Explore a collection of patented innovations created by Michigan Tech inventors below.
For the most up-to-date information about these patents, including the availability of Certificates of Correction, be sure to check the United States Patent and Trademark Office's free, publicly accessible database: Patent Public Search https://ppubs.uspto.gov/pubwebapp/static/pages/landing.html
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Transponder-based microwave telemetry apparatus
Richard Lynn Campbell, Douglas Bruce Brumm, Glen Barna, and Carl Anderson
A transponder-based microwave telemetry apparatus for moving machinery includes a microwave transmitter disposed outside the moving machinery to fill a chamber of the moving machinery with microwave energy. The transponder-based microwave telemetry apparatus also includes a transponder disposed inside the moving machinery for measuring a sensed condition of a part of the moving machinery and providing a modulated microwave signal that contains information on the sensed condition. The transponder-based microwave telemetry apparatus further includes a receiver disposed outside the moving machinery to separate modulated and continuous-wave signal components of the signal and extracts information from the modulated component.
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Genetic engineering of plants through manipulation of lignin biosynthesis
Vincent Lee C. Chiang, Chung-Jui Tsai, and Wen-Jing Hu
The invention pertains to the genetically down regulating a lignin pathway p-coumarate Co-enzyme A ligase (CCL) in trees.
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Magneto-photonic crystal isolators
Miguel Levy
A magneto-optical isolator (20) for an optical circuit. The isolator includes a substrate, and an optical channel (350) disposed next to the substrate. The optical channel and substrate are configured to transmit optical radiation within the optical channel. The isolator further includes a photonic- crystal rotator (24) formed with the substrate and the optical channel. The rotator has at least one defect (52) and magnetic (M) and non-magnetic (N) materials.
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Apparatus and method for three-dimensional contouring
Carl B. Kieranen, Charles A. Hallstrom, Glen R. Simula, Nils P. Ruonavaara, and James D. Waineo
A device and method for contouring three-dimensionally curved surfaces includes an elongated contouring assembly that is supported at opposite ends by height adjustment mechanisms. The height adjustment mechanisms raise and lower the ends of the contouring assembly independently of each other, thereby allowing the contouring assembly to create a three-dimensionally curved surface as it passes over an area to be contoured. The control of at least one end of the contouring assembly is based on a comparison of its measured position with a profile of the surface to be leveled that is stored in a computer memory. A pivot or tilting controller may control the tilting of the contouring assembly to follow the slope of the profile stored in computer memory.
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Induction heating of thin films
Paul L. Bergstrom and Melissa L. Trombley
A method of performing regional heating of a system having a substrate. The method may include applying a thin film to the system, and controllably energizing a coil positioned near the thin film. The energized coils thereby generate a magnetic flux. The method further includes inducing a current in the thin film with the magnetic flux thereby heating the system.
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Visual display including linked bubbles
Igor Kliakhandler and Robert W. Sheldon
A visual display including a container, liquidous fluid within the container, a source of gaseous fluid communicating with the liquidous fluid, and at least one binary bubble formed within the liquidous fluid in response to gaseous fluid entering the liquidous fluid. The liquidous fluid is preferably a polymer in water solution or a polymer in mineral oil or silicon oil solution. The binary bubble has two bulbous portions in fluid communication with each other through a neck. The binary bubbles may link together in a chain extending from the bottom of the container to the top of the liquidous fluid. In other constructions, the binary bubbles float up through the liquidous fluid and collapse into a large individual bubble. The display may also include a light emitting source and a filter for selectively changing the color of light emitted into the container.
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Plants having modified reproductive capacity
Gopi Krishna Podila, Jun-Jun Liu, and David F. Karnosky
This invention relates to plants having modified reproductive capacity. In particular, it relates to a plant reproductive tissue specific promoter, the PrAGl promoter isolated from Pinus radiata, and its use in promoting transcription/ expression of associated sequences in plant reproductive tissue, including for the purpose of producing plants which have diminished reproductive capacity or which are sterile.
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Methods for simultaneous control of lignin content and composition, and cellulose content in plants
Vincent Lee C. Chiang and Laigeng Li
The present invention relates to a method of concurrently introducing multiple genes into plants and trees is provided. The method includes simultaneous transformation of plants with multiple genes from the phenylpropanoid pathways including 4CL, CAld5H, AldOMT, SAD and CAD genes and combinations thereof to produce various lines of transgenic plants displaying altered agronomic traits. The agronomic traits of the plants are regulated by the orientation of the specific genes and the selected gene combinations, which are incorporated into the plant genome.
