Patents Examined by Alex Noguerola
  • Patent number: 8945370
    Abstract: An electrochemical method for capsaicinoid and/or related compound detection in a sample by way of a screen printed electrode having a working electrode, a reference electrode, and a counter electrode. The working electrode can be screen-printed using conductive carbon ink; the reference electrode can be screen printed using conductive carbon ink; and the counter electrode can be screen printed using silver/silver chloride. The method includes contacting the electrode with the sample in the presence of electrolyte solution, and determining whether a change in redox potential occurs by way of differential pulse voltammetry, wherein a modulation amplitude is between approximately 0.1 volt/min and approximately 2.0 volt/min, a step potential is between approximately 0.0005 volt and approximately 0.01 volt, a modulation time is 0.05 seconds, and a corresponding interval time is approximately 0.5 second.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Agricultural Research Development Agency
    Inventors: Werasak Surareungchai, Chatuporn Phanthong
  • Patent number: 8936708
    Abstract: Liquid droplet manipulation instrument has electrode array for inducing movement of a droplet by electrowetting, substrate supporting the array and control with electrode selector connected to a voltage control. The selector selects each electrode and provides each with a controlled voltage. The control includes central processing unit for providing the selected electrode with an individual voltage pulse which is a drive voltage or a ground voltage or a stop voltage. The control defines a path for movement of a liquid portion of a larger volume that covers more than one electrode by the simultaneous selection of a group of two or more subsequent drive electrodes and to provide each selected drive electrode with a drive voltage pulse along the path. The control simultaneously provides a group of two or more electrodes adjacent to or identical with the pulsed drive electrodes, with a ground or stop voltage pulse.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2015
    Assignee: Tecan Trading AG
    Inventors: Marc N. Feiglin, Michael Benjamin Franklin, Timothy Francis Lee, Joseph Mamone
  • Patent number: 8932446
    Abstract: An apparatus for the real-time, in-situ monitoring of actinide-ion concentrations. A working electrolyte is positioned within the interior of a container. The working electrolyte is separated from a reference electrolyte by a separator. A working electrode is at least partially in contact with the working electrolyte. A reference electrode is at least partially in contact with the reference electrolyte. A voltmeter is electrically connected to the working electrode and the reference electrode. The working electrolyte comprises an actinide-ion of interest. The separator is ionically conductive to the actinide-ion of interest. The separator comprises an actinide, Zr, and Nb. Preferably, the actinide of the separator is Am or Np, more preferably Pu. In one embodiment, the actinide of the separator is the actinide of interest. In another embodiment, the separator further comprises P and O.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2015
    Assignee: U.S. Department of Energy
    Inventors: Shelly X Li, Jan-fong Jue, Ronald Scott Herbst, Steven Douglas Herrmann
  • Patent number: 8926810
    Abstract: A reference electrode, especially for a potentiometric measuring cell, comprising: a housing, which surrounds a housing interior, which contains a reference electrolyte and at least a part of a sensing system for sensing a potential of the reference electrode. The reference electrolyte is in contact with a medium surrounding the housing, especially a measured medium, via at least one bore traversing through a housing wall of the housing, and wherein the bore has an inner diameter of no more than 50 ?m at its narrowest point and a length of no more than 200 ?m.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2015
    Assignee: Endress + Hauser Conducta Gesellschaft für Mess—und Regeltechnik mbH + Co. KG
    Inventor: Stefan Wilke
  • Patent number: 8926822
    Abstract: An integrated sensing device is capable of detecting analytes using electrochemical (EC) and electrical (E) signals. The device introduces synergetic new capabilities and enhances the sensitivity and selectivity for real-time detection of an analyte in complex matrices, including the presence of high concentration of interferences in liquids and in gas phases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2015
    Assignee: Arizona Board of Regents for and on behalf of Arizona State University
    Inventors: Nongjian Tao, Erica Forzani
  • Patent number: 8925357
    Abstract: The present invention relates to clothes treating apparatus. The clothes treating apparatus includes a housing having a holding space for holding clothes, an air supply unit for generating dry air and supplying the dry air to the holding space, a moisture supply unit for supplying moisture to the holding space, and a water supply unit for supplying water to the moisture supply unit, and a drain unit for collecting condensed water from the air supply unit, wherein the water supply unit and the drain unit are provided separate from each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2015
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Jung Wook Moon, Dae Yun Park, Sog Kie Hong, Jong Seok Kim, Seung Gyu Ryu, Hye Yong Park, Chang Gyu Choi, Dong Won Kim
  • Patent number: 8920627
