| UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING Patent applications |
| Patent application number | Title | Published |
|---|
| 20120103123 | PRISMATIC/REVOLUTE ORIENTING APPARATUS - A two degree-of-freedom parallel device for orienting or pointing an end effector with vibration suppression is described. The two end effector degrees-of-freedom are decoupled by connecting fast actuators to the effector by passive joints. The stiffness of the linkages and the high speed of the revolute and prismatic actuators employed permit the application of large feedback useful for disturbance rejection. | 05-03-2012 |
| 20120020860 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR SEQUESTERING FLUE GAS CO2 - A fluidized bed reactor device for sequestering flue gas CO | 01-26-2012 |
| 20120001058 | MULTI-APERTURE VISUAL SENSOR WITH HYPERACUITY - A multi-aperture passive light sensor and method for detecting motion and edges of an object are described. The sensor may include at least two focusing lenses mounted on a spherical surface for focusing light from the object into the ends of optical fibers, the optical axis for each lens diverging at an angle from that of adjacent lenses depending on the intended application. Each lens is located closer to the end of its associated optical fiber, which is disposed coaxially to the optical axis of the lens, than the natural focal plane of the lens, thereby blurring the light received from the object. Light exiting the fibers is detected by photosensors located at the opposite end of each optical fiber, and voltage differences between the voltages generated in response to the light intensity impinging on the photosensors are used to detect motion and edges of the object. | 01-05-2012 |
| 20110294230 | Lyophilization of Colloidal Metals for Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering - An assay and method of making same for use in SERS spectroscopy. The assay includes colloidal particles of a metal, which have been lyophilized. The lyophilized particles of metal produce a SERS active solution when reconstituted. The lyophilized particles of metal may be provided in a container in an assay system. | 12-01-2011 |
| 20110227565 | MAGNETIC SENSOR FOR DETERMINING WEAR - An apparatus and method for detecting wear of a surface of an object or part, and directing the measured amount of wear to an interface such that an operator may be apprised of this value are described. One end of the sacrificial wear sensor hereof is disposed such that it experiences the same wear as the surface of the part to be monitored. One embodiment of the present sensing element includes a permanent magnet fixedly sandwiched between two plates having high magnetic permeability material, wherein magnetic poles are oriented perpendicular to the plates. The plates extend beyond the magnet on the side thereof opposite the wear edge, forming thereby an air gap such that magnetic flux is concentrated in the plates with the magnetic circuit being completed through the air gap between the plate extensions. A magnetic flux monitoring device may be disposed in the air gap of the sensing element for measuring the magnetic flux density in the gap. As the magnet and the plates of the sensing element are worn away by the same mechanism that causes wear on the part being monitored, the magnet volume decreases, thereby decreasing the flux density in the air gap. This decrease in flux density can be related to the wear of the surface under investigation. | 09-22-2011 |
| 20110152130 | Dual Function Gas Hydrate Inhibitors - The present invention involves inhibiting clathrate hydrate formation by adding ionic liquids that are soluble in water. Properly tailored ionic liquids shift the hydrate-aqueous liquid-vapor equilibrium curve to a lower temperature and, at the same time, retard the hydrate formation by slowing down the hydrate nucleation rate. This dual function makes this type of inhibitors perform more effectively. The present invention is useful for the production, processing, and transportation in oil and gas industry, especially for deep-sea exploration and production where the operating temperature and pressure become in favor of hydrate formation. | 06-23-2011 |
| 20110091979 | Tracing Coalbed Natural Gas - Coproduced Water Using Stable Isotopes of Carbon - Water collected in the area of coal beds has strongly positive δ | 04-21-2011 |
| 20110036580 | OIL RECOVERY BY SEQUENTIAL WATERFLOODING WITH OIL REINJECTION AND OIL RELOCATION - A method for enhancing oil recovery from reservoirs is described. The method includes partially recharging zones of pore space in a reservoir that has been previously waterflooded to extract oil, in order to obtain increased ultimate oil recovery by re-waterflooding the recharged zones. The recharging may be achieved by either reinjection of oil or by change in injection scheme, such as changing an oil producing well to a water injection well. This procedure of recharging with oil followed by waterflooding may be repeated. Application of the present method to increase recovery from reservoirs producing dry (water-free) oil to mature reservoirs which produce at high water-to-oil ratios is anticipated. | 02-17-2011 |
| 20110014546 | Nanoporous Silicate Membranes for Portable Fuel - A fuel cell is disclosed which has a significantly reduced internal resistance and which can be miniaturized. Two substrates are prepared, on with microchannels running along its facing surface and the other with nanochannels running along its facing surface. A silica-based binder is used to bind the substrates together with the microchannels running orthogonal to the nanochannels. The binder is removed from the microchannels and a fuel is introduced into at least one of the microchannels and an oxidant is introduced into at least one other of the microchannels. | 01-20-2011 |
