Intellectual Property Law

US Patent 7915151 - Flow alignment of nanowires

Posted on March 30, 2011
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7915151.htmlThis is another basic nanowire patent from Charles Lieber's group at Harvard University which has priority going back to 2000 and teaching an alignment method for semiconductor nanowires useful to form nanoscale transistors and sensors...

US Patent 7914912 - Actively switchable nanostructured adhesive

Posted on March 30, 2011
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7914912.htmlThis patent from the University of California system teaches a way to replicated the adhesive characteristics of Gecko toes using coated nanofiber structures. Claim 1 reads:1. A fabricated microstructure, comprising: a substrate; a set of electrodes or a wire disposed on the substrate; and a nano-fiber attached to the substrate, wherein the nano-fiber is differentially coated with an electroactive polymer, magnetostrictive material, paramagnetic, or ferromagnetic material to leave a portion of the nano-fiber coated with the electroactive polymer, magnetostrictive material, paramagnetic, or ferromagnetic material and another portion of the nano-fiber uncoated, wherein the nano-fiber is electrically isolated from said set of electrodes or wire, the nano-fiber configured to move between a first state and a second state in response to an electric field applied by the set of electrodes or magnetic field applied by the wire, wherein the nano-fiber is straight in the first state and curved in the second state, wherein, when the nano-fiber is in the first state and in contact with a contact surface, the nano-fiber does not adhere to the contact surface, and wherein, when the nano-fiber is in the second state and in contact with the contact surface, the nano-fiber adheres to the contact surface...

US Patent 7914850 - Drip drop deposition of nanostructures

Posted on March 29, 2011
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7914850.htmlThis patent proposes a methodology of forming zinc oxide or carbon nanostructures on a variety of different substrates in a short time based on the Leidenfrost effect. Claim 1 reads:1. A method for producing nanostructures on a substrate comprising: dripping drops of a solution of nanostructure forming material in water onto said substrate, wherein the temperature of the substrate is above a temperature at which a drop of the solution is initially suspended on a vapor cushion when applied via dripping onto the substrate, and forming nanostructures when the drops evaporate.

US Patent 7914588 - Synthesis of fluorescent metal nanoclusters

Posted on March 29, 2011
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7914588.htmlThis patent is from Los Alamos National Security teaches a method of preparing biomolecule taggants based on metal nanoparticles. Claim 1 reads:1. A method for preparing fluorescent nanoclusters, comprising: mixing an aqueous solution of a dendrimer template and a metal precursor in a dark environment at a temperature of 4 degrees Celsius that is cold enough to prevent the substantial formation of non-fluorescent metal nanoclusters and nanoparticles but allow the formation of a complex between the dendrimer template and metal from the metal precursor, whereby a complex forms between the template and metal from the metal precursor; and increasing the temperature, whereby the complex is reduced and fluorescent metal nanoclusters are produced.

To access this complete feed in the blog feed reader login or register for free.

US Patent 7914158 - Anti-fog and nanostructured optical element

Posted on March 29, 2011
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7914158.htmlThis patent teaches a way to reduce fogging and reflection in optical elements using a plasma etching process to create a nanostructured surface. Claim 1 reads:1. An optical component comprising: an optical element; a fog reducing polymer layer; and a reflection reducing nanostructure formed at a surface of the fog reducing polymer layer, wherein the nanostructure extends from the surface of the fog reducing polymer layer to a depth of 50 nm or more into the fog reducing polymer layer...

US Patent 7913541 - Aminocarbon nanotubes for CO2 detection

Posted on March 29, 2011
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7913541.htmlCarbon dioxide detection is important to monitoring air quality and in agricultural applications but CO2 molecules have low reactivity making them difficult to sense. This patent is from Honeywell International and teaches an improved CO2 sensor using functionalized carbon nanotubes in an acoustic wave device...

US Patent 7911336 - Nanosensor container monitoring

Posted on March 28, 2011
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7911336.htmlThis patent deals with the problem of detecting explosives or biotech threats from cargo containers by using resonating nanosensors. Claim 1 reads:1. A detection system for an enclosed container, comprising: many nanosensors for detecting materials harmful to human beings within an enclosed container and transmitting a corresponding resonance frequency; and at least one detection device which detects a condition of the nanosensors and outputs a signal responsive thereto...

