Patents by Inventor Tomohiro Shoji

Tomohiro Shoji 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: 8246806
    Abstract: An electrophoresis apparatus includes a multi-capillary array having a liquid or solid disposed between the capillaries of the array. The liquid or solid exhibits a refractive index higher than that of air and less than that of water and reduces the amount of laser beams scattered by the capillaries. Also provided are methods of adjusting refracted and reflected excitation light beams passing through capillaries of a multi-capillary array, to reduce loss of intensity of the laser beams and increase irradiation of respective samples disposed in the capillaries.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2012
    Assignees: Applera Corporation, Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Ryoji Inaba, Tomohiro Shoji, Shozo Kasai, Masaya Kojima, Yasushi Shimizu, Seiichi Ugai, Eric S. Nordman
  • Publication number: 20120127469
    Abstract: In a liquid chromatograph, a flow cell, in which a direction of detecting light and a flow direction of a sample fluid are parallel to each other, and in which the flow direction of the sample fluid changes at the moment of the sample fluid flowing out of a detecting portion into an outflow channel and at the moment of the sample fluid flowing into the detecting portion from an inflow channel, is capable of suppressing a peak broadening of a chromatogram. A plurality of outflow channels are provided, which shorten a distance between a flow outlet and a flow bend in the sample flow. A plurality of inflow channels are also provided, some of which collide jets flowing into the detecting portion from the inflow channels and others of which produce a swirl of jets flowing into the detecting portion from the inflow channels.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 18, 2010
    Publication date: May 24, 2012
    Applicant: HITACHI HIGH-TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Nobuhiro Tsukada, Shigenori Togashi, Yoshihiro Nagaoka, Tomohiro Shoji
  • Patent number: 8177951
    Abstract: To obtain a stable pressure to inject polymer into a capillary array in order to shorten the injection time and raise the processing capacity of the apparatus. Disclosed herein is an electrophoresis apparatus comprising one or more capillaries to be filled with an electrophoretic medium and a pump mechanism which can be connected to the capillaries for filling the capillaries with an electrophoretic medium. The pump mechanism comprises a plunger; a slider which is bonded to the plunger and moves together with the plunger; a spring which gives force to the slider; a cover which limits the range of displacement of the slider; and a linear motion system which is bonded to the cover and moves linearly, wherein the cover and the slider move as one body when the electrophoretic medium is taken to the plunger, and the plunger is pushed by the action of the spring when the electrophoretic medium is injected from the plunger into the capillaries.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2012
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Tomohiro Shoji, Takashi Gomi
  • Patent number: 8142635
    Abstract: A capillary array includes a light detection portion, a sample supply portion, a buffer solution supply portion and a voltage application portion which are necessary functions for electrophoresis, thereby, when assembling the capillary array into an electrophoresis apparatus, the same can be immediately used. Accordingly, a capillary array is provided which can be easily incorporated into an electrophoresis apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasushi Shimizu, Toshiaki Kita, Kiyoshi Tsukada, Akihiro Suzuki, Tomonari Morioka, Masaya Kojima, Ryoji Inaba, Daizo Tokinaga, Shuhei Yamamoto, Yoshiyuki Okishima, Masao Fukunaga, Takayasu Furukawa, Tomohiro Shoji
  • Patent number: 8123925
    Abstract: An electrophoretic apparatus that allows bubbles to be readily removed out of an electrophoretic passage. The passage for electrophoretic medium, at a connecting section where capillaries filled with electrophoretic medium are connected with a pumping mechanism for filling the electrophoretic medium, is arranged such that the side of the pumping mechanism is disposed below the side of the capillaries, so that the electrophoretic medium flows from down to up at the connecting section when filling the electrophoretic medium into the capillaries. Preferably, the passage between the capillary array and the buffer solution is controlled by using a rotary-type valve having high withstand pressure to simplify the passage structure. The dead volume of the passage can be reduced and the valuable electrophoretic medium can be efficiently used. The amount of used electrophoretic medium required for the removal of the bubble can be also reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Tomohiro Shoji, Jin Matsumura, Hidenori Namba
  • Publication number: 20120043211
    Abstract: Provided is a capillary electrophoresis apparatus capable of avoiding electric discharge even when a conductive component is arranged near a cathode end of a capillary. The capillary electrophoresis apparatus of the present invention has a structure in which a spatial distance and a creeping distance between an electrode attached to the cathode end of the capillary and the conductive component are large even when the conductive component is arranged near the cathode end of the capillary. That is to say, the capillary electrode, which protrudes from a lower surface of the load header, penetrates through a space between the load header and an anti-evaporation film and further penetrates through a capillary hole formed on the anti-evaporation film to extend into a container. At least a portion exposed to the space between the load header and the anti-evaporation film of the capillary electrode is covered with an insulating member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 8, 2010
    Publication date: February 23, 2012
    Inventors: Yasutaka Otsuka, Toshiyuki Sakurai, Tomohiro Shoji, Takeshi Ohura
  • Patent number: 8062592
    Abstract: Even if a standby time to the measurement becomes long, a sample in a sample container is prevented from deteriorating. A cooling mechanism is provided in a sample tray for holding a sample plate, or in a plate-mounting portion of a table-type auto sampler of a capillary electrophoresis apparatus, so that the sample plate is cooled during the measurement also.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2011