| 20100291701 | CYANIDE AND RELATED SPECIES DETECTION WITH METAL SURFACES - An assay method and kit for detecting a chemical. The method and kit utilize a metal surface capable of surface enhanced Raman Scattering. The metal surface may be provided in the form of one or more nanoparticles, to increase the surface enhanced Raman Scattering capability of the metal surface. The nanoparticles may be treated with one or more additives to further enhance or maintain the surface enhanced Raman Scattering capability of the nanoparticles. | 11-18-2010 |
| 20100242728 | CARBON-RICH SORBENT FILTERS - A low-pressure multifunctional filter separates CO | 09-30-2010 |
| 20100203149 | Nanoparticles for Cytoplasmic Drug Delivery to Cancer Cells - The invention is a nanoparticle that contains an anticancer drug that is released in cancer cells when administered to a subject. The nanoparticles have a core including the anticancer drug and polymer chains that are soluble at the pH of the cancer cell. The core is surrounded by a layer of polymer chains that are insoluble at the pH of healthy tissue but soluble at the pH of the cancer interstitium. An outside layer is made of water-soluble polymer chains to shield the nanoparticle from RES recognition and give the nanoparticle a long circulation time in the bloodstream of the subject. The outside layer may also include folic acid moieties that bind folic acid receptors on the surface of the cancer cell. | 08-12-2010 |
| 20100147204 | RUDDER ROLL STABILIZATION BY NONLINEAR DYNAMIC COMPENSATION - A method for rudder roll stabilization having two-feedback-path nonlinear dynamic compensation (NDC) is described. The high-order, Nyquist-stable control system having NDC hereof is absolutely stable and will provide a 20%-40% improvement in performance over existing roll reduction designs when lower performance steering mechanisms are employed, and is superior to linear controllers. That is, the present invention will be effective rudder roll stabilization in commercial vessels having slower rudders as well as in vessels having steering machines representing the best performance currently available, such as military systems. Since no ship hardware modifications are required, the present roll control technology will be able to be economically implemented. | 06-17-2010 |
| 20100130757 | COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS FOR DETECTING NERVE AGENTS - The present invention provides methods and compositions for detecting, identifying and measuring the abundance of chemical nerve agents. Methods and compositions of the present invention are capable of providing selective detection of phosphorous based nerve agents, such as nerve agents that are esters of methyl phosphonic acid derivatives incorporating a moderately good leaving group at the phosphorus. Selectivity in the present invention is provided by a sensor composition having an alpha (α) effect nucleophile group that undergoes specific nucleophilic substitution and rearrangement reactions with phosphorus based nerve agents having a tetrahederal phosphorous bound to oxygen. The present invention includes embodiments employing a sensor composition further comprising a reporter group covalently linked to the alpha effect nucleophile group allowing rapid optical readout of nerve agent detection events, including direct visual readout and optical readout via spectroscopic analysis. | 05-27-2010 |
| 20090280046 | APPARATUS AND METHOD TO SEQUESTER CONTAMINANTS - The invention relates to an apparatus and method for reducing contaminants from industrial processes. More particularly, the invention is directed to a method of sequestering pollutants from flue gases in operational plants. The method includes sequestering contaminants from a point source by reacting an alkaline material with a flue gas containing contaminants to be sequestered, wherein the reaction has a rapid mass transfer rate to sequester at least a portion of the contaminants. | 11-12-2009 |
| 20090263301 | APPARATUS AND METHOD TO SEQUESTER CONTAMINANTS - The invention relates to an apparatus and method for reducing contaminants from industrial processes. More particularly, the invention is directed to a method of sequestering pollutants from flue gases in operational plants. The method includes sequestering contaminants from a point source by reacting an alkaline material with a flue gas containing contaminants to be sequestered, wherein the reaction has a rapid mass transfer rate to sequester at least a portion of the contaminants. | 10-22-2009 |
| 20090203023 | Concentrating Microorganisms in Aqueous Solution Prior to Selective Staining and Detection - Apparatus and methods for detecting a small number of target microorganisms found in a large volume of aqueous solution by diverting small volumes containing fluorescent microorganisms, including target microorganisms, into a smaller specimen of solution, followed by selectively staining the specimen to tag the target microorganisms and detecting the tagged target microorganisms. | 08-13-2009 |
| 20090012403 | METHOD FOR DETERMINATION OF BONE FRACTURE RISK USING RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY - A method is disclosed for analyzing keratinized tissue, particularly fingernails, of a subject to diagnose osteoporosis and bone fracture risk. A Raman spectrum of a sample of keratinized tissue is generated. Broad spectral background features of the spectrum are removed, preferably by using Fourier transform analysis. Peak heights of Raman features of interest, particularly the S—S bond of cystine, are measured. These peak height measurements are normalized using reference peak heights of Raman features that are invariant between normal and osteoporotic subjects, such as the CH | 01-08-2009 |
