Patents Assigned to Virginia Tech
  • Patent number: 10470822
    Abstract: The invention provides for a system for estimating a 3-dimensional treatment volume for a device that applies treatment energy through a plurality of electrodes defining a treatment area, the system comprising a memory, a display device, a processor coupled to the memory and the display device, and a treatment planning module stored in the memory and executable by the processor. In one embodiment, the treatment planning module is adapted to generate an estimated first 3-dimensional treatment volume for display in the display device based on the ratio of a maximum conductivity of the treatment area to a baseline conductivity of the treatment area. The invention also provides for a method for estimating 3-dimensional treatment volume, the steps of which are executable through the processor. In embodiments, the system and method are based on a numerical model which may be implemented in computer readable code which is executable through a processor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2019
    Assignee: Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.
    Inventors: Paulo A. Garcia, Rafael V. Davalos
  • Patent number: 10457883
    Abstract: A process for cleaning and dewatering hydrophobic particulate materials is presented. The process is performed in in two steps: 1) agglomeration of the hydrophobic particles in a first hydrophobic liquid/aqueous mixture; followed by 2) dispersion of the agglomerates in a second hydrophobic liquid to release the water trapped within the agglomerates along with the entrained hydrophilic particles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2019
    Assignee: Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.
    Inventor: Roe-Hoan Yoon
  • Publication number: 20190324206
    Abstract: An article comprising one or more layers of plasmonic nanoparticles located between opposing layers of dielectric materials.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2018
    Publication date: October 24, 2019
    Applicant: Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.
    Inventors: Guoliang Liu, Assad U. Khan
  • Patent number: 10452493
    Abstract: Aspects disclosed in the detailed description include a microprocessor fault detection and response system. The microprocessor fault detection and response system utilizes a hardware-based fault-attack aware microprocessor extension (FAME) and a software-based trap handler for detecting and responding to a fault injection on a microprocessor. Upon detecting the fault injection, the hardware FAME switches the microprocessor from a normal mode to a safe mode and instructs the microprocessor to invoke the software-based trap handler in the safe mode. The hardware-based FAME provides fault recovery information to the software-based trap handler via a fault recovery register (FRR) for restoring the microprocessor to a fault-free state. By utilizing a combination of the hardware-based FAME and the software-based trap handler, it is possible to effectively protect the microprocessor from malicious fault attacks without significantly increasing performance and area overheads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2019
    Assignee: Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.
    Inventors: Bilgiday Yuce, Nahid Farhady Ghalaty, Patrick R. Schaumont
  • Patent number: 10448989
    Abstract: The present invention relates to the field of biomedical engineering and medical treatment of diseases and disorders. Methods, devices, and systems for in vivo treatment of cell proliferative disorders are provided. In embodiments, the methods comprise the delivery of high-frequency bursts of bipolar pulses to achieve the desired modality of cell death. More specifically, embodiments of the invention relate to a device and method for destroying aberrant cells, including tumor tissues, using high-frequency, bipolar electrical pulses having a burst width on the order of microseconds and duration of single polarity on the microsecond to nanosecond scale. In embodiments, the methods rely on conventional electroporation with adjuvant drugs or irreversible electroporation to cause cell death in treated tumors. The invention can be used to treat solid tumors, such as brain tumors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2019
    Assignee: Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher B. Arena, Rafael V. Davalos, Michael B. Sano
  • Patent number: 10429526
    Abstract: A radiation detector and detection method comprising one or more antineutrino capture sections having a plurality of cells. The cells including hydrogen, act as scintillators and contain a wavelength shifter. Also included are a plurality of neutron capture layers containing a neutron capture agent. The cells are disposed between said neutron capture layers. The layers act as scintillators to convert the radiation emission of a neutron capture to light for transmission to at least one of the cells and the cells and layers have different scintillation time constants.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2019
    Assignee: Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.
    Inventors: Patrick Huber, Jonathan M. Link, Mariani Camillo
  • Patent number: 10423207
    Abstract: Procedures are described for enhancing target system execution integrity determined by power fingerprinting (PFP): by integrating PFP into the detection phase of comprehensive defense-in-depth security; by deploying a network of PFP enabled nodes executing untrusted devices with predefined inputs forcing a specific state sequence and specific software execution; by embedding module identification information into synchronization signaling; by combining signals from different board elements; by using malware signatures to enhance PFP performance; by automatic characterization and signature extraction; by providing secure signature updates; by protecting against side-channel attacks; performing real-time integrity assessment in embedded platform by monitoring their dynamic power consumption and comparing it against signatures from trusted code, including pre-characterizing power consumption of the platform by concentrating on trace sections carrying the most information about the internal execution status; by u
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2019
    Assignee: Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey H. Reed, Carlos R. Aguayo Gonzalez
  • Publication number: 20190282294
    Abstract: Described herein are methods of performing immunotherapy on a subject and/or determining if a subject will be responsive to ablation immunotherapy.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2019
    Publication date: September 19, 2019
    Applicant: VIRGINIA TECH INTELLECTUAL PROPERTIES, INC.
