Patents Examined by Timothy Meeks
  • Patent number: 8221821
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method of manufacturing a stent having a coating, comprising providing a tubular stent having a lumenal side and an ablumenal side; applying a coating composition to the stents such that the coating composition contacts the lumenal and ablumenal sides of the stent; and modifying the diameter of the stent from a first diameter to a second diameter during the process of applying the coating composition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2012
    Assignee: Abbott Cardiovascular Systems Inc.
    Inventors: Lisa Weldon, Stephen Pacetti
  • Patent number: 8221849
    Abstract: A process in which a self-sealing pneumatic tire consisting of a pneumatic tire after vulcanization molding furnished with a sealant layer being uniform without thickness irregularity and a cover sheet layer therefore is produced without the use of an organic solvent and expensive apparatus; and an apparatus therefore.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2012
    Assignee: The Yokohoma Rubber Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Mitsuru Naito
  • Patent number: 8216630
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a porous biomaterials surface activation method by coating with a layer of apatitic nanocrystals in order to increase their surface reactivity. The method according to the invention is characterized by the following steps: a) preparing a nanocrystalline apatitic calcium phosphate analogous to bone mineral by mixing a calcium salt solution with a phosphate salt solution in a Ca/P ratio ranging between 1.3 and 2 at a temperature ranging between 0 and 60 ° C., b) slurrying the mixture obtained in step a) in an aqueous solution so as to obtain a fluid, homogeneous paste containing 80 to 98% of water, c) bringing a porous biomaterial into contact with the suspension obtained in step b), d) drying the porous biomaterial at a temperature below 100 ° C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2012
    Assignees: Institut National Polytechnique de Toulouse, TEKNIMED
    Inventors: Hélène Autefage, Sophie Cazalbou, Christèle Combes, Christian Rey
  • Patent number: 8216629
    Abstract: This invention relates to a method of making an intraocular lens insertion device comprising a lubricious insertion tip assembly and to the device itself.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2012
    Assignee: Advanced Vision Science, Inc.
    Inventor: Khalid Mentak
  • Patent number: 8216648
    Abstract: A film formation method includes setting a target object at a temperature of 150 to 550° C., the target object being placed inside the process container configured to hold a vacuum state therein, and then, repeating a cycle alternately including a first supply step and a second supply step a plurality of times to form a silicon nitride film on the target object. The first supply step is a step of supplying monochlorosilane gas as an Si source into the process container while setting the process container at a pressure of 66.65 to 666.5 Pa therein. The second supply step is a step of supplying a nitrogen-containing gas as a nitriding gas into the process container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2012
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Masanobu Matsunaga, Keisuke Suzuki, Jaehyuk Jang, Pao-Hwa Chou, Masato Yonezawa, Masayuki Hasegawa, Kazuhide Hasebe
  • Patent number: 8211507
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method for producing a thermoplastic resin film, which comprises oxidizing the surface of a thermoplastic resin film (i) that contains an unsaturated carboxylic acid-modified polyolefin-based resin, then applying a surface modifier thereto, and stretching it. According to the method, thermoplastic resin films can be produced that have good adhesiveness between the film substrate and the coating layer thereof and have good printability and electrostatic resistance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: Yupo Corporation
    Inventors: Seiichiro Iida, Hisashi Tani
  • Patent number: 8211509
    Abstract: A method and apparatus is provided for printing using paste like inks such as those used in intaglio printing, wherein the inks include specialty flakes such as thin film optically variable flakes, or diffractive flakes. The invention discloses an apparatus having an energy source such as a heat source for temporarily lessening the viscosity of the ink during alignment of the flakes within the ink.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Inventors: Vladimir P. Raksha, Dishuan Chu, Thomas Mayer, Charles T. Markantes, Paul G. Coombs
  • Patent number: 8211500
    Abstract: A Cu film is deposited on a substrate by ALD (Atomic Layer Deposition) process, in which: a Cu-carboxyl acid complex or a derivative thereof having a high vapor pressure and wettability to a base is used in a gasified state; H2 is used as a reductive gas; and a step of adsorbing a source material gas to a substrate and a step of forming a Cu film by reducing the adsorbed gas with a reductive gas are repeated alternately. With this method, a conformal Cu film having excellent quality can be formed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Yasuhiko Kojima, Naoki Yoshii