    Abstract: An embodiment of the invention generally relates to an FET-based detector for carbon monoxide which is based on two sensitive layers. In at least one embodiment, the first of the sensitive layers is catalytically active and therefore reacts equally to alcohols, in particular ethanol, and carbon monoxide. The second of the sensitive layers is not catalytically active and therefore does not react to carbon monoxide, but only to ethanol. The concentration of carbon monoxide can be deduced from the comparison of the signals of the two layers. The two sensitive layers are implemented via similar metal oxide layers, an additional layer having a catalyst such as palladium being provided for the catalytically active layer. Alternatively, two different layers can be used, one of which is already catalytically active without an additional layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2014
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Maximilian Fleischer, Ulrich Hoefer, Roland Pohle, Stefan Stegmeier
  • Patent number: 8920621
    Abstract: A pump includes a flow passage through which a liquid containing an electrolytic solution is conveyed, a pair of electrodes in the flow passage to apply an electric field along the direction in which the liquid is conveyed, and a conductive member connected to one of the pair of electrodes and in contact with the liquid in the flow passage. The conductive member includes a sidewall portion that locally divides a flow of the liquid in the flow passage. The conductive member connected to one of the pair of electrodes may be a polyhedron or a column that is convex toward the electrode to which the conductive member is not connected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hideyuki Sugioka
  • Patent number: 8916036
    Abstract: An analyte test instrument that has a test strip circuitry that can be configured using information provided by a calibration strip to perform assays with test strips having two electrodes and test strips having three electrodes. The analyte test instrument of this invention comprises: (a) a test port for receiving a test strip; (b) a microprocessor for executing instructions downloaded into the analyte test instrument; (c) a test strip circuit capable of having a plurality of configurations, the configurations being set by the microprocessor, whereby an assay can be performed using the test strip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2014
    Assignee: Abbott Diabetes Care Inc.
    Inventors: Yi Wang, Shridhara Alva Karinka, Gurdial Sanghera
  • Patent number: 8911605
    Abstract: A method of antibiotic susceptibility testing is disclosed, and includes the following steps: (A) providing a sample to be tested wherein the sample contains a microbe; (B) adding an antibiotic into the sample, wherein the antibiotic serves to inhibit cell wall synthesis; (C) checking the sample by dielectrophoresis and observing a shape change of the microbe; and (D) determining whether the microbe is susceptible to the antibiotic according to the shape change thereof. The present invention also discloses a method for determining a minimum inhibitory concentration of the antibiotic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2014
    Assignee: National Cheng Kung University
    Inventors: Cheng-Che Chung, I-Fang Cheng, Wen-Horng Yang, Hsien-Chang Chang
  • Patent number: 8906213
    Abstract: In a NOx sensor control apparatus (1), a NOx sensor includes a heater (164), and an oxygen concentration detection cell (130), a first pumping cell (110) and a second pumping cell (120) which are arranged sequentially in the axis O direction. The NOx sensor control apparatus 1 includes a first impedance detection means (59a, 60) which detects the first impedance of the first cell (oxygen concentration detection cell), a heater control means (60) which performs an energization control of a heater such that the first impedance becomes a target value, a second impedance detection means (59b, 60) which detects the second impedance of the second cell (second pumping cell), and an output correction means (60) which corrects an output of at least the third cell (first pumping cell) based on the deviation between the first impedance and the second impedance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Assignee: NGK Spark Plug Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hisashi Sasaki
  • Patent number: 8906322
    Abstract: The present invention relates to methods and devices for separating particles according to size. More specifically, the present invention relates to a microfluidic method and device for the separation of particles according to size using an array comprising a network of gaps, wherein the field flux from each gap divides unequally into subsequent gaps. In one embodiment, the array comprises an ordered array of obstacles in a microfluidic channel, in which the obstacle array is asymmetric with respect to the direction of an applied field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Assignee: The Trustees of Princeton University
    Inventors: Lotien Richard Huang, James Christopher Sturm, Robert Hamilton Austin
  • Patent number: 8900430
    Abstract: A biosensor includes a working electrode 101, a counter electrode 102 opposing the working electrode 101, a working electrode terminal 103 and a working electrode reference terminal 10 connected to the working electrode 101 by wires, and a counter electrode terminal 104 connected to the counter electrode 102 by a wire. By employing a structure with at least three electrodes, it is possible to assay a target substance without being influenced by the line resistance on the working electrode side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2014
    Assignee: Panasonic Healthcare Holdings Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Hiroya Ueno, Junji Nakatsuka
  • Patent number: 8900433
