Patents Examined by Kiet Nguyen
  • Patent number: 8093569
    Abstract: A radiation treatment system (100) for accurately delivering radiation to a targeted site within a cancer patient (108) that includes a modular patient support system and a patient positioner (114). The modular patient support system includes a modularly expandable patient pod (200) and at least one immobilization device, such as, for example, a rigid moldable foam cradle (350). The patient pod (200) includes a generally hemi-cylindrical support shell (212) that extends longitudinally between proximal edge (214) and distal edge (216), and transversely between two lateral edges (222, 224). In one embodiment, the lateral edges (222, 224) are tapered to minimize edge effects that result when radiation beams traverse the lateral edges (222, 224).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: Loma Linda University Medical Centre
    Inventors: Daniel W. Miller, Steve K. McAllaster, Jerry D. Slater, Nickolas S. Rigney, Daniel C. Anderson, Michael F. Moyers
  • Patent number: 8080813
    Abstract: An ion implanter includes a process chamber and a coating layer. The process chamber receives a substrate and provides a space to perform an ion implantation process on the substrate. The coating layer is disposed on an inner wall of the process chamber to reduce contamination of the substrate and includes the same material as that of the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2011
    Assignee: Komico Ltd.
    Inventors: Kyung-Ic Jang, Kyung-Hwan Ye, Sam-Woong Kim, Yong-Sup Reim
  • Patent number: 8080786
    Abstract: An electron capture dissociation device to implement a combination of electron capture dissociation and collision dissociation and a mass spectrometer with the use thereof are provided. This device includes a linear ion trap provided with linear multipole electrodes applied with a radio frequency electric field and wall electrodes that are arranged on both ends in the axis direction of the linear multipole electrodes, have holes on the central axis thereof, and generate a wall electric field by being applied with a direct-current voltage, a cylindrical magnetic field-generating unit that generates a magnetic field parallel to the central axis of the linear multipole electrodes and surrounds the linear ion trap, and an electron source arranged opposite to the linear multipole electrodes with sandwiching one of the wall electrodes. The electron generation site of the electron source is placed in the inside of the magnetic field generated by the magnetic field-generating unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2011
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Takashi Baba, Hiroyuki Satake, Izumi Waki
  • Patent number: 8080815
    Abstract: An improved biomarker generator and a method suitable for efficiently producing short lived radiopharmaceuticals in quantities on the order of a unit dose. The improved biomarker generator includes a particle accelerator and a radiopharmaceutical micro-synthesis system. The micro-accelerator of the improved biomarker generator is optimized for producing radioisotopes useful in synthesizing radiopharmaceuticals in quantities on the order of one unit dose allowing for significant reductions in size, power requirements, and weight when compared to conventional radiopharmaceutical cyclotrons.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2011
    Assignee: ABT Molecular Imaging, Inc.
    Inventor: Ronald Nutt
  • Patent number: 8071956
    Abstract: An ion source includes an arc chamber housing defining an arc chamber having an extraction aperture, and a wiper assembly comprising a wiper positioned outside the arc chamber in a parked position and configured to be driven from the parked position to operational positions to clean the extraction aperture. A wiper assembly for an ion source includes a wiper configured to be positioned outside an arc chamber of the ion source when in a parked position and driven from the parked position to operational positions to clean an extraction aperture of the ion source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2011
    Assignee: Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Inc.
    Inventors: Craig R. Chaney, Alexander S. Perel, Leo V. Klos
  • Patent number: 8058629
    Abstract: A writing utensil sterilization apparatus includes a housing comprising an inlet for receiving a writing utensil and an outlet for dispensing the writing utensil, a UV light source disposed within the housing for emitting UV light, and a path disposed within the housing for guiding the writing utensil from the inlet to the outlet while exposing the writing utensil to the UV light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2011
    Inventor: Catherine L. Long
  • Patent number: 8058611
    Abstract: A system for preventing backflow as part of an ion source arrangement is introduced. Such a system incorporates a novel continuous flow guide within a source, such as an API ion source. In the spray direction, the cross-sectional area that defines the first portion of the internal volume initially decreases in a convergent-like manner and thereafter increases in a divergent-like manner towards the exit opening of the source housing. Such a flow guide has been designed as an integral part of an ion source housing to provide for an optimal unidirectional flow past a sampling orifice of a mass spectrometer inlet. Accordingly, the novel design of the present invention prevents recirculation and thus minimizes carryover, chemical noise, and source turbulence and as an added benefit, enables a user to easily clean such a system during maintenance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2011
    Assignee: Thermo Finnigan LLC
    Inventors: Eloy R. Wouters, Christopher Mullen, Maurizio A. Splendore, R. Paul Atherton
  • Patent number: 8049167
    Abstract: A FAIMS device for separating ions has a pair of electrodes for providing a compensation voltage and an asymmetric waveform that are separated and insulated where at least one porous spacer reside in the proximity of the analyzer region of the FAIMS cell. The porous spacers allow a focusing gas to flow into the analyzer region to provide pneumatic focusing of the ions traversing the analyzer region to improve the ion transmission.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2011
    Assignee: University of Florida Research Foundation, Inc.
