Patents by Inventor Gerald J. Small

Gerald J. Small 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: 6541778
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for ceramic analysis, in particular, a method for analyzing density, density gradients and/or microcracks, including an apparatus with optical instrumentation for analysis of density, density gradients and/or microcracks in ceramics. The method provides analyzing density of a ceramic comprising exciting a component on a surface/subsurface of the ceramic by exposing the material to excitation energy. The method may further include the step of obtaining a measurement of an emitted energy from the component. The method may additionally include comparing the measurement of the emitted energy from the component with a predetermined reference measurement so as to obtain a density for said ceramic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2003
    Assignee: Iowa State University Research Foundation, Inc.
    Inventors: Ryszard J. Jankowiak, Chris Schilling, Gerald J. Small, Piotr Tomasik
  • Patent number: 5898493
    Abstract: Capillary electrophoresis (CE) is interfaced with low temperature fluorescence line-narrowing (FLN) spectroscopy for on-line structural characterization of separated molecular analytes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 1997
    Date of Patent: April 27, 1999
    Assignee: Iowa State University Research Foundation, Inc.
    Inventors: Ryszard J. Jankowiak, Gerald J. Small, Peter A. Shields
  • Patent number: 4432225
    Abstract: A method and apparatus are described for the quantitative analysis of vaporizable compounds, and in particular of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons which may be induced to fluoresce. The sample to be analyzed is injected into a gas chromatography column and is eluted through a narrow orifice into a vacuum chamber. The free expansion of the eluted sample into the vacuum chamber creates a supersonic molecular beam in which the sample molecules are cooled to the extent that the excited vibrational and rotational levels are substantially depopulated. The cooled molecules, when induced to fluoresce by laser excitation, give greatly simplified spectra suitable for analytical purposes. The laser induced fluorimetry provides great selectivity, and the gas chromatograph provides quantitative transfer of the sample to the molecular beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 1982
    Date of Patent: February 21, 1984
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy
    Inventors: John M. Hayes, Gerald J. Small