Patents Assigned to Board of Governors for Higher Education, State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantation
  • Patent number: 6762238
    Abstract: A coating composition which contains a polymeric complex between polyaniline and a polymeric ion. In addition to the said polymeric complex, the composition contains a water-dispersable binder. The composition is useful as a water-borne paint to be applied onto a metal substrate electrophoretically or non-electrophoretically.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2004
    Assignee: The Board of Governors for Higher Education, State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
    Inventors: Sze Cheng Yang, Richard Brown
  • Patent number: 6729187
    Abstract: A self-compensated strain gage sensor having a temperature co-efficient of resistance (TCR) of essentially zero comprised of a wide band semiconductor and a compensating metal functioning as serial resistors. Based on the resistivity of the semiconductor and the metal and the temperature range in which the sensor will operate the dimensions of the semiconductor and the metal are determined to provide a zero TCR.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2004
    Assignee: The Board of Governors for Higher Education, State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
    Inventor: Otto J. Gregory
  • Patent number: 6719910
    Abstract: A stormwater treatment system which comprises a housing having a first filter layer and a second filter layer positioned within the housing. The first filter layer absorbs contaminants from stormwater to produce a first treated stormwater having an effluent concentration that meets the USEPA Water Quality Criteria when stormwater permeates the first layer. The second filter layer precipitates substantially all of the dissolved contaminants remaining in the first treated stormwater when the first treated storm water permeates through the second filter layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2004
    Assignee: The Board of Governors for Higher Education, State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
    Inventors: Leon Thiem, Rhett Grant
  • Patent number: 6718890
    Abstract: An underwater seeding apparatus which comprises a first longitudinal member, a second longitudinal member and a cross member. The first longitudinal member is positioned in a parallel relationship to the second longitudinal member and the cross member is attached to the first and second longitudinal members to define a substantially U-shaped frame. At least one thine is attached to the cross-member. The tine opens a furrow in an underwater sediment flow when the apparatus travels along the floor. Means for distributing a seed matrix in the furrow and means for closing the furrow are attached to the apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2004
    Assignee: The Board of Governors for Higher Education, State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
    Inventors: Michael Traber, Scott Nixon, Stephen Granger
  • Patent number: 6706218
    Abstract: A thermochromic polymer-based temperature indicator composition which comprises a polythiophene and a carrier medium. The composition is characterized in that the polythiophene is present in the medium in an amount of about 0.05 to about 5.0% by weight based on the total weight of the composition. The structure of the compound is designed such that when the composition is placed in a heat-exchange relationship with an article, the composition will exhibit a color change when a design temperature or a temperature beyond the design temperature is reached in the article.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2004
    Assignee: The Board of Governors for Higher Education, State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
    Inventors: Brett L. Lucht, William B. Euler, Otto J. Gregory
  • Patent number: 6656388
    Abstract: A processable electrically conductive polymeric complex comprising a polyelectrolyte having acid functional groups and a conductive polymer selected from the group consisting of polyaniline, polypyrrole, polythiophene, poly(phenylene sulfide), the conductive polymer ionically bound to the polyelectrolyte. The mole ratio of the monomers which form the conductive polymer to the acid functional groups of the polyelectrolyte is ≧1. The polymeric complex is made by a template-guided chemical polymerization process which comprises adsorbing the monomers onto the polyelectrolyte in a mixture of alcohol and water to form a polyectrolyte adduct, emulsifying the polyelectrolyte adduct in an acid to form an emulsified polyelectrolyte adduct and oxidatively polymerizing the emulsified polyectrolyte adduct. The polymeric complex is water insoluble when dried as a coating on a substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2003
    Assignee: The Board of Governors for Higher Education, State Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
    Inventors: Sze C. Yang, Huaibing Liu, Robert L. Clark
  • Patent number: 6645777
    Abstract: A waveguide probe for the detection of pathogens in a sample which comprises a laser, a first and a second tubes that converge at a point to form a proximal end. A magnet is positioned in the end to configure to focus paramagnetic microspheres attached to antigen/antibody/optically labeled antibody complexes in the field of view. The proximal end is polished to form an aperture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2003
    Assignee: The Board of Governors for Higher Education, State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantation
    Inventors: Stephen Letcher, He Cao, Hazem Baqaen, A. Garth Rand
  • Patent number: 6635181