    Inventors: RAFAEL V. DAVALOS, NATALIE BEITEL WHITE, NIKOLAOS DERVISIS, IRVING COY ALLEN
  • Patent number: 10407681
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides compositions and methods utilizing double strand ribonucleic acid (dsRNA) to control parasitic nematodes, including Pratylenchus penetrans. More particularly, the present invention relates to several specific synthetic dsRNAs that induce RNA interference (RNAi) in the target nematodes and methods of delivering the dsRNAs to them, such as allowing feeding on plants containing the dsRNAs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2019
    Assignees: The United States of America, as represented by The Secretary of Agriculture, Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.
    Inventors: Kathryn K. Kamo, Paulo C. R. Vieira, Jonathan D. Eisenback
  • Patent number: 10406219
    Abstract: Provided herein is a multivalent Brucella vaccine expressing at least one heterologous M. tuberculosis antigen. The vaccines described herein serve as an environmentally safe bivalent vaccine for protection against Brucella and Mycobacterium infections simultaneously. In particular, a multivalent vaccine comprising a Brucella strain transformed with a vector that expresses at least one M. tuberculosis antigen, where the M. tuberculosis antigen(s) is codon optimized for the Brucella strain is provided. In some aspects, the Brucella strain is B. abortus strain RB51 leuB and the M. tuberculosis antigen is one or more of Ag85B, Rv2660c, and ESAT6.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2019
    Assignee: Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.
    Inventors: Sriranganathan Nammalwar, Hamzeh Al Qublan, Garrett Smith, Stephen Boyle, Gerhardt Schurig
  • Patent number: 10400019
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to keratin nanomaterials, methods for obtaining keratin nanomaterials, and biomaterials made from keratin nanomaterials. In particular, keratin nanomaterials comprising Type I and Type II monomer pairs are disclosed as well as a method for obtaining keratin nanomaterials comprising obtaining a solution of keratin and processing the solution by ultrafiltration with buffer solution containing phosphate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Van Dyke, Maria Rahmany
  • Patent number: 10404064
    Abstract: Aspects of capacitor voltage ripple reduction in modular multilevel converters are described herein. In one embodiment, a power converter system includes a modular multilevel converter (MMC) electrically coupled and configured to convert power between two different power systems. The MMC includes one or more phase legs having a cascade arrangement of switching submodules, where the switching submodules include an arrangement of switching power transistors and capacitors. The MMC further includes a control loop including a differential mode control loop and a common mode control loop. The differential control loop is configured to generate a differential control signal based on a target modulation index to reduce fundamental components of voltage ripple on the capacitors, and the common mode control loop is configured to inject 2nd order harmonic current into a common mode control signal to reduce 2nd order harmonic components of the voltage ripple on the capacitors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.
    Inventors: Yadong Lyu, Yi-Hsun Hsieh, Fred C. Lee, Qiang Li
  • Patent number: 10396684
    Abstract: Output current ripple is reduced in a three-level DC-DC power converter by connecting a plurality of phase legs in parallel between a source of input power and an output of the power converter and conducting power from the source of input power to the power converter output in an interleaved manner. The large current that results from such interleaved operation is reduced to acceptable levels, potentially less than the output current ripple of the power converter by providing inversely coupled inductors having a mutual inductance preferably greater than the inductor of the power converter in respective phase legs and in series in the circulating current path to avoid any need to increase the power converter inductance due to the circulating current. The inductor and inversely coupled inductors are preferably integrated into a single magnetic element of compact design.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc
    Inventors: Mingkai Mu, Sizhao Lu, Yang Jiao, Fred C. Lee
  • Patent number: 10396919
    Abstract: One or more processors control processing of radio frequency (RF) signals using a machine-learning network. The one or more processors receive as input, to a radio communications apparatus, a first representation of an RF signal, which is processed using one or more radio stages, providing a second representation of the RF signal as. Observations about, and metrics of, the second representation of the RF signal are obtained. Past observations and metrics are accessed from storage. Using the observations, metrics and past observations and metrics, parameters of a machine-learning network, which implements policies to process RF signals, are adjusted by controlling the radio stages. In response to the adjustments, actions performed by one or more controllers of the radio stages are updated. A representation of a subsequent input RF signal is processed using the radio stages that are controlled based on actions including the updated one or more actions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.
