Patents by Inventor Thomas James Hatcher
Thomas James Hatcher 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: 7179420Abstract: A particle sorter/dispenser wherein particles that are suspended in a liquid are flowed through a conduit and selectively dispensed through a dispensing orifice. The conduit includes a sensing zone wherein the liquid-suspended particles are interrogated by a sensor. Data from the sensor is received by processing electronics that analyzes the data from the sensor and makes a decision whether or not to dispense a particle. The particle sorter/dispenser further includes a switch that, responsive to a signal from the processing electronics, controls whether or not a given particle is dispensed through the dispensing orifice. The switch has one or two valves that introduce relatively high-pressure liquid into the conduit. The flow streamlines of the high-pressure liquid controls the flow of the relatively low-pressure liquid-suspended particles in the conduit. Particles that are not dispensed are flowed past the dispensing orifice to a recycle reservoir that depends from the downstream end of the conduit.Type: GrantFiled: October 25, 2002Date of Patent: February 20, 2007Assignee: TechElan, LLCInventors: Thomas James Hatcher, Ilya Feygin, Aleksandr Grinberg, Joseph J. Brzezinski
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Publication number: 20040133288Abstract: A single channel reformatter having a syringe that is movable along a z-axis by a z-positioner. A x-y positioner is capable of positioning any well of a source plate having a plurality of wells, and of positioning any well of a destination plate having a plurality of wells, beneath the syringe. Liquid from a well of the source plate is aspirated by the syringe and dispensed into one or more wells of the destination plate. Since the syringe does not move in the x-y plane, it is advantageously integrated into a wash system that cleanses it between liquid transfer operations. The drive element that actuates the syringe to aspirate and dispense during liquid transfer operations is advantageously used to drive the wash cycle. In a method according to present invention for controlling the reformatting operation, well-to-well links are specified, a preferred execution order for executing the specified links is determined, and the specified links are executed in the preferred order.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 26, 2003Publication date: July 8, 2004Inventors: Thomas James Hatcher, Aleksandr Grinberg
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Patent number: 6694197Abstract: A single channel reformatter having a syringe that is movable along a z-axis by a z-positioner. A x-y positioner is capable of positioning any well of a source plate having a plurality of wells, and of positioning any well of a destination plate having a plurality of wells, beneath the syringe. Liquid from a well of the source plate is aspirated by the syringe and dispensed into one or more wells of the destination plate. Since the syringe does not move in the x-y plane, it is advantageously integrated into a wash system that cleanses it between liquid transfer operations. The drive element that actuates the syringe to aspirate and dispense during liquid transfer operations is advantageously used to drive the wash cycle. In a method according to present invention for controlling the reformatting operation, well-to-well links are specified, a preferred execution order for executing the specified links is determined, and the specified links are executed in the preferred order.Type: GrantFiled: April 24, 2000Date of Patent: February 17, 2004Assignee: Pharmacopeia Drug Discovery Inc.Inventors: Thomas James Hatcher, Aleksandr Grinberg
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Publication number: 20030148531Abstract: A particle sorter/dispenser wherein particles that are suspended in a liquid are flowed through a conduit and selectively dispensed through a dispensing orifice. The conduit includes a sensing zone wherein the liquid-suspended particles are interrogated by a sensor. Data from the sensor is received by processing electronics that analyzes the data from the sensor and makes a decision whether or not to dispense a particle. The particle sorter/dispenser further includes a switch that, responsive to a signal from the processing electronics, controls whether or not a given particle is dispensed through the dispensing orifice. The switch has one or two valves that introduce relatively high-pressure liquid into the conduit. The flow streamlines of the high-pressure liquid controls the flow of the relatively low-pressure liquid-suspended particles in the conduit. Particles that are not dispensed are flowed past the dispensing orifice to a recycle reservoir that depends from the downstream end of the conduit.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 25, 2002Publication date: August 7, 2003Inventors: Thomas James Hatcher, Ilya Feygin, Aleksandr Grinberg, Joseph J. Brzezinski
