Intellectual Property Law

US Patent 7381625 - Deterministic nanodevice construction using AFM

Posted on June 03, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7381625.htmlThe use of scanning tunneling microscopes and atomic force microscopes to position atomic and molecular structures goes back to work done by Don Eigler of IBM in the late 1980's. This patent from Michigan State University teaches a modification of these methods which scratches an electrode into two portions using an AFM tip and using the tip to position nanostructures such as carbon nanotubes between the electrodes...

US Patent 7381316 - CNT positioning using AC+DC field

Posted on June 03, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7381316.htmlThis patent from Northwestern University teaches an interesting positioning and alignment method for placing a carbon nanotube between electrodes. An ac field is used to attract the nanotube to the electrodes while a dc field provides the orientation of the nanotube with respect to the electrodes...

US Patent 7378870 - Symmetrical resistance switching crossbar array

Posted on May 29, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7378870.htmlIn order to create higher density non-volatile memory designs there has been increased interest in RRAM designs which employ materials which can be programmed to have high or low resistance states based on an applied voltage...

US Patent 7378701 - Phase change CNT memory

Posted on May 29, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7378701.htmlPhase change memory was initially proposed several decades ago by Stanford Ovshinsky but only recently have a variety of other companies been exploring the use of phase change and other materials in new non-volatile memory designs...

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US Patent 7378192 - Lithium iron nanoparticle electrode

Posted on May 28, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7378192.htmlThis patent from Matsushita teaches the use of lithium iron nanoparticles in electrodes of electrolytic batteries that enhance the battery capacity while avoiding decomposition of the electrolyte. Claim 1 reads:1...

US Patent 7378075 - Sol gel CNT alignment

Posted on May 28, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7378075.htmlThis patent from Mitsubishi teaches a simplified method of forming aligned carbon nanotube bundles having smaller nanotube diameters for applications such as field emission using a sol-gel approach. Claim 1 reads:1...

US Patent 7378040 - Method of forming transparent conductive CNT film

Posted on May 27, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7378040.htmlIn numerous display and sensor applications the use of transparent electrodes such as ITO or conductive polymers is necessary. However, many of these conductors require additional protective layers which make the formation of external contacts difficult...

US Patent 7377176 - Nanoparticle modified pressure transmitter

Posted on May 27, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7377176.htmlThis patent teaches a fluid pressure transmitter that uses nanoparticles to reduce overall thermal expansion effects of fluids to improve the operating characteristics of the transmitter. Claim 1 reads:1. A pressure transmitter for measuring a pressure of a process fluid, the pressure transmitter comprising:a pressure sensor for sensing the pressure of the process fluid;a hydraulic relay system for providing a communication channel between the process fluid and the pressure sensor; and a pressure sensor fill fluid in the hydraulic relay system, the pressure sensor fill fluid comprising:a first hydraulic fluid for transmitting a change in the pressure of the process fluid to the sensor; anda first volume of nano-particles suspended within the first hydraulic fluid for altering properties of the pressure sensor fill fluid.

US Patent 7375458 - CNT filament light bulb

Posted on May 22, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7375458.htmlThe first successful light bulb is often credited to Edison who used carbon treated filaments to produce incandescent light with reasonable lifetimes. However, better materials such as tungsten were later found to improve on the performance of carbon filaments...

US Patent 7375417 - Nanoceramic heat sink for IC package

Posted on May 22, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7375417.htmlThis patent from independent inventor Bao Tran teaches incorporating carbon nanomaterials into a ceramic host material to create an efficient heat sink for IC cooling. Claim 1 reads:1. A package for an integrated circuit, comprising:a chip having a plurality of nodes adapted to receive signals from or to output signals to an external circuit; anda frame having a plurality of contact points each coupled to one node of the chip; anda nano ceramic material in thermal communication with the chip for removing heat from the chip.

US Patent 7374824 - Tellurium-based quantum dots

Posted on May 21, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7374824.htmlThis patent from M.I.T. has some fairly early priority going back as far as 1997 and is basic to quantum dots formed from tellurium composite material having relatively high quantum efficiency. Claim 1 reads:1...

