Patents by Inventor Norbert Gaul

Norbert Gaul 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: 6823756
    Abstract: A displacement unit for at least one element to be displaced is provided comprising a drive unit, a transfer element that is caused to move by the drive unit and that comprises a thread or a tooth set, and an engagement element, which engages into the thread or tooth set of the transfer element and is thus driven by the motion of the transfer element, and by whose motion the displaced element is moved. The engagement element is configured elastically, in such a way that it deforms elastically upon contact by the displaced element against a stop or obstacle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2004
    Assignee: Leica Microsystems Wetzlar GmbH
    Inventors: Karl-Josef Schalz, Norbert Gaul
  • Publication number: 20020148313
    Abstract: A displacement unit for at least one element to be displaced is provided comprising a drive unit, a transfer element that is caused to move by the drive unit and that comprises a thread or a tooth set, and an engagement element, which engages into the thread or tooth set of the transfer element and is thus driven by the motion of the transfer element, and by whose motion the displaced element is moved. The engagement element is configured elastically, in such a way that it deforms elastically upon contact by the displaced element against a stop or obstacle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2002
    Publication date: October 17, 2002
    Applicant: LEICA MICROSYSTEMS WETZLAR GmbH
    Inventors: Karl-Josef Schalz, Norbert Gaul
  • Patent number: 6414792
    Abstract: The invention relates to an analyzer insert (1) in which the rotation of an adjustment wheel (2) accessible from the outside is transmitted by means of two parallel adjustment levers (8, 9) of equal length onto a rotatable analyzer (3) which can be inserted into the optical path of the microscope. The one ends (10, 11) of the adjustment levers (8, 9) are rotationally mounted at the level of the adjustment wheel (2) on bearing axles (14) near the rim while the other ends (12, 13) are mounted on the axles at the level of the analyzer holder (4). At the level of the adjustment wheel (2) and the analyzer holder (4), in relation to the axes of rotation (15, 16) of same these axles generate force levers of equal length, which are situated pairwise at a 90° angle to each other. In the 0° position of the analyzer (3) all four bearing axles (14) are situated on a straight line. The analyzer (3) can be moved into any position between 0° and 180° precisely and without slip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2002
    Assignee: Leica Microsystems Wetzlar GmbH
    Inventor: Norbert Gaul
  • Patent number: 6101029
    Abstract: A microscope condenser with a condenser head, with the condenser being fastened to a microscope stand in a manner which allows it to move. A holding device for a glass container filled with a liquid is arranged above the condenser head. A living sample or cell for examination is arranged in the glass container. The microscope condenser in this case has a catch pan for liquid that has overflowed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2000
    Assignee: Leica Microsystems Wetzlar GmbH
    Inventors: Norbert Gaul, Karl Wieber
  • Patent number: 5703715
    Abstract: A device for stabilizing the focus in a microscope (1) is described which has an objective (2) and a specimen stage (3), constructed in a movable fashion, for the purpose of setting the focus. The specimen stage (3) is constructed such that it can be moved via a toothed rack (4) and a drive gear (5) along the optical axis (22) of the objective (2). When the microscope (1) is heated by integrated electronic components (6) and/or an illuminating device (7), the body (13) of the microscope expands, and the microscope (1) is thereby defocused. Two rods (8 and 9) connected to one another, which have a different thermal expansion, are arranged between the toothed rack (4) and the specimen stage (3) for the purpose of compensating for the defocusing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 30, 1997
    Assignee: Leica Mikroskopie und Systeme GmbH
    Inventor: Norbert Gaul
  • Patent number: 5572360
    Abstract: The microscope stand foot serves to accommodate an illumination device having optical components and having an aperture diaphragm and field diaphragm. The latter are assembled in a cylindrical tube held by a carrier, the tube being able to be fastened in the stand foot as a prefabricated unit. In this way, the assembly of the illumination device is simplified. When fastening the carrier in the stand foot, the tube rests under tension on mating surfaces, as a result of which an adjustment of the tube and thus of the optical components is dispensed with.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 1995
    Date of Patent: November 5, 1996
    Assignee: Leica Mikroskopie und Systeme GmbH
    Inventor: Norbert Gaul
  • Patent number: 5557453
    Abstract: A microscope includes a mount 18 secured to an eyepiece tube 10 to superimpose image data upon the microscope image. The image data is projected and reflected into the intermediate image plane using a receiving unit 27 to hold the image data on a slide 29 and an optical part 12. The receiving unit 27 includes a magnetic wall surface 31 and is freely movable and arbitrarily positionable together with slide 29 on a slide surface 32. Permanent magnets 33 are provided behind the slide surface 32 within the mount 18 to keep receiving unit 27 in place.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 17, 1996
