Patents by Inventor Ravi Shankar Meenakshisundaram
Ravi Shankar Meenakshisundaram 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).
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Patent number: 11780154Abstract: A method of ink-extrusion printing an object, including providing a mixture including liquid crystal monomers and photo-catalyzing or heating the mixture to produce a liquid crystal ink. The ink is in a nematic phase. The method includes extruding the ink through a print-head orifice moving along a print direction to form an extruded film of the object. The extruded film exhibits birefringence. Also disclosed are a liquid crystal ink. The ink includes a mixture including liquid crystal monomers. The mixture when at a target printing temperature is in a nematic phase. Also disclosed is ink-extrusion-printed object. The object includes an extrusion-printed film including a nematic liquid crystal elastomer, wherein the film exhibits birefringence along an extrusion axis of the film.Type: GrantFiled: April 23, 2021Date of Patent: October 10, 2023Assignees: University of Pittsburgh—Of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education, Board of Regents, The University of Texas SystemInventors: Taylor H. Ware, Cedric P. Ambulo, Mohand O. Saed, Jennifer M. Boothby, Julia J. Henricks, Ravi Shankar Meenakshisundaram
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Patent number: 11739268Abstract: An optically transparent actuator apparatus is provided that includes an optically transparent bi-stable member including an optically transparent liquid crystalline polymer layer. The bi-stable member is structured to move from a first state to a second state in response to a first stimulus and from the second state to the first state in response to a second stimulus. Also, a display apparatus includes a plate member and an actuator assembly coupled to the plate member. The actuator assembly includes a number of optically transparent liquid crystalline polymer layers, wherein each of the optically transparent liquid crystalline polymer layers is structured to move from a first state to a second state in response to a first stimulus.Type: GrantFiled: July 11, 2022Date of Patent: August 29, 2023Assignee: University of Pittsburgh-Of the Commonwealth System of Higher EducationInventor: Ravi Shankar Meenakshisundaram
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Publication number: 20220361917Abstract: An optically transparent actuator apparatus is provided that includes an optically transparent bi-stable member including an optically transparent liquid crystalline polymer layer. The bi-stable member is structured to move from a first state to a second state in response to a first stimulus and from the second state to the first state in response to a second stimulus. Also, a display apparatus includes a plate member and an actuator assembly coupled to the plate member. The actuator assembly includes a number of optically transparent liquid crystalline polymer layers, wherein each of the optically transparent liquid crystalline polymer layers is structured to move from a first state to a second state in response to a first stimulus.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 11, 2022Publication date: November 17, 2022Applicant: UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH-OF THE COMMONWEALTH SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATIONInventor: RAVI SHANKAR MEENAKSHISUNDARAM
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Publication number: 20220355540Abstract: A four-dimensional (“4D”)-printing or 4D-additive manufacturing method for producing anisotropic macroscopic structures and/or anisotropic macroscopic materials having a plurality of voxels, comprising: providing or forming a first layer of a photocurable first liquid crystalline (LC) monomer; wherein the first layer of the first LC monomer has been provided or formed at a temperature falling within a nematic phase range of the first LC monomer; applying a magnetic field, having a first three-dimensional (“3D”) magnetic field vector with respect to an origin point of a 3D coordinate system, to the first layer of first LC monomer or one or more of the plurality of voxels within the first layer of first LC monomer for a first dwell time, to produce in alignment with the first 3D magnetic field vector a first molecular director and/or first nematic alignment vector within the first layer of first LC monomer or within each of the one or more of the plurality of voxels within the first layer of first LC monomer; eType: ApplicationFiled: June 22, 2020Publication date: November 10, 2022Inventors: Ravi Shankar Meenakshisundaram, Mohsen Tabrizi, Taylor H Ware
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Patent number: 11439433Abstract: An optically transparent actuator apparatus is provided that includes an optically transparent bi-stable member including an optically transparent liquid crystalline polymer layer. The bi-stable member is structured to move from a first state to a second state in response to a first stimulus and from the second state to the first state in response to a second stimulus. Also, a display apparatus includes a plate member and an actuator assembly coupled to the plate member. The actuator assembly includes a number of optically transparent liquid crystalline polymer layers, wherein each of the optically transparent liquid crystalline polymer layers is structured to move from a first state to a second state in response to a first stimulus.Type: GrantFiled: May 5, 2021Date of Patent: September 13, 2022Assignee: University of Pittsburgh—Of the Commonwealth System of Higher EducationInventor: Ravi Shankar Meenakshisundaram