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Patent number: 6374989Abstract: The conveyor system for clinical test apparatus includes a main transport conveyor and a plurality of auxiliary conveyors located alongside the main transport conveyor. The auxiliary conveyors define straight line paths of travel parallel to the straight line paths of travel of the main conveyor. Each of the auxiliary conveyors is operated by drive means separate from the main transport conveyor. Two crossover points are provided between the main transport conveyor and the auxiliary conveyor. One crossover point is an entrance from the main transport conveyor to the auxiliary conveyor and the other crossover point is an exit from the auxiliary conveyor to the main transport conveyor. Each crossover point is controlled by a gate. One of the gates is a divert gate which can be actuated to block the main transport path thereby diverting puck traffic onto the auxiliary conveyor.Type: GrantFiled: May 22, 2000Date of Patent: April 23, 2002Assignee: Bayer CorporationInventors: Bingham Hood van Dyke, Jr., John Louis Barra, Thomas James Hatcher, Michael John Campanelli
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Patent number: 6202829Abstract: The conveyor system for clinical test apparatus includes a main transport conveyor and a plurality of auxiliary conveyors located alongside the main transport conveyor. The auxiliary conveyors define straight line paths of travel parallel to the straight line paths of travel of the main conveyor. Each of the auxiliary conveyors is operated by drive means separate from the main transport conveyor. Two crossover points are provided between the main transport conveyor and the auxiliary conveyor. One crossover point is an entrance from the main transport conveyor to the auxiliary conveyor and the other crossover point is an exit from the auxiliary conveyor to the main transport conveyor. Each crossover point is controlled by a gate. One of the gates is a divert gate which can be actuated to block the main transport path thereby diverting puck traffic onto the auxiliary conveyor.Type: GrantFiled: May 22, 2000Date of Patent: March 20, 2001Assignee: Bayer CorporationInventors: Bingham Hood van Dyke, Jr., John Louis Barra, Thomas James Hatcher, Michael John Campanelli
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Patent number: 6056106Abstract: The conveyor system for clinical test apparatus includes a main transport conveyor and a plurality of auxiliary conveyors located alongside the main transport conveyor. The auxiliary conveyors define straight line paths of travel parallel to the straight line paths of travel of the main conveyor. Each of the auxiliary conveyors is operated by drive means separate from the main transport conveyor. Two crossover points are provided between the main transport conveyor and the auxiliary conveyor. One crossover point is an entrance from the main transport conveyor to the auxiliary conveyor and the other crossover point is an exit from the auxiliary conveyor to the main transport conveyor. Each crossover point is controlled by a gate. One of the gates is a divert gate which can be actuated to block the main transport path thereby diverting puck traffic onto the auxiliary conveyor.Type: GrantFiled: May 20, 1999Date of Patent: May 2, 2000Assignee: Bayer CorporationInventors: Bingham Hood van Dyke, Jr., John Louis Barra, Thomas James Hatcher, Michael John Campanelli
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Patent number: 6024204Abstract: The conveyor system for clinical test apparatus includes a main transport conveyor and a plurality of auxiliary conveyors located alongside the main transport conveyor. The auxiliary conveyors define straight line paths of travel parallel to the straight line paths of travel of the main conveyor. Each of the auxiliary conveyors is operated by drive means separate from the main transport conveyor. Two crossover points are provided between the main transport conveyor and the auxiliary conveyor. One crossover point is an entrance from the main transport conveyor to the auxiliary conveyor and the other crossover point is an exit from the auxiliary conveyor to the main transport conveyor. Each crossover point is controlled by a gate. One of the gates is a divert gate which can be actuated to block the main transport path thereby diverting puck traffic onto the auxiliary conveyor.Type: GrantFiled: November 14, 1997Date of Patent: February 15, 2000Assignee: Bayer CorporationInventors: Bingham Hood van Dyke, Jr., John Louis Barra, Thomas James Hatcher, Michael John Campanelli