Patents Assigned to Kent State University
  • Patent number: 8056398
    Abstract: A nanoliter rheometer is capable of operating over a wide range of temperatures and permits visual observation of extremely small amounts of various often complex and/or expensive small nanoliter size fluids over a wide viscoelastic regime. The nanoliter rheometer comprises two very thin fibers, the ends of which are in close proximity to one another and desirably parallel to one another with one fiber being moved by a drive system and the remaining fiber desirably being stationary and capable of measuring a force transferred through a nanoliter size fluid located between the two fibers ends. The transferred force can be measured either by an LCR meter or a piezoelectric crystal and recorded as by a lock-in amplifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2011
    Assignee: Kent State University
    Inventors: Antal Istvan Jákli, Christopher Allen Bailey
  • Patent number: 8054413
    Abstract: A new light modulating material using interconnected unidirectionally oriented microdomains of a liquid crystal, dispersed in a stressed polymer structure, is provided. The light modulating material is prepared by dissolving the liquid crystal in an uncured monomer and then curing the monomer so that the polymer forms a well-developed interpenetrating structure of polymer chains or sheets that is uniformly dispersed through the film. When the film is subjected to stress deformation the liquid crystal undergoes a change in its unidirectional orientation. The concentration of the polymer is high enough to hold the shear stress, but is as low as possible to provide the highest switch of the phase retardation when an electric field is applied. The new materials are optically transparent and provide phase modulation of the incident light opposed to the low driving voltage, linear electro-optical response, and absence of hysteresis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2011
    Assignee: Kent State University
    Inventors: John L. West, Anatoliy Glushchenko, Guoqiang Zhang
  • Patent number: 8035279
    Abstract: There are provided methods for creating energy conversion devices based on the giant flexoelectric effect in non-calamitic liquid crystals. By preparing a substance comprising at least one type of non-calamitic liquid crystal molecules and stabilizing the substance to form a mechanically flexible material, flexible conductive electrodes may be applied to the material to create an electro-mechanical energy conversion device which relies on the giant flexoelectric effect to produce electrical and/or mechanical energy that is usable in such applications as, for example, power sources, energy dissipation, sensors/transducers, and actuators.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2011
    Assignee: Kent State University
    Inventors: Antal I. Jakli, John Ernest Harden, Jr., Samuel Sprunt, James T. Gleeson, Peter Palffy-Muhoray
  • Patent number: 8000958
    Abstract: The device and method of the present invention improves electronic communication which have behavioral consequences, including for example, flight communication, two-way closed circuit communication such as for fire, police, miners, scuba divers and other heath and safety workers, and even for mobile communication which happens during activities such as cellular or mobile conversations during driving. Dichotic listening techniques are altered to enhance dyadic (involving two people) interactions with a partner. The speech of at least the first member of the dyad is filtered to isolate the component below 0.5 Khz, which will be input with a gain to the left ear of the second person (provided that they are right-handed), and thus their right cerebral hemispheres, and the component with a frequency above 0.5 Khz. will be input to their right ears, and thus their left cerebral hemispheres.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2011
    Assignee: Kent State University
    Inventors: Stanford W. Gregory, Jr., Will Kalkhoft
  • Publication number: 20110170039
    Abstract: Liquid crystal cells and lenses having a variable resulting pre-tilt across two or more areas of the cell, and in particular, cells and lenses are provided wherein a resulting pre-tilt is varied across the cell according to any desired birefringence profile that can be utilized in liquid crystalline optical elements and liquid crystal displays. Methods of fabrication of the liquid crystal cells with variable resulting pre-tilt are disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 2, 2010
    Publication date: July 14, 2011
    Applicants: Kent State University, California State University
    Inventors: Philip Bos, Vassili V. Sergan, Tatiana A. Sergan
  • Publication number: 20110130468
    Abstract: Compounds of the hydroxytolan family kill tumor cells, inhibit tumor growth and development, and are thus useful in method for treating a tumor or cancer in subjects in need thereof. These compounds are also active in preventing or treating a variety of skin diseases and conditions. The most preferred hydroxytolan compounds are 4,4?-dihydroxytolan. (KST-201), 4 hydroxy 4? trifluoromethyltolan or 4? hydroxy 4 trifluoromethyltolan (KST-213), 3,4?,5-trihydroxytolan or 3?,4,5?-trihydroxytolan (KST-301) and 3,3?,5,5?-tetrahydroxytolan (KST-401). The compounds and methods of using them alone and in combination with ascorbate and certain cyclic compounds to inhibit the development, growth or metastasis of tumor/cancer or preneoplastic cells, or to prevent or treat skin disorders in a subject are disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 20, 2008
    Publication date: June 2, 2011
    Applicant: Kent State University
    Inventor: Chun-Che Tsai
  • Patent number: 7935655
    Abstract: Catalytic layers for use in the electrodes of fuel cells including a non-noble metal substrate layer coated with one or a few monolayers of noble metal, such as Pt. These thin, highly porous structures with large catalytically active surface areas, should exhibit a significantly higher power output per mg of Pt and per cm2 of the membrane than the current Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells catalytic layers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2011
