Patents by Inventor Oliver Kirkby

Oliver Kirkby 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: 11585735
    Abstract: A detector inlet for providing a sample to an analytical apparatus for detecting an aerosol, the detector inlet comprising; an intake for inhaling a flow of gaseous fluid to be sampled by the analytical apparatus; a mixing region; a first conduit for carrying a first part of the flow of gaseous fluid from the intake to the mixing region; a second conduit for carrying a second part of the flow of gaseous fluid from the intake to the mixing region; and a heater configured to heat the first part more than the second part, and wherein the detector inlet is configured to combine the first part with the second part in the mixing region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: Smiths Detection-Watford Limited
    Inventors: Oliver Kirkby, Alastair Clark, Bruce Grant
  • Patent number: 11067484
    Abstract: A detector inlet for providing a sample to an analytical apparatus for detecting a substance of interest, the detector inlet comprising a plenum for allowing passage of a flow of a gaseous fluid, the plenum comprising a sampling volume a sampling inlet arranged in the plenum and arranged to collect samples of the gaseous fluid from the sampling volume and to provide the samples to the analytical apparatus, wherein the flow carries particulates and a flow director arranged to create circulatory flow of the gaseous fluid around the plenum encircling the sampling inlet thereby to vary a spatial distribution of the particulates carried by the fluid to increase a relative proportion of the particulates carried past the sampling inlet without entering the sampling volume.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2021
    Assignee: Smiths Detection-Watford Limited
    Inventors: Oliver Kirkby, Alastair Clark, Bruce Grant
  • Publication number: 20180266923
    Abstract: A detector inlet for providing a sample to an analytical apparatus for detecting a substance of interest, the detector inlet comprising a plenum for allowing passage of a flow of a gaseous fluid, the plenum comprising a sampling volume a sampling inlet arranged in the plenum and arranged to collect samples of the gaseous fluid from the sampling volume and to provide the samples to the analytical apparatus, wherein the flow carries particulates and a flow director arranged to create circulatory flow of the gaseous fluid around the plenum encircling the sampling inlet thereby to vary a spatial distribution of the particulates carried by the fluid to increase a relative proportion of the particulates carried past the sampling inlet without entering the sampling volume.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2016
    Publication date: September 20, 2018
    Inventors: Oliver Kirkby, Alastair Clark, Bruce Grant
  • Publication number: 20180266927
    Abstract: A detector inlet for providing a sample to an analytical apparatus for detecting an aerosol, the detector inlet comprising; an intake for inhaling a flow of gaseous fluid to be sampled by the analytical apparatus;a mixing region;a first conduit for carrying a first part of the flow of gaseous fluid from the intake to the mixing region;a second conduit for carrying a second part of the flow of gaseous fluid from the intake to the mixing region; and a heater configured to heat the first part more than the second part,and wherein the detector inlet is configured to combine the first part with the second part in the mixing region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2016
    Publication date: September 20, 2018
    Inventors: Oliver Kirkby, Alastair Clark, Bruce Grant