    Inventors: Leonard C. Rorrer, III, Richard Alan Yost
  • Patent number: 8049170
    Abstract: An ion generation element includes an induction electrode and a plurality of discharge electrodes. The induction electrode is formed of one metal plate. A circumferential portion of a through hole is bent, and a thickness of a wall portion of the through hole is greater than a thickness of a top plate portion. A needle-like tip end of the discharge electrode is located within a range of the thickness of the through hole. Thus, an induction electrode having a structure realizing a small thickness, capable of lessening variation in an amount of ion generation caused by variation in positional relation between the tip end of the discharge electrode and the induction electrode, an ion generation element, an ion generation apparatus, and electric equipment can be obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2011
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshinori Sekoguchi, Yasuhiro Iwashita
  • Patent number: 8044345
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for determining the concentration of a first molecule having a chemical structure, which contains a first peptide sequence comprising: (a) obtaining a sample containing the first molecule, (b) providing a reference sample which contains a second molecule having a certain concentration and chemical structure, which contains a second peptide sequence, wherein the chemical structure of the second molecule only differs from the structure of the first molecule in one or more permutations in the first peptide sequence, (c) combining the reference sample and the sample containing the first molecule, (d) identifying at least one fragment peak in a mass spectrum (MS) of the first molecule and the second molecule, wherein the mass difference of the fragment peaks is only caused by the permutation of the at least two different amino acids, and (e) determining the concentration of the first molecule relative to the certain concentration of the second molecule by comparing of t
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2011
    Assignee: Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum
    Inventors: Wolf Dieter Lehmann, Dominic Winter
  • Patent number: 8044375
    Abstract: An ion implantation apparatus with multiple operating modes is disclosed. The ion implantation apparatus has an ion source and an ion extraction means for forming a converging beam on AMU-non-dispersive plane therefrom. The ion implantation apparatus includes magnetic scanner prior to a magnetic analyzer for scanning the beam on the non-dispersive plane, the magnetic analyzer for selecting ions with specific mass-to-charge ratio to pass through a mass slit to project onto a substrate. A rectangular quadruple magnet is provided to collimate the scanned ion beam and fine corrections of the beam incident angles onto a target. A deceleration or acceleration system incorporating energy filtering is at downstream of the beam collimator. A two-dimensional mechanical scanning system for scanning the target is disclosed, in which a beam diagnostic means is build in.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2011
    Assignee: Kingstone Semiconductor Company, Limited
    Inventor: Jiong Chen
  • Patent number: 8039796
    Abstract: A phase contrast electron microscope has an objective (8) with a back focal plane (10), a first diffraction lens (11), which images the back focal plane (10) of the objective (8) magnified into a diffraction intermediate image plane, a second diffraction lens (15) whose principal plane is mounted in the proximity of the diffraction intermediate image plane and a phase-shifting element (16) which is mounted in or in the proximity of the diffraction intermediate image plane. Also, a phase contrast electron microscope has an objective (8) having a back focal plane (10), a first diffraction lens (11), a first phase-shifting element and a second phase-shifting element which is mounted in or in the proximity of the diffraction intermediate image plane. The first diffraction lens (11) images the back focal plane of the objective magnified into a diffraction intermediate image plane and the first phase-shifting element is mounted in the back focal plane (10) of the objective (8).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2011
    Assignee: Carl Zeizz NTS GmbH
    Inventors: Gerd Benner, Marko Matijevic
  • Patent number: 8039821
    Abstract: An ion implantation apparatus of high energy is disclosed in this invention. The new and improved system can have a wide range of ion beam energy at high beam transmission rates and flexible operation modes for different ion species. This high energy implantation system can be converted into a medium current by removing RF linear ion acceleration unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2011
    Assignee: Kingstone Semiconductor Company, Limited
    Inventor: Jiong Chen
  • Patent number: 8039794
    Abstract: Methods are described for measuring the amount of a methylation TPMT enzyme product in a sample. More specifically, mass spectrometric methods are described for detecting and quantifying 6-MMP or isotopically labeled 6-MMP in a test sample utilizing mass spectrometric techniques and for using such methods to determine the activity of TPMT enzyme that is present in a sample.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2011
    Assignee: Quest Diagnostics Investments Incorporated
    Inventors: William F. Haddon, Nigel J. Clarke
  • Patent number: 8035092
    Abstract: A device is disclosed which may comprise a system generating a plasma at a plasma site, the plasma producing EUV radiation and ions exiting the plasma. The device may also include an optic, e.g., a multi-layer mirror, distanced from the site by a distance, d, and a flowing gas disposed between the plasma and optic, the gas establishing a gas pressure sufficient to operate over the distance, d, to reduce ion energy below a pre-selected value before the ions reach the optic. In one embodiment, the gas may comprise hydrogen and in a particular embodiment, the gas may comprise greater than 50 percent hydrogen by volume.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2011
    Assignee: Cymer, Inc.