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Miho Ozawa, Ryoji Inaba, Tomohiro Shoji, Manabu Akiba
  • Patent number: 8043493
    Abstract: An electrophoresis apparatus includes a multi-capillary array having a liquid or solid disposed between the capillaries of the array. The liquid or solid exhibits a refractive index higher than that of air and less than that of water and reduces the amount of laser beams scattered by the capillaries. Also provided are methods of adjusting refracted and reflected excitation light beams passing through capillaries of a multi-capillary array, to reduce loss of intensity of the laser beams and increase irradiation of respective samples disposed in the capillaries.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2011
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Applera Corporation
    Inventors: Ryoji Inaba, Tomohiro Shoji, Shozo Kasai, Masaya Kojima, Yasushi Shimizu, Seiichi Ugai
  • Patent number: 7943027
    Abstract: The object of the present invention is that a dynamic range is extended in an electrophoresis unit and concentration differences among a plurality of samples measured simultaneously are increased. An irradiation time to the samples is adjusted during analysis without changing a sampling time. By shortening the irradiation time, a fluorescence amount of the samples is reduced to cause signal intensity detected by a detector to physically decrease. If the irradiation time is very short (several 100 msec), the irradiation time and fluorescence intensity are in a direct proportional relationship. It is known that, if the irradiation time is reduced to 1/n, the fluorescence intensity, that is, signal intensity to be detected will be 1/n. Thus, for data whose irradiation time is reduced to 1/n during analysis, data obtained by multiplying a substantially measured value by n is used for data analysis as a true value to be originally acquired.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2011
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Motohiro Yamazaki, Ryoji Inaba, Satoshi Takahashi, Tomohiro Shoji, Takeshi Ohura, Takashi Gomi
  • Publication number: 20100288642
    Abstract: A capillary array includes a light detection portion, a sample supply portion, a buffer solution supply portion and a voltage application portion which are necessary functions for electrophoresis, thereby, when assembling the capillary array into an electrophoresis apparatus, the same can be immediately used. Accordingly, a capillary array is provided which can be easily incorporated into an electrophoresis apparatus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 26, 2010
    Publication date: November 18, 2010
    Inventors: Yasushi Shimizu, Toshiaki Kita, Kiyoshi Tsukada, Akihiro Suzuki, Tomonari Morioka, Masaya Kojima, Ryoji Inaba, Daizo Tokinaga, Shuhei Yamamoto, Yoshiyuki Okishima, Masao Fukunaga, Takayasu Furukawa, Tomohiro Shoji
  • Patent number: 7811451
    Abstract: The flow rate of a solvent is reduced as a separation column and the separation performance is improved even under high-pressure conditions. There is provided a separation column including a monolith rod into which a sample and a mobile phase flow, the separation column comprising: a coating material coated on the outer circumference of a monolith rod; a support member into which the monolith rod coated with the coating material is inserted, and a rod fixing material fitted into or filled a gap between the coating material and the support member; wherein the upper end face of the rod fixing material is sealed, the upper end face being the inflow-side end when the separation column is assembled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2010
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshihiro Nagaoka, Masahito Ito, Daizo Tokinaga, Tomohiro Shoji, Tomonari Morioka
  • Patent number: 7785458
    Abstract: A capillary array includes a light detection portion, a sample supply portion, a buffer solution supply portion and a voltage application portion which are necessary functions for electrophoresis, thereby, when assembling the capillary array into an electrophoresis apparatus, the same can be immediately used. Accordingly, a capillary array is provided which can be easily incorporated into an electrophoresis apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2010
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasushi Shimizu, Toshiaki Kita, Kiyoshi Tsukada, Akihiro Suzuki, Tomonari Morioka, Masaya Kojima, Ryoji Inaba, Daizo Tokinaga, Shuhei Yamamoto, Yoshiyuki Okishima, Masao Fukunaga, Takayasu Furukawa, Tomohiro Shoji
  • Patent number: D643130
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2011
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Mitsuru Oonuma, Akira Omachi, Kantaro Maruoka, Shoji Tomida, Tomohiro Shoji
  • Patent number: D643936
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2011
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Mitsuru Oonuma, Akira Omachi, Kantaro Maruoka, Shoji Tomida, Tomohiro Shoji
  • Patent number: D645570
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2011
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Mitsuru Oonuma, Akira Omachi, Kazuhiko Nishiyama, Kantaro Maruoka, Shoji Tomida, Tomohiro Shoji
  • Patent number: D645977
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2011
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Mitsuru Oonuma, Akira Omachi, Kazuhiko Nishiyama, Kantaro Maruoka, Shoji Tomida, Tomohiro Shoji
  • Patent number: D645978
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2011
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Mitsuru Oonuma, Akira Omachi, Kantaro Maruoka, Shoji Tomida, Tomohiro Shoji
  • Patent number: D645979
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2011
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Mitsuru Oonuma, Akira Omachi, Yoko Sato, Kantaro Maruoka, Shoji Tomida, Tomohiro Shoji
  • Patent number: D646398
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2011
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Mitsuru Oonuma, Akira Omachi, Kantaro Maruoka, Shoji Tomida, Tomohiro Shoji
  • Patent number: D646797
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2011
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Mitsuru Oonuma, Akira Omachi, Hiroyuki Noda, Kantaro Maruoka, Shoji Tomida, Tomohiro Shoji