Patents Examined by F. L. Evans
  • Patent number: 7826052
    Abstract: A method to correct measurement error in a resonance energy-transfer assay, including exciting anti-Stokes photoluminescent donors with at least one wavelength of light which is greater than an emission wavelength of acceptor molecules; measuring emission at the acceptor's emission wavelength and which differs from the donor's emission wavelength in at least two different time windows; a first time window within the time window defined by the excitation light pulse and a second non-overlapping time window which follows the first time window; and correcting the emission signal, which includes signals originating from non-radiative and radiative energy transfer, within the first time window by estimating the ratio of the signals from non-radiative and radiative energy transfer or the signal originating from radiative energy transfer using at least one emission signal measured in the second time window.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2010
    Assignee: Hidex Oy
    Inventors: Ville Haaslahti, Juhani Aalto, Timo Oikari, Tero Soukka
  • Patent number: 7826042
    Abstract: A detection device comprising a substrate comprising a plurality of objects of which properties are changed due to the contact with a target substance, means for bringing the target substance into contact with the objects, and means for detecting a change in properties of the objects caused when the target substance is brought into contact with the objects, based on light output when the objects are irradiated with light, wherein the plurality of the objects are located in the direction in which the light for irradiation travels, and the detecting means is means for detecting the change in the properties based on the summation of light output from the plurality of the objects upon irradiation with light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2010
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Junta Yamamichi, Miki Ogawa, Yoichiro Handa, Takeshi Imamura, Norihhiko Utsunomiya, Satoru Nishiuma
  • Patent number: 7826053
    Abstract: An exemplary embodiment includes an apparatus having an energy source for selectively directing a first energy toward a first material. The at least a portion of the first energy excites a preselected second material to an excited state where at least two photons of the first energy are absorbed by the molecule of the second material causing the molecule to emit a second energy at about a predetermined wavelength. The apparatus also includes a control system for directing the first energy toward the first material. The apparatus also includes a detector for detecting at least a portion of the emitted second energy when the detector is more than about 40 meters from the molecule.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2010
    Assignee: The Regents of the University of Michigan
    Inventors: Theodore Goodson, III, Oleg Varnavski
  • Patent number: 7812954
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes a unit configured to acquire spectral data of ambient light to be estimated, a unit configured to receive spectral data and ambient light type information of a plurality of reference ambient light conditions, a comparison unit configured to compare the spectral data of the ambient light to be estimated with the spectral data of the plurality of reference ambient light conditions, and an estimation unit configured to estimate an ambient light type of the spectral data of the ambient light to be estimated from the ambient light type information of the reference ambient light based on a result of comparison provided by the comparison unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2010
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hisato Sekine, Takahiro Suzuki, Yukinobu Akado
  • Patent number: 7812951
    Abstract: Embodiments include an apparatus including a color sensor including a transmitter portion and a receiver portion, the transmitter portion including a light source operable to generate and transmit a light having a particular range of wavelengths, the receiver portion including a first detector operable to receive a first portion of the light emitted from the transmitter portion and to measure a luminance of the received first portion of the emitted light, and a second detector including a polarization filter, the second detector operable to receive a second portion of the light emitted from the transmitter after the second portion has passed through the polarization filter, and operable to measure a pure color of the received second portion of transmitted light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2010
    Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Francis Lawrence Leard, Nelson D. Sheppard, Patrick J. Delaney, III, Shaun Paul Hentchel
  • Patent number: 7808633
    Abstract: A system and method to predict the progression of disease of a test sample. A group of known biological samples is provided. Each known biological sample has an associated known outcome including a non-diseased sample or a diseased sample. A Raman data set is obtained for each known biological sample. Each Raman data set is analyzed to identify a diseased or non-diseased reference Raman data set depending on whether respective biological sample is the non-diseased sample or the diseased sample. A first database is generated where the first database contains reference Raman data sets for all diseased samples. A second database is generated where the second database contains reference Raman data sets for all non-diseased samples. A test Raman data set of a test biological sample is received, where the test biological sample has an unknown disease status. A diagnostic is provided as to whether the test sample is a non-diseased sample or a diseased sample.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2010
    Assignee: ChemImage Corporation
    Inventors: John Maier, Jeffrey Cohen, Janice L. Panza, Amy J. Drauch
  • Patent number: 7804588
    Abstract: A measuring device for optical and spectroscopic examination of a sample includes a housing, a first light source, a window, an optical spectrometer with a dispersive element and a number of detector elements and which can record light from the first light source which is indirectly reflected by the sample and reenters the housing through the window, an electronic camera whose incidence opening is directed onto the sample, through the window, and an electronic evaluation device which is connected to an image sensor of the camera and to the detector elements. The camera may be assigned a second light source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2010