    Inventors: Alexander N. Bykanov, Norbert Bowering, Igor V. Fomenkov, Alexander I. Ershov, Oleh Khodykin
  • Patent number: 8035081
    Abstract: A time-of-flight mass spectrometer having a chamber with electrodes to generate an electric field in the chamber and electric gating for allowing ions with a predetermined mass and velocity into the electric field. The design uses a row of very thin parallel aligned wires that are pulsed in sequence so the ion can pass through the gap of two parallel plates, which are biased to prevent passage of the ion. This design by itself can provide a high mass resolution capability and a very precise start pulse for an ion mass spectrometer. Furthermore, the ion will only pass through the chamber if it is within a wire diameter of the first wire when it is pulsed and has the right speed so it is near all other wires when they are pulsed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2011
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventor: Edward C. Sittler
  • Patent number: 8030610
    Abstract: In various aspects, the present teachings provide systems and methods for reducing chemical noise in a mass spectrometry instrument that use a neutral chemical reagent and one or more mass filters to reduce interfering chemical background ion signals that are generated by ionization sources of mass spectrometers. In various embodiments, the neutral chemical reagent belongs to the class of organic chemical species containing a disulfide functionality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2011
    Assignee: DH Technologies Development Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: Xinghua Guo, Andries P. Bruins, Tom Covey
  • Patent number: 8017921
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for irradiation of fluid with electromagnetic radiation, and in particular to an apparatus and method for irradiation of blood or other body fluids with ultraviolet radiation is provided. The apparatus (1) comprises a housing (2) having disposed therein at least one mount (6) adapted for receiving an ultraviolet radiation source (7) and at least one holder (8) adapted for receiving a container of the fluid. The housing (2) is adapted for operability between a first position, wherein the container (9) may be placed in the holder (8) and a second position, wherein the housing (2) may form a capsule. The apparatus further comprises a control assembly for powering the ultraviolet radiation source (7). At least a portion of the inner surface of the housing (2) is capable of reflecting the ultraviolet radiation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2011
    Assignee: Lumen Associates, Inc.
    Inventors: Douglas Kemp, Leonie Rosenstiel, Jeffrey Fry, Hugh Gibson
  • Patent number: 8017924
    Abstract: An LPP EUV light source is disclosed having an optic positioned in the plasma chamber for reflecting EUV light generated therein and a laser input window. For this aspect, the EUV light source may be configured to expose the optic to a gaseous etchant pressure for optic cleaning while the window is exposed to a lower gaseous etchant pressure to avoid window coating deterioration. In another aspect, an EUV light source may comprise a target material positionable along a beam path to participate in a first interaction with light on the beam path; an optical amplifier; and at least one optic directing photons scattered from the first interaction into the optical amplifier to produce a laser beam on the beam path for a subsequent interaction with the target material to produce an EUV light emitting plasma.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2011
    Assignee: Cymer, Inc.
    Inventors: Alexander N. Bykanov, Igor V. Fomenkov, Alexander I. Ershov
  • Patent number: 8003953
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a multi-axis magnetic lens for a charged particle beam system. The apparatus eliminates the undesired non-axisymmetric transverse magnetic field components from the magnetic field generated by a common excitation coil and leaves the desired axisymmetric field for focusing each particle beam employed within the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2011
    Assignee: Hermes Microvision, Inc.
    Inventors: Zhongwei Chen, Weiming Ren, Kenichi Kanai, Xuedong Liu