Intellectual Property Law

US Patent 7834468 - IV-VI semiconductor nanoparticles

Posted on November 22, 2010
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7834468.htmlThis patent from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has early priority (9/5/2001) and includes some broad claims to nanocrystals of PbSe and PbS which may be useful to thermal imaging devices. Claim 1 reads:1...

US Patent 7834331 - Laser microsurgery with nanoablation

Posted on November 22, 2010
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7834331.htmlFemtosecond laser microsurgery (FLMS) is a technique which allows for the precise manipulation of subcellular structures but requires submicron targeting to be effective. This patent from the University of Texas System teaches a method using metal or carbon nanostructures as a way to focus the laser energy with submicron precision...

US Patent 7834264 - Heterostructure nanowire thermoelectrics

Posted on November 21, 2010
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7834264.htmlThis patent from the Regents of the University of California has an early priority date (3/30/2001) and includes some basic claims to nanomaterials used in thermoelectric energy production. Claim 1 reads:1...

US Patent 7833925 - Method of preparing metal nanoparticles

Posted on November 21, 2010
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7833925.htmlThis patent from Samsung teaches a method of large scale production of metal nanoparticles to be used as catalysts in fuel cells. Claim 1 reads:1. A method of manufacturing metal nanoparticles, comprising: preparing a mixed solution by mixing a metal precursor with a solvent; and producing the metal nanoparticles by reducing the metal precursor by radiating the mixed solution with an ion beam radiated by accelerating ions to 10 MeV to 100 MeV with a current of 100 nA to 50 ?A...

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US Patent 7833801 - Free-standing nanowire chemical sensor

Posted on November 21, 2010
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7833801.htmlThis patent from HP teaches a method of using arrays of vertically oriented metallic or semiconducting nanowires as a high sensitivity chemical sensor. Claim 1 reads:1. A method of detecting the presence of an analyte in a test fluid environment, comprising: providing a first array of free-standing nanowires that is interactive with an analyte, said first array of free-standing nanowires having individual nanowires that are electrically interactive with one another, said first array of free-standing nanowires being electrically coupled to a chip or computer that is human- or machine-readable; exposing the first array of free-standing nanowires to a test fluid environment suspected of containing the analyte; measuring an electrical property provided by the first array of free-standing nanowires upon exposure to the test fluid environment...

US Patent 7833653 - Reserve cell array nanostructured battery

Posted on November 18, 2010
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7833653.htmlConventional electrolytic batteries are designed to provide a fixed operational voltage during the battery lifespan. However, this patent from Alcatel-Lucent teaches an electrolytic battery structure having segmented nanostructured electodes which allow for a controlled selection in the voltage or current provided and which can help extend battery life...

US Patent 7833616 - Self-aligning nanowire ink

Posted on November 18, 2010
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7833616.htmlFor the past decade HP has been using techniques such as nanoimprint lithography to pattern aligned nanowire structures for crossbar electronics. This patent focuses on an alternative method which may be more cost effective based on chemically modified nanowires formed in an ink and capable of self-alignment...

US Patent 7833506 - Synthesis of metal-containing nanoparticles

Posted on November 18, 2010
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7833506.htmlThis patent from Bayer Technology teaches a system to ramp up the mass production of nanoparticles to the range of kg/h using a liquid phase process. Claim 1 reads:1. A liquid phase process for preparing metal-containing nanoparticles and/or nanoparticle dispersions in a reactor, wherein nucleation and growth processes are separated in time and space by controlling the temperature and the volume flows...

US Patent 7832983 - Nano-reinforced carbon fiber housing for aircraft engines

Posted on November 18, 2010
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7832983.htmlCarbon fiber composites exhibit a superior strength to weight ratio in comparison to most metals used in aircraft design but can introduce processing difficulties. This patent from the Goodrich Corporation and Rohr Inc...

The Business Prospects of Memristive Electronics

Posted on November 17, 2010
Recently HP and Hynix announced a collaboration to produce a new type of nanoscale non-volatile memory by 2013 called ReRAM based on metal oxide thin films having memristive (i.e. memory resistive) characteristics. Sharp and Elpida have made a similar announcement for a competing type of ReRAM which is also expected to be available in 2013...

