Agilent Technologies Patent Grants

Electromagnetic waveguide and plasma source

Granted: February 16, 2016
Patent Number: 9265138
A method comprises: aligning a plasma torch within an iris cavity of an iris along a first axis between first and second iris slots having heights less than 70% of the diameter of the torch; and generating an electromagnetic field having field lines along a second axis. The field comprises a component that is substantially transverse to the first direction. An apparatus is also described.

Analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms using end labeling

Granted: February 16, 2016
Patent Number: 9260747
A method for analyzing a sequence comprising a SNP site is provide. In general terms, the method comprises: a) contacting a first DNA sample with a first restriction enzyme to provide DNA fragments, wherein: i) the first restriction enzyme cleaves the sequence only if a first allele of a SNP is present at the SNP site; b) end-labeling the DNA fragments to produce an end-labeled sample; c) hybridizing the end-labeled sample to an array comprising a probe sequence; and d) comparing the…

Sample probes and methods for sampling intracellular material

Granted: February 9, 2016
Patent Number: 9255245
A sample probe includes a tip including a distal end for penetrating a cellular membrane, an opening located at or proximal to the distal end, and tip microchannels extending through the tip and communicating with the opening; and a body adjoining the tip and including body microchannels, wherein at least one of the body microchannels communicates with at least one of the tip microchannels. A method for sampling intracellular material includes inserting a probe tip through a cellular…

Waveguide-based apparatus for exciting and sustaining a plasma

Granted: January 26, 2016
Patent Number: 9247629
An apparatus includes an electromagnetic waveguide; an iris structure providing an iris in the waveguide. The iris structure may define an iris hole, a first iris slot at a first side of the iris hole, and a second iris slot at a second side of the iris hole. A plasma torch is disposed within the iris hole. An electric field in the waveguide changes direction from the first iris slot to the second iris slot. The plasma torch generates a plasma which is substantially symmetrical around a…

Methods and apparatus for acquiring physical measurements relating to a vessel and a shaft within a vessel

Granted: January 26, 2016
Patent Number: 9243891
An apparatus is used for determining at least one parameter relating to an elongate member disposed within a vessel. The apparatus includes at least one measurement unit having a light emitting component and a corresponding light receiving component. The light receiving component is positioned apart from the light emitting component such that the elongate member is positionable between the light emitting component and the light receiving component. Additionally, the light emitting…

Curved ion guide and related methods

Granted: January 12, 2016
Patent Number: 9236235
An ion guide includes a plurality of curved electrodes and an ion deflecting device. The electrodes are arranged in parallel with each other and with a central curved axis, the curved central axis being co-extensive with an arc of a circular section having a radius of curvature, each electrode being radially spaced from the curved central axis, wherein the plurality of electrodes define a curved ion guide region arranged about the curved central axis and between opposing pairs of the…

Multi-bore capillary for mass spectrometer

Granted: January 12, 2016
Patent Number: 9236232
A mass spectrometer system an ion source configured to produce ions and a non-metallic capillary configured to receive at least a portion of the ions from the ion source. The capillary includes an elongated body and multiple bores traversing the elongated body in a longitudinal direction. The bores transport the received ions through the capillary toward a mass analyzer of the mass spectrometer system for detection.

Multiple epitope detection in an FFPE tissue section

Granted: January 12, 2016
Patent Number: 9234892
A method for labelling a tissue section is provided. In certain embodiments, the method may comprise: (a) labeling a formalin-fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) tissue section using a first set of labeling reagents that comprises a first primary antibody and a first labeled secondary antibody; (b) treating the labeled tissue with a protease, thereby digesting the first primary antibody and/or the first labeled secondary antibody and separating the label from the FFPE tissue section; (c)…

Single injection valve for HPLC combining sample introduction, wash cycles and diagnosis

Granted: January 5, 2016
Patent Number: 9228982
A switchable valve for a sample injector includes a first valve member and a second valve member that can moved with respect to the other. The first valve member includes a plurality of ports, the second valve member includes a plurality of fluid paths. The plurality of ports include eight circumferential ports distributed along a circumference and one central port arranged at a central position of the first valve member. The plurality of fluid paths include three arcuate fluid paths so…

Light scattering flow cell device

Granted: December 29, 2015
Patent Number: 9222876
A flow cell device includes a body having a hollow bore in which a liquid sample may reside. An electromagnetic beam may be directed through the body and into the bore to irradiate the liquid sample. The beam may be directed orthogonal to an axis of the bore. A light ray produced as a result of the irradiation may likewise be directed orthogonal to the bore axis along the same plane as the beam, and received by a detector. The body may be secured between a liquid inlet structure and a…

Sealing configuration with metal-coated structure

Granted: December 15, 2015
Patent Number: 9212747
A sealing configuration is configured for sealingly coupling a first fluid flow path of a first device to a second fluid flow path of a second device. The sealing configuration comprises a contact surface comprising a structure configured for increasing a surface pressure when coupling the first device to the second device. The contact surface comprises a metal coating configured for increasing sealing.

