Other

Molecular Devices Corporation

Lawrence L Lee

Windsor Owens

Jon A Hoshizaki

Roger O Williams

Timothy James Donohue

James W Gautsch

Gloria L Huber

Phil R Sommer

Ching-Ling Meng

John A Barber

A liquid immersion microscope objective assembly includes an objective, a liquid delivery system for delivering an immersion liquid to a lens of the objective, and a liquid return system for removing liquid from an area around the lens. The objective may be positioned below a sample container. Liquid is delivered to the lens so as to form a bolus between the lens and the sample container. Excess liquid drains into the return system, which may be done via a notch or a V-shaped channel. Additionally, the direction of flow through the delivery system may be reversed, such that liquid may also be removed from the area around the lens via the delivery system. The assembly may also be utilized to remove liquid from the underside of the sample container. The assembly may also include a leak sensor and/or an electrowetting device.

Liquid immersion microscope objective assembly and related systems and methods

An apparatus for automatically conditioning a patch plate and a plenum of an electrophysiology measurement system is provided. An arm is linearly movable between a non-operative position and an operative position. An end effector mounted to one side of the arm is configured to condition the patch plate. Another end effector mounted to an opposite side of the arm is configured to condition the plenum. A linear actuator is coupled to the arm and is configured to drive movement of the arm between the operative position and the non-operative position. When the arm is positioned in the operative position, the arm is situated between the patch plate and the plenum.

Apparatus and method for conditioning and reorienting components on an electrophysiology measurement system

An optical element holder includes receptacles for retaining optical elements, and is configured to move a selected optical element into an optical path whereby a light beam passes through the selected optical element. The optical element holder is configured to retain the optical elements in a manner that mitigates or avoids misalignment of the optical elements, thereby mitigating or avoiding unwanted deviations in the path of the light beam. The optical element holder may be part of a microscope or other optical instrument.

Optical element alignment and retention for optical instruments

Apparatuses and methods for conditioning and reorienting components of an electrophysiology measurement system

A polishing media magazine for improved polishing. The polishing media magazine may include a conditioning element for rapid, uniform conditioning and cleaning of the polishing media. The polishing media magazine may include polishing media having sections of raised elevation to contain the fluid and may include a polishing support platen having features adapted to urge the edges of the polishing media upwards. The polishing media may be roll fed from a supply roll across a support platen and onto a take-up roll.

Polishing media magazine for improved polishing

An apparatus and method for identifying the presence of biological molecules labeled with isotopes that are identifiable and distinguishable by their responses to nuclear magnetic resonance. The method features the use of labels that are:

Detection of biological macromolecules by NMR-sensitive labels

A dental floss applicator having an elongated body, a bow across which the floss is to be stretched, a storage area for a supply of floss, a supply capstan for drawing the floss out of the storage area, a take-up capstan for disposal of the used floss, an axle to support the supply and take-up capstans, and guides to guide the floss between the bow and the capstans. The supply and take-up capstans are coaxial and integrated into one piece so that they rotate together as one rigid-body around the axle. The supply capstan is smaller in diameter than the take-up capstan, therefore, as the capstans are turned to advance the floss they also stretch the floss to generate floss tension. The axle is an extension of the body; it is hollow and it supports the capstans from a direction along the capstans common axis, on the side of the supply capstan (away from the take-up capstan). The guide is also an extension of the body, reaching axially over the supply capstan to guide the floss to the take-up capstan. The body is also hollow, thus providing rigidity while not having any thick areas that would be expensive to mold out of plastic.

Dental floss applicator

A device for cleaning teeth comprising a stiff plastic filament one section of which is curly in shape. This curly section has a longitudinal axis along which tensional forces lie when tensional forces are applied to stretch the device. This curly section also extends laterally to provide contact lines which are oriented at an angle with respect to the longitudinal axis to scrape away unwanted materials on the surface of the teeth when the curly section is pulled longitudinally through the interdental areas. The device can be fabricated by winding a filament around metal pin, heating the filament, and then cooling the filament to provide the curly shape.

Device for cleaning teeth

A tethering strap for a baby's pacifier, bottle or the like includes an elongated strap having an elastic button at one end for detachable attachment to a pacifier and a clamp and a slit at the other end for detachable attachment to the clothing of an infant.

