Patents Examined by Jason McCormack
  • Patent number: 9922794
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a rotating anode X-ray tube includes a fixed shaft, a rotor, a lubricant, target, and a supporting member. The fixed shaft includes a small-diameter portion provided with a first radial bearing surface including first grooved surfaces, and a large-diameter portion provided with a second radial bearing surface including second grooved surfaces. The rotor includes a third radial bearing surface. The lubricant is filled in a gap between the fixed shaft and the rotor, and drawn by the first and second grooved surfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Assignee: Toshiba Electron Tubes & Devices Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masataka Ueki, Yasutaka Ito
  • Patent number: 9918693
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an X-ray CT apparatus includes a rotating body configured to house an X-ray tube which irradiates X-rays on an object; at least one weight configured to be housed in the rotating body and to adjust balance of the rotating body; a sensor configured to detect fluctuation amount in a front-back direction approximately orthogonal to a rotating surface of the rotating body; processing circuitry configured to determine moving amount of the weight based on the fluctuation amount in a front-back direction detected by the sensor; and at least one weight moving mechanism configured to be housed in the rotating body and to move a position of the weight based on the moving amount determined by the determination unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Assignee: Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation
    Inventor: Katsumi Gotanda
  • Patent number: 9919959
    Abstract: A coated article includes a low-emissivity (low-E) coating supported by a substrate (e.g., glass substrate) for use in a window, where the low-E coating is exposed to ultraviolet (UV) radiation in order to improve the coating's and thus the coated article's electrical, optical and/or thermal blocking properties. Exposing the low-E coating to UV radiation, e.g., emitted from a UV lamp(s) and/or UV laser(s), allows for selective heating of a contact/seed layer which transfers energy to the adjacent IR reflecting layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Assignee: Guardian Glass, LLC
    Inventors: Alexey Krasnov, Muhammad Imran, Willem Den Boer, Kevin O'Connor
  • Patent number: 9922813
    Abstract: The invention generally relates to systems and methods for ejection of ions from an ion trap. In certain embodiments, systems and methods of the invention sum two different frequency signals into a single summed signal that is applied to an ion trap. In other embodiments, an amplitude of a single frequency signal is modulated as the single frequency signal is being applied to the ion trap. In other embodiments, a first alternating current (AC) signal is applied to an ion trap that varies as a function of time, while a constant radio frequency (RF) signal is applied to the ion trap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Assignee: Purdue Research Foundation
    Inventors: Robert Graham Cooks, Dalton Snyder
  • Patent number: 9916957
    Abstract: Apparatuses, systems, and methods for ion traps are described herein. One apparatus includes a number of microwave (MW) rails and a number of radio frequency (RF) rails formed with substantially parallel longitudinal axes and with substantially coplanar upper surfaces. The apparatus includes two sequences of direct current (DC) electrodes with each sequence formed to extend substantially parallel to the substantially parallel longitudinal axes of the MW rails and the RF rails. The apparatus further includes a number of through-silicon vias (TSVs) formed through a substrate of the ion trap and a trench capacitor formed in the substrate around at least one TSV.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2018
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventor: Daniel Youngner
  • Patent number: 9915626
    Abstract: Techniques, systems, and devices are disclosed for constructing a scattering and stopping relationship of cosmic-ray charged particles (including cosmic-ray electrons and/or cosmic-ray muons) over a range of low-atomic-mass materials, and to detect and identify content of a volume of interest (VOI) exposed to cosmic-ray charged particles based on the constructed scattering and stopping relationship. In one aspect, a process for constructing a scattering-stopping relationship for a range of low-density materials exposed to cosmic-ray charged particles is disclosed. This technique first determines a scattering parameter and a stopping parameter for each material within the range of low-density materials exposed to charged particles from cosmic ray. The technique then establishes a scattering-stopping relationship of cosmic ray charged particles for the range of low-density materials based on the determined pairs of scattering and stopping parameters associated with the range of low-density materials.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2018
    Assignee: Decision Sciences International Corporation
    Inventors: Gary Blanpied, Sankaran Kumar, Dustin Dorroh, Craig Morgan, Michael James Sossong
  • Patent number: 9916964
    Abstract: A method of operating a charged particle microscope comprises: providing settings of a focus, an x-stigmator and an y-stigmator of the charged particle microscope; and then repeatedly performing adjusting the charged particle microscope to the settings, recording an image of an object using the settings, determining a sharpness measure from the recorded image, and changing at least one of the settings of the focus, the x-stigmator and the y-stigmator based on the sharpness measure until a stop criterion is fulfilled. Herein, the determining of the sharpness measure comprises: determining an orientation of an intensity gradient at each of a plurality of locations within one of the recorded image and a processed image generated by processing the recorded image, and determining the sharpness measure based on the plurality of determined orientations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2018
    Assignees: CARL ZEISS MICROSCOPY GMBH, CARL ZEISS MICROSCOPY LTD.