US Patent 7829935 - Si quantum dot flash memory

Posted on November 11, 2010
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7829935.htmlIn recent years there have been efforts by companies such as Micron and Samsung to use quantum dots (i.e. semiconductor nanocrystals) in the floating gate of flash memory cells to facilitate scaling...

US Patent 7829886 - Vertical MWCNT memory

Posted on November 11, 2010
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7829886.htmlOver the past 10 years the company Nantero has developed several memory cell designs based on micromechanical nanotube structures arranged in crossbars. This patent from Samsung represents a competing micromechanical design based on vertical multiwall carbon nanotubes having movable inner nanotube shells...

US Patent 7829443 - GaN nanowire LEDs

Posted on November 11, 2010
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7829443.htmlThis latest patent from QuNano teaches manufacturing techniques use to grow array of GaN nanowires for LEDs which can reduce defect densities relative to GaN films. Claim 22 reads:22. A semiconductor device comprising a plurality of nanowires, the nanowires epitaxially connected to and upstanding from a substrate, wherein: in at least a majority of the nanowires each nanowire has the same crystal structure through its respective entire length; the nanowires are provided with a volume element comprising at least one shell layer; the semiconductor device is a LED; the plurality of nanowires are individual nanostructured LEDs; and a pn-junction is provided by the nanowires combined with their respective volume elements, such that the nanowires are doped one of n or p-type and the volume element is doped another one of p or n type...

US Patent 7829351 - Transfer coating of nanostructures

Posted on November 09, 2010
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7829351.htmlThis patent from Nanosys has some relatively early priority (9/25/2003) and includes some basic claims to transferring films of nanofibers or semiconductor nanowires to a substrate. Claim 1 reads:1. A method, comprising: forming a plurality of nanostructures on a transfer substrate; providing a receiving substrate which comprises one or more selected regions of an adherent material; mating the transfer substrate with the receiving substrate wherein the nanostructures adhere to the one or more selected regions during the mating step; and separating the transfer substrate from the receiving substrate to leave a population of nanostructures adhered to the receiving substrate...

US Patent 7829050 - Metal-silicide nanowire crossbars

Posted on November 09, 2010
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7829050.htmlMetal silicides are important to microelectronics for forming ohmic or Schottky contacts between metals and silicon. This patent from HP extends metal silicides to the nanoscale by using techniques of nanoimprint lithography...

US Patent 7829000 - 3D freeform fabrication with nanocomposites

Posted on November 09, 2010
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7829000.htmlA variety of rapid prototyping devices exist which allow the use of CAD techniques to build 3D structures at low cost. These devices often employ powders and binder jetted in multiple layers but the resultant structure formed from the powders can be deficient in flexural strength...

US Patent 7825405 - Core/shell nanocrystal heterostructure

Posted on November 03, 2010
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7825405.htmlThis patent from M.I.T. teaches a variation of type-II heterostructure nanocrystals having enhanced photoconversion efficiency. Claim 1 reads:1. A device comprising a coated nanocrystal comprising: a core nanocrystal including a first semiconductor material; an overcoating including a second semiconductor material on the core nanocrystal; and an organic layer on a surface of the coated nanocrystal, wherein the first semiconductor material and the second semiconductor material are selected so that, upon excitation, one charge carrier is substantially confined to the core and the other charge carrier is substantially confined to the overcoating...

US Patent 7824653 - Water soluble quantum dots

Posted on November 03, 2010
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7824653.htmlThis patent from Drexel University teaches manufacturing of CdS and ZnS quantum dots aapted for bioconjugation and a high quality emission spectra. Claim 1 reads:1. A water soluble quantum dot comprising: a metal sulfide capped with a material consisting essentially of one or more carboxylated molecules...

US Patent 7824619 - Molecular sensors for explosives

Posted on November 03, 2010
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7824619.htmlConventional chemical sensors have been unable to compete with the sense of smell of trained animals such as dogs but this patent proposes a nanosensor which may be competitive in detecting minute amount of air-borne molecules of explosive materials...

US Patent 7827131 - High density synapse chip using nanoparticles

Posted on November 03, 2010
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7827131.htmlThis is one of several patents form Alex Nugent of KnowmTech proposing ways to converge elements of  nanotechnology and A.I. to form a new type of computational neural network. Claim 1 reads:1. A physical neural network synapse chip, wherein said synapse chip comprises: an input layer comprising a plurality of input electrodes and an output layer comprising a plurality of output electrodes wherein a gap is formed between said input layer and said output layer such that a direction of said gap is mutually perpendicular to said plurality of input electrodes and said plurality of output electrodes; and a solution comprising a plurality of nanoconductors and a dielectric solvent, wherein said solution is located within said gap, wherein an electric field is applied across said gap from said input layer to said output layer to form nanoconnections of a physical neural network implemented by said synapse chip.