Pacifier strap and fastener for attachment to a garment

An improved impact apparatus of the type in which an impact member delivers an impact to a work piece, an elongated guide confines the motion of the impact member to within a predetermined path, an input handle receives the input movement, and a speed multiplying mechanism transmits the input movement to the impact member. The input movement is received as an input force along an input axis causing the input handle to move at an input velocity. This input is transformed by the speed multiplying mechanism into an output force along an output axis, causing the impact member to move at an output velocity which is faster than the input velocity. For apparatus in which the speed multiplying mechanisms are not axially symmetric, thus having output axis laterally displaced from the input axis, the present invention provides improved positioning of the input and output axes along lines that pass near the center of gravity of the impact member, thus minimizing the unwanted torque on the moving parts. By reducing the unwanted torque on the moving parts, friction and the risk of binding are reduced. The use of these improvements enables the apparatus to be made of less-costly materials and be constructed with less precision.

Guided hammer

A splint to immobilize part of a limb having an elongated rigid sheet, a rigid collar and at least one retaining strap. The sheet is formed into a shape to conform to the surface of one side of the part of the limb to be immobilized. The collar, which is attached to one end of the sheet, extends circumferentially more than halfway around the limb, grips the limb, and holds it in a fixed position relative to the sheet. Retaining straps are used at other positions along the sheet to hold the limb against the splint. In one embodiment, the splint is made of stainless steel, the sheet is formed of intersecting strips of stainless steel that are spotwelded together at intersection points to form a perforated sheet having large holes distributed throughout its area for ventilation and removal of water from the surface of the limb. The collar can be attached to the sheet in more than one orientations; one of these orientations allows the splint to fit a person's left limb, and another one of these orientations allows the splint to fit the person's right limb. Final adjustments of the splint are made by manually bending the sheet and the collar. The splint can be made to fit the limb so well that it is comfortable to wear in direct contact with the skin (without padding material) for extended periods of time.

Perforated splint

A splint for use with retaining straps to immobilize part of a limb comprising an elongated rigid sheet and a rigid collar. The sheet is formed into a shape to conform to the surface of one side of the part of the limb to be immobilized. The collar, which is attached to one end of the sheet, extends circumferentially more than halfway around the limb, grips the limb, and holds it in a fixed position relative to the sheet. Retaining straps are used at other positions along the sheet to hold the limb against the splint. In one embodiment, the splint is made of stainless steel, the sheet is formed of intersecting strips of stainless steel that are spotwelded together at intersection points to form a perforated sheet having large holes distributed throughout its area for ventilation and removal of water from the surface of the limb. The collar can be attached to the sheet in more than one orientations; one of these orientations allows the splint to fit a person's left limb, and another one of these orientations allows the splint to fit the person's right limb. Final adjustments of the splint are made by manually bending the sheet and the collar. The splint can be made to fit the limb so well that it is comfortable to wear in direct contact with the skin (without padding material) for extended periods of time.

Rope fastener

A precision guided hammer or impact device includes a guide track on which is reciprocally mounted an impact member for movement between an impact position at one end of the guide member and a retracted position, and further includes a reciprocating manual input member which is connected by a multiplication linkage to the impact member for multiplying the input velocity for driving the impact member at a high velocity relative to the input velocity.

Guide directed hammer having speed multiplying means

A dental floss applicator for use in dispensing and supporting a strand of dental floss under tension for cleaning the teeth comprises an elongated supporting frame having on one end two spaced furcations laterally extending therefrom. Tips on the furcations are provided with floss-guiding portions by means of which a floss strand may be tensioned therebetween. A capstan device is frictionally mounted for rotation on said frame and further is provided with supply and take-up capstan portions axially spaced apart. A supply of floss strand is carried by the frame. The take-up capstan portion is of slightly larger circumference than is the supply capstan portion. Means are provided for guiding the floss strand from the supply, around the supply capstan portion in one circumferential direction when viewing the latter capstan directly, to and between said floss-guiding portions on the furcations, back to and around the take-up portion in the opposite circumferential direction when viewing the latter capstan directly, whereby rotation of the capstan device in a direction to withdraw floss strand from the supply causes advancement of the floss between said floss-guiding portions, the difference in circumference of the supply and take-up capstan portions tensioning the floss strand between said tips.

Growing community of inventors

San Diego, CA, United States of America

Lawrence L Lee