Patents by Inventor William D. Homberg
William D. Homberg 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: 10471422Abstract: A pipette home position locating mechanism and a manual pipette equipped with such a home position locating mechanism. The home position locating mechanism is spring-biased but compressible in a proximal-to-distal direction. The spring preload force of the home position locating mechanism is selected to be greater than force of exerted by a stroke spring of the pipette to which the home position locating mechanism is attached while the stroke spring is at its blowout position, but less than the combined force exerted by the stroke spring at its blowout position and a blowout spring of the pipette in its preload position.Type: GrantFiled: June 30, 2017Date of Patent: November 12, 2019Assignee: Mettler-Toledo Rainin, LLCInventors: James S. Petrek, William D. Homberg
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Publication number: 20190001319Abstract: A pipette home position locating mechanism and a manual pipette equipped with such a home position locating mechanism. The home position locating mechanism is spring-biased but compressible in a proximal-to-distal direction. The spring preload force of the home position locating mechanism is selected to be greater than force of exerted by a stroke spring of the pipette to which the home position locating mechanism is attached while the stroke spring is at its blowout position, but less than the combined force exerted by the stroke spring at its blowout position and a blowout spring of the pipette in its preload position.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 30, 2017Publication date: January 3, 2019Inventors: James S. Petrek, William D. Homberg
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Patent number: 8871157Abstract: A handheld electronic pipette including several features aimed at improving ease of use, including a color dot matrix display, an intuitive thumb-operated two-axis controller, and multifunction soft buttons adjacent to the display. A simple and consistent user interface facilitates easy access to various modes of operation, including a manual pipetting mode and a remote mode.Type: GrantFiled: May 17, 2011Date of Patent: October 28, 2014Assignee: Rainin Instrument, LLCInventors: William D. Homberg, Michael C. Schmittdiel, Haakon T. Magnussen, Andrew Vainshtein, Thomas Allen Bell, Vintory L. Blake Moore
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Patent number: 8397593Abstract: A volume adjustable pipette, comprising a plunger mounted for movement in a housing to and from a stop to aspirate a fluid into and dispense the fluid from a tip extending from the housing. The movement of the plunger is damped to reduce sudden plunger movements. An axially moveable volume setting member in the housing defines the stop and a volume setting for the pipette and is axially moveable by a user turnable volume setting member. Turning of the volume adjusting member also controls a coarse volume setting means and a fine volume setting means, the course volume setting means being responsive to a relatively small turning of the volume adjusting member for moving the volume setting member a relatively large axial distance and the fine volume setting means being responsive to a relatively large turning of the volume adjusting member for moving the volume setting member a relatively small axial distance.Type: GrantFiled: August 13, 2009Date of Patent: March 19, 2013Assignee: Rainin Instrument, LLCInventors: James S. Petrek, Michael C. Schmittdiel, William D. Homberg
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Publication number: 20120291567Abstract: A handheld electronic pipette including several features aimed at improving ease of use, including a color dot matrix display, an intuitive thumb-operated two-axis controller, and multifunction soft buttons adjacent to the display. A simple and consistent user interface facilitates easy access to various modes of operation, including a manual pipetting mode and a remote mode.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 17, 2011Publication date: November 22, 2012Inventors: William D. Homberg, Michael C. Schmittdiel, Haakon T. Magnussen, Andrew Vainshtein, Thomas Allen Bell, Vintory L. Blake Moore
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Publication number: 20110036185Abstract: A volume adjustable pipette, comprising a plunger mounted for movement in a housing to and from a stop to aspirate a fluid into and dispense the fluid from a tip extending from the housing. The movement of the plunger is damped to reduce sudden plunger movements. An axially moveable volume setting member in the housing defines the stop and a volume setting for the pipette and is axially moveable by a user turnable volume setting member. Turning of the volume adjusting member also controls a coarse volume setting means and a fine volume setting means, the course volume setting means being responsive to a relatively small turning of the volume adjusting member for moving the volume setting member a relatively large axial distance and the fine volume setting means being responsive to a relatively large turning of the volume adjusting member for moving the volume setting member a relatively small axial distance.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 13, 2009Publication date: February 17, 2011Applicant: RAININ INSTRUMENT, LLCInventors: James S. Petrek, Michael C. Schmittdiel, William D. Homberg