    Assignee: Leica Mikroskopie und Systeme GmbH
    Inventors: Karl-Josef Schalz, Norbert Gaul
  • Patent number: 4961636
    Abstract: A description is given of a rotating turret device, which has a number of optical components, for example, lenses, condensors, filters and stops, which may be brought into operating position individually in each case. Apart from a motor drive device (1-4), an encoding device (12a-12c; 24a-24c) for the indexing or pre-selection of a specific optical component to be brought into operating position, and locating means (7, 7a; 8) for positioning the optical component in operating position, the rotating device has, in additiion, marking and control means (13; 13a), with the aid of which the speed of the turret can be controlled as a function of its particular relative position. In particular, it is possible with the device described to bring a high-speed motor-driven turret (5) into a set location, there taking place shortly before attainment of this operating position a controlled braking of the rotational speed of the turret (5).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 1988
    Date of Patent: October 9, 1990
    Assignee: Ernst Leitz Wetzlar GmbH
    Inventors: Norbert Gaul, Guenter Reinheimer, Peter Weimar
  • Patent number: 4753525
    Abstract: A modular device (5) for an optical device, such as a microscope (1), is described. This device has adjacently disposed mountings (24a, 24b) for optical systems which can be introduced alternately into the illumination beam path (2) or optical axis (2a) of the microscope by use of a pull rod (11) provided on the modular device (5). At least one of the mountings (24a) is capable of being uncoupled from the pull rod (11), so that the relative spacing of two mountings (24a, 24b) can be altered. Additionally an optical element (17), for example, a compensating plate disposed in the microscope, can be pivoted into the optical axis (2a). By using the modular device (5), a rapid switch-over from traditional methods of microscopy to, for example, investigations utilizing fluorescence microscopy and vice versa, without any effect on the image section and the image sharpness, is possible without undertaking adapting operations or reconstructing the microscope.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 1987
    Date of Patent: June 28, 1988
    Assignee: Ernst Leitz Wetzlar GmbH
    Inventors: Norbert Gaul, Guenter Reinheimer, Peter Euteneuer
  • Patent number: 4619503
    Abstract: A transmitted light and/or incident light inverted microscope is described, which comprises a "C"-shaped microscope basic body (G), the free opening (Of) of which is directed toward the observer (B). A particular construction feature is the preferably vertical disposition of the following microscope parts along the optical microscope axis (4)--from bottom to top--: Objective (1) - object (3) - condenser (2) - center (19a) of the binocular housing (5) (FIG. 1a). At the pure incident light inverted variant (FIG. 1c) the condenser (2) is dispensed with. The multiply bent imaging beam path runs through the inside of the basic body (G). According to an alternative solution the binocular housing (5) is disposed at the front face of the stand arm (A) directed toward the observer (B) (FIG. 1b).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 1983
    Date of Patent: October 28, 1986
    Assignee: Ernst Leitz Wetzlar GmbH
    Inventors: Guenter Reinheimer, Norbert Gaul
  • Patent number: 4477157
    Abstract: A universal revolving stage for microscopes having glass segments mounted in an upper and a lower segment mountings serves in particular to conduct crystal-optical investigations. Because of the differential thickness of the specimens to be examined, there is provided a height adjustment of the segment mountings by means of adjusting means actuated from above, in the form of a pinion. The adjusting means is rotated by a knurled knob which can be inserted into it, and it engages the internal teeth of an adjusting ring which has an adjusting thread. Upon rotation of the pinion and thus of the adjusting ring, the lower segment mounting is screwed upwardly or downwardly, and it carries with it the upper segment mounting which is centered by guides in the lower mounting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 1982
    Date of Patent: October 16, 1984
    Assignee: Ernst Leitz Wetzlar GmbH
    Inventor: Norbert Gaul
  • Patent number: 4329014
    Abstract: An incident light illumination apparatus for generating light and dark field illumination along an optical axis. The illumination apparatus is coupled to a stage arm of a microscope and a microscope tube is coupled to the illumination apparatus.An illumination stub (7) is located in the illumination apparatus along the optical axis between a light source (8) and an optical deflecting element (11). An aperture (13) passes through the stub from side-to-side for the interchangeable insertion of an insertion module (14,15). This insertion module contains at least two functional groups (I,II; III,II) which can be sequentially placed into the optical axis (9) and the functional groups consist of light attenuating (25) and/or light bounding (19,20,23,24,27) optical components, and additional means (28,29) for pivoting a center stop (30) into the optical axis (9).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 1980
    Date of Patent: May 11, 1982
    Assignee: Ernst Leitz Wetzlar GmbH
    Inventors: Gunter Reinheimer, Norbert Gaul