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Publication number: 20210331374Abstract: A method of ink-extrusion printing an object, including providing a mixture including liquid crystal monomers and photo-catalyzing or heating the mixture to produce a liquid crystal ink. The ink is in a nematic phase. The method includes extruding the ink through a print-head orifice moving along a print direction to form an extruded film of the object. The extruded film exhibits birefringence. Also disclosed are a liquid crystal ink. The ink includes a mixture including liquid crystal monomers. The mixture when at a target printing temperature is in a nematic phase. Also disclosed is ink-extrusion-printed object. The object includes an extrusion-printed film including a nematic liquid crystal elastomer, wherein the film exhibits birefringence along an extrusion axis of the film.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 23, 2021Publication date: October 28, 2021Inventors: Taylor H. Ware, Cedric P. Ambulo, Mohand O. Saed, Jennifer M. Boothby, Julia J. Henricks, Ravi Shankar Meenakshisundaram
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Publication number: 20210317370Abstract: An optically transparent actuator apparatus is provided that includes an optically transparent bi-stable member including an optically transparent liquid crystalline polymer layer. The bi-stable member is structured to move from a first state to a second state in response to a first stimulus and from the second state to the first state in response to a second stimulus. Also, a display apparatus includes a plate member and an actuator assembly coupled to the plate member. The actuator assembly includes a number of optically transparent liquid crystalline polymer layers, wherein each of the optically transparent liquid crystalline polymer layers is structured to move from a first state to a second state in response to a first stimulus.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 5, 2021Publication date: October 14, 2021Applicant: UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH-OF THE COMMONWEALTH SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATIONInventor: RAVI SHANKAR MEENAKSHISUNDARAM
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Patent number: 11084982Abstract: An optically transparent actuator apparatus is provided that includes an optically transparent bi-stable member including an optically transparent liquid crystalline polymer layer. The bi-stable member is structured to move from a first state to a second state in response to a first stimulus and from the second state to the first state in response to a second stimulus. Also, a display apparatus includes a plate member and an actuator assembly coupled to the plate member. The actuator assembly includes a number of optically transparent liquid crystalline polymer layers, wherein each of the optically transparent liquid crystalline polymer layers is structured to move from a first state to a second state in response to a first stimulus.Type: GrantFiled: June 9, 2017Date of Patent: August 10, 2021Assignee: University of Pittsburgh-Of the Commonwealth System of Higher EducationInventor: Ravi Shankar Meenakshisundaram
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Patent number: 11014285Abstract: A method of ink-extrusion printing an object, including providing a mixture including liquid crystal monomers and photo-catalyzing or heating the mixture to produce a liquid crystal ink. The ink is in a nematic phase. The method includes extruding the ink through a print-head orifice moving along a print direction to faun an extruded film of the object. The extruded film exhibits birefringence. Also disclosed are a liquid crystal ink. The ink includes a mixture including liquid crystal monomers. The mixture when at a target printing temperature is in a nematic phase. Also disclosed is ink-extrusion-printed object. The object includes an extrusion-printed film including a nematic liquid crystal elastomer, wherein the film exhibits birefringence along an extrusion axis of the film.Type: GrantFiled: August 17, 2018Date of Patent: May 25, 2021Assignees: Board of Regents, The University of Texas System, University of PittsburghInventors: Taylor H. Ware, Cedric P. Ambulo, Mohand O. Saed, Jennifer M. Boothby, Julia J. Henricks, Ravi Shankar Meenakshisundaram
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Publication number: 20190136133Abstract: An optically transparent actuator apparatus is provided that includes an optically transparent bi-stable member including an optically transparent liquid crystalline polymer layer. The bi-stable member is structured to move from a first state to a second state in response to a first stimulus and from the second state to the first state in response to a second stimulus. Also, a display apparatus includes a plate member and an actuator assembly coupled to the plate member. The actuator assembly includes a number of optically transparent liquid crystalline polymer layers, wherein each of the optically transparent liquid crystalline polymer layers is structured to move from a first state to a second state in response to a first stimulus.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 9, 2017Publication date: May 9, 2019Applicant: UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH-OF THE COMMONWEALTH SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATIONInventor: RAVI SHANKAR MEENAKSHISUNDARAM
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Publication number: 20190077071Abstract: A method of ink-extrusion printing an object, including providing a mixture including liquid crystal monomers and photo-catalyzing or heating the mixture to produce a liquid crystal ink. The ink is in a nematic phase. The method includes extruding the ink through a print-head orifice moving along a print direction to faun an extruded film of the object. The extruded film exhibits birefringence. Also disclosed are a liquid crystal ink. The ink includes a mixture including liquid crystal monomers. The mixture when at a target printing temperature is in a nematic phase. Also disclosed is ink-extrusion-printed object. The object includes an extrusion-printed film including a nematic liquid crystal elastomer, wherein the film exhibits birefringence along an extrusion axis of the film.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 17, 2018Publication date: March 14, 2019Inventors: Taylor H. Ware, Cedric P. Ambulo, Mohand O. Saed, Jennifer M. Boothby, Julia J. Henricks, Ravi Shankar Meenakshisundaram