US Patent 7821079 - Inkjet printing and patterning of nanotube transistors

Posted on October 28, 2010
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7821079.htmlOver the past two decades Rice University has been central in the development of techniques to fabricate single walled carbon nanotubes. This latest patent from Rice teaches an inkjet printing process of nanotubes including patterning of semiconducting and conducting regions...

US Patent 7821061 - Ge/SiGe multigate nanowire transistor

Posted on October 28, 2010
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7821061.htmlIn the early days of transistors germanium was considered as a leading semiconductor material since it has a superior high electron mobility which allows for fast switching. Silicon eventually became dominant due to better thermal stability and the ease of oxide growth on Si surfaces but as device miniaturization continues the relative benefits of Ge are being reconsidered...

US Patent 7820982 - 3D TEM using nanoparticles

Posted on October 27, 2010
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7820982.htmlTransmission electron microscopy (TEM) provides the capability of studying biomaterials with resolutions measured in angstroms and this patent from Korea Basic Science Institute teaches a way to use nanoparticles as markers to extend TEM to three dimensional analysis...

US Patent 7820291 - Core-shell metal-metal oxide nanoparticles

Posted on October 27, 2010
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7820291.htmlMetal oxide shells have been known to be grown on metal nanoparticles as a passivation layer but these metal oxide shells usually have an amorphous structure having inferior mechanical and chemical characteristics relative to crystalline oxides...

US Patent 7820130 - Functionalized nanodiamond powder

Posted on October 27, 2010
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7820130.htmlIn terms of nanotechnology research William Marsh Rice University is probably most well known for developments relating to fullerene and carbon nanotubes but this patent from Rice instead deals with nanoparticulate diamonds and proposes a functionalized solution to provide uniform distribution of the diamond nanopowder...

US Patent 7819910 - Nanostructured uv source for tanning booth

Posted on October 26, 2010
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7819910.htmlThis patent from LEDeep LLC is concerned with the problem of overexposure tanning which can result in skin damage when using florescent light and instead teaches using nanostructured UV light sources. Claim 1 reads:1...

US Patent 7819795 - Nanoparticle hearing aid

Posted on October 26, 2010
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7819795.htmlThis patent from NanoBioMagnetics(R) teaches using ferromagnetic nanoparticles in a device for improving hearing. Claim 1 reads:1. A system for affecting a function of a mammal, the system comprising: a single-domain nanoparticle, the nanoparticle being constructed to affix in a mammal ear, the ear comprising a cell, wherein the nanoparticle comprises a biocompatible covering having a binding moiety of a cell adhesion molecule adapted to bind the nanoparticle to the cell; and a transmitter assembly adapted to be supported on the mammal, wherein the transmitter assembly transmits a magnetic field that causes a movement of the nanoparticle; wherein the movement of the nanoparticle affects the function of the mammal...

US Patent 7819005 - Resonant nanotube device

Posted on October 26, 2010
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7819005.htmlThis patent from Micron Technology exploits the property of carbon nanotubes that mechanical deformation alters resistivity thus allowing for the creation of new nanotube sensors and transducers...

US Patent 7818065 - Conducting polymer nanowire brain-machine interface

Posted on October 25, 2010
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7818065.htmlOver the last several years there have been a variety of implementations of brain-computer interfaces. One problem with such devices is that most electrode materials are not biocompatible and over time the detectable signal strength weakens...

US Patent 7817458 - Nanotube memory cell

Posted on October 25, 2010
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7817458.htmlThis latest patent from Nantero has priority going back to 2001 and includes some basic claims to memory cells formed from nanotube fabric. Claim 17 reads:17. A hybrid memory system comprising: a substrate; patterned regions of nanotube fabric; electrical contacts in electrical communication with the patterned regions of nanotube fabric, the electrical contacts and the pattered regions of nanotube fabric forming multiple nanotube memory cells capable of storing different memory states; and semiconductor elements disposed over the nanotube memory cells...

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