US Patent 7374649 - CNT separation using nucleic acids

Posted on May 21, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7374649.htmlOne popular way to sort carbon nanotubes is by using DNA that wraps around carbon nanotubes for diameter based separation. This seems to be the basic patent for this approach. Claim 1 reads:1. A method for the separation of a carbon nanotube-nucleic acid complex comprising on the basis of diameter:a) providing a carbon nanotube-nucleic acid complex in solution comprising an unfunctionalized carbon nanotube bound to a nucleic acid molecule wherein the solution comprises a densifying agent;b) loading the carbon nanotube-nucleic acid complex solution of step (a) on to an electrophoresis gel; andc) separating the loaded complexes of (b) by applying an electric field to the gel, whereby the carbon nanotube-nucleic acid complex is separated on the basis of the diameter of the carbon nanotube.

US Patent 7374613 - High density quantum wire device

Posted on May 20, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7374613.htmlThis patent from Japan Science and Technology Agency teaches a new way to form high density quantum wire devices using dislocations in ceramics or metals formed via compressions and heat treatment. Claim 1 reads:1...

US Patent 7374599 - Method of making dendritic nanostructures

Posted on May 20, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7374599.htmlDendrimers are polymeric nanostructures having a fractal geometric structure which are useful for drug delivery and sensing due to their high surface to volume ratio. This patent from Sandia teaches a method of forming metallic dendritic nanostructures which also share high surface to volume ratio useful to applications such as sensors, solar cells, and catalysis...

US Patent 7373819 - MEMS humidity sensor

Posted on May 20, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7373819.htmlFor proper operation of fuel cells the humidity should be monitored to determine the rate of supplying feed gases. This patent from Honeywell teaches a MEMS based humidity monitor which may allow for miniaturization of fuel cell technology...

US Patent 7372562 - Nanoenhanced Raman spectroscopy using turbulance

Posted on May 19, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7372562.htmlRaman spectroscopy is a molecular detection and characterization tool that takes advantages of nanoscopically roughened or nanoparticle metallic surfaces to enhance the detection efficiency. this variation from Hewlett-Packard teaches applying vibrations that alters the spacing between metallic nanoparticles used in Raman spectroscopy to further enhance the sensitivity...

US Patent 7372033 - Quantum dot color wheel filter

Posted on May 19, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7372033.htmlColor filter wheels are a common component to many multi spectral imaging systems. This patent from Lockheed Martin teaches using quantum dots as the filtering component for such color wheels. Claim 1 reads:1...

US Patent 7371696 - Vertically aligning CNTs using self-assembled monolayer

Posted on May 15, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7371696.htmlA variety of methods exist for aligning carbon nanotubes for device applications but many rely on either CVD, which requires high temperatures, or electrostatic alignment, which can produce less than satisfactory results...

US Patent 7371674 - Nanowire template interconnect

Posted on May 15, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7371674.htmlIn order to grow parallel arrays of vertical nanowires or nanotubes from a substrate one popular method is the use of nanoporous alumina templates. This technique has been applied to form well-ordered dense arrays of carbon nanotube field emitters for displays as will as a variety of sensor structures...

US Patent 7371666 - Fabrication of photoluminescent silicon nanoparticles

Posted on May 14, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7371666.htmlPhotoluminescence is a common phenomena in quantum dots made from a variety of semiconductor materials useful for biotags and electro-optic devices such as sensors and lasers. This patent from the State University of New York teaches a manufacturing process for photoluminescent silicon nanoparticles capable of greater volume of production than prior processes...

US Patent 7371457 - Core/shell optical nanoparticles

Posted on May 14, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7371457.htmlThis patent from Rice University has fairly early priority (3/12/1997) and is basic to core/shell optical nanoparticles. Although not the first to teach such particles (see U.S. 5,023,139) the nanoparticles of the prior art are noted as not taking into account surface scattering and to have broader spectra whereas the claimed nanoparticles have a thin metallic shell layer providing a smaller electron mean free path for applications such as Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy...