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Anti-icing coatings and methods
Russell G. Alger
A method of inhibiting or preventing bonding between snow or ice and a substrate is provided. The method includes applying an adhesive to the substrate, broadcasting an aggregate onto the adhesive to form an aggregate-adhesive and applying an anti-icing chemical onto the aggregate- adhesive.
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4-Coumarate co-enzyme a ligase promoter
Vincent Lee C. Chiang, Chung-Jui Tsai, and Wen-Jing Hu
The present invention provides a Populus 4-coumarate Co-enzyme A ligase gene promoter that directs expression in the xylem of plants. The promoter is used in methods designed to alter lignin content, lignin structure, cellulose content and combinations thereof. The methods comprise operably linking said promoter to heterologous nucleic acid molecules.
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Genetic engineering of syringyl-enriched lignin in plants
Vincent Lee C. Chiang and Laigeng Li
The present invention relates to a novel DNA sequence, which encodes a previously unidentified lignin biosynthetic pathway enzyme, sinapyl alcohol dehydrogenase (SAD) that regulates the biosynthesis of syringyl lignin in plants. Also provided are methods for incorporating this novel SAD gene sequence or substantially similar sequences into a plant genome for genetic engineering of syringyl-enriched lignin in plants.
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Compositions and methods for wood preservation
Peter Laks and Patricia Heiden
The invention provides a method for incorporating biocides into wood or a wood product. The method comprises incorporating an additive into a nanoparticle, applying the nanoparticle to wood or a wood particle and applying sufficient pressure to force the nanoparticle to penetrate the wood or wood particle.
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Method of making wood-based composite board
Laurent Malanda Matuana and Julia A. King
A wood composite board or panel, such as particleboard, fiberboard, oriented strand board or waferboard and a method of producing the same. The composite board or panel comprises a plurality of wood pieces, thermoset resin to bind the wood pieces and a filler having a high thermal conductivity. Examples of such a filler include natural and synthetic graphites, metal, carbon, silicon carbide and other similar compounds and their mixtures.
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Snow groomer assembly
Philip J. Quenzi and Russell G. Alger
A snow groomer includes a movable platform, a prime mover mounted to the platform and a grooming drum rotatably driven by the prime mover for rotation in a direction opposite the traveling direction of the snow groomer. The grooming drum includes axially spaced apart and radially protruding ribs that extend circumferentially around the drum. The ribs include circumferentially spaced apart apertures and the apertures of each rib are aligned with the apertures of the other ribs. Elongated cutting teeth extend through the apertures of the ribs and have a cross-sectional area that is smaller than the apertures such that the cutting teeth are free to vibrate within the apertures as the drum rotates, thereby enhancing the pulverization of chunks of snow and ice.
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Veneer-based product and method of manufacture
Laurent Malanda Matuana and Julia A. King
A veneer-based product is made of a plurality of veneer layers, a resin binding the layers, and a filler having a high thermal conductivity.
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Compositions and methods for wood preservation
Peter Laks and Patricia Heiden
The invention provides a method for incorporating biocides into wood or a wood product. The method comprises incorporating an additive into a nanoparticle, applying the nanoparticle to wood or a wood particle and applying sufficient pressure to force the nanoparticle to penetrate the wood or wood particle.
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Methods of modifying lignin in plants by transformation with a 4-coumarate coenzyme a ligase nucleic acid
Vincent Lee C. Chiang, Chung-Jui Tsai, and Wen-Jing Hu
The invention pertains to methods of altering growth, lignin content, coniferyl and sinapyl alcohol units in the lignin structure, disease resistance and cellulose content in plants by transformation with a lignin pathway p-coumarate Co-enzyme A ligase (4CL) nucleic acid.
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Spinal fixation system
Matthew N. Songer, Jeffrey D. Vlahos, Thomas S. Kilpela, and Gopal Jayaraman
An implantable, spinal, vertebral replacement device comprises a tubular cage for fitting into a space left by a missing vertebral body and for optionally retaining bone graft material. First and second transverse plates are respectively positioned at opposed ends of the tubular cage for supporting the respective cage ends and for pressing a plate face against an adjacent vertebral body in spinal columnsupporting relation. The transverse plates are each joined in transverse relation to at least one vertebral attachment plate which, in use, extends generally parallel to the spine. The vertebral attachment plate defines screw holes for screw securance to at least one vertebral body adjacent to the space. Preferably, one or more vertebral attachment plates are connected to the pair of adjacent vertebral bodies that bracket the space left by the missing vertebral body.