    Inventors: Simon Diemer, Janina Schulz, Emanuel Heindl, David Roddom
  • Patent number: 9916913
    Abstract: Embodiments described herein provide for a method of launching atoms in an atom interferometer. The method includes determining a direction of the total effective acceleration force on the atoms, controlling a direction of launch of the atoms for measurement in the atom interferometer based on the direction of the total effective acceleration force, and obtaining measurements from the atoms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2018
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Compton, Kenneth Salit
  • Patent number: 9916963
    Abstract: A specimen loading method for loading a specimen that contains water into a specimen chamber of a charged particle beam device, includes: a step (S100) of mounting the specimen on a specimen support; a step (S102) of covering a predetermined area of the specimen with a water retention material; a step (S104) of evacuating the specimen chamber in which the specimen having the predetermined area covered with the water retention material is placed; and a step (S106) of exposing the predetermined area covered with the water retention material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2018
    Assignee: JEOL Ltd.
    Inventors: Noriyuki Inoue, Yoshiko Takashima
  • Patent number: 9911571
    Abstract: A high voltage inspection system that includes a vacuum chamber; electron optics that is configured to direct an electron beam towards an upper surface of a substrate; a substrate support module that comprises a chuck and a housing; wherein the chuck is configured to support a substrate; wherein the housing is configured to surround the substrate without masking the electron beam, when the substrate is positioned on the chuck during a first operational mode of the high voltage inspection system; and wherein the substrate, the chuck and the housing are configured to (a) receive a high voltage bias signal of a high voltage level that exceeds ten thousand volts, and (b) to maintain at substantially the high voltage level during the first operational mode of the high voltage inspection system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS ISRAEL LTD.
    Inventor: Yosef Basson
  • Patent number: 9907981
    Abstract: The invention comprises a system for patient specific control of charged particles in a charged particle beam path using one or more trays inserted into the charged particle beam path, such as at the exit port of a gantry nozzle in close proximity to a tumor of a patient. Each tray holds an insert, such as a patient specific insert for controlling the energy, focus depth, and/or shape of the charged particle beam. Examples of inserts include a range shifter, a compensator, an aperture, a ridge filter, and a blank. Trays in a tray assembly are optionally retracted into an output nozzle of a charged particle cancer treatment system. Optionally and preferably, each tray communicates a held and positioned insert to a main controller of the charged particle cancer therapy system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Inventors: Susan L. Michaud, Stephen L. Spotts, Daniel J. Raymond
  • Patent number: 9911585
    Abstract: A mass spectrometry method comprises: acquiring a series of survey mass spectra of first-generation ions generated from a sample; acquiring a series of fragment-ion mass spectra, each being a record of a respective set of fragment-ion species generated by fragmentation of a respective subset of the first-generation ions within a respective mass-to-charge isolation range; adjusting mass spectrometer operational parameters used to acquire a later one of the survey mass spectra based on results of an earlier one of the survey mass spectra; dividing the acquired series of fragment-ion mass spectra into a first group wherein an appearance of a fragment-ion species correlates with the appearance of a first-generation ion species observed in a survey mass spectrum and a second group wherein no obvious correlation is observed between fragment-ion species and first-generation ion species; and mathematically processing the spectra of the first and second groups by different mathematical procedures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: Thermo Finnigan LLC
    Inventor: Vladimir Zabrouskov
  • Patent number: 9910066
    Abstract: Aspects of the present invention include systems, devices, and methods of surface chemical analysis of solid samples, and particularly it relates to methods of chemical analysis of molecular compounds located either on or within thin surface layer of solid samples. Even more particularly, aspects of the present invention relate to systems, devices, and non-destructive methods combining both high sensitivity and high spatial resolution of analysis of chemical compounds located or distributed on the surface of solid samples with obtaining most important information regarding vibration spectra of atoms and molecular groups contained in thin surface layer of solid samples. These objectives are realized by implementation of computer-assisted systems that carefully regulate the motion of, and force applied to probes of atomic force microscopes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: HORIBA INSTRUMENTS, INC.