US Patent 7371456 - Nanoparticle ink with charged particle protective layer

Posted on May 13, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7371456.htmlThis patent from Kimberly-Clark Worldwide teaches an improved textile ink more resistant to fading and bleeding than prior inks and based on nanoparticulate materials. Claim 1 reads:1. An ink composition for a printing process comprising:a nanoparticle having a size less than about 1,000 nanometers comprising a particle template having more than one colorant layer disposed upon the particle template;a liquid vehicle; anda protective layer disposed upon the colorant layer; wherein the protective layer is a charged polymer.

US Patent 7370530 - 3-axis MEMS package

Posted on May 13, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7370530.htmlOne of the most active applications of MEMS devices is in the area of inertial sensors such as gyroscopes and accelerometers. In some application more than one axis of motion needs to be monitored in which case multiple MEMS sensors may be required...

US Patent 7368712 - Functionalized Y-junction carbon nanotube AFM tip

Posted on May 12, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7368712.htmlDue to their high-aspect ratio carbon nanotube have been grown on the tips of atomic resolution probes to inspect trench structures more easily. This patent from IBM teaches using a functionalized Y-shaped carbon nanotube as the tip offering additional benefits for chemical detection on the molecular scale...

US Patent 7368263 - Nucleic acid circuit element with conductive coatings

Posted on May 12, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7368263.htmlThe use of nucleic acids for constructing circuit elements is of interest since it allows for self-assembly of the components and provides the possibility of 3D circuit architectures. This patent with fairly old priority (May 1998) seems fairly fundamental to a nucleic acid circuit element...

US Patent 7367999 - Method of producing nanoparticle film using sputtering

Posted on May 07, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7367999.htmlThis patent from Fujifilm teaches a method of producing nanoparticles of a larger variety of compositions and which is less subject to agglomeration. Claim 1 reads:1. A method of producing ultrafine particles by vaporization comprising:vaporizing a target by sputtering;causing particles that fly from the target by vaporization to be deposited on an oil surface; andrecovering the oil on which the flown particles have been deposited to obtain individually dispersed ultrafine particles, wherein the target is a multi-element compound.

US Patent 7367934 - Enhancement of tumor treatment using metal nanoparticles

Posted on May 07, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7367934.htmlThis patent from a company called Nanoprobes teaches using metal nanoparticles to enhance x-rays for treating tumors. Claim 1 reads:1. A method for enhancing the effects of radiation directed to a tissue or a population of cells in an animal, comprisingadministering an amount of metal nanoparticles to said animal to achieve a concentration in said tissue or said population of cells of the animal of at least about 0...

US Patent 7367505 - Quantum dot dispensing and detecting

Posted on May 06, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7367505.htmlThis patent from Caltech (priority June 12, 2003) teaches methodology for using quantum dots for optical coding. Claim 1 reads:1. A method of dispensing and detecting fluorescent quantum dots, comprising:dispensing said dots on a surface at a plurality of locations where each location includes quantum dots of a plurality of center wavelengths;exciting said dots with a UV light until said dots fluoresce; andanalyzing said fluorescence with a spectrometer...

US Patent 7367215 - Nanowire antifuse hydrogen sensor

Posted on May 06, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7367215.htmlThis patent from Nano-Proprietary teaches using nanowires for a hydrogen sensor in which an increase in hydrogen concentration gradually allows current flow between the nanowire junctions. Claim 1 reads:1. A method comprising the steps of: a) forming, directly on a dielectric surface, at least one precisely-defined metal-alloy nanowire comprising nanobreakjunctions which close when exposed to predefined threshold concentrations of hydrogen; b) forming a circuit comprising said nanowire; and c) monitoring an electrical property within said circuit so as to determine when said nanobreakjunctions close.

US Patent 7365632 - Carbon nanotube nanofabric thin film resistor with improved temperature independence

Posted on May 01, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7365632.htmlCertain electronic circuits such as voltage regulators and data converters require a high degree of temperature independence to operate properly. This patent from Nantero teaches how to form thin film resistors formed from carbon nanotube fabrics with a sheet resistance in a range of 1 kohm/square - 1 Mohm/square in which the resistance changes by less than 25 parts per million per degree centigrade which is a factor of 10 better than similar thin film resistors...

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