Intellectual Property Law

US Patent 7476596 - Fluidic nanowire alignment

Posted on January 14, 2009
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7476596.htmlThis patent from Harvard professor and Nanosys co-founder Charles Lieber teaches a methodology for aligning parallel arrays of semiconductor nanowires via a fluidic flow and transfer process which provides a broader range of substrate materials on which transistors can be fabricated...

US Patent 7476442 - Ligand linked nanoparticle chain

Posted on January 13, 2009
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7476442.htmlThis patent from M.I.T. appears to disclose a method of making a nanoparticle chain system analogous to polymeric chains of molecules. Claim 1 reads:1. A method for creating a multiple-nanoparticle assembly in a controlled fashion, comprising the steps of:providing a plurality of nanoparticles;providing a plurality of ligands, each of the ligands comprising at least one linker arm;attaching at least one ligand to each of the plurality of nanoparticles; andreacting at least one ligand linker arm with a linker arm of a ligand attached to another nanoparticle, forming an assembly of multiple nanoparticles.

US Patent 7476439 - Nanoporous carbon fiber matrix

Posted on January 13, 2009
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7476439.htmlThis patent from Honda Motor Co. teaches an improved friction material based on a flexible carbon composite having improved dynamic friction performance due to nanoporous structure. Claim 1 reads:1. A carbon fiber composite material comprising:carbon fibers, anda carbon matrix provided between the carbon fibers and joining the carbon fibers with each other, the matrix having fine pores having diameters of 3...

US Patent 7476375 - Fullerene fuel for fusion

Posted on January 13, 2009
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7476375.htmlThis patent from a company called Carbon Labs teaches a new molecular storage vessel based on fullerene (C60) used to facilitate the uniform compression and heating necessary for fusion reactions. Claim 1 reads:1...

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US Patent 7474811 - Nanowire array photonics

Posted on January 08, 2009
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7474811.htmlThis patent from Hewlett Packard teaches a nanowire array useful to the integration between optical and electronic devices. Claim 1 reads:1. A photonic apparatus comprising:a low-index optical waveguide having a confined region; anda plurality of nanowires, the nanowires being distributed within the confined region, wherein the plurality of nanowires is distributed to collectively one or more of produce, enhance, modulate and detect an optical field, the low-index optical waveguide confining the optical field in the confined region.

US Patent 7474602 - Bent CNT tip for thermal data storage

Posted on January 08, 2009
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7474602.htmlThe IBM millipede project offers the prospect of higher density data storage using technology based on atomic force microscopy. The memory storage in these devices are based on thermal effects from a heated tip acting on a phase change medium...

US Patent 7473943 - Nanowire FET with overlapping contacts

Posted on January 07, 2009
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7473943.htmlNanosys has developed many designs of field effect transistors (FETs) using multiple semiconductor nanowires to form the channels. This patent focuses on an individual core/shell nanowire structure for FET construction including an asymmetrical double gate arrangement for improved performance...

US Patent 7473922 - Stacked quantum dot infrared detector with dark current reducing quantum wells

Posted on January 07, 2009
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7473922.htmlIn photodetectors the dark current is defined as the amount of current flowing when no light is present. For higher sensitivity detectors it is desirable to decrease the dark current and this patent from Fujitsu teaches a quantum dot infrared detector using a quantum well capable of providing reductions in dark current...

US Patent 7473411 - Carbon nanotube foam

Posted on January 06, 2009
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7473411.htmlThis patent from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute teaches a more compacted form of carbon nanotube foam applicable to a variety of high energy storage devices (e.g. fuel cells, Li-ion batteries, supercapacitors)...

US Patent 7472601 - Piezoresistive nanowire sensor

Posted on January 06, 2009
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7472601.htmlThis patent from Radi Medical Systems teaches a higher sensitivity blood pressure and temperature sensor based on silicon nanowires. Claim 1 reads:1. A sensor for intravascular measurement within a living body, comprising:a guide wire, a sensor element, which is arranged at a distal portion of the guide wire, wherein the sensor element comprises at least one piezoresistive nanowire.