    Inventors: Sergey A. Saunin, Andrey V. Krayev, Vladimir V. Zhishimontov, Vasily V. Gavrilyuk, Leonid N. Grigorov, Alexey V. Belyaev, Dmitry A. Evplov
  • Patent number: 9905406
    Abstract: A method of mass spectrometry or ion mobility spectrometry is disclosed wherein a sample is ionized by an electrified sprayer so as to produce multiply charged analyte ions of a first polarity in gas-phase. A reaction region is provided downstream of the electrified sprayer, wherein the reaction region is maintained substantially at atmospheric pressure and is maintained substantially free of electric-fields. A gas flow is provided from said electrified sprayer to said reaction region such that the gas flow carries the analyte ions from the electrified sprayer into the reaction region. Free electrons or reagent ions of a second polarity are generated in the reaction region, wherein the second polarity is opposite to said first polarity. The free electrons or reagent ions are then reacted with the analyte ions in the reaction region so as to reduce the charge state of the multiply charged analyte ions and thereby produce charge-reduced analyte ions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignee: MICROMASS UK LIMITED
    Inventors: Jeffery Mark Brown, Damon Robb
  • Patent number: 9905391
    Abstract: A selectively configurable system for directing an electron beam with a limited energy spread to a sample includes an electron source to generate an electron beam having an energy spread including one or more energies, an aperture having an on-axis opening and an off-axis opening, a first assembly of one or more electron lenses with selectively configurable focal powers positioned to collect the beam from the source and direct the beam to the aperture, a second assembly of one or more selectively configurable electron lenses positioned to collect the beam, a sample stage, and an electron inspection sub-system including electron optics positioned to direct the beam onto one or more samples. The first assembly includes an off-axis electron lens for interacting with the beam at an off-axis position and introducing spatial dispersion to the beam when configured with a nonzero focal power, thus filtering the energy spread.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignee: KLA-Tencor Corporation
    Inventor: Xinrong Jiang
  • Patent number: 9901653
    Abstract: A UV lamp including a filter material of doped quartz glass is provided that effects a transparency as high as possible for operating radiation in the ultraviolet spectral range above 210 nm together with low transparency in the wavelength range below about 190 nm. The filter material of doped quartz glass includes at least 99 wt. % of SiO2 and Al2O3, wherein the Al2O3 portion is in the range of 2 wt. % to 4 wt. The filter material has an edge wavelength at a wavelength below 190 nm and a spectral transmission of 80% mm?1 or higher at a wavelength of 210 nm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignees: Heraeus Quarzglas GmbH & Co. KG, Heraeus Noblelight GmbH
    Inventors: Mark Stamminger, Christoph Söller, Franz-Josef Schilling, Erich Arnold, Gerhard Schötz, Mario Such, Andreas Langner, Björn Roos, Klaus Zoltner
  • Patent number: 9904068
    Abstract: A system for an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light source includes a light-generation system configured to emit one or more light beams onto a beam path; one or more optical amplifiers, each of the one or more amplifiers including a gain medium on the beam path, each gain medium being configured to amplify the one or more light beams to produce one or more amplified light beams; and one or more diffractive optical elements on the beam path, where each of the one or more diffractive optical elements has a plurality of focal lengths, and each focal length of the diffractive optical element is associated with a particular polarization state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignee: ASML Netherlands B.V.
    Inventors: Cory Alan Stinson, Philip M. Conklin
  • Patent number: 9903845
    Abstract: An apparatus for ionizing analyte molecules comprised in a flow of a first gas. The apparatus includes an inlet tube through which the first gas may be discharged into an ionization region. The apparatus also includes a nozzle electrode disposed around the inlet tube to define a substantially annular space between the exterior of the inlet tube and the interior of the nozzle electrode. The sheath tube includes an inlet for introducing a fluid into the substantially annular space and an outlet through which the fluid may be discharged into the ionization region. The apparatus is configured to ionize the analyte molecules optionally via electrospray or chemical ionization.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignee: WATERS TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventor: Douglas M. Stevens
  • Patent number: 9899196
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a method of Direct Analysis in Real Time (DART) analysis with a carrier gas in the addition of an efficient dopant to the carrier gas stream exiting the DART source. Charge-exchange and proton transfer reactions are observed with the addition of dopants such as toluene, anisole, and acetone. The argon DART mass spectrum in the presence of an efficient dopant was dominated by molecular ions for aromatic compounds, whereas the helium DART mass spectrum of the same aromatic showed both molecular ions and protonated molecule species. Fragment ions generated from analysis with argon gas in the presence of an efficient dopant can be used to distinguish isobaric analytes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2018
    Assignee: JEOL USA, INC.
    Inventor: Robert B. Cody
  • Patent number: 9897622
    Abstract: A detergent reservoir reserves detergent for cleaning of a sample probe and includes a cleaning liquid supply port, a detergent supply port, and a waste liquid port When a predetermined condition for execution of cleaning of the detergent reservoir is not satisfied, and a remaining amount of the detergent reserved in the detergent reservoir is a predetermined amount or less, a pump is operated to increase the remaining amount of the detergent to the predetermined amount; and when the predetermined condition for execution of cleaning of the detergent reservoir is satisfied, a solenoid valve is opened to dispose of the detergent in the detergent reservoir. Then, after the detergent in the detergent reservoir is disposed of, the solenoid valve is closed, and a pump is operated to supply cleaning liquid to the detergent reservoir.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2018
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Rie Horiuchi, Yoshihiro Suzuki, Takashi Nakasawa