US Fed News Service, Including US State News back issues from Monday, September 15:
ENJOY HAY DAY AT HERITAGE PARK
Sep 15, 2008 ... The city of Farmington Hills issued the following news release: Enjoy the beauty of autumn with your family at Hay Day in Heritage Park. Stay warm and roast marshmallows at Farmington Hills' largest campfire or take a hayride and paint a pumpkin. Tour a Fire Engine, jump on the Parkey ...
HELICOPTER AIRCREWS RESCUE HURRICANE VICTIMS
Sep 15, 2008 ... The U.S. Air Force issued the following press release: By Capt. Alyson Teeter129th Rescue Wing Public Affairs Airmen from the 129th Rescue Wing took off from here Sept. 13 and helped rescue stranded victims of Hurricane Ike near Galveston, Texas. California Air National ...
California Inventors Develop Radar Sensing System
Sep 15, 2008 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 15 -- Fred J. Heinzmann of Del Mar, Calif., and David C. of Menlo Park, Calif., have developed a power cutting tool with a movable blade. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A power cutting tool having a movable blade, such as a table saw, comprising a ...
Japanese Inventor Develops Rotation Detector
Sep 15, 2008 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 15 -- Hiroyuki Tsuge of Nisshin, Japan, has developed a method for producing a rotation detector. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A rotation detector having a hall integrated circuit in a case-shape housing includes a wiring extending ...
German Inventors Develop Motor Vehicle Drive Arrangement
Sep 15, 2008 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 15 -- Andreas Klaus of Chemnitz, Germany, and Tobias Ostertag of Herrenberg, Germany, have developed an arrangement for a motor vehicle drive. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "In a motor vehicle drive arrangement having an electric motor with a rotor ...
Japanese Inventor Develops Electromagnetic Flowmeter
Sep 15, 2008 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 15 -- Ikuhiko Ishikawa of Musashino, Japan, has developed an electromagnetic flowmeter with a feedback voltage. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "An electromagnetic flowmeter includes: a detector for detecting a flow rate voltage; a shielded cable ...
Japanese Inventors Develop Parallel Axes Type Automatic Transmission Method
Sep 15, 2008 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 15 -- Mitsuo Kimura, Motoo Takeda, Yoshimichi Tsubata,a ll from Wako, Japan, have developed a shaft arrangement structure in parallel axes. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A parallel axes type automatic transmission including a first input shaft ...
German Inventor Develops Multi-Geared High-Low Clutch
Sep 15, 2008 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 15 -- Norman Regenscheit of Meckenbeuren, Germany, has developed a powershift gearbox for construction machines. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A multi-geared high-low clutch for construction machines with a torque converter, a drive shaft, ...
New Jersey Inventors Develop Differential Adjustment Apparatus
Sep 15, 2008 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 15 -- Alex Ezra Cable of Newton, N.J., and Jason Matthew Mills of Blairstown, N.J., have developed a differential adjuster. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A differential adjuster that utilizes a tool interface for affecting either a coarse adjustment ...
Virginia Inventors Develop Optical Sensor
Sep 15, 2008 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 15 -- Paul S. Zerwekh of Shawsville, Va., Clark D. Boyd of Radford, Va., Brooks Childers of Christiansburg, Va., and Daniel C. of BlevinsChristiansburg, Va., have developed an Optical sensor with co-located pressure. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: ...
German Inventors Develop Double Clutch Transmission
Sep 15, 2008 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 15 -- Gerhard Gumpoltsberger of Friedrichshafen, Germany, and Jens Patzner of Potsdam, Germany, have developed a process of double clutch transmission. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A double clutch transmission with a double clutch, the input side ...
German Inventors Develop Pipette
Sep 15, 2008 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 15 -- Herbert Belgardt of Paulinenallee, Germany, Peter Molitor of Henstedt-Ulzburg, Germany, and Bernd Jagdhuber of Uetersen, Germany, have developed a pipette with an axially relocatable control button. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "Pipette having ...
Missouri, California Inventors Develop Structural Monitoring Systems
Sep 15, 2008 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 15 -- Genda Chen, James L. Drewniak and David Pommerenke, all from Rolla, Mo. and Huimin Mu of Milpitas, Calif., have developed a strain sensitive coax cable sensors. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "The invention provides increased structural ...
Massuchesetts Inventors Develop Duct Probe Assembly
Sep 15, 2008 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 15 -- Eric M. Desrochers of Millis, Mass., and Gordon P. Sharp of Newton, Mass., have developed a duct probe assembly system of multipoint air sampling. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "This invention details apparatus and methods for a unique ...
New Mexico Inventor Develops Active Hinge Apparatus
Sep 15, 2008 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 15 -- James J. Allen of Albuquerque, N.M., has developed an apparatus for raising a micromechanical structure. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "An active hinge apparatus is disclosed which can be used to raise a micromechanical structure (e.g ....