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Patent number: 7819030Abstract: A hybrid manual-electronic pipette combines a manually driven piston with real-time electronic measurement of liquid volume and piston displacement while compensating for both pipette-specific and pipette model-specific variations. The hybrid nature of the pipette facilitates increased accuracy and improved ease of use, and enables additional functionalities not practicable with traditional manual pipettes.Type: GrantFiled: September 27, 2007Date of Patent: October 26, 2010Assignee: Rainin Instrument, LLCInventors: Haakon T. Magnussen, James S. Petrek, William D. Homberg
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Patent number: 7788986Abstract: A hybrid manual-electronic pipette combines a manually driven piston with real-time electronic measurement of liquid volume and piston displacement while compensating for both pipette-specific and pipette model-specific variations. The hybrid nature of the pipette facilitates increased accuracy and improved ease of use, and enables additional functionalities not practicable with traditional manual pipettes.Type: GrantFiled: September 27, 2007Date of Patent: September 7, 2010Assignee: Rainin Instrument, LLCInventors: Haakon T. Magnussen, James S. Petrek, William D. Homberg, Christian K. Apple
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Publication number: 20100199789Abstract: A hybrid manual-electronic pipette combines a manually driven piston with real-time electronic measurement of liquid volume and piston displacement while compensating for both pipette-specific and pipette model-specific variations. The hybrid nature of the pipette facilitates increased accuracy and improved ease of use, and enables additional functionalities not practicable with traditional manual pipettes.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 26, 2010Publication date: August 12, 2010Applicant: RAININ INSTRUMENT, LLCInventors: Haakon T. Magnussen, Andrew Vainshtein, James S. Petrek, William D. Homberg
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Patent number: 7770475Abstract: A hybrid manual-electronic pipette combines a manually driven piston with real-time electronic measurement of liquid volume and piston displacement while compensating for both pipette-specific and pipette model-specific variations. The hybrid nature of the pipette facilitates increased accuracy and improved ease of use, and enables additional functionalities not practicable with traditional manual pipettes.Type: GrantFiled: September 27, 2007Date of Patent: August 10, 2010Assignee: Rainin Instrument, LLCInventors: Haakon T. Magnussen, James S. Petrek, William D. Homberg, Andrew Vainshtein, Christian K. Apple
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Patent number: 7726212Abstract: A hybrid manual-electronic pipette combines a manually driven piston with real-time electronic measurement of liquid volume and piston displacement while compensating for both pipette-specific and pipette model-specific variations. The hybrid nature of the pipette facilitates increased accuracy and improved ease of use, and enables additional functionalities not practicable with traditional manual pipettes.Type: GrantFiled: September 27, 2007Date of Patent: June 1, 2010Assignee: Rainin Instrument, LLCInventors: Haakon T. Magnussen, Andrew Vainshtein, James S. Petrek, William D. Homberg
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Publication number: 20090000403Abstract: A hybrid manual-electronic pipette combines a manually driven piston with real-time electronic measurement of liquid volume and piston displacement while compensating for both pipette-specific and pipette model-specific variations. The hybrid nature of the pipette facilitates increased accuracy and improved ease of use, and enables additional functionalities not practicable with traditional manual pipettes.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 27, 2007Publication date: January 1, 2009Applicant: Rainin Instrument, LLCInventors: Haakon T. Magnussen, Andrew Vainshtein, James S. Petrek, William D. Homberg
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Publication number: 20090000402Abstract: A hybrid manual-electronic pipette combines a manually driven piston with real-time electronic measurement of liquid volume and piston displacement while compensating for both pipette-specific and pipette model-specific variations. The hybrid nature of the pipette facilitates increased accuracy and improved ease of use, and enables additional functionalities not practicable with traditional manual pipettes.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 27, 2007Publication date: January 1, 2009Applicant: Rainin Instrument, LLCInventors: Haakon T. Magnussen, James S. Petrek, William D. Homberg, Christian K. Apple