Interferometer having multiple scan carriages

Granted: December 1, 2015
Patent Number: 9200885
An interferometer includes a first assembly having a base, a beam splitter assembly to split light into first and second portions, and a fixed mirror for reflecting the first portion of light; and a second assembly movable with respect to the first assembly, and having first and second scan carriages, and a movable mirror connected to the second scan carriage for reflecting the second portion of light. The beam splitter assembly combines the reflected first and second portions of light…

Method for determining ploidy of a cell

Granted: November 24, 2015
Patent Number: 9193992
A method for determining the ploidy of a test genome is provided. In some embodiments, the method may comprises: a) obtaining a plurality of ratios for polymorphisms that are distributed throughout a test genome, wherein each of the ratios is a ratio of the measured copy number of uncut allele in a polymorphic site relative to the measured copy number of the uncut allele in the reference sample; b) taking the log of the ratios and plotting a distribution of the reference corrected log…

Method of determining thermodynamic and kinetic parameters from measured off rates

Granted: November 10, 2015
Patent Number: 9182334
A method for measuring a property of a binding interaction between a capture agent and a binding partner for the capture agent is provided. In certain embodiments, this method comprises: a) contacting a population of particles that are linked to a capture agent with a substrate comprising a binding partner to produce capture agent/binding partner complexes, wherein the population of particles comprises first particles that are bound to a single molecule of the capture agent and second…

Method and apparatus for changing relative concentrations of gases present within a gaseous sample for mass spectrometry

Granted: November 10, 2015
Patent Number: 9182325
An apparatus for changing relative concentrations of first and second analyte substances in an analyte sample comprises a sample cell defining a sample chamber therewithin, and a semipermeable boundary member disposed in the sample chamber to define first and second sides of the sample chamber. Sample flow input and sample flow output ducts direct an analyte sample containing respective initial concentrations of the first and second analyte substances into the first side of the sample…

High fidelity DNA polymerase compositions and uses thereof

Granted: November 10, 2015
Patent Number: 9181534
The subject invention relates to compositions comprising an enzyme mixture which comprises a first enzyme and a second enzyme, where the first enzyme comprises a DNA polymerization activity and the second enzyme comprises an 5?-3? exonuclease activity and a reduced DNA polymerization activity. The invention also relates to the above compositions in kit format and methods for high fidelity DNA synthesis using the subject compositions of the invention.

Use of N-alkyl imidazole for sulfurization of oligonucleotides with an acetyl disulfide

Granted: October 27, 2015
Patent Number: 9169286
A method and compositions for sulfurizing at least one phosphite or thiophosphite linkage in an oligonucleotide. The addition of N-alkyl imidazole to the acetyldisulfide sulfurization solution enables the use of industrially preferred solvents or solvents that are derived from renewable resources.

RNA labeling method

Granted: October 20, 2015
Patent Number: 9163329
A method of sample analysis is provided. In certain embodiments, the method involves: a) obtaining a fragmented RNA sample comprising fragments of long RNA molecules and short RNA molecules; b) ligating an adaptor to an end of the RNA of the fragmented RNA sample to produce an adaptor-ligated sample; c) hybridizing said adaptor-ligated sample to an array of nucleic acid probes; and d) reading said array to obtain an estimate of the abundance of a long RNA in the RNA sample and an…

Sample atomization with reduced clogging for analytical instruments

Granted: October 20, 2015
Patent Number: 9165751
An aerosol is produced by flowing a liquid sample through a gas-assisted nebulizer. The liquid exits from an outlet into a coaxial flow of gas. The outlet includes a sharp edge that inhibits or prevents accumulation of precipitates from the liquid, thereby reducing or eliminating clogging, which is particularly useful for a samples containing high concentrations of dissolved particles. The aerosol may be introduced into a plasma such that molecules are broken into atoms. The atomization…

Automated conversion between SFC and HPLC

Granted: October 20, 2015
Patent Number: 9163618
An apparatus, system, and process of converting a standard, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) flow path to a flow path suitable for supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) are described. This reversible technique is applied to a variety of flow configurations including binary, high pressure solvent mixing systems and quaternary, low pressure solvent mixing systems than can be conventionally operated or automated. The technique is generally applied to the fields of…