Patents Assigned to Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.
  • Patent number: 12293297
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for training and deploying machine-learned compact representations of radio frequency (RF) signals. One of the methods includes: determining a first RF signal to be compressed; using an encoder machine-learning network to process the first RF signal and generate a compressed signal; calculating a measure of compression in the compressed signal; using a decoder machine-learning network to process the compressed signal and generate a second RF signal that represents a reconstruction of the first RF signal; calculating a measure of distance between the second RF signal and the first RF signal; and updating at least one of the encoder machine-learning network or the decoder machine-learning network based on (i) the measure of distance between the second RF signal and the first RF signal, and (ii) the measure of compression in the compressed signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2023
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2025
    Assignee: Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.
    Inventor: Timothy James O'Shea
  • Patent number: 12285910
    Abstract: In various aspects, top-down stereolithography apparatus and methods of use thereof are provided herein that allow for additive manufacturing of an article from a high-viscosity resin. The apparatus and methods can print resins having viscosities higher than conventional systems, e.g. viscosities up to about 100 Pa·s at the elevated temperature. The resin may have a room temperature viscosity of about 100 Pa·s, about 250 Pa·s, about 1000 Pa·s, or more. In some aspects, the resin is a solid at room temperature. The apparatus and methods do not rely upon solvents or other viscosity modifiers being added to the resin, and are capable of top-down additive manufacturing approaches which provide reduced stress on the printed article.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2025
    Assignee: VIRGINIA TECH INTELLECTUAL PROPERTIES, INC.
    Inventors: Nicholas Chartrain, Viswanath Meenakshisundaram, Christopher B. Williams
  • Patent number: 12269744
    Abstract: Methods of making graphene oxide and reduced graphene oxide are provided. The methods can include a simple one-pot synthesis of graphene oxide from a purified coal powder using a mild oxidizing acid. The methods provide for an improved, more cost-effective, and simpler process than conventional methods such as Hummers methods. In some aspects, placing the purified coal powder in the mild oxidation atmosphere includes contacting the purified coal powder with a mild oxidizing acid such as nitric acid, nitrous acid, sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid, benzoic acid, or a combination thereof. In some aspects, the mild oxidizing acid consists essentially of nitric acid. Graphene oxides and reduced graphene oxides prepared by the methods are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2025
    Assignee: Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.
    Inventors: Roop L. Mahajan, Seul-Yi Lee
  • Patent number: 12255004
    Abstract: Aspects of multi-phase integrated coupled inductors are described. In one embodiment, a multi-phase integrated coupled inductor includes a magnetic core and a coupled set of inductors. Each inductor can include conductive vias that are asymmetrically distributed in two symmetrical core slots in the magnetic core, so that each inductor has a different number of lateral-flux vias in each slot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2025
    Assignee: VIRGINIA TECH INTELLECTUAL PROPERTIES, INC.
    Inventors: Feiyang Zhu, Qiang Li, Fred C. Lee
  • Patent number: 12252619
    Abstract: In various aspects, a polymer resin is provided for vat or ultraviolet-assisted direct ink writing (UV-DIW) photopolymerization. The resin can include a polyamic acid salt formed from the addition of a photocrosslinkable amine to a polyamic acid. The resin can include a photoinitiator suitable for initiating crosslinking of the photocrosslinkable amine when exposed to a light source of a suitable wavelength and intensity. The polyamic acid can be formed, for instance, by the addition of a diamine to a suitable dianhydride. Methods of additive manufacturing using the resins are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2025
    Assignee: Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel Rau, Jana Herzberger, Timothy Long, Christopher Williams
  • Patent number: 12244226
    Abstract: Topologies and configurations of step-down power supplies including unidirectional balancing cells are described. In one example, a step-down power supply includes an input and an output, a string of series-connected capacitors, and a plurality of unidirectional balancing cells coupled to the capacitors in the string of series-connected capacitors. A first balancing can be configured to transfer power, unilaterally, in a first direction among at least two capacitors in the string of series-connected capacitors, and a second balancing cell can be configured to transfer power, unilaterally, in a second direction among at least two capacitors in the string of series-connected capacitors, where the first direction is different than the second direction. The power supply can also include a gate controller for a balancing cell. The gate controller generates switching control signals at a first switching frequency that is decoupled from a resonant frequency of a balancing branch in the balancing cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2025
    Assignee: VIRGINIA TECH INTELLECTUAL PROPERTIES, INC.
    Inventors: Keyao Sun, Rolando Burgos, Dushan Boroyevich
  • Patent number: 12234229
    Abstract: Sphingosine kinases are enzymes that catalyze the biosynthesis of sphingosine-1-phosphate. The invention provides prodrugs of compounds that are effective for inhibition of sphingosine kinase type 1, sphingosine kinase type 2, or both, according to formula (I) as described herein. Formula I compounds are useful in the treatment of a range of diseases wherein increasing the level of sphingosine-1-phosphate in blood is medically indicated. The invention also provides pharmaceutical compositions of Formula I compounds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2025
    Assignees: University of Virginia Patent Foundation, Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.