    Assignee: Deere & Company
    Inventors: Georg Kormann, Rico Priesnitz, Nico Correns, Michael Rode
  • Patent number: 7800742
    Abstract: The present invention is to present a cell analyzer capable of measuring cells which are approximately 20 to 100 ?m in size with high precision via flow cytometry. The cell analyzer 10 comprises: a flow cell 51 in which a measurement sample including a measurement target cell flows; a light source part 53 for irradiating a light on the measurement sample flowing in the flow cell 51; an optical system 52 for forming a beam spot on the measurement sample flowing in the flow cell 51, the beam spot having a diameter of 3˜8 ?m in a flow direction of the measurement sample and a diameter of 300˜600 ?m in a direction perpendicular to the flow direction of the measurement sample; and a light receiving part 55, 58, 59 for receiving a light from the measurement sample.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2010
    Assignee: Sysmex Corporation
    Inventors: Masakazu Fukuda, Masaki Ishisaka
  • Patent number: 7800741
    Abstract: An apparatus for determining location of at least one inclusion in a gemstone having a first refractive index, comprising: a container adapted for containing a material having a second refractive index, a holder operative to support a gemstone in the material when the container contains the material; an illuminator positioned and adapted to illuminate said gemstone when disposed within said material in said container, with illumination at which said gemstone and said material have their respective first and second indices; a detector that detects illumination from the illuminated gemstone and said material and produces signals responsive thereto; a controller that receives the signals and is operative to determine a location of an inclusion in the gemstone based on the signals; and a system, operative to reduce the presence within said material, at least when the gemstone is disposed therein, of any substance other than inclusions, having a third refractive index.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2010
    Assignee: Galatea Ltd.
    Inventors: Haim Shlezinger, Ran Ziskind, Gabi Horowitz, Michael Eroshov, Adam Devir, Dan Sheffer
  • Patent number: 7791722
    Abstract: A spectrophotometer is provided capable of reducing the influence of the vibration as much as possible when a wavelength dispersion element is rotationally driven and capable of increasing the analysis accuracy. When a fluorescence signal is obtained from the fluorescence detector, the central control unit A/D converts the fluorescence signal at sampling intervals of T1 for vibration convergence determination, and provides the result data to the data processor (S1). At the timing of performing the vibration convergence determination (S2), the data processor performs a predetermined signal processing to the digital signals obtained (S3), and determines whether all the data that have been obtained within a given period of time from the latest data are equal to or smaller than a specified value (S4). If all the data are equal to or smaller than the specified value, it is determined that the diffraction grating's vibration is converged, and the vibration convergence determination operation is terminated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2010
    Assignee: Shimadzu Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Minato
  • Patent number: 7787120
    Abstract: Detection sensitivity is improved by increasing the amount of light of beams that irradiate a sample cell without causing saturation of a detector with ultraviolet beams or visible beams. This spectrophotometer includes a sample cell, which stores a sample to be measured, a visible light source and an ultraviolet light source each for supplying an incident beam that enters the sample, a spectroscope, which disperses a beam that has passed through the sample, an optical detector, which detects beams dispersed from such beam (spectrum), and a dichroic element which reflects or transmits ultraviolet beams from the ultraviolet light source and which transmits or reflects visible beams from the visible light source. Optics are configured such that ultraviolet beams and visible beams that have passed through or have been reflected by the dichroic element enter the sample cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2010
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Motohiro Yamazaki, Ryoji Inaba, Kosaku Toyosaki, Shintaro Kubo, Takashi Gomi, Katsunobu Hama, Kiyotoshi Mori, Hideyuki Akiyama
  • Patent number: 7787111
    Abstract: A hyperspectral reflectance and fluorescence line-scan imaging system is used for on-line quality and safety inspection of agricultural commodities. The system simultaneously acquires hyperspectral/multispectral combinations of both fluorescence and reflectance images of the agricultural commodities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2010
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of Agriculture
    Inventors: Moon S. Kim, Yud Ren Chen, Kuanglin Chao, Alan M. Lefcourt
  • Patent number: 7787123
    Abstract: A method of calibrating an absorption spectroscopy measurement wherein the calibration method includes projecting laser light through a sample of a first quantity of a gas of interest and a second irrelevant quantity of a spectroscopically identical or similar gas (10). The first and second spectroscopic absorptions of the laser light are measured over specific first and second absorption lines. A functional relationship is determined between the first and second measured spectroscopic absorptions and two unknown variables. The function relationships may then be simultaneously solved to determine one or both unknown variables and thereby obtain a measurement relating to the first quantity of the gas of interest, calibrated for the second irrelevant quantity of gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2010
    Assignee: Zolo Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: James Howell
  • Patent number: 7787117
    Abstract: In apparatus for performing Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS), rather than applying a sample to be analyzed to an SERS active substrate, the SERS active substrate is applied to the sample using an inkjet nozzle to apply a substance containing a colloidal metal, such as silver, to the sample. The prepared sample is then analyzed with a Raman spectrometer in a conventional fashion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2010
    Assignee: Bruker Optics, Inc.
