Patents Examined by Joel L. Harringa
  • Patent number: 4573793
    Abstract: A spectrophotometer wherein in order to set the instrument to a designated wavelength, the monochromator is first set to the designated wavelength position intended to be as such on the monochromator, and the entrance and exit slits of the monochromator are widened so as to measure a beam of light having a spectrum with an emission line at the designated wavelength, and the sensitivity of the light measuring circuit is so adjusted that the output therefrom is kept at a predetermined constant level, and then the slits are narrowed, whereupon wavelength scanning is conducted over a range of wavelengths including the designated wavelength so as to detect a peak in the emission line spectrum, and then the dispersing element is set to the detected peak position.A microcomputer controls the above operation in a sequential manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 1983
    Date of Patent: March 4, 1986
    Assignee: Shimadzu Corporation
    Inventor: Kikuo Sasaki
  • Patent number: 4569594
    Abstract: A sample to be measured, a black reference and at least one reference having a color similar to that of the sample are exposed successively and cyclicly to the same incident light beam, the light beams which are reflected successively by the sample and the references are detected photoelectrically, the ratio of the intensities of the light beams reflected by a sample and one reference color on the one hand and by the black reference and a reference color on the other hand is established electronically, the second ratio is subtracted electronically from the first and a difference which is directly proportional to the brilliance of the color of the sample is automatically obtained during each exposure or measurement cycle at a determined measurement frequency (FIG. 1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 1983
    Date of Patent: February 11, 1986
    Assignee: Nestec S.A.
    Inventors: Robert Cabi-Akman, Remy Simond, Arthur Sprenger
  • Patent number: 4565447
    Abstract: A system for photometric measurement of optical properties of a fluid medium utilizing multi-wavelength excitation includes a movable diffraction grating that is continuously oscillated over the spectral range of interest and a flashlamp producing high intensity, short duration flashes. The angular position of the grating at the time of a flash determines what wavelength of optical energy will be passed to the remainder of the system. Because the flash duration is brief in relation to the period of movement of the grating, the flash effectively freezes the motion of the grating allowing the high intensity output of the flashlamp to be supplied to the fluid medium, while successive flashes permit measurement at many different wavelengths in near simultaneous fashion. The system is disclosed for use in an absorbance detector for liquid chromatography.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 1983
    Date of Patent: January 21, 1986
    Assignee: Millipore Corporation
    Inventor: Kenneth E. Nelson
  • Patent number: 4565450
    Abstract: Radiation pulses are directed at a measuring spot on a rotating printing-image carrier in an offset printing press. The intensity of the radiation returned from the measuring spot outside of the angle of reflection of the pulse is measured for a predetermined wavelength. A pulse is directed at the measuring spot before printing and while the measuring spot is dry, and a signal representing the intensity of the returned radiation is stored in a working memory. During a subsequent printing operation, a dampening agent is applied to the printing-image carrier. In order to determine the amount of dampening agent on the printing-image carrier, radiation pulses are directed at the measuring spot as the printing-image carrier rotates during printing. The intensity of the returned radiation in the predetermined wavelength is converted into damp signals which represent the amount of dampening agent since the predetermined wavelength approximates or equals an absorption wavelength of the dampening agent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 1983
    Date of Patent: January 21, 1986
    Assignee: Grapho Metronic Mess- und Regeltechnik GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Burkhardt Wirz, Rainer Kammuller
  • Patent number: 4563090
    Abstract: In a grating spectrometer a signal spectrum is measured repeatedly while inserting different filters. The number of the filters and measurements correspond to the number of the occurring grating orders not suppressed. The signal spectra and the transmission characteristics of the filters are stored. A system of equations is achieved, from which a computer calculates the signal partial spectra associated with the individual grating orders. A total spectrum is composed from these signal partial spectra. Separation of the higher grating orders need not be effected optically, for example by cut-off filters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 1983
    Date of Patent: January 7, 1986
    Assignee: Bodenseewerk Perkin-Elmer & Co., GmbH
    Inventor: Wolfgang Witte
  • Patent number: 4556318
    Abstract: A spectroanalytical system includes induction coupled plasma apparatus for exciting sample material to an atomic state for analysis, a source of transport gas, a sample chamber for receiving a sample to be analyzed, and heating means for vaporizing a sample to be analyzed in the chamber and forming particles of the sample of sufficiently small size to form an aerosol. The sample chamber is connected in a flow path between the source of transport gas and the plasma apparatus. A supplemental chamber surrounds the sample chamber, and gas is flowed to the supplemental chamber at a higher rate than the gas flow to the sample chamber. A flow restriction between the sample and supplemental chambers normally permits flow of gas from the supplemental chamber into the sample chamber but also provides pressure relief upon rapid heating for sample vaporization that is effective to minimize pressure transients in the aerosol stream that depress the output signal of the plasma apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1983
    Date of Patent: December 3, 1985
    Assignee: Allied Corporation
    Inventors: Ramon M. Barnes, Peter Fodor
  • Patent number: 4555176
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus for conducting coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering spectroscopy in shock-compressed materials are disclosed. The apparatus includes a sample vessel having an optically transparent wall and an opposing optically reflective wall. Two coherent laser beams, a pump beam and a broadband Stokes beam, are directed through the window and focused on a portion of the sample. In the preferred embodiment, a projectile is fired from a high-pressure gas gun to impact the outside of the reflective wall, generating a planar shock wave which travels through the sample toward the window. The pump and Stokes beams result in the emission from the shock-compressed sample of a coherent anti-Stokes beam, which is emitted toward the approaching reflective wall of the vessel and reflected back through the window. The anti-Stokes beam is folded into a spectrometer for frequency analysis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 1983
    Date of Patent: November 26, 1985
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy
    Inventors: David S. Moore, Stephen C. Schmidt
  • Patent number: 4545680
    Abstract: A chopperless spectroanalytical system of the double beam type in which radiation from a common source is split into reference and analysis beams. The two beams are directed along similar paths such that the analysis beam passes through an analysis region and the reference beam bypasses that analysis region. A monochromator has two spaced aperture regions such that one aperture region provides an entrance aperture for the analysis beam and an exit aperture for a dispersed portion of the reference beam; and the other aperture region provides an entrance aperture for the reference beam and an exit aperture for a dispersed portion of the analysis beam. The beams exiting from the two exit apertures are simultaneously monitored and compared to compensate for errors due to source fluctuations and the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 1983
    Date of Patent: October 8, 1985
    Assignee: Allied Corporation
    Inventor: Stanley B. Smith, Jr.
