Patents Represented by Attorney Vincent L. Carney

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  • Patient monitoring system
    Patent number: 5494046
    Abstract: To monitor a patient, a combined allegator clip and switch is fastened to the patient by a cord having a length of between five inches and five feet. The other end of the cord is connected to a switch which is activated when the patient moves beyond the length of the cord to cause a message to be announced. If the allegator clip is removed, another circuit activates the alarm to play the voice message and provide an alarm to a caretaker at a remote station. The fastener is an alligator clip having first and second jaws and a spring for biasing said first and second jaws together, whereby said alligator clip may be fastened to clothing. When the jaws are separated by clothing, two conductors are separated but when the jaws contact each other, the conductors are closed to activate the voice message.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 1993
    Date of Patent: February 27, 1996
    Assignee: Senior Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Alan W. Cross
  • Removal of tissue
    Patent number: 5492528
    Abstract: To reduce damage to surrounding tissue while fragmenting some tissue such as for example not damaging the capsular wall while removing the lens during cataract removal surgery or not damaging artery or vein walls during bypass surgery while freeing the artery or vein to be transplanted, an incision is made for the insertion of surface--discriminating, rotating, fragmenting handpiece. The surface--discriminating fragmenting handpiece fragments and permits aspiration of the tissue without damaging the surrounding wall by fragmenting surfaces of higher inertia material but moving at a rate of speed and having openings between them of such a size that the more integrated lower mass, more flexible and smoother tissue is moved away from the fragmenting zone and the higher mass, lower flexibility or rougher tissue is fragmented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 1994
    Date of Patent: February 20, 1996
    Inventor: Azis Y. Anis
  • Apparatus and method for simultaneous measurement of carbon dioxide and water
    Patent number: 5457320
    Abstract: To measure water vapor and carbon dioxide, a gas analyzer includes a light source, a reference flow cell, a sample flow cell, a detector and a source of gas. The light source, flow cells and detector are arranged so that the detector detects light transmitted from said light source through the flow cells. The flow cells have folded paths for the light. A reference signal is subtracted from a sample signal to obtain an independant variable. Carbon dioxide and air mixed with carbon dioxide are supplied as required. The carbon dioxide is supplied from a container through capillary tubes. Heat is applied to the tubes to control the flow rate. A signal representing gross concentration of the carbon dioxide as a dependant variable is obtained from said independent variable from an empirically determined polynomial.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 1994
    Date of Patent: October 10, 1995
    Assignee: Li-Cor, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert D. Eckles, Dayle K. McDermitt, Jonathan M. Welles
  • Collapsible container
    Patent number: 5447110
    Abstract: To store an emergency container in the hub cavity of a spare tire within the trunk compartment of an automobile with a spare tire, the container is collapsible, having a top end and a bottom end with handles on each of said top end and bottom end to permit the container to be expanded. An opening extends along the axis of the container to receive a spindle for holding the collapsed container in the center of the spare tire until needed. The walls of said container containing foldable members to permit collapsing and opening of the container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 1992
    Date of Patent: September 5, 1995
    Inventor: Wesley J. Brown
  • Precast concrete sandwich panels
    Patent number: 5440845
    Abstract: To make precast concrete sandwich panels, a first concrete slab is formed having embedded in it one end of connectors which extend from it's surface in two directions with the path between the two containing only thermally insulative material, a layer insulative material is positioned adjacent to a central portion of said connectors to form a solid layer and a second layer of concrete is cast so as to receive the upper ends of said connectors. The connectors provide resistance to shear in at least two directions and include insulative high tensile strength members extending in more than one direction between the concrete slabs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 1994
    Date of Patent: August 15, 1995
    Assignee: The Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska
    Inventors: Maher K. Tadros, David C. Salmon, Amin Einea, Todd D. Culp
  • Purging method
    Patent number: 5425390
    Abstract: To measure flow rates, the cross-sectional shape of the flow path is changed by inserting a multiple position gate into the flow path and altering the position of the gate to maintain the head of liquid constant with a reduced flow cross section. The position of the multiple position gate is correlated with the depth as measured with a bubbler to provide an indication of flow rate. To purge the bubbler line, a purge tank is located near the bubbler line. At timed periods or as manually initiated the controller causes an increase in pressure in accumulator portion of the purge tank. When a predetermined pressure is reached, a purge valve in the purge tank opens, rapidly allowing a burst of air at a substantial pressure and velocity to flow through the bubbler line to remove any material adhering to the bubbler outlet port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 1993
    Date of Patent: June 20, 1995
    Assignee: Isco, Inc.