  • Patent number: 8206784
    Abstract: Barium, strontium, tantalum and lanthanum precursor compositions useful for atomic layer deposition (ALD) and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of titanate thin films. The precursors have the formula M(Cp)2, wherein M is strontium, barium, tantalum or lanthanum, and Cp is cyclopentadienyl, of the formula wherein each of R1-R5 is the same as or different from one another, with each being independently selected from among hydrogen, C1-C12 alkyl, C1-C12 amino, C6-C10 aryl, C1-C12 alkoxy, C3-C6 alkylsilyl, C2-C12 alkenyl, R1R2R3NNR3, wherein R1, R2 and R3 may be the same as or different from one another and each is independently selected from hydrogen and C1-C6 alkyl, and pendant ligands including functional group(s) providing further coordination to the metal center M. The precursors of the above formula are useful to achieve uniform coating of high dielectric constant materials in the manufacture of flash memory and other microelectronic devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2012
    Assignee: Advanced Technology Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Chongying Xu, Tianniu Chen, Thomas M. Cameron, Jeffrey F. Roeder, Thomas H. Baum
  • Patent number: 8206787
    Abstract: A process for producing a honeycomb body from a noncatalytically active ceramic material for thermal regenerators, comprising the steps of (a) providing a block-shaped monolithic honeycomb body created by extrusion that includes in its interior longitudinal channels; (b) applying a thermal pretreatment to the honeycomb body; (c) after step (b), coating or masking the outer walls of the honeycomb body with a glaze-repellent coating, coating all the longitudinal channels of the honeycomb body with a glaze, and then drying the honeycomb body; and (d) after step (c), performing a firing operation at a temperature typical for the glazed material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2012
    Assignee: Porzellanfabrik Frauenthal GmbH
    Inventors: Georg Kogler, Christoph Hagg, Franz Kronabether, Christian Mitteregger
  • Patent number: 8206793
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for producing a screen is provided. The method includes propelling a quantity of paint comprising metallic flakes, such as aluminum flakes, toward the screen. The method also includes applying at least one magnetic field in a vicinity of the screen, wherein applying the at least one magnetic field causes at least one metallic flake in the quantity of paint to be oriented relative to the screen in a substantially preferred orientation, thereby producing a screen exhibiting beneficial projection qualities, such as brightness. The magnetic field(s) applied may be unsymmetric in the time domain of, for example, an AC component of the magnetic field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2012
    Assignee: RealD Inc.
    Inventors: Josh Greer, Mel Siegel, Lenny Lipton, Matt Cowan
  • Patent number: 8202574
    Abstract: An aluminization process by vapor phase deposition for high-temperature oxidation protection of a metal turbomachine part. The part including a cavity into which a metal component is introduced and assembled from an opening in the part. A halide is formed by reaction between a halogen and a metal donor containing aluminum, then the halide is transported by a carrier gas in order to come into contact with the metal part, wherein the metal component has first, before the implementation of the process, been surface-enriched with aluminum in order to serve as an aluminum donor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2012
    Assignee: SNECMA
    Inventors: Maxime Francois Roger Carlin, Lucie Marie Ida Lanciaux
  • Patent number: 8192799
    Abstract: The invention relates to an improved design for a spray gun and application system for cold gas dynamic spraying of a metal, alloy, polymer, or mechanical mixtures thereof. The gun includes a rear housing comprising a powder inlet and a gas inlet, a front housing removably affixed to the rear housing and comprising an mixing cavity therein for mixing of the powder and gas and an exit therefrom, a nozzle holder having a bore disposed therethrough and removably affixed to the front housing, and a polymeric nozzle positioned within the nozzle holder, an interior taper of the nozzle holder bore complementing an exterior taper of the nozzle. The nozzle having an initially converging, subsequently diverging centrally disposed bore therein adapted to receive the mixed powder and gas from the mixing chamber and the nozzle holder including a cooling jacket which is thermally coupled to the nozzle adjacent the nozzle inlet and mechanically coupled downstream of the nozzle inlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2012
    Assignee: ASB Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Albert Kay, Jeganathan Karthikeyan
  • Patent number: 8192800
