Patents by Inventor John J. McNerney

John J. McNerney 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).

  • Fluid component detection method
    Patent number: 5134080
    Abstract: A selected component of a fluid mixture, for example a reduced sulfur compound vapor in air, is detected by selectively adsorbing the component onto a conductive thin layer of material having a chemical affinity for such component and observing the resultant change of electrical resistivity of the layer. The sensitivity of the detector changes with accumulation of the component on the sensor. The accumulation of the component on the sensor is removed by oxidizing and evolving the component from the sensor to restore the sensor to a linear operating region. The accumulated component is preferably oxidized by reacting the component with ozone. The dynamic range of the sensor is increased by counteracting the tendency for the component to accumulate by continuously feeding back ozone to or controlling the temperature of the sensor so that the sensor operates in a linear region near null.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 1990
    Date of Patent: July 28, 1992
    Assignee: Arizona Instrument Corp.
    Inventors: William E. Bell, John J. McNerney
  • Fluid component detection method with feedback
    Patent number: 5087574
    Abstract: A selected component of a fluid mixture, for example a reduced sulfur compound vapor in air, is detected by selectively adsorbing the component onto a conductive thin layer of material having a chemical affinity for such component and observing the resultant change of electrical resistivity of the layer. The sensitivity of the detector changes with accumulation of the component on the sensor. The accumulation of the component on the sensor is removed by oxidizing and evolving the component from the sensor to restore the sensor to a linear operating region. The accumulated component is preferably oxidized by reacting the component with ozone. The dynamic range of the sensor is increased by counteracting the tendency for the component to accumulate by continuously feeding back ozone to or controlling the temperature of the sensor so that the sensor operates in a linear region near null.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 1990
    Date of Patent: February 11, 1992
    Assignee: Arizona Instrument Corp.
    Inventors: William E. Bell, John J. McNerney
  • Method for restoring the sensing capacity of an electrical sensor
    Patent number: 5010021
    Abstract: A selected component of a fluid mixture, for example a reduced sulfur compound vapor in air, is detected by selectively adsorbing the component onto a conductive thin layer of material having a chemical affinity for such component and observing the resultant change of electrical resistivity of the layer. The sensitivity of the detector changes with accumulation of the component on the sensor. The accumulation of the component on the sensor is removed by oxidizing and evolving the component from the sensor to restore the sensor to a linear operating region. The accumulated component is preferably oxidized by reacting the component with ozone. The dynamic range of the sensor is increased by counteracting the tendency for the component to accumulate by continuously feeding back ozone to or controlling the temperature of the sensor so that the sensor operates in a linear region near null.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 1988
    Date of Patent: April 23, 1991
    Assignee: Arizona Instrument Corp.
    Inventors: William E. Bell, John J. McNerney
  • Method for restoring the sensing capacity of an electrical sensor
    Patent number: 4724008
    Abstract: A selected component of a fluid mixture, for example a reduced sulfur compound vapor in air, is detected by selectively adsorbing the component onto a conductive thin layer of material having a chemical affinity for such component and observing the resultant change of electrical resistivity of the layer. The sensitivity of the detector changes with accumulation of the component on the sensor. The accumulation of the component on the sensor is removed by oxidizing and evolving the component from the sensor to restore the sensor to a linear operating region. The accumulated component is preferably oxidized by reacting the component with ozone. The dynamic range of the sensor is increased by counteracting the tendency for the component to accumulate by continuously feeding back ozone to or controlling the temperature of the sensor so that the sensor operates in a linear region near null.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 1985
    Date of Patent: February 9, 1988
    Assignee: Arizona Instruments
    Inventors: William E. Bell, John J. McNerney