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Apparatus and method for determining the dynamic indentation hardness of materials
Ghatu Subhash, Abhijit Chandra, and Brian J. Koeppel
An apparatus and method for determining dynamic indentation hardness values of a material using a propagating stress wave to make an indentation in the material. The invention provides such values without any prior knowledge of the material properties and enables the dynamic indentation hardness values to be directly compared to static indentation hardness values for the material.
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Method for removal of ammonia from fly ash
Jiann-Yang Hwang
A method for removing ammonia and ammonia compounds from fly ash and other combustion by-products is provided. The method may be performed with raw or processed fly ash, or it may be performed in conjunction with a wet beneficiation process. The method involves mixing the ammonia-contaminated fly ash with water and then filtering and/or drying the solution to remove the ammonia and water. The method produces fly ash having an ammonia content of less than about 60-80 ppm, which allows the fly ash to be utilized in a number of applications.
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Apparatus and method for three-dimensional contouring
Carl B. Kieranen, Charles A. Hallstrom, Glen R. Simula, Nils P. Ruonavaara, and James D. Waineo
A contouring device and method for contouring three- dimensionally curved surfaces includes an elongated contouring assembly that is supported at opposite ends by a pair of fluid cylinders. The fluid cylinders are controlled to raise and lower the ends of the contouring assembly independently of each other, thereby allowing the contouring assembly to create a three-dimensionally curved surface as it passes over an area to be contoured. The control of one of the fluid cylinders is based on a comparison of the measured position of a first end of the contouring assembly with a profile of the surface to be leveled that is stored in a computer memory. The measurement of the position of the first end of the contouring assembly is achieved by a tracking device which tracks the position of a target positioned on the first end of the contouring assembly and which determines the three dimensional position of the target. A proximity sensor measures the position of the second end of the contouring assembly from a surface and outputs a control signal that adjusts the height of the second end of the contouring assembly to follow the surface. Alternatively, a second target positioned on the second contouring assembly end is tracked by a second tracking device to determine the three-dimensional position of the second end. The contouring assembly preferably has a plow, rotating auger, and a vibratory screed positioned adjacent and parallel to one another in an orientation transverse to the direction of motion of the contouring assembly. The plow, rotating auger, and vibratory screed are all pivotable about an axis parallel to their longitudinal direction. A pivot or tilting controller controls the tilting of the plow, rotating auger, and vibratory screed to follow the slope of the profile stored in computer memory.
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Method of removing carbon from fly ash
Robert William Styron and Jiann-Yangg Hwang
A froth flotation method is provided for removing carbon from fly ash which utilizes an environmental friendly conditioning agent. The conditioning agent preferably comprises a biodegradable oil which is added to a slurry containing raw fly ash and water. The conditioning agent renders the carbon in the fly ash hydrophobic such that upon aeration of the slurry, air bubbles attach to the carbon particles and carry' them to the surface of the slurry in the form of a froth, such that the carbon may be removed.
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Apparatus and method for the generation and use of ferric ions
Donald R. Lueking and Carl C. Nesbitt
An apparatus and method for the generation and use of ferric ions produced by acidophilic, chemoautotrophic bacteria.
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Control of mercury emissions using unburned carbon from combustion by-products
Jiann-Yang Hwang and Zhenglong Li
Mercury emission from a flue gas such as that generated by a coal fired power plant is controlled by injecting into the flue gas unburned carbon purified from ash such as fly ash or wood ash. The unburned carbon adsorbs the mercury and is later removed from the flue gas by a particle separator. The unburned carbon collected from ash is significantly lower in cost compared to activated carbon presently used in such a process. The unburned carbon is concentrated in the sorbent by one or more separation processes used to remove noncarbon particles from the fly ash. These processes include gravity separation, electrostatic separation, froth flotation, magnetic separation and size classification. Mercury adsorption is further increased by oxidation of the carbon surface.
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Genetic transformation and regeneration of plants
Vincent Lee C. Chiang, Chung-Jui Tsai, and Gopi K. Podila
An Agrobacterium-mediated transformation and regeneration method for plants including a transformation method to produce transgenic plants with an altered lignin composition.