    Inventors: Marco Leona, Thomas J. Tague, Jr.
  • Patent number: 7782455
    Abstract: The invention concerns a spectrograph with a tilted detector window comprising a light source (1), an entrance slit (3), a grating (4), a detector (5) comprising a window through which the light beam diffracted by the grating (4) is transmitted, a part of the diffracted light beam generating reflections on the window or between the window and sensitive surface of the detector (5) and at least a means for inclining able to avoid interference spectra. According to the invention, the at least a means for inclining able to avoid interference spectra comprises the detector window (6, 11) which is an inclined detector window (11).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2010
    Assignee: Horiba Jobin-Yvon S.A.S.
    Inventors: Alain Thevenon, Viviane Millet, Pierre-André Corde
  • Patent number: 7782448
    Abstract: A method of analyzing an effect of a first substance on the behavior of a second substance comprises exposing a test material to the first substance, performing a first surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy analysis of the test material while it is exposed to the first substance, exposing the test material to the first substance and to the second substance, and performing a second surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy analysis of the test material while it is exposed to the first substance and to the second substance. Results of the first and second analyses are compared to identify a change in the behavior of the first substance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2010
    Assignee: ConocoPhillips Company
    Inventors: Maziar Sardashti, Frank J. McEnroe, David J. Blumer
  • Patent number: 7777878
    Abstract: Application of digital light processor (DLP) systems in monochromator, spectrophotometer or the like systems to mediate selection of individual wavelengths, and/or to image elected regions of a sample in an imaging ellipsometer, imaging polarimeter, imaging reflectometer, imaging spectrophotometer, and/or to provide chopped beams.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2010
    Assignee: J.A. Woollam Co., Inc.
    Inventor: Martin M. Liphardt
  • Patent number: 7773224
    Abstract: A system (200) and method (800) for determining whether a sample object (203) has a color that is within a predetermined range is provided. The system (200) includes a light source (201) capable of projecting lights having different light wavelength spectrum upon the sample object (203). A controller (222) causes the light source (201) to project a first light wavelength spectrum upon the sample object (203), then another, then another, and so forth. While each light is projecting upon the object, a monochromatic image capture device (202) captures an image having luminous intensity information. The luminous intensity information, or a subset thereof selected by an image selection tool (232) is then compared to the statistical range, which is derived from a plurality of images taken of a reference object (403).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2010
    Assignee: Motorola, Inc.
    Inventors: Fan He, Shumin Cheng, Michael Frenzer, Bin Jiang, Vahid Goudarzi
  • Patent number: 7773223
    Abstract: An image scanning apparatus has an organic CMOS image sensor mounted in a base, and a photoreceptive surface of the image sensor is exposed on a top side of the base. A subject is placed directly on the photoreceptive surface, and the subject and the photoreceptive surface are covered up with a cover light-tightly. Thus the image sensor detects only chemiluminescent light from the subject. As for a fluorochrome-labeled subject, the subject placed directly on the photoreceptive surface is irradiated with excitation light from a light source mounted in the cover. The image sensor is provided with a filter for blocking the excitation light from its photoelectric conversion layers, so the image sensor detects only fluorescent rays generated from the excited fluorochrome-labeled subject. The image scanning apparatus needs no redundant space in perpendicular direction to the photoreceptive surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2010
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Seishi Ikami
  • Patent number: 7773222
    Abstract: A system and method for full width scanning color analysis of a printed media sheet are disclosed. The full width array spectrophotometer system includes one or more substantially linear elongated illumination arrays of closely spaced multiple illumination sources. The sources include sets of illumination sources, including a first set of different color illumination sources and a second set including one or more UV-emitting illumination sources. The sets are arranged to span a printer paper path or other object path to illuminate a band extending transversely across a printed print media sheet or other object moving in the path. A full width array light imaging sensor includes an elongated array of multiple closely spaced photodetectors for detecting plural colors and is positioned adjacent to and extending substantially parallel to the linear array(s) to receive radiation reflected from the transverse illuminated band.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2010
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: Lalit Keshav Mestha