    Abstract: A continuous, hybrid magnetic field gradient device for colloidal magnetic affinity separation having an axially-rotating horizontal glass tube, and a plurality of axially located repeating magnetic units. Each magnetic units consists of an alternating current solenoid that surrounds the chamber followed by computer-controlled electromagnets carrying a direct current. The on-off cycle of the electromagnets is used to control the residence time of target-bound magnetic particles in the chamber thereby allowing the separate collection of the particle and target rich fractions and the target-lean fractions without interrupting the feed flow. The azimuthally flowing alternating current in the solenoid introduces transient axial and radial forces as well as torque on the magnetic particles, promoting mixing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2003
    Assignee: The Board of Governors for Higher Education, State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
    Inventor: Arijit Bose
  • Patent number: 6506819
    Abstract: This invention provides a particulate composite comprising a polyester resin, a plasticizer, and a plurality of cenospheres. The polyester resin and the plasticizer form a matrix wherein the cenospsheres are distributed nonhomogeneously in the matrix. The nonhomogenous distribution of cenospheres further comprises a continuously varying particle volume fraction along a single dimension.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2003
    Assignee: The Board of Governors for Higher Education State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
    Inventors: Arun Shukla, Venkitanarayanan Parameswaran
  • Patent number: 6429259
    Abstract: A molecular complex which comprises a biopolymer having a plurality of ionic functional groups and a conductive polymer having charges therein. The charges bind to the ionic functional groups to form the complex. The conductive polymer is selected from the group consisting essentially of polyaniline, polypyrrole, polythiophene, poly(phenylenevinylene) or poly(phenylene sulfide) and substituted versions thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2002
    Assignee: The Board of Governors for Higher Education, State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
    Inventors: Sze Cheng Yang, Patrick McCarthy
  • Patent number: 6391653
    Abstract: A fluorescent fiber-optic biosensor system using ultrasonic concentration of particles and cells for the detection of Salmonella typhimurium. A biosensor test chamber serves as an ultrasonic standing-wave cell that allows microspheres or cells to be concentrated in parallel layers or in a column along the axis of the cell. A fiber probe along the axis delivers laser excitation to fluorescent-labeled antibodies of Salmonella and collects the fluorescent signal. The Salmonella-antibody complexes are moved acoustically to the axis of the cell, increasing the fluorescent signal. Alternatively, the Salmonella-labelled antibody complexes attach to unlabeled antibodies that have been immobilized on the surface of polystyrene microspheres. This entire structure can be manipulated acoustically and the increase in the fluorescent signal, which can be an order of magnitude, indicates the presence of Salmonella.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2002
    Assignee: The Board of Governors for Higher Education, State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
    Inventors: Stephen V. Letcher, A. Garth Rand, Chonghua Zhou
  • Patent number: 6346196
    Abstract: A slowly rotating separation chamber with an oscillating axial magnetic field gradient created by an alternating current solenoid superimposed on a steady radial gradient in a horizontal chamber is used as part of a flow-through multiunit colloidal magnetic affinity separation device including magnets. The field-gradient induced microscale particle motion, as well as particle resuspension by chamber rotation, significantly enhances particle-target contact without generating damaging shear forces. Chamber rotation also minimizes sedimentation of non-neutrally buoyant magnetic particles. The alternating current solenoid are a series of coils arranged along the axial flow direction, a single chamber is utilized as a flow-through multistage separation device, leading to a major increase in volume and reduced “down” times as compared to batch equipment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2002
    Assignee: The Board of Governors for Higher Education State of Rhode Island Providence Plantations
    Inventor: Arijit Bose
  • Patent number: 6326491
    Abstract: A process for the production of a compound of the formula: wherein R1 is hydrogen, alkyl, C1-C16 substituted alkyl, aryl, substituted aryl, aralkyl, substituted aralkyls, alkenyl, substituted alkenyl, alkynyl, substituted alkynyl, cyano, carboxy, carboxy esters, carboxamido, N-mono substituted and N,N-disubstituted carboxamido with alkyl, aralkyl and aryl groups; R2 is hydrogen, alkyl C1-C16 substituted alkyl, aryl, substituted aryl, aralkyl, substituted aralkyls, alkenyl, substituted alkenyl, alkynyl, substituted alkynyl; R3 is alkyl C2-C6, branched alkyl, aryl C2-C6, substituted aryl and R4 is halogen or H.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2001
    Assignee: The Board of Governors for Higher Education, State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
    Inventors: Elie Abushanab, Palle V. P. Pragnacharyulu
  • Patent number: 6254830
    Abstract: A magnetic focusing immunosensor for the detection of pathogens comprising a laser, an exciting fiber and a collecting fiber, a fiber optic magnetic probe in communication with the collecting and exciting fibers and means for detecting, collecting and measuring fluorescent signals in communication with the collecting fiber. The probe and the collecting and exciting fibers are configured to focus paramagnetic microspheres attached to antigen/antibody/optically labeled complexes in a predetermined pattern in the field of view of the collecting fiber while blocking background interference.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2001