    Assignee: Kent State University
    Inventor: Yuriy Viacheslavovich Tolmachev
  • Patent number: 7927827
    Abstract: A system for the detection of ligands comprising at least one receptor and an amplification mechanism coupled to the receptor wherein an amplified signal is produced as a result of receptor binding a ligand. Examples of suitable amplification mechanisms include antibody-embedded liquid crystalline materials; use of alpha-2-macroglobulin to encage an enzyme, whereby the enzyme is separated from its substrate by an receptor; and a receptor engineered to inhibit the active of site of an enzyme only in the absence of a ligand. Also provided are methods for the automatic detection of ligands.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2011
    Assignee: Kent State University
    Inventors: Gary D. Niehaus, Christopher J. Woolverton, Kathleen J. Doane, Steven P. Schmidt, Steven A. Signs
  • Patent number: 7903228
    Abstract: A liquid crystal device comprises ferroelectric particles suspended in a liquid crystal material. A method for fabricating a light-modulating device is also disclosed. The method comprises the steps of providing a pair of substrates with a cell gap therebetween, wherein electrodes are disposed on the facing surfaces of the substrates, and permanently disposing a suspension of ferroelectric particles in a liquid crystal material into said cell gap. A method of generating an image comprises providing a pair of substrates with a cell gap therebetween, providing transparent electrodes on each of said substrates adjacent to the cell gap, permanently disposing a suspension of ferroelectric particles in a liquid crystal material within the cell gap, and applying an electric field across the electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2011
    Assignee: Kent State University
    Inventors: Yurii Reznikov, Anatoliy Glushchenko, Victor Reshetnyak, John West
  • Publication number: 20110025955
    Abstract: Electro-optic lenses, including liquid crystals, wherein the power of the lenses can be modified by application of an electric field. In one embodiment, the liquid crystal-based lenses include ring electrodes having a resistive bridge located between adjacent electrodes, and in a preferred embodiment, input connections for several electrode rings are spaced on the lens. In a further embodiment, liquid crystal-based lenses are provided that can increase optical power through the use of phase resets, wherein in one embodiment, a lens includes ring electrodes on surfaces of the substrates on opposite sides of the liquid crystal cell such that a fixed phase term can be added to each set of electrodes that allows for phase change across each group of electrodes to be the same and also be matched with respect to a previous group.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2010
    Publication date: February 3, 2011
    Applicant: Kent State University
    Inventors: Philip Bos, Douglas Bryant, Lei Shi, Bentley Wall
  • Patent number: 7832093
    Abstract: There are provided methods for creating energy conversion devices based on the giant flexoelectric effect in non-calamitic liquid crystals. By preparing a substance comprising at least one type of non-calamitic liquid crystal molecules and stabilizing the substance to form a mechanically flexible material, flexible conductive electrodes may be applied to the material to create an electro-mechanical energy conversion device which relies on the giant flexoelectric effect to produce electrical and/or mechanical energy that is usable in such applications as, for example, power sources, energy dissipation, sensors/transducers, and actuators.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2010
    Assignee: Kent State University
    Inventors: Antal I. Jakli, John Ernest Harden, Jr., Samuel Sprunt, James T. Gleeson, Peter Palffy-Muhoray
  • Patent number: 7812042
    Abstract: Therapeutic applications, such as prevention, treatment and supplementation, for the use of novel and other thiolatocobalamins to protect human cells against the effects of oxidative stress. In particular, this invention relates to the use of a novel synthetic thiolatocobalamin, N-acetyl-L-cysteinylcobalamin (NACCbl) to protect animal cells against oxidative stress damage. This invention also relates to the use of thiolatocobalamins, such as NACCbl, in lieu of current, commercially available forms of vitamin B12 for the treatment and prevention of conditions associated with oxidative stress damage and for dietary supplementation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2010
    Assignees: Kent State University, University of Chester
    Inventors: Nicola E. Brasch, Catherine Stephanie Birch, John Henry Howatson Williams
  • Patent number: 7812919
    Abstract: This invention relates to a method of fabrication of liquid crystal light modulating devises having electrically tunable spectral wavelength and more particularly, to a cholesteric liquid crystal display with electrically switchable colors. The cholesteric light modulators may be fabricated by applying a plurality of layers to maximize the light modulation. It also features a polymer composite or polymer-network stabilized cholesteric liquid crystal with electrically switchable Bragg reflected wavelength within a predetermined range of spectral wavelength.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2010
    Assignee: Kent State University
    Inventors: Liang-Chy Chien, Shin-Ying Lu
  • Patent number: 7782438