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Publication number: 20090000350Abstract: A hybrid manual-electronic pipette combines a manually driven piston with real-time electronic measurement of liquid volume and piston displacement while compensating for both pipette-specific and pipette model-specific variations. The hybrid nature of the pipette facilitates increased accuracy and improved ease of use, and enables additional functionalities not practicable with traditional manual pipettes.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 27, 2007Publication date: January 1, 2009Applicant: Rainin Instrument, LLCInventors: Haakon T. Magnussen, James S. Petrek, William D. Homberg, Andrew Vainshtein, Christian K. Apple
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Patent number: 6645433Abstract: An ergonomic, manually precisely controllable return springless air displacement pipette relying upon the friction of a piston seal to maintain a plunger unit of the pipette in any axial location established by a user of the pipette.Type: GrantFiled: March 4, 2002Date of Patent: November 11, 2003Assignee: Rainin Instrument, LLCInventors: William D. Homberg, James S. Petrek, Kenneth Rainin
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Patent number: 6428750Abstract: A volume adjustable manual pipette having a hand-holdable housing supporting (i) an electronic digital display and associated position sensing and control circuitry, (ii) a plunger unit and (iii) a quick set volume adjustment mechanism for simultaneously controlling the volume setting of the pipette and the electronic display, the quick set volume adjustment mechanism comprising a pipette volume setting member for limiting upward movement of the plunger unit within the housing to define the volume setting for the pipette and the volume setting member being supported for axial movement on the plunger unit and releasably secured relative to the housing by a pipette user operable locking mechanism. When released from the housing, the volume setting member is axially moveable on and with the plunger unit to quickly set the volume for the pipette.Type: GrantFiled: April 13, 2000Date of Patent: August 6, 2002Assignee: Rainin Instrument, LLCInventors: Kenneth Rainin, Haakon T. Magnussen, Jr., Phillip Yee, William D. Homberg, James S. Petrek
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Publication number: 20020081234Abstract: An ergonomic, manually precisely controllable return springless air displacement pipette relying upon the friction of a piston seal to maintain a plunger unit of the pipette in any axial location established by a user of the pipette.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 4, 2002Publication date: June 27, 2002Applicant: Rainin Instrument LLC.Inventors: William D. Homberg, James S. Petrek, Kenneth Rainin
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Patent number: 6365110Abstract: A blowout springless manual air displacement pipette including a mechanical assist for generating a mechanical force opposing a return spring force on a plunger unit to aid a pipette user in locating and maintaining the plunger unit at a “home” position within a pipette body and ready for immersion of a pipette tip in a liquid to be drawn into the tip.Type: GrantFiled: March 9, 2000Date of Patent: April 2, 2002Assignee: Rainin InstrumentInventors: Kenneth Rainin, William D. Homberg
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Patent number: 6352673Abstract: An ergonomic, manually precisely controllable return springless air displacement pipette relying on the friction of a piston seal to maintain a plunger unit of the pipette in any axial location established by a user of the pipette.Type: GrantFiled: March 9, 2000Date of Patent: March 5, 2002Assignee: Rainin InstrumentInventors: Kenneth Rainin, William D. Homberg
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Patent number: 6254832Abstract: A battery powered, microprocessor controlled portable electronic pipette, comprising a hand holdable housing supporting a battery, a linear actuator for driving a plunger lengthwise in a cylinder to aspirate and dispense fluid into and from a pipette tip extending from the housing and a control circuit for the linear actuator. The linear actuator is powered by the battery and comprises a stepper motor with current receiving windings for electromagnetically driving a rotor to impart the lengthwise movement to the plunger.Type: GrantFiled: March 8, 1999Date of Patent: July 3, 2001Assignee: Rainin Instrument Co., Inc.Inventors: Kenneth Rainin, Christopher Kelly, Haakon T. Magnujssen, Jr., William D. Homberg