Patents by Inventor Christopher Johnstone

Christopher Johnstone 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: 12180487
    Abstract: Embodiments include engineered minicircle-producing bacterium with differential methylation capability, as well as kits and compositions comprising the bacterium. Further described are methods of using of the bacterium for producing differentially methylated minicircle DNA, and for improving transformation efficiency of exogenous DNA in intractable bacteria.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2024
    Assignee: Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
    Inventors: Christopher Johnston, Sean Cotton
  • Publication number: 20240386477
    Abstract: A computer method including fetching, from a first address, first domain content; analysing the first domain content to determine character information and content information; selecting a template from amongst a plurality of templates associated with a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) application based on at least one of the character information and the content information; and configuring the SaaS application based on the character information and content information using the selected template.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 17, 2023
    Publication date: November 21, 2024
    Inventors: Christopher Johnston, Marie-Philipe Boucher, Irina Tosic, Donn Pasiliao, Rafal Nedzarek
  • Publication number: 20240300191
    Abstract: A method of embedding a reinforcing fiber into a thermoplastic resin. The method includes providing a cavity defined by first and second members and a seal and enclosing a ply stack. The ply stack includes at least one thermoplastic resin ply including the thermoplastic resin and at least one reinforcing fiber ply including the reinforcing fiber. The method further includes subjecting the cavity to a vacuum to form a vacuum-sealed cavity to impart an impregnation pressure on the ply stack. The method also includes heating the vacuum-sealed cavity to an impregnation temperature above a glass transition temperature of the thermoplastic resin to form a heated thermoplastic resin impregnating into the reinforcing fiber to form a heated composite. The method also includes cooling the heated composite to form a thermoplastic composite.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 17, 2024
    Publication date: September 12, 2024
    Inventor: Christopher JOHNSTON, VII
  • Patent number: 11897180
    Abstract: A rigid thermoplastic polymeric sheet material forming process. The process includes heating, while under a heating vacuum range, a rigid thermoplastic polymeric sheet in a heating zone to a forming temperature to form a heated rigid thermoplastic polymeric sheet material. The process further includes transferring, while under a feeding vacuum range, the heated rigid thermoplastic polymeric sheet material from the heating zone to feed the heated rigid thermoplastic polymeric sheet material into a forming zone under the feeding vacuum range. The process also includes forming, in the forming zone, the heated rigid thermoplastic sheet material into a formed article.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2023
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: Aerlyte, Inc.
    Inventor: Christopher Johnston, VII
  • Patent number: 11607836
    Abstract: A heated polymeric sheet material feeding process. The process may include heating a polymeric sheet in a heating zone to a forming temperature to form a heated polymeric sheet material. The process may further include transferring, while under a feeding vacuum range, the heated polymeric sheet from the heating zone to feed the heated polymeric sheet material into a forming zone under the feeding vacuum range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Assignee: Aerlyte, Inc.
    Inventor: Christopher Johnston, VII
  • Patent number: 11532296
    Abstract: Broadband acoustic absorbers may be capable providing good absorption performance between 0 and 3,000 Hz, and particularly below 1,000 Hz. Reeds may be incorporated in a single layer, multiple layers, or bundles. Such broadband acoustic absorbers may be applied for acoustic absorption in aircraft, spacecraft, residential and commercial buildings, vehicles, industrial environments, wind tunnels, or any other suitable environment or application where noise reduction is desired.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2022
    Assignee: United States of America as Represented by the Administrator of National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventors: Lisa Danielle Koch, Michael G. Jones, Peter J. Bonacuse, Christopher J. Miller, James Christopher Johnston, Maria A. Kuczmarski
  • Publication number: 20220098599
    Abstract: Embodiments include engineered minicircle-producing bacterium with differential methylation capability, as well as kits and compositions comprising the bacterium. Further described are methods of using of the bacterium for producing differentially methylated minicircle DNA, and for improving transformation efficiency of exogenous DNA in intractable bacteria.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 6, 2020
    Publication date: March 31, 2022
    Inventors: Christopher JOHNSTON, Sean COTTON
  • Patent number: 11220025
    Abstract: A method of separating carbon fiber tows. The method includes separating two or more first carbon fiber tows from a first tow band onto a second elevation to form two or more second carbon fiber tows from a second tow band. The two or more second carbon fiber tows from the second tow band leave gaps next to first adjacent tows of the two or more first carbon fiber tows remaining from the first tow band after the separating step. The first adjacent tows from the first tow band leave gaps next to second adjacent tows of the two or more second carbon fiber tows from the second tow band.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: Aerlyte, Inc.
