Patents by Inventor William C. LaCourse

William C. LaCourse 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: 7368166
    Abstract: A metallic glass-coated microwire has controllable surface porosity. The porosity is achieved by etching the metallic glass-coated microwire or other shapes of glass-coated bodies with acid after annealing to produce a multi-phase glass coating. Porous metallic glass-coated microwires are found to make superior PCR machines, which find use in a variety of in vivo, biochemical, and chemical sensors. Advantageously, the PCR apparatus is smaller, less expensive to construct than conventional units. It readily carries out in vivo passive or active operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2008
    Assignee: Demodulation, Inc.
    Inventors: Alan H. Goldstein, William C. LaCourse, Howard H. Liebermann
  • Patent number: 7354645
    Abstract: A metallic glass-coated wire is formed by drawing a hollow glass fiber from a container in which molten alloy is entrained and solidified. Interference stresses extant between the glass coating and the alloy core of the wire are produced by systematically controlling thickness and mechanical elastic properties of the glass. The interference stress is tailored by selection of glass thickness and chemistry to optimize wire drawing process conditions, such as drawing temperature and strain rate. In addition, the interference stress is especially tailored to assure physical integrity of the glass-alloy composite wire product. Local property variations along the wire length are minimized, facilitating production of discrete wire segments especially suited for use in EAS applications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2008
    Assignee: Demodulation, LLC
    Inventors: Howard H. Liebermann, William C. LaCourse, James E. O'Keefe, Jr.
  • Patent number: 7233249
    Abstract: A glass-coated amorphous metallic microwire is encoded with multi-bit digital information. Encoding is achieved magnetically, optically or through a combination of magnetic and optical encoding processes. Magnetic encoding is carried out by modifying the constituent magnetic domain structure through selective relief of interfacial stress between the glass coating and the amorphous metallic alloy core. It is also achieved by selective surface crystallization of the amorphous metallic core in order to produce a controlled magnetic bias field. Optical encoding is associated with the glass coating. It is readily achieved by fluorescent element deposition, patterned removal of fluorescent element coating, Bragg grating, and thermally activated pattern deposition. The magnetic and optical multi-bit encoding approaches for glass-coated amorphous metallic microwire can be used individually or collectively in either a redundant or a complementary manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2007
    Assignee: Demodulation, Inc.
    Inventors: Howard H. Liebermann, William C. LaCourse, Alexis G. Clare, Wesley A. King, James E. O'Keefe, Jr.
  • Patent number: 7071417
    Abstract: A drawn glass-coated metallic member has a thermal contraction coefficient differential such that the thermal contraction coefficient of the glass is less than that of the metallic member. The thermal contraction coefficient differential is maintained within a predetermined range during drawing. Drawn glass is placed under residual compression, interfacial bonding between said glass and said wire is substantially uniform, and surface cracking and bond breaks between metal and glass are substantially prevented. Optical properties of the glass coated microwire provide a basis for enabling multi-bit encoding capability. Advantageously data encoding is achieved optically, magneto-optically or using a combined magnetic and optical encoding mechanism. The duplex material constitution of the glass coated microwire permits imparting of data thereon by selection and processing of the glass. Data implantation is readily achieved in-line, during an initial drawing operation, or as a separate post-draw process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2006
    Assignee: Demodulation, Inc.
    Inventors: Alexis G. Clare, Wesley A. King, William C. LaCourse, Howard H. Liebermann, James E. O'Keefe, Jr.
  • Patent number: 5215563
    Abstract: A process for preparing an improved durable glass composition is described. In the first step of the process, a glass batch containing from 40 to 80 mole percent of phosphorous and from 3 to 40 mole percent of iron is provided. In the second step of the process, the glass batch is melted under an enriched oxygen atmosphere.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 1990
    Date of Patent: June 1, 1993
    Assignee: Alfred University
    Inventors: William C. LaCourse, Steve T. Lin, Thirukumar Vethanyagam
  • Patent number: 4872896
    Abstract: There is disclosed a process for strengthening a glass article. This process comprises the steps of: 1. providing a glass article comprised of from about 1 to about 30 weight percent of at least one compound of a first monovalent exchangable cation, 2. coating the surface of said glass article with a source of a second exchangable cation which has an atomic radius larger than that of the first exchangable cation, and thereafter 3. subjecting said coated glass article to a source of microwave radiation at a frequency of from about 0.9 to about 22.1 Gigaherz.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 1988
    Date of Patent: October 10, 1989
    Assignee: Alfred University
    Inventors: William C. LaCourse, Maysood Akhtar
  • Patent number: 4303446
    Abstract: A lead-free, fiberizable glass composition. The glass is characterized by a relatively low hardness rating and is accordingly useful in preparing friction surfaces. Its composition includes, on a weight basis, from about 45% to about 75% of silicon dioxide, from about 15% to about 30% of potassium oxide and from about 2% to about 10% of magnesium oxide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 1980
    Date of Patent: December 1, 1981
    Assignee: Borg-Warner Corporation
    Inventors: William C. LaCourse, Terence J. Clark