    Assignee: The Board of Governors for Higher Education, State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
    Inventors: Philip Pivarnik, He Cao, Stephen V. Letcher, A. Garth Rand
  • Patent number: 6243795
    Abstract: A data storage system includes redundant write caches, a disk controller and an array of disks. One of the redundant write caches is a primary write cache of RAM or NVRAM, and another is a backup write cache having a hybrid memory structure of a relatively small amount of NVRAM in combination with a cache-disk space mapped to disk. The cache-disk space may be located on a single disk within the disk array, or distributed over a number of the plurality of disks in the array. In one embodiment, the array of disks can may be configured as a RAID architecture. The data storage system of the present invention preferably employs a conventional, fast-write-fast-read primary write cache and a non-volatile, hybrid memory backup write cache. The redundant write caches are asymmetric since the primary write cache and the backup write cache have different sizes and structures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2001
    Assignee: The Board of Governors for Higher Education, State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
    Inventors: Qing Yang, Yiming Hu
  • Patent number: 6184980
    Abstract: A silver halide fiber optic for the detection and identification of petroleum. The fiber optic serves both as a waveguide for transmitting a signal to and from petroleum in remote locations and also as an intrinsic part of the sensing element to obtain evanescent wave spectra. The evanescent wave is attenuated at various wavelengths based on the chemical composition of the petroleum in which the sensor is immersed. The spectrum obtained from an unknown sample is compared with the spectrum of known samples from a library to identify the unknown sample.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 1995
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2001
    Assignee: The Board of Governors for Higher Education, State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
    Inventors: Christopher W. Brown, James J. Alberts
  • Patent number: 6150032
    Abstract: An anti-corrosive polymeric complex which is comprised of a plurality of double-stranded molecular complexes. Each of the molecular complexes are comprised of a strand of a conductive polymer and a strand of a copolymer. The strands of the polymeric complex are non-covalently bonded to each other along the contour of the strands to form a side-by-side, twisted, double-stranded configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 1995
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2000
    Assignee: The Board of Governors for Higher Education, State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
    Inventors: Sze Cheng Yang, Robert J. Racicot, Robert L. Clark, Huaibing Liu, Richard Brown, Mohd Norazmi Alias
  • Patent number: 6121438
    Abstract: A process for the production of a compound of the formula: ##STR1## wherein R.sub.1 is hydrogen, alkyl C.sub.1 -C.sub.16 substituted alkyl, aryl, substituted aryl, aralkyl, substituted aralkyls, alkenyl, substituted alkenyl, alkynyl, substituted alkynyl, cyano, carboxy, carboxy esters, carboxamido, N-mono substituted and N,N-disubstituted carboxamido with alkyl, aralkyl and aryl groups; R.sub.2 is hydrogen, alkyl C.sub.1 -C.sub.16 substituted alkyl, aryl, substituted aryl, aralkyl, substituted aralkyls, alkenyl, substituted alkenyl, alkynyl, substituted alkynyl; R.sub.3 is alkyl C.sub.2 -C.sub.6, branched alkyl, aryl C.sub.2 -C.sub.6, substituted aryl and R.sub.4 is halogen or H. A condensation reaction is effected between compounds of the formulae: ##STR2## to form a novel compound of the formula: ##STR3## Compound (2) is acylated with a compound of the formula:R.sub.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2000
    Assignee: The Board of Governors for Higher Education, State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
    Inventors: Elie Abushanab, Palle V. P. Pragnacharyulu
  • Patent number: 6106856
    Abstract: A transdermal formulation of dihydropyridine calcium antagonists and specifically nifedipine, nimodipine and nitrendipine. The calcium antagonists are dispersed in a mixed liquid. The mixed liquid comprises varying mole fractions of cis-oleic acid and dimethylisosorbide dispersed in a polypropylene glycol base.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2000
    Assignee: The Board of Governors for Higher Education, State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
    Inventors: Emilio Squillante, Anita Nanda, Thomas E. Needham, Hossein Zia
  • Patent number: 6090368
    Abstract: A pharmaceutical composition of a water soluble drug admixed with an aqueous bioadhesive cellulosic polymer containing microcrystalline particles. When sprayed (via a conventional spray device) into the nose, drug molecules are retained in contact with the nasal membrane. The drug composition comprises ketorolac tromethamine in an aqueous nasal polymeric spray formulation that without the addition of any permeation enhancer will promote drug absorption and provides absolute drug bioavailability greater than 90%.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2000
    Assignee: The Board of Governors for Higher Education, State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
    Inventors: Hossein Zia, Thomas E. Needham, Muhammad Quadir