Patents by Inventor Markus Ehrat

Markus Ehrat 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).

  • Publication number: 20020074513
    Abstract: The invention is related to a variable embodiment of a sensor platform based on a planar thin-film waveguide for the determination of one or more luminescences from one or more measurement areas on said sensor platform, comprising an optical film waveguide of different layers (“stratified waveguide”) with a first optically transparent layer (a) on a second optically transparent layer (b) of lower refractive index than layer (a) and at least one grating structure for the incoupling of excitation light to the measurement areas or outcoupling of luminescence light from the measurement areas. The invention is also related to an optical system for luminescence determination and to an analytical system, comprising a sensor platform according to the invention, an optical system according to the invention, and supply means for contacting one or more samples with the measurement areas on the sensor platform.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 4, 2001
    Publication date: June 20, 2002
    Inventors: Andreas Peter Abel, Gert Ludwig Duveneck, Markus Ehrat, Gerhard Matthias Kresbach
  • Patent number: 6084683
    Abstract: Optical detection apparatus for chemical analyses of small volumes of samples has light sources (21) to emit induction light, a measuring cell (7) for the sample, photoelectric sensing elements (22) to receive light coming form the sample in the measuring cell (7), as well as beam-conducting means for the induction light or the light from the sample. In the apparatus, several essentially planar, laminar components (2-7) are arranged in a sandwich structure, whereby the components (2-7) contain the light sources (21), the measuring cell (7), the photoelectric sensing elements (22), and also the beam conducting means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2000
    Inventors: Alfredo Emilio Bruno, Steven Mark Barnard, Markus Ehrat, Reinhard Volkel, Philippe Nussbaum, Hans Peter Herzig
  • Patent number: 5959292
    Abstract: The invention relates to a process for detecting luminescence with a planar dielectric optical sensor platform consisting of a transparent substrate (a) to which a thin transparent waveguiding layer (b) is applied, which sensor platform is provided with a grating for the input-coupling of the excitation light and the refractive index of said substrate (a) is lower than the refractive index of the waveguiding layer (b), by bringing a liquid sample into contact with the layer (b), and measuring the luminescence produced by substances having luminescence properties in the sample, or by substances having luminescence properties immobilized on the layer (b), optoelectronically. The invention also relates to the use of the process in quantitative affinity sensing and to the use thereof for the quantitative determination of luminescent constituents in optically turbid solutions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 28, 1999
    Assignee: Novartis Corporation
    Inventors: Gert L. Duveneck, Dieter Neuschafer, Markus Ehrat
  • Patent number: 5190864
    Abstract: A method for amplifying enzyme activity is disclosed. Enzyme amplification is achieved by covalently bonding enzyme to a supporting material via a molecular chain which is a substrate for the enzyme, then introducing a small amount of enzyme in the free state to this system, causing release of a large amount of bound enzyme. In an alternative embodiment, complementary enzymatically inactive fragments of an active enzyme, which fragments can recombine to form active enzyme, are covalently attached to separate support materials by a molecular chain material which is a substrate for the active enzyme, and these two fragment-supported conjugates are connected in series. Upon application of free enzyme or free complementary enzyme to one of these fragment-support conjugates, followed by application of the resulting product mixture to the second fragment-support conjugate, a large amount of free enzyme is ultimately produced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 1990
    Date of Patent: March 2, 1993
    Assignee: Northeastern University
    Inventors: Roger W. Giese, Markus Ehrat, Douglas J. Cecchini
  • Patent number: 4937188
    Abstract: Enzyme amplification is achieved by covalently bonding enzyme to a supporting material via a molecular chain which is a substrate for the enzyme, then introducing a small amount of enzyme in the free state to this system, causing release of a large amount of bound enzyme. In an alternative embodiment, complementary enzymatically inactive fragments of an active enzyme, which fragments can recombine to form active enzyme, are covalently attached to separate support materials by a molecular chain material which is a substrate for the active enzyme, and these two fragment-support conjugates are connected in series. Upon application of free enzyme or free complementary enzyme to one of these fragment-support conjugates, followed by application of the resulting product mixture to the second fragment-support conjugate, a large amount of free enzyme is ultimately produced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 1986
    Date of Patent: June 26, 1990
    Assignee: Northeastern University
    Inventors: Roger W. Giese, Markus Ehrat, Douglas J. Cecchini
  • Patent number: 4801726
    Abstract: A repetitive immunoassay analytical method for determination of a free analyte is carried out by loading an affinity column of covalently bound analyte with tagged antibody, passing a continuous aqueous stream of carrier liquid over the column, introducing an aliquot of a sample to be analyzed for free analyte into the carrier stream upstream of the column, and monitoring the eluting carrier stream for a signal spike resulting from the presence of tagged antibody material released from the column by the application of free analyte in the analytical sample. Many samples may be analyzed by this method before the antibody-loaded affinity column needs to be regenerated. It is also disclosed that substrate-analyte conjugates of superior stability are produced by linking a substrate to a hydroxyalkyl analyte via an amino, hydrazide, or sulfide linking group replacing a hydroxy group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 1986
    Date of Patent: January 31, 1989
    Assignee: Northeastern University
    Inventors: Roger W. Giese, Beverly Warden, Allam Kariman, Markus Ehrat, Douglas J. Cecchini, Abdellah Sentissi