US Patent 7911009 - Nanowire sensor

Posted on March 28, 2011
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7911009.htmlThis patent from Charles Lieber's group at Harvard has relatively early priority (12/11/2001) and includes some basic claims to semiconductor nanowires used in chemical sensors. Claim 1 reads:1. An article, comprising: a semiconductor nanowire and a polymer material deposited on the semiconductor nanowire, wherein the polymer material is capable of recognizing an analyte in a sample...

US Patent 7910915 - Light emitting nanowires in a resonant cavity

Posted on March 28, 2011
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7910915.htmlThis patent from HP includes some basic claims to light emitting semiconductor nanowires grown in a resonant cavity. Claim 1 reads:1. A device comprising: a resonant cavity configured to resonate at least one wavelength of electromagnetic radiation within a range extending from about 300 nanometers to about 2,000 nanometers; and a nanowire disposed within the resonant cavity, the nanowire comprising an active longitudinal segment comprising an active material, the active longitudinal segment being selectively disposed at a predetermined location within the resonant cavity, the active material being capable of emitting electromagnetic radiation at the at least one wavelength...

US Patent 7910650 - Conductive thermosets with dispersed CNTs

Posted on March 28, 2011
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7910650.htmlThermosets are a form of polymer which have high strength but can be difficult to mix with additives. This patent is from Hyperion Catalysis and teaches an extrusion method which may facilitate dispersion of nanotubes in thermosets to form high strength conductive polymers...

US Patent 7910492 - Nanowhisker PN junctions

Posted on March 28, 2011
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7910492.htmlThis patent is from QuNano AB and includes some fundamental claims to manufacturing light emitting devices based on III-V semiconductor nanowhiskers. Claim 3 reads:3. A method of making a device comprising: providing a substrate; forming a nanowhisker standing upright from the substrate; and forming a coaxial layer around at least a portion of the nanowhisker, wherein the coaxial layer has a thickness greater than 200 nm, the nanowhisker comprises a III-V semiconductor and the coaxial layer comprises a III-V semiconductor.

US Patent 7908908 - Identifying biointeractive nanostructures

Posted on March 28, 2011
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7908908.htmlThis patent from the University of Florida Research Foundation proposes a method of rapid screening and isolation of nanostructures that exhibit unique properties in biological systems. Claim 1 reads:1. A method of screening for biointeractive nanostructures comprising: providing a plurality of nanostructure candidates on a substrate; and interacting said nanostructure candidates with a SPM probe comprising a cantilever unit that comprises a lever portion and a probe portion provided at a free end of said lever portion, said probe portion comprising one or more living cells adhered thereto; wherein a nanostructure candidate exhibiting adhesion to said probe is identified as a biointeractive nanostructure...

US Patent 7907809 - Ultra-low refractive index nanoparticle films

Posted on March 20, 2011
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7907809.htmlThis patent from the University of Missouri includes some basic claims to a transparent nanoporous films useful to bioassays and optical applications. Claim 1 reads:1. A nanoporous film comprising: organosilica nanoparticles having a particle size from about 2 to about 5 nm and having a mean particle size of less than about 25 nanometers and a mean pore size of less than 10 nanometers; wherein the film has a surface area of at least 500 m2/g and a porosity of at least about 50% by volume...

US Patent 7906803 - Nanowire capacitor

Posted on March 20, 2011
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7906803.htmlThis patent from Canon teaches a way to combine a capacitor and a transistor on a single nanowire which may be critical to future miniaturization of DRAM memory cells. Claim 1 reads:1. A capacitor, comprising: a first electrode comprised of an electroconductive nano-wire; a dielectric layer partly covering the peripheral face of the first electrode; and a second electrode covering the peripheral face of the dielectric layer, wherein the dielectric layer is divided into at least two portions covering the first electrode, the second electrode covers the at least two portions of the dielectric layer, and the first electrode is bared between the divided portions, and wherein the bared portion of the first electrode is in a middle portion of the capacitor...

