series, each device occupying most of the space of a standard wafer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 1992
    Date of Patent: August 3, 1993
    Assignee: Conductus, Inc.
    Inventors: Guo-Chun Liang, Richard S. Withers
  • Patent number: 5155977
    Abstract: A paper bundler for stacking and bundling recyclable paper waste, such as newspapers, magazines, and legal size or letter size office paper. The apparatus has two main parts, a basket and a cradle. The basket is made in two parts which are independently mounted to the cradle so they are free to rotate. Together, the halves of the basket form a paper receptacle which is rectangular and open at the top, with a gap in the middle for applying a strapping agent, such as masking tape. The cradle has a rectangular base and two vertical sides which support the rotating basket. A compression bar with a toggle latch is mounted on each half of the basket adjacent the gap between the two halves. The papers can be placed directly in the bundler as they are discarded. When the stack reaches a convenient size, the compression bars are used to compact the loose stack of newspapers into a tight bundle and hold them as the basket is rotated to apply the strapping agent to complete the bundling operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 1991
    Date of Patent: October 20, 1992
    Inventor: Max B. Dupont