Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company

3m Innovative Properties Company

Life Technologies Corporation

Applera Corporation

Joel R Dufresne

Alan P Dieken

William Bedingham

Patrick R Fleming

John S Shigeura

Hatim M Carim

Moses Mekala David

Barry W Robole

Nicholas A Lee

James E Aysta

Curt Hostager, Deceased

Bryan C Feisel

Christopher R Kokaisel

Gerald E Drake

Brent R Hansen

Michael R Harms

Michael Charles Lea

David D Nguyen

Larry J Carson

Thomas E Drummond

Theresa J Gerten

Walter J ReMine

John E Studer, Jr

Eric A King-Smith

Louis C Haddad

Kenneth Brian Wood

Brian J Gates

Brian Kenneth Nelson

Diane North

David F Wirt

Richard R Matner

William L Sondermann

David J Franta

Scott M Lecy

By Ray Hostager, Legal Representative

Legal Representative Hostager

Daniel V Hulse

Sample processing devices that include transmissive layers and control layers to reduce or eliminate cross-talk between process chambers in the processing device are disclosed. The transmissive layers may transmit significant portions of signal light and/or interrogation light while the control layers block significant portions of signal light and/or interrogation light. Methods of manufacturing processing devices that include transmissive layers and control layers are also disclosed. The methods may involve continuous forming processes including co-extrusion of materials to form the transmissive layer and control layer in a processing device, followed by formation of the process chambers in the control layer. Alternatively, the methods may involve extrusion of materials for the control layer, followed by formation of process chambers in the control layer.

Multilayer processing devices and methods

Power management circuitry of a portable electronic biosensor implements conditional power management logic to control biosensor power usage and to discriminate between intended use and nonuse of the biosensor by a clinician. The biosensor is configured to sense a property of the human body, such as a manifestation of acoustic energy produced by matter of biological origin or an action potential of the human body. An output signal is produced that is representative of the sensed property. A sensor of the biosensor produces a signal having a plurality of sensor signal features that are received by a detector of the power management circuitry. The power management circuitry or a processor of the biosensor discriminates between intended use and nonuse of the biosensor by the clinician using the sensor signal features. Power supplied to biosensor components is controlled based on the sensor signal features.

Power management for medical sensing devices employing multiple sensor signal feature detection

A modular electronic biosensor includes a housing configured for hand-held manipulation and a base module comprising a module interface configured to receive one of a multiplicity of disparate detachable modules, such as a transducer module and an output module. A transducer of the transducer module is configured to sense a property of the human body and the output module is configured to output a signal comprising transducer signal information. The module interface includes a module connector for receiving a connector of the detachable module to facilitate signal transmission therebetween, a mechanical retention mechanism configured to retentively engage the detachable module, and a sealing arrangement disposed to provide sealing between the base module and the detachable module when attached to the base module. A processor is coupled to the module connector and configured to communicatively couple with each of the detachable and interchangeable modules when attached to the base module.

Modular electronic biosensor with interface for receiving disparate modules

An analytical cell including a lightguide with a plurality of conduits filled with a migration medium. The medium, the lightguide and a surrounding medium have refractive indices selected such that light entering the lightguide is internally reflected within the lightguide to provide substantially uniform illumination of the conduits.

Analytical device with lightguide illumination of capillary and microgroove arrays

Sample processing devices may include compression structures that provide for the transfer of force from a platen to a platform such as a thermal block on which the sample processing device is located during processing. The sample processing devices may include a fill reservoir structure with various features such as arcuate edges, radially aligned exit channels, support structures, and selectively variable heights with a corresponding variable volume distribution.

Integrated sample processing devices

Analytical device with lightguide Illumination of capillary and microgrooves arrays

A diamond-like glass film is disclosed. In specific implementations, the film includes a diamond-like glass containing at least about 30 atomic percent carbon, at least about 25 atomic percent silicon, and less than or equal to about 45 atomic percent oxygen on a hydrogen-free basis. The diamond-like glass film may be applied to various substrates. The invention is also directed to articles having a diamond-like glass film, methods of making the articles, and apparatus for making the film and to articles.

Diamond-like glass thin films

The present invention provides methods and devices for distributing sample material to a plurality of process chambers in a sample processing device by rotating the device about an axis of rotation. The process chambers are located along conduits extending from a loading chamber and, together, the loading chamber, conduits, and process chambers form process arrays that are aligned along a length of the sample processing devices. The process arrays are unvented, i.e., access to the interior volume of the process arrays is available only through the loading chamber. Also disclosed are methods of centrifugally loading sample material into the process chambers, as well as an assembly including a sample processing device and a carrier.

Centrifugal filling of sample processing devices

Sample processing device

An electronic stethoscope emulates the frequency response of a standard acoustical stethoscope in both bell and diaphragm modes, while providing additional features attainable only with an electronic stethoscope, such as signal amplification, noise reduction, wider bandwidth, and mode selection. The electronic stethoscope includes spectrally separate idealized diaphragm and idealized bell modes. The idealized diaphragm mode and the idealized bell mode each include emphasized passbands and de-emphasized passbands. The emphasized passbands are spectrally separate. In addition, the electronic stethoscope also includes a wideband mode, which permits the user to hear high frequency sounds such as those associated with mechanical heart valves, lung sounds, and the like.

Electronic stethoscope with idealized bell and idealized diaphragm modes

An assembly for insertion into the cardiovascular system of a patient comprising a catheter having first and second lumens and a distal port. The first lumen opens at the distal port. A probe is received in the second lumen. The probe includes a sensor responsive to a constituent of blood for providing a signal which is related to the constituent. The catheter has a window for allowing the constituent of blood to pass from outside the catheter to the sensor while substantially preventing other constituents of blood from passing from the outside of the catheter to the sensor.

Catheter and probe-catheter assembly

Ergonometric stethoscope chestpiece

An ergonometric chestpiece for a stethoscope adapted to receive auscultatory sounds from a body and adapted to be coupled to an earpiece for a user. The chestpiece is adapted to be grasped by a thumb and at least one finger of the user. The chestpiece has a bottom surface which is generally planar and is adapted to be placed near the body for receiving the auscultatory sounds. The chestpiece has an upper portion opposite the bottom surface. The upper portion has a raised center portion defining left and right gripping surfaces which form recesses defined by the left and right gripping surfaces and by a surface generally parallel to but opposite the bottom surface. The left and right gripping surfaces are adapted to receive the thumb and the at least one finger of the user. Left and right gripping surfaces along with the surface generally parallel to but opposite the bottom surface forms a physical stop for the thumb and the at least one finger from contacting the body when the thumb and the at least one finger grasp the raised center of the upper portion. The gripping surfaces may be defined by left and right walls disposed generally normal to the bottom surface. The left and right walls may be concave. The ergonometric chestpiece may be generally circular and the left and right walls are cylindrically concave around axes generally orthogonal to the bottom surface. The top surface of the raised center portion may be sloped with respect to the bottom surface, the top surface being closer to the bottom surface at the front of the chestpiece than at the rear of the chestpiece.

Growing community of inventors

Saint Paul, MN, United States of America

Joel R Dufresne