US Patent 7906380 - Manufacture of nanowire electronics

Posted on March 20, 2011
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7906380.htmlThis patent from Canon includes a broad claim to trimming the electrical characteristics of nanowire thin film transistors during manufacture. The claim reads:1. A method of manufacturing an electric device assembly in which a plurality of electric devices each having a plurality of nanowires are arranged, the method comprising: fabricating the plurality of electric devices by using the plurality of nanowires; measuring a characteristic value of each fabricated electric device; and conducting trimming on an electric device, among the plurality of electric devices, whose characteristic value is measured to be outside of a desired range by subjecting at least one of the plurality of nanowires, corresponding to that electric device, to a treatment selected from a group that includes heat treatment, oxidation, hydrogenation, plasma treatment, and ion implantation, thereby changing electric characteristics of the at least one of the plurality of nanowires, wherein the characteristic value of the electric device subjected to the trimming is set within the desired range by the trimming to reduce characteristic fluctuations among the plurality of electric devices...

US Patent 7906354 - Light emitting nanowire device

Posted on March 20, 2011
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7906354.htmlOver the past several years a few different designs have been proposed to use vertical semiconductor nanowire arrays to form LEDs and facilitate the use of inexpensive substrates such as glass for the LEDs...

US Patent 7906223 - Permeable nanoparticle reflector

Posted on March 17, 2011
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7906223.htmlThis patent from 3M teaches a type of optical indicator used in chemical and bio-sensing which uses metallic nanoparticles. Claim 1 reads:1. A method for forming an optically-responsive multilayer reflective article, which method comprises applying a dilute solution or suspension of metallic nanoparticles to an optically-responsive detection layer and allowing the solution or suspension to dry to form a semicontinuous liquid- or vapor-permeable light-reflective layer that has the nanoparticles contacting each other in a stacked arrangement and that will permit a liquid or vapor analyte to pass through the light-reflective layer to cause an optically-responsive change in the detection layer in the presence of the analyte.

US Patent 7906208 - CNT composite fibers

Posted on March 17, 2011
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7906208.htmlCarbon nanotubes can be transformed into fibers and ribbons by a spinning process but such a process is made difficult when additives are included. This patent teaches a method in which colloidal particles are used to fabricate carbon nanotube ribbons and fibers more easily...

US Patent 7906095 - Method of growing CNTs

Posted on March 17, 2011
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7906095.htmlThis patent is from Fujitsu and is based on the finding that long and straight carbon nanotubes with uniform diameter can be manufactured by quickly increasing temperature during CVD growth. Claim 1 reads:1...

US Patent 7906043 - Electrically conductive optically transparent CNT composites

Posted on March 16, 2011
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7906043.htmlThis patent from NASA has priority going back to 2001 and includes some basic claims for producing nanotube composites used as transparent electrodes. Claim 1 reads:1. A method for producing a polymer/carbon nanotube nanocomposite containing a dispersion of nanotubes in a continuous polymer matrix, comprising synthesis of a polymer in the presence of pre-dispersed non-functionalized nanotubes with simultaneous sonication throughout the synthesis...

US Patent 7905992 - Submerged surface with conductive nanoparticles

Posted on March 16, 2011
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7905992.htmlThis patent from Brunswick Corporation teaches that carbon nanotubes are useful as a coating of marine vessels to avoid growth of organisms on the vessels. Claim 1 reads:1. An object having a surface that is submergible, comprising: a support structure; and a layer disposed on said support structure, said layer having a surface which is disposable in contact with water when said object is submerged, said layer comprising a binder and a plurality of electrically conductive nanoparticles suspended within said binder, wherein said plurality of electrically conductive nanoparticles comprises a plurality of carbon ferrules.

US Patent 7905013 - IrOx nanowire neural sensor

Posted on March 16, 2011
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7905013.htmlVisual prosthesis are experimental devices designed to help restore functional vision to the blind. The electrode material for such a device has to possess biocompatibility and provide high current density in a small area...

US Patent 7902867 - Mem-resistor crossbar neural interface

Posted on March 14, 2011
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7902867.htmlThis patent includes some basic claims to memory resistors used in a neural interface. Claim 1 reads:1. A device including: an array of electrodes configured for attachment in or on the human head; current threshold detection circuitry; and a programmable crossbar signal processor having reconfigurable resistance states, wherein the programmable crossbar signal processor interconnects the array of electrodes and the current threshold detection circuitry...