    Inventor: Christopher Johnston, VII
  • Publication number: 20210129387
    Abstract: A method of separating carbon fiber tows. The method includes separating two or more first carbon fiber tows from a first tow band onto a second elevation to form two or more second carbon fiber tows from a second tow band. The two or more second carbon fiber tows from the second tow band leave gaps next to first adjacent tows of the two or more first carbon fiber tows remaining from the first tow band after the separating step. The first adjacent tows from the first tow band leave gaps next to second adjacent tows of the two or more second carbon fiber tows from the second tow band.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 15, 2021
    Publication date: May 6, 2021
    Inventor: Christopher JOHNSTON, VII
  • Publication number: 20210010168
    Abstract: A method of separating carbon fiber tows. The method includes separating two or more first carbon fiber tows from a first tow band onto a second elevation to form two or more second carbon fiber tows from a second tow band. The two or more second carbon fiber tows from the second tow band leave gaps next to first adjacent tows of the two or more first carbon fiber tows remaining from the first tow band after the separating step. The first adjacent tows from the first tow band leave gaps next to second adjacent tows of the two or more second carbon fiber tows from the second tow band.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 1, 2019
    Publication date: January 14, 2021
    Inventor: Christopher JOHNSTON, VII
  • Patent number: 10793201
    Abstract: A pickup truck cargo box subassembly includes a load floor composed of a sandwich structure having an upper skin, a lower skin and a core extending therebetween. The upper skin is formed of a composite material including continuous reinforcing fibers. The pickup truck cargo box subassembly also includes a left inner sidewall panel having an integrated left inner sidewall panel joining surface extending horizontally along at least a portion of a length of the left inner sidewall panel. The pickup truck cargo box subassembly also includes a right inner sidewall panel having an integral right inner sidewall panel joining surface extending horizontally along at least a portion of a length of the right inner sidewall panel. The left and right inner sidewall panel joining surfaces join a peripheral portion of the load floor. The pickup truck cargo box subassembly also includes a headboard and a rear cross sill.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: Aerlyte, Inc.
    Inventor: Christopher Johnston, VII
  • Patent number: 10576662
    Abstract: A method of forming a fiber-reinforced molding compound. The method includes establishing a melt stream of a source material including a first polymeric material having a first melt temperature in an extruder and dosing a composite material into the melt stream. The composite material includes pre-impregnated reinforcing fibers comprising reinforcing filaments and a second polymeric material having a second melt temperature greater than the first melt temperature. The composite material has at least 30% of the reinforcing filaments protected by the polymeric material such that the polymeric material surrounds each filament completely forming a barrier between it and an adjacent filament in the at least 30% of the filaments. The temperature of the melt stream at dosing is below the second melt temperature. The method includes forming a molding compound from the source and composite materials. The method includes dispensing the molding compound to produce a part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2020
    Assignee: AERLYTE, INC.
    Inventor: Christopher Johnston, VII
  • Patent number: 10518442
    Abstract: A method of forming fiber-reinforced composites. The method includes stabilizing two or more carbon fibers tows together (a) with a stabilizing resin and (b) in-line with a commercial carbon fiber production process to form a semi-finished tape; and impregnating the semi-finished tape with a matrix resin in a process offline of the carbon fiber production process to form a prepreg.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: Aerlyte, Inc.