US Patent 7472576 - Nanoisland calibration standard for scanning probes

Posted on January 06, 2009
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7472576.htmlFor purposes of nanoscale meterology atomic lattice spacing of crystalline silicon planes provide a good sub-nanometer calibration standard while microfabrabrication can produce standards on the order of 10s of nanometers...

Top Ten Nanotechnology Patents of 2008

Posted on December 31, 2008
Here is a list of the U.S. nanotechnology patents issued over the past year that appear to me to be the most commercially valuable and/or interesting:#10 - US Patent 7,460,669 - 2-bit Encoding Using a Single Photon (Toshiba)This patent is key to quantum cryptography by providing the foundations for multi-bit state encoding of data in individual photons...

US Patent 7471388 - Tunable nanoparticle resonator

Posted on December 30, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7471388.htmlMetal nanoparticles are very useful for molecular analysis techniques such as Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy. This patent from the University of Central Florida teaches using a silicon cantilever as a tuning mechanism to adjust the responsiveness of the metal nanoparticles to different wavelengths...

US Patent 7470954 - Nanowell array for nanoparticles

Posted on December 30, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7470954.htmlThis patent from the Regents of the University of California teaches an array of cells in which magnetic nanoparticles are deposited to achieve a media for high density data storage. Claim 1 reads:1. A fabricated device comprising:a photoresist coated-substrate formed with wells through its surface, said wells having gradually sloping walls and an aspect ratio of less than 0...

US Patent 7470473 - Nanocrystal composite laser

Posted on December 30, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7470473.htmlMost conventional lasers are limited in their spectral output. However, the use of quantum dot nanocrystals provides a degree of tuning of photoemission based on the nanocrystal size distribution. This patent from M...

US Patent 7468332 - Nanolayer electroconductive fabric

Posted on December 29, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7468332.htmlThis patent teaches some nanomaterials having potential use for "electrotextiles" providing the integration of clothing with electronic systems such as sensors or communication systems. Claim 1 reads:1. An electrically conductive fabric comprising:a fabric substrate material; andat least a first nanolayer of a first substance applied directly onto said fabric substrate material, and a second nanolayer of a second substance applied onto said first nanolayer;at least one of said first substance and/or second substance comprising a conductive substance selected from the group consisting of nanoparticles, conductive polymer, and a combination of nanoparticles with a conductive polymer;said second substance being selected from the group consisting of nanoparticles of graphite, metals, conductive metal oxides, and conductive polymers selected from the group consisting of polyaniline, poly(anilinesulfonic acid), polyaniline doped with ligninesulfonic acid, polypyrrole, polypyrrole doped with polystyrenesulfonic acid, polythiophene, poly(ethylenedioxythiophene) doped with polystyrenesulfonic acid; and said conductive metal oxides being selected from the group consisting of conductive titanium dioxide, antimony doped tin oxide, aluminum doped zinc oxide, and zirconium doped zinc oxide.

US Patent 7468315 - Nanowire composite for electronic substrate

Posted on December 29, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7468315.htmlNanosys is a company pioneering new methods of nanoelectronics based on nanowire composites. This is their latest patent detailing one of their manufacturing methods. Claim 1 reads:1. A process for producing an electronic substrate, comprising:(a) forming a plurality of nanowires on a first substrate;(b) depositing a material over at least a portion of the plurality of nanowires to form a nanowire-material composite;(c) removing the nanowire-material composite from the first substrate;(d) attaching the nanowire-material composite to a portion of a second substrate such that the nanowires are aligned substantially parallel to each other on a surface of the second substrate;(e) removing the material from the nanowire-material composite to form on the surface of the substrate the plurality of nanowires aligned substantially parallel to each other on the second substrate; and(f) forming contacts to said plurality of nanowires to thereby provide electrical connectivity to said nanowires.

US Patent 7468221 - Integration of MEMS with microbatteries

Posted on December 23, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7468221.htmlThis is another in a series of very fundamental patents to a company called Bipolar Technologies which teaches the integration of microbatteries with microelectromechanical devices. Claim 1 reads:1. In combination, at least one microelectromechanical system and a source of electrical energy internal within the microelectromechanical system comprising a microfabricated microscopic battery having a size congruent with the microelectromechanical system.

