Patents Examined by Lore Ramillano
  • Patent number: 7332348
    Abstract: A sample substrate configured for samples of biological material is provided. The sample substrate has a dual chambered sample well separated by a wall that may be punctured or otherwise breached to allow mixing of material contained in the two initially separate chambers. The chambers are connected by channels to fluid reservoirs, wherein the channels can be staked to prevent further fluid flow into and out of the chambers. Methods of loading a sample substrate are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2008
    Assignee: Applera Corporation
    Inventor: Donald R. Sandell
  • Patent number: 7332343
    Abstract: The invention includes an enantioselective indicator-displacement assay useful to determine enantiomeric excess (ee) enantiomeric samples calorimetrically. Determination may be by inspection of color with the naked eye, spectrographic measurement, or mathematical calculation. Concentration may also be determined. The assay may involve two independent absorption measurements. On suitable group of enantiomeric molecules to be assayed include ?-hydroxyacids. The inherent relationship between the absorbance of the indicator-displacement ensemble and the overall concentration and ee of the analyte is established through solution equilibria. The invention also includes use of the assay in drug screening and manufacturing, high throughput screening of catalysts and kits for use in conducting assays of the invention.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2008
    Assignee: Board of Regents, The University of Texas System
    Inventors: Eric V. Anslyn, J. Frantz Folmer-Andersen, Lei Zhu
  • Patent number: 7326573
    Abstract: In cytometry and like procedures, particles containing signal dyes are exposed to a laser, and the resulting fluorescence is assessed in two different wavelength bands. When the particle is a single-assay particle, or when the particle carries only a single dye, the fluorescences in the different wavelength bands are combined in order to assess the concentration of the signal dye.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2008
    Assignee: Beckman Coulter, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael L. Bell
  • Patent number: 7316930
    Abstract: An improved gene chip system is arranged with vertically stacked photodiodes for sensing luminescence of genetic material. When genetic samples are combined with a reagent in an array of wells on a substrate, the reaction may cause light of a specified color to emanate from certain well locations. Vertically stacked photodiodes are provided that sense each color and intensity of the light at each well location. The vertically stacked photodiodes provide an image sensor that may be integrally constructed with the substrate and wells used for a gene chip system. The illumination data, which includes which wells are luminescent, the color of light, and the intensity of light in each illuminated cell, may be analyzed to determine properties of the genetic sample.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2008
    Assignee: National Semiconductor Corporation
    Inventor: Joseph Domenick Montalbo
  • Patent number: 7282181
    Abstract: A fluid collection and testing device includes a collection vial having a bottom and an open top along with an expresser sized for insertion into the vial open end. The expresser includes a ribbed base enabling fluid to pass therethrough and a support member holds the expresser within the collection vial with the ribbed base in a spaced apart relationship with the vial bottom. A fluid collector includes an absorbent member capturing a fluid and the absorbent member is sized for insertion into the expresser and is compressible against the ribbed base for releasing captured fluid through the ribbed base and into the vial bottom. A catch mechanism is provided for latching the fluid collector to the expresser after insertion into the expresser for enabling simultaneous removal of the expresser and the fluid collector from the collection vial.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2007
    Assignee: Varian Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew T. Hudak, David M. Tierney, Daniel D. Wang, Robert L. Grenz, Roger R. Rohrdanz, Kelly C. Alejandro, Robert K. Galloway
  • Patent number: 7267802
    Abstract: A measurement instrument for adequately correcting data in consideration of the deterioration of a reagent used for measurement over time. A deterioration correction data table where the variation of the sensitivity of each reagent from the date of manufacture of the reagent to the expiration date is recorded for each lot is stored in a deterioration correction data storage unit (3b). A bar code including information designating the lot and the date of manufacture is attached to the reagent. A CPU (1) designates the deterioration correction data table corresponding to the lot of the reagent used for measurement according to the reagent information read by the bar code reader of a nozzle derive unit (10), calculates the reagent sensitivity by interpolation on the measurement data with reference to the designated deterioration data table, and corrects the measurement data with respect to the deterioration of the reagent according to the calculated reagent sensitivity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2007
    Assignee: Arkray, Inc.
