General Electric Company

Michael G Clark

Alan Mosley

Ciaran B McArdle

Beatrice M Nicholas

Carolyn Bowry

Cyril Hilsum

Michael C Wiltshire

Rosemary A Lee

Alan Purvis

Rajinder S Sethi

Piero Migliorato

Donald J Weir

Martin R Lewis

Philip Maynard

William R Beck

Brian L Kingston

Ifor D Samuel

Christopher R Lowe

A sensor device for the analysis of a sample fluid comprises a substrate in a surface of which an elongate channel is micromachined. The channel contains a material, such as a starch, agarose, alginate, carrageenin or polyacrylic polymer gel, with a biological material for causing separation of the sample fluid as the fluid passes along the channel. The biological material may comprise, for example, a binding protein, an antibody, a lectin, an enzyme, a sequence of enzymes or a lipid. Pairs of sensing electrodes are spaced apart along the walls of the channel. The device may be used, for example, for testing blood samples.

Sensor devices

Devices and process for producing microfilm and microfiche records

Information storage system

Method of and apparatus for making optical storage devices

Polarization controller

A device for indicating whether a rise in temperature above a predetermined value has occurred includes a support member, such as a label, on which a temperature-sensitive material is deposited. The material includes a large number of fracturable microcapsules containing a medium which changes from a solid state to a liquid state at the predetermined temperature value. The viscosity of the medium in its liquid state and the material of the support member are chosen such that the distance d.sub.1 by which the medium flows across the support member after the fracturing of the microcapsules so as to activate the device is indicative of the time between activation of the device and cooling of the device to below the predetermined temperature value. If the temperature is subsequently allowed to rise above the predetermined value, the medium will again assume its liquid state and will flow further across the support member, reaching a distance of, say, d.sub.2, thus indicating that the rise in temperature has occurred. The material may be printed on the label as a bar code, so that any rise above the predetermined temperature level will be indicated by distortion of the bar code which renders it unreadable.

Temperature-sensitive materials and devices

Radiation meters

An optical component comprises a thin film of an electrically controllable birefringent material confined between substantially planar surfaces. A respective electrode structure is provided on each of the surfaces, each electrode structure being patterned such that an electric field applied across the film by means of electrode structures, when a voltage is applied therebetween, causes modulation of the refractive index of the material such that the wavefront of electromagnetic radiation incident of the component and transmitted through the thin film is divided into Fresnel zones.

Electrically-controllable thin film Fresnel zone device

Testing of thermal imagers

Matrix addressable displays

A liquid crystal device comprises a ferroelectric smectic phase liquid crystal enclosed between two surfaces, the surfaces being such that the directors of the liquid crystal adjacent the surfaces are not parallel to the surfaces. The directors adjacent one of the surfaces are not parallel to the directors adjacent the other surface, the liquid crystal cone angle being equal to half the angle between a pair of directors each adjacent a different one of the surfaces.

Liquid crystal devices

Growing community of inventors

Gerrards Cross, United Kingdom

Michael G Clark