Owen DeMar Brimhall
Land Surveyors in Salt Lake City, UT

4854170, Aug 8, 1989

Oct 12, 1988

7/256731

Owen D. Brimhall - West Valley City UT
Stephen C. Peterson - Salt Lake City UT
Charles D. Baker - Sandy UT
Merwyn D. Riddle - Salt Lake City UT

Separation Technology, Inc. - Salt Lake City UT

G01N 2900

73570

This invention is an ultrasound apparatus for determining hematocrit. A sample of blood in a microhematocrit capillary tube is acoustically coupled to an ultrasound transducer which creates a standing wave in the blood sample. Red blood cells in the blood sample are packed in bands that correspond to the nodes of the standing wave. The thickness of the bands as a function of the thickness of the remaining plasma is an indication of the hematocrit of the blood sample.

4804355, Feb 14, 1989

Nov 17, 1987

7/121905

Owen D. Brimhall - West Valley City UT
Thomas J. McLaughlin - Salt Lake City UT
Stephen C. Peterson - Salt Lake City UT

Utah Bioresearch, Inc. - Salt Lake City UT

B04B 502

494 20

This invention relates to the ultrasound enhancement of sedimentation of particulates in a particulate-bearing fluid medium while the fluid medium is undergoing centrifugation. The ultrasound energy forms standing waves in the fluid and cause particulates in the fluid, whether solids, liquids, or gases, to agglomerate in bands. The bands approximate either the nodes or antinodes of the standing wave, depending on the density of the particulate relative to the fluid. The banded or agglomerated particulate enhances the rate of sedimentation as well as the reverse flow of suspernatent by removing particulate which would otherwise impede this flow.

4759775, Jul 26, 1988

Feb 21, 1986

6/832248

Stephen C. Peterson - Salt Lake City UT
Owen D. Brimhall - Salt Lake City UT
Thomas J. McLaughlin - Salt Lake City UT
Charles D. Baker - Lehi UT
Sam L. Sparks - Alpine UT

Utah Bioresearch, Inc. - Salt Lake City UT

B01D 4300

55 15

Methods and apparatus for controlling the movement of materials having different physical properties when one of the materials is a fluid. The invention does not rely on flocculation, sedimentation, centrifugation, the buoyancy of the materials, or any other gravity dependent characteristic, in order to achieve its desired results. The methods of the present invention provide that a first acoustic wave is progpagated through a vessel containing the materials. A second acoustic wave, at a frequency different than the first acoustic wave, is also propagated through the vessel so that the two acoustic waves are superimposed upon each other. The superimposition of the two waves creates a beat frequency wave. The beat frequency wave comprises pressure gradients dividing regions of maximum and minimum pressure. The pressure gradients and the regions of maximum and minimum pressure move through space and time at a group velocity.

4850963, Jul 25, 1989

May 4, 1988

7/191858

Sam L. Sparks - Alpine UT
Owen D. Brimhall - West Valley City UT
Stephen C. Peterson - Salt Lake City UT
Charles D. Baker - Lehi UT

Utah Bioresearch, Inc. - Salt Lake City UT

A61B 1900

600 29

Methods and apparatus for maintaining urinary continence in normally incontinent individuals. The present invention involves the non-surgical implantation of a bolus of ferromagnetic material into the bladder. The bolus of ferromagnetic material may comprise a biocompatible membrane, containing a ferromagnetic material. The bolus will normally rest at the juncture between the bladder and the urethra and will prevent the flow of urine from the bladder into the urethra. Essentially, the bolus serves as a seal between the urethra and the bladder. When it is desired to void the bladder, the ferromagnetic bolus is moved out of the intersection between the bladder and the urethra by positioning a magnet along the external surface of the person's body and manipulating the magnet until the desired movement of the bolus is accomplished. Movement of the magnet is sufficient to displace the bolus such that flow may be initiated from the bladder into the urethra.