    Inventors: Hisao Hiramatsu, Hironobu Oota
  • Patent number: 7262061
    Abstract: Test element analysis system for the analytical investigation of a sample, in particular of a body liquid of human beings or animals, comprising test elements (2) with a carrier film (5) and a test field (7) fixed to the flat side (6) of the carrier film (5), the test field (7) containing a reagent system the reaction of which with the sample (21) leads to an optically measurable change in the detection zone (24) which is characteristic for the analysis, and an evaluation instrument with a measuring device for measuring the optically measurable change.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2007
    Assignee: Roche Diagnostics GmbH
    Inventors: Wolfgang Petrich, Wilfried Schmid, Gerrit Kocherscheidt, Jean-Michel Asfour
  • Patent number: 7256170
    Abstract: The present invention relates to the perfumery industry. It concerns more particularly an alcohol, ester, ether or ketone derivative having a spiro-type skeleton, the latter being substituted by short alkyl groups. The invention also relates to the use of the invention compounds as perfuming ingredients, able to impart a woody and/or aromatic, as well as to the perfumed articles or perfuming compositions comprising as active ingredient a compound of formula (I).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2007
    Assignee: Firmenich SA
    Inventors: Christian Vial, Robert Moretti, Alain Charpilloz, Peter Fankhauser, Piero Fantini
  • Patent number: 7256051
    Abstract: In order to identify a marking which is arranged on a body and contains a marking substance with a specific property, the marking initially is scanned by use of radiation. The marking substance is then brought into contact with a detector substance having a specific property corresponding to the marking substance. A combination of the marking and detector substances which results because of the corresponding specific properties, exhibits fluorescent behavior. The marking is then scanned by use of the radiation in a second measurement, and identified by based upon the results of the two measurements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2007
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Joachim Kaiser
  • Patent number: 7244394
    Abstract: The invention, in one aspect, provides a strip for tear collection. The strip has a first end and an opposite second end and preferably has substantially uniform cross-sections from the first end to the second end. The strip is made of a hydrogel material in substantially dry state. The strip is characterized by having a substantially uniform swelling along the hydrogel strip from the first end to the second end when fully wicked by a tear fluid and by having a correlation between the volume of tear uptake by said strip and the length of the wicked end portion of said strip. A strip of the invention is useful for assay of an analyte of interest in a tear fluid. The invention also provides a method and kits for assaying an analyte of interest (e.g., lactoferrin, glucose, herpes simplex virus, hormones, etc.).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2007
    Assignee: Novartis AG
    Inventors: Fiona Patricia Carney, Jennifer Dawn Lane, Carol Ann Morris
  • Patent number: 7235213
    Abstract: A system for performing a blood coagulation assay, having: a reaction chamber; at least one moveable member configured to mix contents of the reaction chamber; a sensor configured to detect the presence of a blood clot formed in the reaction chamber; and a timer that measures an interval of time between when a blood sample is received into the reaction chamber and when the sensor detects the blood clot formed in the reaction chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2007
    Assignee: Farallon Medical, Inc.
    Inventors: Emmanuel C. Mpock, Ben Clawson, Sean P. Murphy
  • Patent number: 7229831
    Abstract: An apparatus for detecting a leak of a fluid from a vessel having an inner wall and an outer wall includes: at least one odorant layer adjacent the inner wall or the outer wall; and at least one semi-permeable material layer adjacent the odorant layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2007
    Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventor: Pushpinder Singh Puri
  • Patent number: 7192556
    Abstract: The invention relates to a flow cell, a method for separating carrier-free radionuclides from a liquid or liquefiable target material, and the radiochemical reaction thereof. According to prior art, flow cells are known which require reaction volumes corresponding to the volume of the target material in order to carry out the desired reactions. The inventive flow cell (1) and method enable the reaction volume, and thus the quantity of starting material, to be reduced by a multiple by reducing the cylinder volume (=reaction volume). As the radioactively marked product is present in very small quantities (picomole to nanomole), the HPL-chromatographic separation of the non-reacted starting material is significantly improved. The economic efficiency of the method is increased due to the fact that small quantities of starting material can be used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2007
    Assignee: Forschungszentrum Julich GmbH
    Inventors: Kurt Hamacher, Willi Bolten
  • Patent number: 7183114
    Abstract: A method to determine the concentration ratio of carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide in the gaseous product of a fluidized bed reactor for producing titanium tetrachloride. The hot fluidized bed of the reactor is used as the source of infrared radiation which radiation is directed through the gaseous products in upper portion of the reactor through a window in the reactor to an infrared spectrometer. The concentration ratio can be used to control the temperature of the fluidized bed reactor by controlling the amount of cool titanium tetrachloride that is introduced into the reactor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2007
    Assignee: Tronox LLC
    Inventors: Donald Theodore Turnbaugh, Jr., Alan J. Morris, Johnny Balcom Perkins