US Patent 7468097 - Hydrogen production from greenhouse gas saturated CNTs

Posted on December 23, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7468097.htmlGreenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide are often associated with global warming phenomena. Meanwhile, alternative energy systems such as fuel cells are looking for ways to produce hydrogen to solve the problem of future oil shortages...

US Patent 7466523 - Nanotube spin valve

Posted on December 22, 2008
a href="http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7466523.html"http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7466523.html/abr /br /a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spintronics"Spintronics/a has found useful applications in magnetic high density memory storage and sensing devices...

US Patent 7466406 - Nanodisk array nanowire assaying

Posted on December 22, 2008
a href="http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7466406.html"http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7466406.html/abr /br /This patent from Northwestern University discloses an interesting modification of nanowires used in a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surface_enhanced_Raman_spectroscopy"SERS/a in which nanodisk arrays are etched out of the nanowire to serve as substrates for an analyte allowing for tuning of nanowires for analytes of interest...

US patent 7466072 - Low FWHM CNTs

Posted on December 22, 2008
a href="http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7466072.html"http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7466072.html/abr /br /a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FWHM"Full width at half maximum /a(FWHM) diffraction is used to characterize carbon nanotubes and provide an indication of the field emission behavior for the nanotubes...

US Patent 7466069 - CNT bridge

Posted on December 21, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7466069.htmlIn order to better characterize the properties of carbon nanotubes and use the nanotubes in applications such as molecular sensors this patent from Harvard teaches growing a suspended nanotube over an apertured region of a substrate suitable for a flow through sensor...

US Patent 7465871- Thermoelectric nanomaterials with small band offset

Posted on December 21, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7465871.htmlThis patent is based on a collaboration between M.I.T. and Boston College and teaches incorporating semiconductor nanostructures in a host semiconductor formed of a material having a different energy level than the nanostructures to enhance thermal efficiency in applications such as thermoelectric cooling...

US Patent 7465612 - Nanowire channel FET fabrication with bottom gate

Posted on December 21, 2008
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7465612.htmlThe two basic approaches to incorporating nanowire semiconductor channels in transistor design are 1)nanowire growth directly on the substrate and 2) printing prefabricated nanowires using an inkjet or other printing device...

US Patent 7465605 - CNT functionalization via partial thermal degradation of polymers

Posted on December 19, 2008
a href="http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7465605.html"http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7465605.html/abr /br /Many electronics companies are focusing on the potential of carbon nanotubes for semiconductor channels or as electrodes. Intel's strategy seems more focused on the thermal properties of CNTs and this patent teaches a functionalization method to ease the incorporation of nanotubes into a polymer composite to be used in heat transport...

US Patent 7465595 - AFM manufacture of quantum dot electronics

Posted on December 19, 2008
a href="http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7465595.html"http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7465595.html/abr /br /This patent from Fujitsu teaches using a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_force_microscope"atomic force microscopes/a to form a href="http://en...

US Patent 7465519 - CNT/graphite cathode for lithium ion battery

Posted on December 19, 2008
a href="http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7465519.html"http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7465519.html/abr /br /This patent from the a href="http://www.ust.hk/eng/index.htm"Hong Kong University of Science and Technology/a teaches improved cathodes for a href="http://en...

US Patent 7465497 - High breakdown voltage nanocomposites

Posted on December 16, 2008
US Patent 7465497This patent from General Electric teaches high-k dielectrics for breakdown resistant spark plugs having based on coated nanoparticle polymer composites. Claim 1 reads:1. A composition comprising:a thermoplastic polymer, wherein the thermoplastic polymer has a glass transition temperature greater than or equal to about 100...

US Patent 7465494 - On insulator CNT array

Posted on December 16, 2008
US Patent 7465494This patent from Boston College teaches enhancing the field emission properties of carbon nanotube films via density control of the nanotube arrays formed on an intermediary non-metallic (e.g. SiO2) layer. Claim 1 reads:1. A carbon nanotube material comprising an array of substantially linear carbon nanotubes with pre-determined densities that are attached to a catalyst substrate material including a metallic conductive layer deposited on a non-metallic material and a plurality of catalytic transition metal microparticles deposited upon the metallic conductive layer, wherein individual carbon nanotubes are aligned with respect to one another within said array.

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