4705518, Nov 10, 1987

Nov 18, 1985

6/799846

Charles D. Baker - Lehi UT
Owen D. Brimhall - Salt Lake City UT
Charles R. Galway - Salt Lake City UT

University of Utah Research Institute - Salt Lake City UT

A61F 208, A61F 204

623 14

An artificial sphincter apparatus and method, the artificial sphincter including a pair of parallel, coaxially mounted rings with at least one ring rotatable relative to the other. Optionally the rings are capable of being split open at their circumference and reclosed for mounting about a living tissue conduit for which surgical severing is not recommended. A plurality of circumferentially mounted tie members extend between the rings and are drawn laterally toward the center of the sphincter, narrowing a passageway therethrough, upon relative rotation between the rings. This action is capable of gently constricting a living tissue conduit within the passageway using a combination of rotational and circumferentially localized discrete radially compressive forces to control the flow of biological materials within the living tissue conduit. A cell impervious thin flexible tubular membrane envelopes the sphincter to isolate it from the immediate environment. The membrane has a central waist portion which fits within the openings in the rings and ends which fold outwardly around the sphincter for sealing together at the outer circumference thereof.

4874358, Oct 17, 1989

Feb 1, 1989

7/305528

Owen D. Brimhall - West Valley City UT
Stephen C. Peterson - Salt Lake City UT
Oleg Kotlyar - Salt Lake City UT
Dilip N. Ghosh Roy - Salt Lake City UT

Utah Bioreseach, Inc. - Salt Lake City UT

B04B 500, B04B 900

494 37

This invention is a dual axis, continuous flow centrifuge apparatus and method. A centrifuge head rotates in a vertical orientation about a first axis which, in turn, is rotated in a horizontal plane about a second axis. The rotation of the centrifuge head is matched to the rotation of the second axis to cancel out any net rotation of flexible conduits attached to the centrifuge head. The nonrotating coupling of the conduits permits continuous flow through the centrifuge head in the absence of seals. An angled centrifuge chamber inside the centrifuge head provides a more rapid separation of the components in the liquid passing through the centrifuge head. The path of travel of a particle in a centrifuge chamber inside the centrifuge head follows a generally cycloidal path thereby undergoing a pulsatile centrifugal force component.

4738655, Apr 19, 1988

Jun 17, 1987

7/063488

Owen D. Brimhall - West Valley City UT
Thomas J. McLaughlin - Salt Lake City UT
Charles D. Baker - Sandy UT
Stephen C. Peterson - Salt Lake City UT

Utah Bioresearch, Inc. - Salt Lake City UT

B04B 904

494 10

A hand-held centrifuge apparatus for sedimenting a fluid suspension in a sample tube, the sample tube being subjected to centrifugation at an acute angle to the axis of rotation. An electronic circuit activates an electric motor for a preselected time period as a function of voltage supplied by a battery to the motor to provide a predetermined degree of centrifugation to the sample. A voltage tester periodically tests the voltage in the circuit to assure that adequate voltage is being supplied by the battery. A deactivation circuit is actuated if inadequate voltage is sensed and a disabling circuit disables the electronic circuit until adequate voltage is again available. The disabling circuit is masked during acceleration to preclude deactivating the circuit when the motor is in acceleration.

4887458, Dec 19, 1989

Sep 21, 1988

7/247246

Charles D. Baker - Sandy UT
Owen D. Brimhall - West Valley City UT
James E. Messinger - Salt Lake City UT

Separation Techology, Inc. - Salt Lake City UT

G01N 3348, G01N 100

73 611R

This invention is a semiautomatic hematocrit reader apparatus and method. A microhematocrit capillary tube is positioned under a movable cursor which is then moved along the length of the microhematocrit capillary tube. A switch is depressed to make a data entry at predetermined points along the length of a blood/plasma sample in the microhematocrit capillary tube. The relative distances travelled across the packed cell volume versus the plasma is electronically calculated and displayed automatically.

4932132, Jun 12, 1990

Mar 1, 1989

7/317444

Charles D. Baker - Sandy UT
Owen D. Brimhall - West Valley City UT
James E. Messinger - Salt Lake City UT

Technical Research Associates, Inc. - Salt Lake City UT

G01C 906

33366

This invention relates to an electronic level apparatus wherein a hollow torus is rotatably mounted in the level. A body of ferromagnetic fluid creates a horizontal reference and is sensed to provide an audible signal when a predetermined angular orientation is detected by the sensor.