Brian C Zellers

20090024086, Jan 22, 2009

Sep 12, 2007

11/898475

Qiming Zhang - State College PA, US
Shihai Zhang - State College PA, US
Brian Zellers - State College PA, US

A61M 25/092
A61M 25/08

604 9505, 604528

Micro-streerable catheters for use in delivering therapeutic treatment in the body, such as ablation and cauterization, and which exhibit precise movement are disclosed. Embodiments include electrical micro-catheters that comprise of electroactive polymers. A preferred embodiment includes a programmable catheter.

20110038625, Feb 17, 2011

Aug 13, 2010

12/856035

Brian Zellers - State College PA, US
Shuxiang Dong - Beijing, CN
Shihai Zhang - State College PA, US
Qiming Zhang - State College PA, US

Strategic Polymer Sciences, Inc. - State College PA

G03B 13/34
G02B 7/02

396133, 359824

An adaptive lens comprises an actuator and a lens, the lens being mechanically coupled to the actuator so that energization of the actuator adjusts a focal point of the lens. The actuator may comprise a multilayer stack of electromechanical polymer (EMP) layers, having electrodes configured to apply an electric field across each EMP layer. The actuator may be operable to move and/or deform a lens, so as to adjust the focus properties of the lens. In some examples, the actuator has an annular shape, supporting a lens within the inner radius of the annulus. The lens position may be adjusted in an axial direction. In other examples, the actuator may be mechanically coupled a surface of a deformable lens, either directly or through another element of a lens structure. A strain applied to the lens modifies a curved surface of the lens, hence modifying the focal length of the lens.

20120239032, Sep 20, 2012

May 29, 2012

13/482901

Qiming Zhang - State College PA, US
Shihai Zhang - State College PA, US
Brian Zellers - State College PA, US

Strategic Polymer Sciences, Inc. - State College PA

A61B 18/18

606 41

Micro-streerable catheters for use in delivering therapeutic treatment in the body, such as ablation and cauterization, and which exhibit precise movement are disclosed. Embodiments include electrical micro-catheters that comprise of electroactive polymers. A preferred embodiment includes a programmable catheter.

20160042888, Feb 11, 2016

Aug 7, 2014

14/454526

- Burlingame CA, US
Brian C. Zellers - Bellefonte PA, US

H01H 13/14
H01H 13/02
H01H 13/50
G08B 6/00

A haptic switch includes: (a) a force sensor responding a mechanical stimulus by providing a sensing signal; (b) a processing circuit receiving the sensing signal and providing a control signal; and (c) an electromechanical polymer (EMP) actuator receiving the response control signal and providing a haptic response. The force sensor and the EMP actuator may each be provided on a flexible circuit covered by a protective layer overlying the flexible circuit. The haptic switch may include a graphic layer on which is provided a symbol representing a key. In that haptic switch, the symbol, the light source, the EMP actuator and the force sensor are aligned such that the light source illuminates the symbol and such that, when a user pushes on the symbol, the user's push applies a pressure on the force sensor and the EMP actuator's haptic response is provided in the vicinity of the force sensor.

20150107976, Apr 23, 2015

Oct 21, 2014

14/520101

- Burlingame CA, US
Brian C. Zellers - Bellefonte PA, US
Edward Foster - Burnham PA, US
Madeline Boyer - Philadelphia PA, US
Brian Thaler - State College PA, US
Raj Pathak - Mountain Top PA, US
Richard Ducharme - Alexandria PA, US

H01H 13/85

200 5 A

A retractable snap dome in a keyboard, serving as a force resistor for a key in a conventional manner, includes an additional collapsed state wherein the key can be retracted by an electromechanical polymer (EMP) actuator to a persistent down position. In one embodiment, the EMP actuator is a bimorph EMP actuator that can be actuated to bring the key from down position to up position, ready for conventional keyboard operation, and vice versa. Such operations allow the keyboard to have a desirable decreased thickness relative to conventional keyboards. Thus, a keyboard of the present invention finds application in ultra-slim electronic devices. When provided in a notebook computer wherein the keyboard is folded against a video or graphic display, the keyboard keys may be placed in the retracted down position, thereby preventing the keys from pressing against the video or graphical display with a force that may damage the display.

20150061703, Mar 5, 2015

Aug 30, 2013

14/015875

- State College PA, US
Lawrence Wang - Mountain View CA, US
Matthew Douglas Rogge - Petaluma CA, US
Brian Zellers - Bellefonte PA, US
Christophe Ramstein - San Francisco CA, US

Strategic Polymer Sciences, Inc. - State College PA

G01R 27/26

324686

An electromechanical polymer (EMP) sensor includes (a) a first set of EMP layers provided between a first electrode and a second electrode forming a capacitor, the first set of EMP layers having one or more EMP layers capable of being activated by application of a voltage across the first and second electrodes; and (b) a sensing circuit coupled to the first electrode and the second electrode for detecting a change in capacitance or a change in voltage across the first and second electrodes. The EMP sensor may further include means for disconnecting the second electrode from a ground reference after the pre-determined voltage is applied, such that the sensing circuit senses a change in capacitance. The sensing circuit may be capable of detecting a noise portion of a voltage across the first and second electrode.

20140191997, Jul 10, 2014

Jan 6, 2014

14/148537

- Burlingame CA, US
Brian ZELLERS - Bellefonte PA, US
Christophe RAMSTEIN - San Francisco CA, US

Novasentis, Inc. - Burlingame CA

H01L 41/09
G06F 3/01

345173, 310330

A housing for an electronic device allows a haptic feedback response that is localized to a specific area on a back panel of the housing of the electronic device. For example, a user holding the mobile electronic device may directly receive haptic feedback in his/her fingers that are supporting the back side of the mobile electronic device. Those specific areas on the back panel may be locations where the panel material is thinned, or locations where the panel material has been removed and replaced by a suitably selected membrane material having favorable mechanical properties. The membrane material may be introduced as an embossment of a membrane layer. In addition, a force-sensing resistor type material may be used as a replacement material, so as to sense the pressure of a user's finger pressing on the embossed structure at the specific locations to which EMP actuators are bonded.

20140139329, May 22, 2014

Nov 21, 2012

13/683990

- State College PA, US
Li Jiang - Union City CA, US
Brian C. Zellers - Bellefonte PA, US
Shihai Zhang - State College PA, US

STRATEGIC POLYMER SCIENCES, INC. - State College PA

G08B 6/00

3404072

A localized multimodal haptic system includes one or more electromechanical polymer (EMP) transducers, each including an EMP layer, such as an electrostrictive polymer active layer. In some applications the EMP transducer may perform an actuator function or a sensor function, or both. The EMP polymer layer has a first surface and a second surface on which one or more electrodes are provided. The EMP layer of the EMP actuator may be 5 microns thick or less. The EMP transducers may provide local haptic response to a local a stimulus. In one application, a touch sensor may be associated with each EMP transducer, such that the haptic event at the touch sensor may be responded to by activating only the associated EMP transducer. Furthermore, the EMP transducer may act as its own touch sensor. A variety of haptic responses may be made available. The EMP transducers may be used in various other applications, such as providing complex surface morphology and audio speakers.