| The University of Washington through its Center for Commercialization Patent applications |
| Patent application number | Title | Published |
|---|
| 20110313933 | Decision-Theoretic Control of Crowd-Sourced Workflows - Systems and methods for the decision-theoretic control and optimization of crowd-sources workflows utilize a computing device to map a workflow to complete a directive. The directive includes a utility function, and the workflow comprises an ordered task set. Decision points precede and follow each task in the task set, and each decision point may require (a) posting a call for workers to complete instances of tasks in the task set; (b) adjusting parameters of tasks in the task set; or (c) submitting an artifact generated by a worker as output. The computing device accesses a plurality of workers having capability parameters that describe the workers' respective abilities to complete tasks. The computing device implements the workflow by optimizing and/or selecting user-preferred choices at decision points according to the utility function and submits an artifact as output. The computing device may also implement a training phase to ascertain worker capability parameters. | 12-22-2011 |
| 20110256628 | ADAPTIVE TISSUE ENGINEERING SCAFFOLD - The embodiments described herein include porous scaffolds formed from a stimuli-responsive polymer. The stimuli-responsive polymer of the scaffold creates a “smart” scaffold that changes properties in response to an effective stimulus applied to the stimuli-responsive polymer. In a preferred embodiment, an effective stimulus applied to the scaffold initiates a phase transition event in the stimuli-responsive polymer that results in a change in the volume of the pores of the scaffold. The scaffolds can be used to capture appropriately sized objects (e.g., cells) by using the volume-change properties of the pores. Relatedly, the scaffolds can be used as tissue-engineering scaffolds by capturing cells in the pores and introducing the cell-loaded scaffold into a cell-growth environment (e.g., in vivo). | 10-20-2011 |