  • Patent number: 4534644
    Abstract: Guides to facilitate color grading of faceted gemstones such as rubies and sapphires. Each guide has a series of simulated standards thereon representing a range of grades for a particular class of colored stones and serving as reference points for comparing an unknown therewith in a standardized lighting environment. The guide is constituted by a strip of reflective metal, foil or metallized film sandwiched between a back panel and a top panel having a row of port holes therein, each exposing a reflective zone on the strip. The zone is embossed to create a radial array of wedge-shaped segments, each of which is serrated to define a series of prism-like steps that run from the apex to the base of the segment to provide a pattern simulating the reflective properties of a step-cut faceted stone. Interposed between each zone and its associated hole is a planar optical filter whose coloration is such that in combination with the underlying reflective zone, it creates a respective color grade in the range thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 1983
    Date of Patent: August 13, 1985
    Inventor: Casper R. Beesley
  • Patent number: 4533246
    Abstract: In a photometer for measuring atomic fluorescence, a partial light beam is branched off the exciting light beam by means of a mirror having a hole. The partial light beam falls on a scattering disc, from which a reference light beam impinges upon the detector through opposite windows of the measuring cell. A chopper alternately transmits the exciting light beam and the partial light beam. The signal thus obtained at the detector permits compensation of the influence of variations of the light source brightness and of contamination of the windows.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 1983
    Date of Patent: August 6, 1985
    Assignee: Bodenseewerk Perkin-Elmer & Co., GmbH
    Inventor: Klaus Braun
  • Patent number: 4531834
    Abstract: A fluorimeter comprises an excitation optical system projecting the excitation light having a selected wavelength for a sample to said sample, a sample cell for accommodating the sample; fluorescent light sensors for sensing the fluorescent light emitted from the sample; a transmission light sensor for sensing the light transmitted through the sample; and an arithmetic divider which divides the output of the fluorescent light sensor by the output of the transmission light sensor, and provides a signal representing the intensity of the fluorescent light which is corrected against the variation of the excitation light intensity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 1983
    Date of Patent: July 30, 1985
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventor: Taro Nogami
  • Patent number: 4527895
    Abstract: The inventive method, which provides an accurate, objective and readily reproduceable characterization of the total colored appearance of a gemstone, includes the steps of identifying the main and overlay colors of an illuminated gemstone from among a predetermined set of primary colors by comparison of the stone with a series of reference color charts representing standard samples of the primary colors and of composite mixtures of the primary colors, identifying by comparison the proportion of overlay color to main color in each stone with respect to such proportion in the selected color chart to determine the overlay level, identifying the color saturation of the composite coloration of the gemstone by comparison with the selected color chart to determine the zone of coloration of the stone, and overlaying a color mask and the selected color chart to identify the degree of color masking present in the gemstone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 1983
    Date of Patent: July 9, 1985
    Assignee: GemDialogue Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Howard Rubin
  • Patent number: 4527897
    Abstract: An apparatus for detecting a specific color, which comprises color difference detectors each of which takes the difference between an electric signal representing a specific color and an electric signal representing a different color component for increasing the amplitude of the different color electric signal. The signal from the color difference detectors is indicative of whether or not there is a pattern of the specific color. The apparatus further comprises a circuit for discriminating the specific color. The signals from this discriminating circuit are added by an adder to amplify their amplitudes. The signal from the adder and the signal from the color difference detector are ANDed to obtain a specific color signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 1982
    Date of Patent: July 9, 1985
    Assignee: Tokyo Shibaura Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yoshie Okabe
  • Patent number: 4523852
    Abstract: An improved method for visually comparing the results of colorimetric analytical tests to a color reference standard, enabling substantially improved quantitation to be achieved for such tests, is disclosed. Also disclosed is improved apparatus, in the form of an improved color comparision reference standard, which is useful in the method. In one embodiment, the standard can comprise a plurality of colored reference areas of differing hues corresponding to discrete reference values and to which a colored response area of a colorimetric analytical test can be compared to determine the reference value most closely related to the hue of the colored response area, and a background area against which the colored reference areas are displayed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 1983
    Date of Patent: June 18, 1985
    Assignee: Miles Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventor: Robert Bauer