    Abstract: An application robot, specifically a painting robot, for coating workpieces with a coating medium and an appropriate operating method. The painting robot has multiple movable axes and a spatially positionable end effector. Multiple application devices are attached to the end effector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2012
    Assignee: Durr Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Einar Endregaard, Frank Herre
  • Patent number: 8187665
    Abstract: A method for forming a thin film by discharging a liquid including a material for forming the thin film, the material being dissolved or dispersed in a solvent, from a plurality of nozzles so as to dispose the liquid into a plurality of predetermined areas included in an effective area set on a substrate to form the thin film while the plurality of nozzles and the substrate are relatively scanned, includes: (a) forming a plurality of reception parts surrounded by a plurality of partitions and bottoms of the predetermined areas, the partitions being provided around the predetermined areas; and (b) forming a plurality of thin films by disposing the liquid from the nozzles into the reception parts. In step (a), a plan view area of at least one of the reception parts in a peripheral area of the effective area is made smaller than a plan view area of the reception part in a central area of the effective area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Hirotaka Ishizuka, Satoru Katagami
  • Patent number: 8187660
    Abstract: A method of fabricating a medical implant component. The method may include the steps of producing a substrate from a first material wherein the substrate has a bearing portion, spraying particles of a second material onto the bearing portion in accordance with a predetermined spraying technique to provide a coating thereon, and subjecting the coated bearing portion to a hot isostatic pressing process, a vacuum sintering process, or a controlled atmospheric sintering process. The first material may be the same as or different from the second material. The predetermined spraying technique may be a thermal type spraying process such as a plasma spraying process or a high velocity oxygen fuel spraying process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2012
    Assignee: Howmedica Osteonics Corp.
    Inventors: Daniel E. Lawrynowicz, Aiguo Wang
  • Patent number: 8187661
    Abstract: A support assembly for a stent and a method of using the same to coat a stent are provided. The support assembly provides for minimum contact between the stent and the support assembly so as to reduce or eliminate coating defects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2012
    Assignee: Advanced Cardiovascular Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Domingo S. Madriaga, Anh Tran, Arthur J. Wen
  • Patent number: 8182876
    Abstract: The invention relates to a seamless model free of bond lines and to a method of making same. The method includes the sequential steps of providing a substructure having an exposed outer surface, applying a modeling paste to the outer surface of the substructure in the form of a continuous layer, curing the continuous layer of applied modeling paste, and machining said cured layer of modeling paste to the desired contour. The modeling paste of the invention is a mechanically frothed syntactic foam prepared by injecting inert gas with mechanical stirring into either a formed froth-forming composition, which is preferably a polyurethane or epoxy froth-forming composition containing microballoons.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2012
    Assignee: Huntsman Advanced Materials Americas LLC
    Inventors: Mahesh Kotnis, Elizabeth Louise Otloski, Paul Terrence Wombwell, William Walter Charles Badcock, Richard Martin Broad
  • Patent number: 8182884
    Abstract: A process comprising: depositing a coating on a fuel cell bipolar plate using plasma assisted chemical vapor deposition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2012
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Gerhard Winter, Gayatri Vyas, Thomas A. Trabold, Reena L. Datta
  • Patent number: 8178158
    Abstract: A method of making a current-perpendicular-to-the-plane giant magnetoresistive (CPP-GMR) sensor with a confined-current-path (CCP) layer uses an array of self-assembled ferritin protein molecules with inorganic cores to make the CCP layer in the sensor stack. In one embodiment, the ferritin molecules with cores of insulating oxide particles are deposited on an electrically conductive support layer and the ferritin molecules are dissolved, leaving an array of insulating oxide particles. An electrically conducting layer is deposited over the oxide particles and into the regions between the oxide particles to form the CCP layer. In another embodiment, the ferritin molecules with inorganic particles in their cores are deposited on an electrically insulating support layer and the ferritin molecules are dissolved, leaving an array of inorganic particles that function as an etch mask.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2012
    Assignee: Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.V.
    Inventors: Thomas R. Berthold, Matthew J. Carey, Jeffrey R. Childress, Jordan Asher Katine, Stefan Maat