    Inventors: Steven Brandon Thorpe, Webster L. Santos, Kevin R. Lynch
  • Patent number: 12232792
    Abstract: The present invention relates to medical devices and methods for treating a lesion such as a vascular stenosis using non-thermal irreversible electroporation (NTIRE). Embodiments of the present invention provide a balloon catheter type NTIRE device for treating a target lesion comprising a plurality of electrodes positioned along the balloon that are electrically independent from each other so as to be individually selectable in order to more precisely treat an asymmetrical lesion in which the lesion extends only partially around the vessel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2023
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2025
    Assignees: Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc., AngioDynamics, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert E. Neal, Paulo A. Garcia, Rafael V. Davalos, Peter Callas
  • Patent number: 12223443
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for training and deploying machine-learning estimation networks in a communications system. One of the methods includes: processing first information with ground truth information to generate a first RF signal by altering the first information by channel impairment having at least one channel effect, using a receiver to process the first RF signal to generate second information, training a machine-learning estimation network based on a network architecture, the second information, and the ground truth information, receiving by the receiver a second RF signal transmitted through a communication channel including the at least one channel effect, inferring by the trained estimation network the receiver to estimate an offset of the second RF signal caused by the at least one channel effect, and correcting the offset of the RF signal with the estimated offset to obtain a recovered RF signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2023
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2025
    Assignee: Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.
    Inventors: Timothy James O'Shea, Kiran Karra, T. Charles Clancy
  • Patent number: 12220860
    Abstract: Photocurable colloid binders are provided that overcome deficiencies associated with 3D printing of high molecular weight polymers via VAT photopolymerization. Methods of additive manufacturing are also provided using the binders. The approaches described herein effectively decouple the viscosity-molecular weight relationship by synthesizing and processing photo-reactive aqueous colloids that are sequestered within a photocrosslinkable scaffold. Sequestering polymers within discrete internal phases prevents inter-particle entanglement of the polymer chains, thus ensuring low viscosity. VP of polymer colloids results in a solid green body embedded with high molecular weight polymer particles. A post-processing heated drying step allows the polymers to coalesce and further entangle, forming a semi-interpenetrating network with mechanical performance of the high molecular weight material. The resins can further include inorganic particles such as silica and other ceramics, metal particles, and the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2025
    Assignee: Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.
    Inventors: Timothy E. Long, Viswanath Meenakshisundaram, Philip J. Scott, Christopher B. Williams
  • Patent number: 12214189
    Abstract: Electroporation-based therapies (EBTs) employ high voltage pulsed electric fields (PEFs) to permeabilize tumor tissue, resulting in changes in passive electrical properties detectable using electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Currently, commercial potentiostats for EIS are limited by impedance spectrum acquisition time (˜10 s); this timeframe is much larger than pulse periods used with EBTs (˜1 s). Fourier Analysis SpecTroscopy (FAST) is introduced as a methodology for monitoring tissue inter-burst impedance (diagnostic FAST) and intra-burst impedance (therapeutic FAST) during EBTs. FAST is a rapid-capture (<<1 s) technique which enables monitoring of inter-burst and intra-burst impedance during EBTs in real-time. FAST identified a frequency which delineates thermal effects from electroporation effects in measured impedance. Significance: FAST demonstrates the potential to perform EIS, in addition to intra-burst impedance spectroscopy, using existing pulse generator topologies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2025
    Assignees: Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc., Angio Dynamics, Inc.
    Inventors: Melvin F. Lorenzo, Christopher B. Arena, Suyashree Bhonsle, Natalie White, Lucy Epshteyn, Rafael V. Davalos
  • Patent number: 12212247
    Abstract: Three-phase interleaved resonant converters with integrated magnetics are described. In various examples, transformers are integrated into a transformer core of a converter. A primary side circuit includes a set of circuit segments corresponding to phases of the three-phase interleaved converter. Each of the circuit segments include an integrated winding component that provides a transformer primary winding and a resonant inductor connected in series.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2025
    Assignee: VIRGINIA TECH INTELLECTUAL PROPERTIES, INC.
    Inventors: Rimon Gadelrab, Fred C. Lee
  • Patent number: 12197877
    Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments for a visual language processing modeling framework via an attention-on-attention mechanism, which may be employed for object identification, classification, and the like. In association with a display of a user interface, an eye tracking via images captured by an imaging device is performed to programmatically detect eye movement and fixation relative to sub-regions of the user interface. Eye fixations on at least one of the sub-regions from the eye tracking. Visual cues are extracted from the user interface based at least in part on the eye fixations, the visual cues being in a sequence of identification. A visual language sentence is generated based at least in part on the visual cues as extracted. The visual language sentence of the visual cues in the sequence of identification is correlated to at least one decision using a visual language understanding routine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2025
    Assignee: VIRGINIA TECH INTELLECTUAL PROPERTIES, INC.
    Inventors: Ran Jin, Xiaoyu Chen
  • Patent number: 12180523
    Abstract: Described herein are engineered polynucleotides and vectors capable of encoding one or more engineered southern green stink bug pheromone synthesis enzymes. Also described herein are engineered southern green stink bug pheromone synthesis enzymes. Also described herein are methods of making modified plants capable of expressing one or more southern green stink bug pheromone synthesis enzymes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2024
    Assignee: Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.
