Patents by Inventor Johanna Lynn Whitacre

Johanna Lynn Whitacre 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).

  • Reagent channel mixing system and method
    Patent number: 11192105
    Abstract: An analysis system may perform operations on an analyte that may be combined with multiple regents prior to being introduced into a flow cell. The instrument may include a volume into which the reagents to be combined with the analyte are aspirated one-by-one. The volume may be formed as a serpentine channel in a valve manifold associated with sippers for aspirating the reagents. The reagents may then be mixed by cycling a pump to move the reagents within the mixing volume or channel. For this, the reagents may be aspirated from a recipient into the volume or channel, ejected back into the recipient, and this process may be performed repeatedly to enhance mixing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: Illumina, Inc.
    Inventors: Bradley Kent Drews, Michael Dai Wang, Umberto Ulmanella, Stephen Wayne Clark, Johanna Lynn Whitacre, Steven Scott Phelps, Michelle L. Alvarez, Michael Adalbert Niziolek, Debra Sue Bryan, Joshua Augustin Darland
  • REAGENT NOZZLE SIPPER MIXING SYSTEM AND METHOD
    Publication number: 20210270708
    Abstract: An analysis instrument may perform analytical operations on an analyte that is combined with multiple reagents prior to being introduced into a flow cell. The instrument may include a nozzle sipper that aspirates reagents from a recipient, along with an analyte. The reagents may be directed to a volume and may be repeatedly moved into and out of the volume by cycling of a pump. The reagents may be ejected into a destination recipient with the nozzle sipper promoting vorticity in the recipient to enhance mixing. The repeated aspiration and ejection through the nozzle sipper effectively mixes the reagents and the template in an automated or semi-automated fashion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 19, 2021
    Publication date: September 2, 2021
    Applicant: Illumina, Inc.
    Inventors: Bradley Kent Drews, Michael Dai Wang, Umberto Ulmanella, James Michael Osmus, Stephen Wayne Clark, Johanna Lynn Whitacre, Steven Scott Phelps, Michelle L. Alvarez, Michael Adalbert Niziolek, Debra Sue Bryan, Joshua Augustin Darland
  • Reagent nozzle sipper mixing system and method
    Patent number: 11016008
    Abstract: An analysis instrument may perform analytical operations on an analyte that is combined with multiple reagents prior to being introduced into a flow cell. The instrument may include a nozzle sipper that aspirates reagents from a recipient, along with an analyte. The reagents may be directed to a volume and may be repeatedly moved into and out of the volume by cycling of a pump. The reagents may be ejected into a destination recipient with the nozzle sipper promoting vorticity in the recipient to enhance mixing. The repeated aspiration and ejection through the nozzle sipper effectively mixes the reagents and the template in an automated or semi-automated fashion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2021
    Assignee: ILLUMINA, INC.
    Inventors: Bradley Kent Drews, Michael Dai Wang, Umberto Ulmanella, James Michael Osmus, Stephen Wayne Clark, Johanna Lynn Whitacre, Steven Scott Phelps, Michelle L. Alvarez, Michael Adalbert Niziolek, Debra Sue Bryan, Joshua Augustin Darland
  • REAGENT CHANNEL MIXING SYSTEM AND METHOD
    Publication number: 20200230598
    Abstract: An analysis system may perform operations on an analyte that may be combined with multiple regents prior to being introduced into a flow cell. The instrument may include a volume into which the reagents to be combined with the analyte are aspirated one-by-one. The volume may be formed as a serpentine channel in a valve manifold associated with sippers for aspirating the reagents. The reagents may then be mixed by cycling a pump to move the reagents within the mixing volume or channel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2020
    Publication date: July 23, 2020
    Inventors: Bradley Kent Drews, Michael Dai Wang, Umberto Ulmanella, Stephen Wayne Clark, Johanna Lynn Whitacre, Steven Scott Phelps, Michelle L. Alvarez, Michael Adalbert Niziolek, Debra Sue Bryan, Joshua Augustin Darland
  • Reagent channel mixing system and method
    Patent number: 10625260
    Abstract: An analysis system may perform operations on an analyte that may be combined with multiple regents prior to being introduced into a flow cell. The instrument may include a volume into which the reagents to be combined with the analyte are aspirated one-by-one. The volume may be formed as a serpentine channel in a valve manifold associated with sippers for aspirating the reagents. The reagents may then be mixed by cycling a pump to move the reagents within the mixing volume or channel. For this, the reagents may be aspirated from a recipient into the volume or channel, ejected back into the recipient, and this process may be performed repeatedly to enhance mixing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignee: ILLUMINA, INC.
    Inventors: Bradley Kent Drews, Michael Dai Wang, Umberto Ulmanella, Stephen Wayne Clark, Johanna Lynn Whitacre, Steven Scott Phelps, Michelle L. Alvarez, Michael Adalbert Niziolek, Debra Sue Bryan, Joshua Augustin Darland
  • REAGENT NOZZLE SIPPER MIXING SYSTEM AND METHOD
    Publication number: 20180188141
    Abstract: An analysis instrument may perform analytical operations on an analyte that is combined with multiple reagents prior to being introduced into a flow cell. The instrument may include a nozzle sipper that aspirates reagents from a recipient, along with an analyte. The reagents may be directed to a volume and may be repeatedly moved into and out of the volume by cycling of a pump. The reagents may be ejected into a destination recipient with the nozzle sipper promoting vorticity in the recipient to enhance mixing. The repeated aspiration and ejection through the nozzle sipper effectively mixes the reagents and the template in an automated or semi-automated fashion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 13, 2017
    Publication date: July 5, 2018
    Inventors: Bradley Kent Drews, Michael Dai Wang, Umberto Ulmanella, James Michael Osmus, Stephen Wayne Clark, Johanna Lynn Whitacre, Steven Scott Phelps, Michelle L. Alvarez, Michael Adalbert Niziolek, Debra Sue Bryan, Joshua Augustin Darland
  • REAGENT CHANNEL MIXING SYSTEM AND METHOD
    Publication number: 20180185842
    Abstract: An analysis system may perform operations on an analyte that may be combined with multiple regents prior to being introduced into a flow cell. The instrument may include a volume into which the reagents to be combined with the analyte are aspirated one-by-one. The volume may be formed as a serpentine channel in a valve manifold associated with sippers for aspirating the reagents. The reagents may then be mixed by cycling a pump to move the reagents within the mixing volume or channel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 13, 2017
    Publication date: July 5, 2018
    Inventors: Bradley Kent Drews, Michael Dai Wang, Umberto Ulmanella, Stephen Wayne Clark, Johanna Lynn Whitacre, Steven Scott Phelps, Michelle L. Alvarez, Michael Adalbert Niziolek, Debra Sue Bryan, Joshua Augustin Darland