US Patent 7902736 - Gated nanorod field emitter

Posted on March 14, 2011
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7902736.htmlThis patent from GE teaches a variation of field emission devices based on metallic nanorods. Claim 1 reads:1. A gated nanorod field emission device comprising: a) a substrate; b) a dielectric layer residing on the substrate; c) a gate metal layer residing on top of the dielectric layer; d) microcavities in the dielectric and gate metal layers; e) nanoporous anodized aluminum oxide posts residing on the substrate within the microcavities; and f) nanorod field emitters in the nanoporous anodized aluminum oxide posts.

US Patent 7902586 - Horizontal gap mem-resistor

Posted on March 13, 2011
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7902586.htmlNumerous nanoscale memory resistors have been proposed over the past decade such as HP's memristor. Most of these designs are based on vertical memory cell architecture in which the memory material is sandwiched between two electrodes...

US Patent 7902541 - Strained nanowire FET

Posted on March 13, 2011
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7902541.htmlStrained silicon is used in transistor design to improve mobility and switching speed. This patent from IBM includes some basic claims to strained nanowires used in transistor channels. Claim 1 reads:1. A semiconductor structure comprising: a semiconductor nanowire adjoined to a first semiconductor pad and a second semiconductor pad, wherein a middle portion of said semiconductor nanowire is longitudinally strained; a gate dielectric surrounding said longitudinally strained middle portion of said semiconductor nanowire; a dielectric material layer embedding said first and second semiconductor pads, wherein said dielectric material layer is substantially stress-free; at least one source-side contact via embedded in said dielectric material layer and contacting said first semiconductor pad; and at least one drain-side contact via embedded in said dielectric material layer and contacting said second semiconductor pad...

US Patent 7901730 - Nanoporous proton conducting electrolyte

Posted on March 09, 2011
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7901730.htmlThis patent is from Johnson Research & Development and teaches a fuel cell proton conducting electrolyte capable of operate at a temperature range of 200-600 C in which polymer based electrolytes such as Nafion would be destroyed...

US Patent 7900855 - Method for producing fullerene

Posted on March 09, 2011
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7900855.htmlThis patent is from a company called ABsize Inc. and teaches a method to improve the dispersion stability of C60 without chemical compounds. Claim 1 reads:1. A method for producing fullerene suspension comprising: irradiating fullerene particles in water with pulse laser to crush the fullerene particles into the nanoparticles, wherein the pulse laser is irradiated at excitation light intensity of 30 to 50 mJ/cm2...

US Patent 7900690 - Moving carbon nanotube heat sink

Posted on March 09, 2011
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7900690.htmlA variety of different strategies have been patented by Intel and other companies for using carbon nanotubes to cool integrated circuits. Most of these designs are based on static heat sinks. In contrast this patent from Saudi researchers teaches a circulating belt structure having nanotubes for enhancing thermal convection and conduction...

US Patent 7902540 - Fast p-i-n nanowire photodetector

Posted on March 09, 2011
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7902540.htmlThis patent from IBM teaches nanowire photodetectors as a replacement for lateral trench detectors which can simplify manufacturing. Claim 1 reads:1. A p-i-n photodetector comprising: an array of semiconductor nanowires having a first conductivity type dopant present within an entirety of each of the semiconductor nanowires, the array of semiconductor nanowires disposed vertically on a surface of an underlying semiconductor substrate of said first conductivity type; an intrinsic semiconductor material located on said surface of said semiconductor substrate and directly on a top surface and sidewall surfaces of each semiconductor nanowire of said array; and a semiconductor material of a second conductivity type located directly on a surface of said intrinsic semiconductor material, wherein said second conductivity type is different from said first conductivity type, and said array of semiconductor nanowires having the first conductivity type and the semiconductor material of the second conductivity type provide p-type and n-type elements of the p-i-n photodetector and the intrinsic semiconductor material separates the p-type and n-type elements of the p-i-n photodetector, and wherein a portion of said semiconductor material of said second conductivity is spaced apart from the surface of the underlying semiconductor substrate by a portion of said intrinsic semiconductor material that is located on said surface of said underlying semiconductor substrate...

Bloggers, promote your law blog by nominating your blog for inclusion in USLaw.com's Law Blog Directory and RSS Reader. Benefits described.