    Abstract: A low-slope pH electrode (100) is provided according to an embodiment of the invention. The low-slope pH electrode (100) includes an electrode body (102), a pH-sensitive glass (122) fused into the electrode body (102), with the pH-sensitive glass (122) including a predetermined area, and a mask (124) formed over a predetermined portion of the predetermined area of the pH-sensitive glass (122) in order to form a low-slope pH characteristic. At least a portion of an ion exchange performed by the pH-sensitive glass (122) is blocked by the mask (124).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2014
    Assignee: Hach Company
    Inventors: Frank Howland Carpenter, John Robert Woodward, Karl Lewis King
  • Patent number: 8888972
    Abstract: The present invention provides there is provided an electrochemical biosensor electrode structure that includes: a working electrode and a reference electrode used as electrodes for sample measurement being arranged separately from each other in lengthwise direction of a sample insertion path, the working electrode and the reference electrode each having at least one projection and at least one recess alternately arranged on a portion thereof corresponding to the sample insertion path, the projection of the working electrode being correspondingly adjacent to the recess of the reference electrode, the recess of the working electrode being correspondingly adjacent to the projection of the reference electrode; and at least two sample recognition electrodes used as electrodes for sample recognition being separated from each other and arranged adjacent and parallel to the working electrode and the reference electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2014
    Assignee: Center for Integrated Smart Sensors Foundation
    Inventors: Young Tae Lee, Seungro Lee
  • Patent number: 8888974
    Abstract: A biosensor includes a working electrode 101, a counter electrode 102 opposing the working electrode 101, a working electrode terminal 103 and a working electrode reference terminal 10 connected to the working electrode 101 by wires, and a counter electrode terminal 104 connected to the counter electrode 102 by a wire. By employing a structure with at least three electrodes, it is possible to assay a target substance without being influenced by the line resistance on the working electrode side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2014
    Assignee: Panasonic Healthcare Holdings, Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Hiroya Ueno, Junji Nakatsuka
  • Patent number: 8888975
    Abstract: A biosensor includes a working electrode 101, a counter electrode 102 opposing the working electrode 101, a working electrode terminal 103 and a working electrode reference terminal 10 connected to the working electrode 101 by wires, and a counter electrode terminal 104 connected to the counter electrode 102 by a wire. By employing a structure with at least three electrodes, it is possible to assay a target substance without being influenced by the line resistance on the working electrode side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2014
    Assignee: Panasonic Healthcare Holdings Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroya Ueno, Junji Nakatsuka
  • Patent number: 8888976
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a corrosion resistance evaluator suitable for corrosion testing coated metals substrates, such as autobodies. A corrosion resistance evaluator provided with a chamber containing electrolyte to which anode and cathode coated with protective coating being tested are exposed. These coatings are provided with predetermined and standardized defects, such as micro-holes to accelerate the corrosion of the underlying metal substrate in a predictable and repeatable manner. The coated cathode/anode pair is subject to a start-up period followed by series preset DC voltages for preset durations that are interspaced with recovery periods. The impedance date collected is then used to arrive at the corrosion performance resistance of the coating applied over the cathode/anode pair. The foregoing evaluator substantially reduces the time required to test corrosion from several days (40 plus days) to few days (about two days).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2014
    Assignee: Axalta Coating Systems IP Co., LLC
    Inventors: Shi Hua Zhang, Lorenzo Fred Pelosi, Robert C. Nahas
  • Patent number: 8888989
    Abstract: Method and apparatus to measure electrolytes. The apparatus has a measuring portion for measuring electromotive forces generated by a reference fluid and the sample fluid, respectively, by the use of an electrode portion. A dilution vessel for preparing the sample solution by diluting a sample fluid with a diluting fluid. A control portion for providing control such that the reference fluid and the sample solution are alternately supplied to the electrode portion from the dilution vessel and that a given amount of the diluting fluid is supplied to and wasted from the dilution vessel prior to the preparation of the sample solution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2014
    Assignee: JEOL Ltd.
    Inventor: Atsuro Tonomura
  • Patent number: 8882982
    Abstract: A biological sample processing system comprises a container for large volume processing, a flat polymer film having a lower surface and a hydrophobic upper surface, which is kept at a distance d to the base side of the container by the protrusions. The distance d defines at least one gap when the container is positioned on the film. A liquid droplet manipulation instrument comprises at least one electrode array for inducing liquid droplet movements; a substrate supporting the at least one electrode array; and a control unit is characterized in that the container and the film are reversibly attached to the liquid droplet manipulation instrument.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2014
    Assignee: Tecan Trading AG
    Inventor: Marc N. Feiglin