Patents by Inventor Brian E. Lock

Brian E. Lock has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 6255116
    Abstract: A mixture of beads from a combinatorial library is held in suspension in a liquid by movement of the liquid induced by a vertically reciprocating paddle. The tips of needles in an array are immersed in the suspension, a slot being provided in the paddle to avoid collision with the needles. Liquid is drawn into the needles until a bead becomes attached to the tip of each needle. Excess beads adhering to the needles are shaken off by an electromagnetically operated vibrator, and the beads are deposited in wells of a well plate by applying a short burst of pressure to the interiors of the needles. Liquid and any debris within the needles are thereafter discharged to a receptacle by applying a higher pressure burst to the interiors of the needles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2001
    Assignee: SmithKline Beecham Corporation
    Inventors: Jack Dale Leber, Brian E. Lock
  • Patent number: 4861085
    Abstract: An apparatus for transferring headed pins includes a frame having a pair of spaced, parallel side rails and an end plate secured between the side rails at one end thereof. A pair of plates are secured together and connected between the side rails at the other ends thereof. The pair of plates have at least a portion of their opposed surfaces spaced from each other, and have aligned holes therethrough for receiving the pins to be transferred. A third plate having openings therethrough is slidable in the space between the pair of plates. An operating rod is connected to the third plate and can move the third plate between a first position in which the holes in the third plate are aligned with the holes in the pair of plates, and a second position in which the holes in the third plate only partially overlap the holes in the pair of plates. With the third plate in its second position, pins can be inserted through the holes and will not pass completely therethrough so that they will be held in the apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 1988
    Date of Patent: August 29, 1989
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Brian E. Lock, John G. Aceti
  • Patent number: 4821864
    Abstract: An apparatus for feeding headed pins includes a frame having thereon a hopper into which the pins are placed. A ramp extends substantially horizontally from the hopper and has a plurality of spaced, parallel slots therein which are adapted to receive the pins with the heads of the pins seated on the surface of the ramp. At the end of the ramp is a transfer shuttle assembly which is adapted to feed pins from the slots into passages in a chute which extends vertically downwardly from the end of the ramp. The upper ends of the passages are offset from the ends of the slots. The shuttle transfer means includes a shuttle plate movable back and forth across the end of the ramp by means of pneumatic cylinders, and a plurality of gates mounted on the shuttle plate. Each gate has a notch in its end which can receive a pin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 1988
    Date of Patent: April 18, 1989
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Brian E. Lock, John G. Aceti
  • Patent number: 4786973
    Abstract: A display system for a video apparatus includes a cathode ray tube and a deflection yoke adapted to be adhesively mounted to the cathode ray tube. A flexible sleeve is removably attached to the tube between the yoke and the tube and closely conforms to the tube contour. The yoke is adhesively mounted to the sleeve rather than directly to the tube in order to permit removal and replacement of the deflection yoke without causing damage to the tube.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 1987
    Date of Patent: November 22, 1988
    Assignee: RCA Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Brian E. Lock, Mark Galambus, Richard M. Leonard
  • Patent number: 4693286
    Abstract: A piston is forced in a direction to disengage from a cylinder containing a fluid such as an adhesive. The piston while in engagement with the cylinder abuts a stop in response to the disengagement force. While the disengagement force is kept on the piston, the chamber between the fluid and piston in the cylinder is evacuated. After evacuation, the disengagement force on the piston is gradually released and the piston is forced against the fluid to squeeze the fluid through fluid couplings into an array of corresponding containers releasably secured to the piston, simultaneously filling the containers without exposing the fluid to air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 1986
    Date of Patent: September 15, 1987
    Assignee: RCA Corporation
    Inventors: Brian E. Lock, Jeffrey S. Wojnar
  • Patent number: 4503806
    Abstract: A detector and measuring device for determining the presence and number of lubricant particles in a flow of air directed onto the surface of a disc to coat the disc with a thin layer of the lubricant. The detector includes means for removing a portion of the air containing the lubricant particles from the coating chamber, means for diluting the air containing the lubricant particles with additional clean air and means for passing diluted air through a particle counter which detects and counts the particles of lubricant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 1984
    Date of Patent: March 12, 1985
    Assignee: RCA Corporation
    Inventors: John J. Prusak, Brian E. Lock, Joseph H. Thorn
  • Patent number: 4439925
    Abstract: An instrument for determining the alignment of two objects includes a support in the form of a cylindrical body having a longitudinal axis. The support has means on one end for releasably mounting the support in an opening in one of the objects being aligned. The support fits into a recess in a housing which can rotate about the longitudinal axis of the support. A gauge carrier is pivotally mounted on the housing. A gauge is mounted on the gauge carrier and has a finger pivotally mounted thereon and projecting therefrom. The gauge is adapted to detect pivotal movement of the finger. The finger is adapted to contact the other object and as the housing is rotated about the support will pivot toward or away from the longitudinal axis if the other object is not in alignment with the one object. The pivotal movement of the finger is detected by the gauge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 1982
    Date of Patent: April 3, 1984
    Assignee: RCA Corporation
    Inventor: Brian E. Lock
  • Patent number: 4381964
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for separating a metal stamper from a metal mold on which the stamper is electro-formed. The gas flows between the mold and stamper to separate the stamper from the mold which are maintained separated by the vacuum applied to their back surfaces. Means is provided for centering the mold-stamper assembly between the backing plates just before the assembly is clamped between the backing plates. Means is provided for mechanically bending the outer peripheral portion of the mold-stamper assembly back and forth to separate the peripheral portion of the stamper from the mold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 1981
    Date of Patent: May 3, 1983
    Assignee: RCA Corporation
    Inventor: Brian E. Lock
  • Patent number: 4309456
    Abstract: The surfaces of a recorded disc are coated with a thin layer of lubricant by forming in an atomizer chamber droplets of the lubricant supported in air. The droplets are formed by passing a flow of air through a supply of the lubricant in the atomizer chamber at a rate and pressure such that the air causes the lubricant to be blown into the space above the supply as fine droplets. The air laden with the lubricant droplets flows out of the atomizer housing to a pair of nozzles in a coating chamber. The nozzles direct the air laden with the lubricant droplets onto the surface of the recorded disc which passes between the nozzles. Excess lubricant which does not coat the disc is collected in the coating chamber and carried back to the atomizer housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 1980
    Date of Patent: January 5, 1982
    Assignee: RCA Corporation
    Inventor: Brian E. Lock