    Inventors: Dorothea Tholl, Jason Lancaster
  • Patent number: 12176171
    Abstract: Gate control of power semiconductor devices using reduced gate drivers is disclosed. A circuit breaker may include a multitude of transistors, such as insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs), connected in series with one another. Each transistor may be connected to a respective gate resistor. Diodes may be connected between various gate resistors. One or more resistor-capacitor (RC) snubber circuits may be provided in parallel with one or more of the transistors. Likewise, one or more metal-oxide varistors (MOVs) may be connected in parallel to one or more of the transistors. A gate driver (e.g., a single gate drive) may be connected to the one or more diodes and an emitter of at least one of transistors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2024
    Assignee: VIRGINIA TECH INTELLECTUAL PROPERTIES, INC.
    Inventors: Jian Liu, Lakshmi Ravi, Dong Dong, Rolando Burgos, Steven Schmalz
  • Patent number: 12176442
    Abstract: A diode includes a semiconductor region having at least one two-dimensional carrier channel of a first conductivity type, the first conductivity type being one of a n-type and a p-type conductivity, the at least one two-dimensional channel having a net charge; a material of a second conductivity type, the second conductivity type being the other of the n-type and the p-type conductivity, disposed on the semiconductor region, the material of the second conductivity type having a net-charge in a depletion region that is substantially equal to the net-charge of the at least one two-dimensional channel in the semiconductor region when the diode is under reverse bias; an anode material in contact with at least a portion of the at least one two-dimensional channel and at least a portion of the material of the second conductivity type; and a cathode material in contact with the at least one two-dimensional carrier channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2024
    Assignee: Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.
    Inventors: Yuhao Zhang, Ming Xiao
  • Patent number: 12173280
    Abstract: The present invention provides systems, methods, and devices for electroporation-based therapies (EBTs). Embodiments provide patient-specific treatment protocols derived by the numerical modeling of 3D reconstructions of target tissue from images taken of the tissue, and optionally accounting for one or more of physical constraints or dynamic tissue properties. The present invention further relates to systems, methods, and devices for delivering bipolar electric pulses for irreversible electroporation exhibiting reduced or no damage to tissue typically associated with an EBT-induced excessive charge delivered to the tissue.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2023
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2024
    Assignee: Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert E. Neal, II, Paulo A. Garcia, Rafael V. Davalos, John H. Rossmeisl, John L. Robertson
  • Patent number: 12168968
    Abstract: Various examples of simultaneous ocean wave and current energy harvesting are described, using a hybrid ocean energy converter and a mechanical transfer system therefor. In one example, a hybrid ocean energy converter includes a two-body point absorber comprising a first body and a second body. The two-body point absorber can be configured to transfer a linear relative motion between the first body and the second body to bi-directional rotation of a first input shaft. A turbine can be configured rotate a second input shaft. The converter further includes a hybrid power takeoff including a mechanical transfer system configured to mechanically couple the first input shaft, the second input shaft, an output shaft, and an output shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2024
    Assignee: Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.
    Inventors: Lei Zuo, Robert Parker, Xiaofan Li
  • Patent number: 12162962
    Abstract: A method for the synthesis of alkyl ?-carboxy(hydroxyethyl) polysaccharides is described. The method includes methylating or ethylating a polysaccharide or providing a methylated or ethylated polysaccharide, hydroxyethylating the methylated or ethylated polysaccharide, and oxidizing the hydroxyethylated polysaccharide to form the ?-carboxy(hydroxyethyl) polysaccharide. A method for the synthesis of oxidized polysaccharides is also described. The method includes hydroxypropylating a polysaccharide and oxidizing the hydroxypropylated polysaccharides. A method for the production of a solid capable of forming a hydrogel is also described. The method includes combining a first solution comprising an oxidized oligo(hydroxypropyl) polysaccharide bearing one or more ketone groups with a second solution comprising an amine substituted polysaccharide to form a third solution, and removing solvent from the third solution to form the solid, or adding an additional solvent to the third solution to precipitate the solid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2024
    Assignees: Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc., Purdue Research Foundation
    Inventors: Kevin J. Edgar, Brittany L. B. Nichols, Junyi Chen, Charles Frazier, Lynne S. Taylor, Laura I. Mosquera-Giraldo, Ann Norris
  • Patent number: 12140548
    Abstract: Methods are provided for making a membrane or textile having a mechanically robust surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrate by in a first step adhesively bonding a micropatch array to a substrate, the micropatch array having a plurality of micron-scale pillars, each of the micron-scale pillars in the plurality of micron-scale pillars containing a plurality of plasmonic nanoparticles dispersed within a polymer matrix; and in a subsequent step etching a portion of the polymer matrix to expose at least a portion of the plasmonic nanoparticles at or near a surface of the micron-scale pillars. Membranes and textiles containing the mechanically robust surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrates are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2024
    Assignee: Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.
    Inventors: Aditya Garg, Wei Zhou