Patents by Inventor Julian Michael Hibberd

Julian Michael Hibberd 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: 9260720
    Abstract: The invention provides genetic constructs which comprise a senescence-specific promoter operably linked to at least one coding sequence, which encodes at least one polypeptide having phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PCK) activity and/or pyruvate orthophosphate dikinase (PPDK) activity. The constructs have the ability to cause, in transgenic plants, remobilisation of nitrogen during leaf senescence, such that nitrogen can be transported from the leaves to other regions of the plants. The invention provides plant cells and plants transformed with such constructs, methods of producing transgenic plants, and methods of increasing the rate of nitrogen remobilisation and growth rate in senescent plants. The invention also provides harvested plant leaves, such as tobacco leaves, that have been transformed with the genetic constructs, and to smoking articles comprising such harvested plant leaves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2016
    Assignee: BRITISH AMERICAN TOBACCO (INVESTMENTS) LIMITED
    Inventors: Julian Michael Hibberd, Lucy Elisabeth Taylor, Anna Elizabeth Leiss
  • Publication number: 20120125355
    Abstract: The invention provides genetic constructs which comprise a senescence-specific promoter operably linked to at least one coding sequence, which encodes at least one polypeptide having phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PCK) activity and/or pyruvate orthophosphate dikinase (PPDK) activity. The constructs have the ability to cause, in transgenic plants, remobilisation of nitrogen during leaf senescence, such that nitrogen can be transported from the leaves to other regions of the plants. The invention provides plant cells and plants transformed with such constructs, methods of producing transgenic plants, and methods of increasing the rate of nitrogen remobilisation and growth rate in senescent plants. The invention also provides harvested plant leaves, such as tobacco leaves, that have been transformed with the genetic constructs, and to smoking articles comprising such harvested plant leaves.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2010
    Publication date: May 24, 2012
    Inventors: Julian Michael Hibberd, Lucy Elisabeth Taylor, Anna Elizabeth Leiss