    Inventor: Douglas T. Carson
  • Small modulation ellipsometry
    Patent number: 5416588
    Abstract: In an ellipsometer, a phase-modulated, polarized light beam is applied to a sample, electrical signals are obtained representing the orthogonal planes of polarization of the light after it has interacted with the sample and the constants of the sample are calculated from the two resulting electrical signals. The phase modulation is sufficiently small so that the calibration errors are negligible. For this purpose, the phase modulator phase modulates the light within a range of no more than ten degrees modulations peak to peak. The two electrical signals are expanded by Fourier analysis and the coefficients thereof utilized to calculate psi and delta.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 1994
    Date of Patent: May 16, 1995
    Assignee: The Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska
    Inventors: Stephen P. Ducharme, Hassanayn M. El Hajj, Blaine D. Johs, John A. Woollam
  • Degaussing technique
    Patent number: 5416664
    Abstract: To degauss cassettes of magnetic tape, a magnetic field is applied to the magnetic material with a flux density of at least 1,000 gauss and at an angle between 20 degrees and 70 degrees from the horizontal of the magnetic tape for a time period of at least one second and the field is alternated at a frequency of at least ten hertz. The magnetic material may be rotated while it is in the field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 1992
    Date of Patent: May 16, 1995
    Assignee: Garner Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Donald G. Becker, David J. Etherton
  • Pumping system
    Patent number: 5401139
    Abstract: To draw samples from a source of liquid, a pumping system measures the amount of liquid being pumped by detecting pump cycles and calculating the pumped liquid from this measurement and stored data including conduit size, pressure head and statistical data to correlate detected pump cycles with volume of liquid pumped. Pressure pulses caused by a peristaltic pump are sensed by a piezoelectric film positioned on an inlet conduit connecting the pump to the source of water and, when the liquid reaches a predetermined point determined by the nature of the pulses, the pulses are counted to determine the number of pump cycles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 1991
    Date of Patent: March 28, 1995
    Assignee: Isco, Inc.
    Inventors: Frederick A. Nabity, Paul G. Wright, Raymond Hulinsky, Douglas T. Carson
  • Apparatus for forming fine particles
    Patent number: 5390864
    Abstract: To alter feedstock material, the material is exposed to laser radiation applied at a selected angle of incidence, intensity and wavelength related to the refractive index of the feedstock material. Fine uniform particles may be formed through vapor explosion and/or plasma formation and used by this method to coat surfaces, such as with paint or adhesive or to supply uniform small particles to a heat engine. Moreover, moving materials such as a column of liquid may be subjected to high internal pressure and temperature for creating physical and chemical changes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 1993
    Date of Patent: February 21, 1995
    Assignee: The Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska
    Inventor: Dennis R. Alexander
  • Lock
    Patent number: 5388435
    Abstract: To prevent the unauthorized unlocking of van doors equipped with safety rod locks, the lever of the safety rod lock is held to the door by a retainer clip. The retainer clip has an extending tongue with apertures in it that passes through the door into the van. In the van, there is a dead bolt which may be actuated by a key cylinder inserted from outside the van through the door to cause the dead bolt to enter an aperture and lock the extending tongue of the retainer and hold the retainer in place so that the lever cannot be moved to unlock the safety rod lock. A second key actuated member or solenoid actuated member is actuated to move a cam in front of the first key slot so that it cannot be unlocked until the second cam lever is moved out of the way. Thus, a sequence must be followed using two different actuating means to unlock the door or lock the door.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 1993
    Date of Patent: February 14, 1995
    Assignee: Verdure Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Ronald F. Bailey
  • Binders, method of making and using binders and structures made using binders
    Patent number: 5374670
    Abstract: To form a binder from naturally occurring products without extraction or purification steps, the binder utilizes proteins from the germ or endosperm of cereal grasses or from the seed of buckwheat, oil seed plants, Amaranthus or leguminous plants or from leaves. The protein has a thermoplastic microstructure with linear polymers of molecular weight of at least 2000 linked with peptide linkages of at least 50 in number. The naturally occurring product is ground or milled without further processing and thus includes carbohydrates, particularly as cellulose, and possibly fats, yeast or materials yielding ash upon burning, with the carbohydrates being at least 5% of the proteins by weight. The binder may include some initiators or catalysts to polymerize fats or other initiators or catalysts to polymerize proteins.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 20, 1994
    Assignee: The Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska
    Inventors: Ayodeji J. Ayorinde, Harold E. Egger, Delmar C. Timm
  • Ellipsometer
    Patent number: 5373359
    Abstract: To sense characteristics of a sample, an ellipsometer includes a pivotal diffraction grating positioned to receive white light from the analyzer without further focusing of the light after the light leaves the sample. The diffraction grating is focused on the sensor at a predetermined angle with a precision of at least plus or minus one-half degree using an alignment-sensing means positioned between the analyzer and diffraction grating. The sensor includes an aperture through which the incident beam of light is transmitted, light-sensitive areas on opposite sides of said sensor and a comparator for comparing the signal from said light-sensitive areas. Equality of the light from the light-sensitive areas indicates that the incident beam of light is perpendicular to the diffraction grating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 1992
    Date of Patent: December 13, 1994
    Assignee: J. A. Woollam Co.