    Inventor: Christopher Johnston, VII
  • Publication number: 20190275705
    Abstract: A method of forming fiber-reinforced composites. The method includes stabilizing two or more carbon fibers tows together (a) with a stabilizing resin and (b) in-line with a commercial carbon fiber production process to form a semi-finished tape; and impregnating the semi-finished tape with a matrix resin in a process offline of the carbon fiber production process to form a prepreg.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 1, 2019
    Publication date: September 12, 2019
    Inventor: Christopher JOHNSTON, VII
  • Publication number: 20190248044
    Abstract: A method of forming a fiber-reinforced molding compound. The method includes establishing a melt stream of a source material including a first polymeric material having a first melt temperature in an extruder and dosing a composite material into the melt stream. The composite material includes pre-impregnated reinforcing fibers comprising reinforcing filaments and a second polymeric material having a second melt temperature greater than the first melt temperature. The composite material has at least 30% of the reinforcing filaments protected by the polymeric material such that the polymeric material surrounds each filament completely forming a barrier between it and an adjacent filament in the at least 30% of the filaments. The temperature of the melt stream at dosing is below the second melt temperature. The method includes forming a molding compound from the source and composite materials. The method includes dispensing the molding compound to produce a part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 25, 2019
    Publication date: August 15, 2019
    Inventor: Christopher JOHNSTON, VII
  • Patent number: 10280763
    Abstract: An airfoil for a gas turbine engine, the airfoil comprising a wall having a first surface, a second surface, and a passageway extending through the wall from a first opening in the first surface to a second opening in the second surface, the passageway having one or more sections between the first opening and the second opening, the one or more sections in fluid communication with each other, the plurality of sections comprising a first diffuser section providing a first change in cross-sectional area within the passageway, a second diffuser section providing a second change in cross-sectional area within the passageway, a flow conditioning section, and an edge section having two surfaces set opposite each other across the passageway, the two surfaces extending along the passageway substantially in parallel to one another, the edge section being located adjacent to the second opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2019
    Assignee: Ansaldo Energia Switzerland AG
    Inventors: Alex Torkaman, Gregory Vogel, Christopher Johnston, Michele Borja
  • Publication number: 20190022897
    Abstract: A method of forming a fiber-reinforced molding compound. The method includes pre-impregnating reinforcing fibers with a polymeric material to form one or more pre-impregnated continuous tapes. The method further includes storing the one or more pre-impregnated continuous tapes in bulk, and introducing the one or more pre-impregnated continuous tapes into an extruder. The method further includes forming a molding compound from the one or more pre-impregnated continuous tapes, dispensing the molding compound from the extruder, and using the molding compound to produce a part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 24, 2017
    Publication date: January 24, 2019
    Inventor: Christopher Johnston, VII
  • Publication number: 20190022896
    Abstract: A method of forming a fiber-reinforced molding compound. The method includes pre-impregnating carbon reinforcing fibers with a polymeric material to form one or more pre-impregnated continuous strands having at least 30% of the fibers protected by the polymeric material. The method further includes storing the one or more pre-impregnated continuous strands in bulk. The method also includes introducing the one or more pre-impregnated continuous strands into an extruder, forming a molding compound from the one or more pre-impregnated continuous strands, dispensing the molding compound from the extruder, and using the molding compound to produce a part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 24, 2017
    Publication date: January 24, 2019
    Inventor: Christopher Johnston, VII
  • Patent number: 10011048
    Abstract: A method of forming a fiber-reinforced molding compound. The method includes establishing a melt stream of a source material and dosing a composite material into the melt stream. The composite material includes carbon reinforcing fibers pre-impregnated by a polymeric material. The composite material has at least 30% of the fibers protected by the polymeric material. The method further includes forming a molding compound from the source and composite materials, dispensing the molding compound from the extruder, and using the molding compound to produce a part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2018
    Assignee: Aerlyte, Inc.
    Inventor: Christopher Johnston, VII
  • Patent number: 10011049
    Abstract: A method of forming a fiber-reinforced molding compound. The method includes establishing a melt stream of a source material including a first polymeric material and dosing a composite material into the melt stream. The composite material includes pre-impregnated reinforcing fibers and a second polymeric material. The method further includes forming a molding compound from the source and composite materials and dispensing the molding compound from the extruder. The first and second polymeric materials are different than each other to introduce a functionality into the molding compound that is not present in the second polymeric material. The method further includes using the molding compound to produce a part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2018
    Assignee: Aerlyte, Inc.
    Inventor: Christopher Johnston, VII