    Inventors: Timothy James O'Shea, Thomas Charles Clancy, III
  • Patent number: 10381921
    Abstract: Critical-mode soft-switching techniques for a power converter are described. In one example, a power converter includes a bidirectional converter electrically coupled between an alternating current (AC) power system and a direct current (DC) power system, where the bidirectional converter includes a number of phase legs. The power converter can also include a control system configured, during a portion of a line cycle of the AC power system, to clamp a first phase leg of the converter from switching and operate second and third phase legs of the converter independently in either critical conduction mode (CRM) or in discontinuous conduction mode (DCM).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2019
    Assignee: VIRGINIA TECH INTELLECTUAL PROPERTIES, INC.
    Inventors: Nidhi Haryani, Rolando Burgos
  • Publication number: 20190224918
    Abstract: Provided herein are 3D printing systems including, but not limited to, 3D printing systems that can, in some aspects, be configured to print multi-materials and/or 3D structures having micro-scale features. In some aspects, the 3D pinting system can include a jethead, wherein the jethead can include a body portion, one or more printing material dispensers that are each coupled to one or more feedstock material reservoirs and the body portion, and at least one cleaning unit configured to clean a printed object, a printing platform, a component of an x axis cartridge, or any combination thereof. Also provided herein are scanning projection optical micro-sterolithography systems that can be configured to allow for printing micro-scale features in large scale 3D objects.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 13, 2017
    Publication date: July 25, 2019
    Applicant: VIRGINIA TECH INTELLECTUAL PROPERTIES, INC.
    Inventor: XIAOYU ZHENG
  • Patent number: 10333353
    Abstract: In one example, an omnidirectional wireless power transfer system includes high frequency power generator configured to generate a supply of high frequency oscillating power, a number of transmitter-side resonant tank circuits electrically coupled to the high frequency power generator, a receptacle including a number of coils arranged for omnidirectional power transfer to an electronic device placed in the receptacle, and a controller configured to activate individual ones of the transmitter-side resonant tank circuits to wirelessly transmit power to the electronic device through near-field resonant inductive coupling. In one example, the receptacle can be embodied as a bowl, and the controller can activate individual ones of the transmitter-side resonant tank circuits over time to generate an omnidirectional field distribution for wireless power transmission. In other aspects, various transmitter-side and receiver-side tank circuits for coupling independent resonance and ZVS operation are described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2019
    Assignee: Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.
    Inventors: Junjie Feng, Qiang Li, Fred C. Lee, Minfan Fu
  • Patent number: 10326602
    Abstract: Aspects of group signatures with probabilistic revocation are described. In one example employing these aspects, at least one computing device can map an alias token to an alias code comprising a plurality of alias code segments. Each of the alias code segments is based at least in part on a set of orthogonal codes. Also, each of the alias code segments corresponds to a segment of the alias token. A revocation code is based at least in part on a plurality of revoked alias codes. One of the alias code segments and a corresponding segment of the revocation code can be utilized to determine a revocation status of the alias token.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2019
    Assignee: VIRGINIA TECH INTELLECTUAL PROPERTIES, INC.
    Inventors: Jung-Min Park, Vireshwar Kumar
  • Publication number: 20190170887
    Abstract: A radiation detector and detection method comprising one or more antineutrino capture sections having a plurality of cells. The cells including hydrogen, act as scintillators and contain a wavelength shifter. Also included are a plurality of neutron capture layers containing a neutron capture agent. The cells are disposed between said neutron capture layers. The layers act as scintillators to convert the radiation emission of a neutron capture to light for transmission to at least one of the cells and the cells and layers have different scintillation time constants.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 21, 2016
    Publication date: June 6, 2019
    Applicant: Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.
    Inventors: Patrick Huber, Jonathan M. Link, Mariani Camillo
  • Patent number: 10312805
    Abstract: A power converter using constant on-time (COT) or ramp pulse modulation (RPM) control achieves more rapid resumption of steady-state operation after a step-up load transient by extending an on-time of a switching pulse by interrupting a ramp voltage waveform that is compared with a threshold that equals a threshold voltage at the termination of a switching pulse or increasing a voltage with which the ramp voltage is compared. These techniques are applied to both single-phase and multi-phase power converters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2019
    Assignee: VIRGINIA TECH INTELLECTUAL PROPERTIES, INC.
    Inventors: Virginia Li, Pei-Hsin Liu, Qiang Li, Fred C. Lee