    Inventors: John A. Woollam, Blaine D. Johs, David W. Doerr, Reed A. Christenson
  • Processes for producing ethylene glycol phosphate esters and foliar fertilizers containing same
    Patent number: 5372627
    Abstract: Processes for the production of ethylene glycol phosphate esters using ethylene glycol and phosphoric acid. These reactants mixed and heated with an esterification promoter which can be an oxide or hydroxide, such as an alkali, alkaline earth or other metal oxide or hydroxide. The mixture can be reacted at atmospheric pressures and temperatures in excess of 150.degree. C., thus speeding the esterification. Boiling is preferred during the reaction to improve water removal. Excess ethylene glycol can advantageously be used to aid in efficient conversion. Excess unreacted ethylene glycol is also significant when the reaction products are used as foliar fertilizers. The cations of some promoters substitute into the esters and can be used to provide secondary or trace elements of nutritional value when the reaction products are used as foliar fertilizers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 1992
    Date of Patent: December 13, 1994
    Assignee: Washington State University Research Foundation
    Inventors: Calvin F. Konzak, Enrique A. Polle
  • Ultrasonic fluid velocity measuring system
    Patent number: 5371686
    Abstract: To determine the average velocity of a fluid stream, an ultrasonic signal is transmitted into the fluid and reflected ultrasonic signal received. The signals are mixed with a frequency of the transmitted ultrasonic signals. A Fourier transform is performed on the signals, the largest coefficient used to normalize the signal and certain of the weighted signals are averaged.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 1992
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignee: Isco, Inc.
    Inventors: Frederick A. Nabity, Larry L. Fritz, Douglas T. Carson
  • Sequencing near infrared and infrared fluorescence labeled DNA for detecting useing laser diodes
    Patent number: 5366603
    Abstract: To sequence DNA automatically, DNA marked with near infrared fluorescent dyes are electrophoresed in a plurality of channels through a gel electrophoresis slab wherein the DNA samples are resolved in accordance with the size of DNA fragments in the gel electrophoresis slab into fluorescently marked DNA bands. The separated samples are scanned photoelectrically with a laser diode and a sensor, wherein the laser scans with scanning light at a scanning light frequency within the absorbance spectrum of said fluorescently marked DNA samples and light is sensed at the emission frequency of the marked DNA. The light is modulated from said laser at a predetermined modulation frequency and fluorescent light emitted by said DNA bands at said modulation frequency is detected, whereby background noise from the medium through which the light is transmitted is discriminated against.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 1992
    Date of Patent: November 22, 1994
    Assignee: Li-Cor, Inc.
    Inventors: Lyle R. Middendorf, Gabor Patonay
  • DNA sequencing
    Patent number: 5360523
    Abstract: To sequence DNA, DNA samples marked with fluorescent infrared dye are applied at a plurality of locations for electrophoresing in a plurality of channels through a gel electrophoresis slab. The channels are scanned with a laser and a sensor, that include a microscope focused on the gel slab. The focal point and slab are adjusted with respect to each other so that the focal point of the microscope remains on the gel slab during a scan. The data from the scan is directly used to amplitude modulate density readings on a display, and the scan is displayed in a horizontal sweep of a cathode ray tube, whereby said cathode ray tube provides intensity displays of bands representing DNA. Different sizes of glass gel sandwiches may be mounted to the same console for different sequencing tasks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 1993
    Date of Patent: November 1, 1994
    Assignee: Li-Cor, Inc.
    Inventors: Lyle R. Middendorf, Robert C. Bruce, Robert D. Eckles
  • Multiple solvent delivery system
    Patent number: 5360320
    Abstract: To control a solvent composition in a supercritical fluid system, a first pump pumps a first solvent through a first conduit into a mixer and a second pump pumps a second solvent through a second conduit into the mixer. First and second transducers measure the pressure in the first and second conduits and generate first and second signals proportional to the pressures. Each pressure signal is multiplied by a corresponding programmed concentration signal and compared to the programmed pressure in a feedback system to generate an error signal. The error signal is multiplied by concentration signals from a programmer to control the pumping rate of each pump. The pumps pressurize each fluid one at a time at the start of a run. The pressurization process is also used for producing disturbance-free flow as delivery is changed from one pump to another during prolonged runs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 1992
    Date of Patent: November 1, 1994
    Assignee: Isco, Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel G. Jameson, Robert W. Allington
  • Method of using a swab
    Patent number: 5358480
    Abstract: To provide an autoclavable swab, a fibrous applicator pad is formed with a narrow slit and a handle with a plurality of barb means extending away from its longitudinal axis and from a first end toward a second end. The opening is sufficient in size to receive the first end of the handle and the adjacent portion through at least 25 percent of the applicator pad, whereby the barbs, once inserted, engage the applicator pad material within the opening to resist removal of the handle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 1993
    Date of Patent: October 25, 1994
    Inventors: Jerald R. Melcher, Debra A. Speichert
  • Display stand
    Patent number: D363840
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 1993
    Date of Patent: November 7, 1995
    Assignee: Display Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Benjamin S. Weshler