    Abstract: The invention is directed to liquid crystal display and electro-optical devices having faster switching times, a wider viewing angle, continuous gray level, improved transmittance of the clear state, approximately no threshold voltage and low power consumption. The aspects of the invention are achieved by a liquid crystal device comprising an orthogonal nematic, smectic or columnar liquid crystal phase, which is uniaxial in absence of electric field, but becomes biaxial when electric field is applied normal to the director (in between electrodes for planar alignment, or in-plane electric field in case of homeotropic alignment). This electric field induced biaxiality (EFIB) mode is provided using any dielectric orthogonal nematic, smectic or columnar bent-core liquid crystal phase. The nature of the switching is dielectric (not piezoelectric) and does not involve variation of layer spacing variation, so as to be mechanically much more stable than prior systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2010
    Assignee: Kent State University
    Inventor: Antal I. Jakli
  • Patent number: 7777046
    Abstract: The invention provides a method for preparing the sodium salt of the novel thiol derivative of vitamin B12, N-acetyl-L-cysteinylcobalamin (Na[NACCbl]). The method involves carrying out the reaction in aqueous solvent with a relatively small excess of ligand reactant, specifically from one to less than four molar equivalents. The cobalamin derivative formed is precipitated from the aqueous solvent, preferably by the addition of a precipitate inducing solvent. This provides a product in acceptable purity without the need for an additional chromatographic purification step.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2010
    Assignee: Kent State University
    Inventors: Nicola E Brasch, Edward Suarez-Moreira
  • Patent number: 7777850
    Abstract: Methods for treating aligning substrates produces uniform alignment of liquid crystals in at least two modes. The method is based on the treatment of liquid crystal aligning substrates with a collimated or partially collimated plasma beam. In one embodiment, the method comprises a step of bombarding an aligning substrate with at least one plasma beam from a plasma beam source at a designated incident angle to align the atomic/molecular structure or the surface profile of the aligning substrate in at least one aligned direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2010
    Assignee: Kent State University
    Inventors: Liang-Chy Chien, Andriy Dobrovolskyy, Oleg Yaroshchuk, Oleg Lavrentovich
  • Patent number: 7758773
    Abstract: This disclosure outlines a new method of modifying the properties of existing liquid crystals by doping them with ferroelectric micro- and nanoparticles. We show that this approach, in contrast to the traditional time consuming and expensive chemical synthetic methods, enriches and enhances the electro-optical performance of many liquid crystal materials. We demonstrate that by changing the concentration and type of ferroelectric particles the physical properties of the nematic, smectic, and cholesteric liquid crystal materials can be changed, including the dielectric constants, the birefringence, the phase transition temperatures, and even the order parameter. We also demonstrate the performance of these new materials in various devices, including displays, light modulators, and beam steering devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2010
    Assignee: Kent State University
    Inventors: John L. West, Chae Il Cheon, Anatoliy V. Glushchenko, Yuriy Reznikov, Fenghua Li
  • Patent number: 7733452
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a liquid crystal alignment agent, a liquid crystal device produced by using the liquid crystal alignment agent thereof, and a method for alignment of liquid crystal molecules by using the liquid crystal alignment agent. In more detail, the present embodiments relates to a novel liquid crystal alignment agent used in a method of aligning liquid crystal molecules, wherein the agent includes a molecule having a highly polar functional group grafted onto an end of the molecule.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2010
    Assignee: Kent State University
    Inventors: Cheng Chen, Philip J. Bos, James E. Anderson
  • Patent number: 7732219
    Abstract: A system for the detection of ligands comprising at least one receptor and an amplification mechanism coupled to the receptor wherein an amplified signal is produced as a result of receptor binding a ligand. Examples of suitable amplification mechanisms include antibody-embedded liquid crystalline materials; use of alpha-2-macroglobulin to encage an enzyme, whereby the enzyme is separated from its substrate by an receptor; and a receptor engineered to inhibit the active of site of an enzyme only in the absence of a ligand. Also provided are methods for the automatic detection of ligands.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2010
    Assignee: Kent State University
    Inventors: Christopher J. Woolverton, Gary D. Niehaus, Kathleen J. Doane, Oleg D. Lavrentovich, Steven P. Schmidt, Steven A. Signs
  • Publication number: 20100115764
    Abstract: A new light modulating material using interconnected unidirectionally oriented microdomains of a liquid crystal, dispersed in a stressed polymer structure, is provided. The light modulating material is prepared by dissolving the liquid crystal in an uncured monomer and then curing the monomer so that the polymer forms a well-developed interpenetrating structure of polymer chains or sheets that is uniformly dispersed through the film. When the film is subjected to stress deformation the liquid crystal undergoes a change in its unidirectional orientation. The concentration of the polymer is high enough to hold the shear stress, but is as low as possible to provide the highest switch of the phase retardation when an electric field is applied. The new materials are optically transparent and provide phase modulation of the incident light opposed to the low driving voltage, linear electro-optical response, and absence of hysteresis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 15, 2009
    Publication date: May 13, 2010
    Applicant: Kent State University
    Inventors: John L. West, Anatolly Glushchenko, Guoqiang Zhang