British, German Inventors Develop Caliper Apparatus
Sep 15, 2008 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 15 -- Christopher Ian Stanley of West Lothian, Great Britain, and Juergen Abendroth of Spelle, Germany, have developed an apparatus for use in a tubular. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "The present invention generally relates to an apparatus and ...
Michigan Inventors Develop Steering Column Tilt Adjustment Method
Sep 15, 2008 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 15 -- William Korzan of Canton, Mich., Wayne M Avers of Northville, Mich., and Steve Waldie of Brighton, Mich., have developed a column tilt adjusting system. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A steering column tilt adjusting system for releasably ...
Swiss Inventors Develop Hose Clamp
Sep 15, 2008 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 15 --Marco Lorez of Meilen, Switzerland, Paul Nef of Herrliberg, Switzerland, Ulrich Meier of Wadenswil, Switzerland, and Hans Oetiker of Horgen, Switzerland, have developed a hose clamp and a closing tool. According to a description of the invention, released by the U.S ....
German Inventor Develops Test Head Positioning Manipulator
Sep 15, 2008 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 15 -- Hubertus Heigl of Munchen, Germany, has developed a manipulator for positioning a test head. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A manipulator for positioning a test head, particularly at a tester is provided with a positioner for ...
Australian Inventor Develops Drive Induction Apparatus
Sep 15, 2008 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 15 -- Andrew French of Via Karuah, Australia, has developed an apparatus for inducing drive. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "An apparatus for inducing drive is shown that includes a primary drive shaft and four secondary drive shafts. The ...
Japanese Inventors Develop Paid Time Off Based Tractor
Sep 15, 2008 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 15 -- Akifumi Nishino, Ryuji Kitagawa, Tsukasa Wada and Kenzo Ushiro, all from Sakai, Japan, and Kiyokazu Nakanishi of Kawachinagano, Japan, have developed a tractor with a paid time off (PTO) apparatus. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A tractor with ...
South Korean Inventor Develops Electronic Gearshift Structure
Sep 15, 2008 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 15 -- Young Kwang Kim of Hwaseong-si, South Korea, has developed an electronic gearshift structure incorporated in a vehicular shift-by-wire system. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "An electronic gear shifter structure for a vehicle ...
French Inventor Develops Fuselage Structure Testing Apparatus
Sep 15, 2008 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 15 -- Cyrille Saves-Saint-Germes of Seysses, France, has developed an apparatus of testing a fuselage structure. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "The apparatus for testing a fuselage structure having longitudinal and circumferential curvature ...
Taiwanese Inventor Develops Socket Wrench, Adaptor Combination
Sep 15, 2008 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 15 -- Bobby Hu of Taichung, Taiwan, has developed a combination of socket wrench and an adaptor. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A combination includes a socket wrench and an adaptor. The socket wrench includes a handle having a head portion ....
German Inventors Develop Machine Tool
Sep 15, 2008 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 15 -- Elmar Schafers and Bernd Wedel, both of Nurnberg, Germany, and Jens Hamann of Furth, Germany, have developed a device of linearly moving a useful mass. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A device for linearly moving a useful mass is described ....
Japanese Inventor Develops Mechanical Operation Device
Sep 15, 2008 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 15 -- Tatsuya Kawakami of Sakai, Japan, has developed a bicycle control device. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A mechanical operating device comprises a first output element; a first output element positioning mechanism that positions the ...
Canadian Inventors Develop Sampling Device
Sep 15, 2008 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 15 -- Sabatino Nacson and Yuri Wiseman, both of Thornhill, Canada, Dragoljub Ridjosic of Mississauga, Canada, and Sergey Kapitoulsky of Toronto, have developed a sampling device for collecting a sample. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A sampling ...
Florida Inventors Develop Electromagnetic Flow Sensing Apparatus
Sep 15, 2008 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 15 -- Albert M. Jarrell of Lakeland, Fla., and Robert H. Batey of Orlando, Fla., have developed an apparatus of sensing liquid flow rate. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "An apparatus for sensing liquid flow rate comprises a conduit for conducting a ...
Defense Logistics Agency Seeks Special Cable Assemblies
Sep 15, 2008 ... RICHMOND, Va., Sept. 15 -- The Defense Logistics Agency said it was looking to buy special cable assemblies.All request for quotations are due by Sept. 29.The solicitation (No. SPM4A608Q9804) was posted on Sept. 12 and is available at: ...
Defense Logistics Agency Seeks Magnetic Contactors
Sep 15, 2008 ... RICHMOND, Va., Sept. 15 -- The Defense Logistics Agency said it was looking to buy magnetic contactors.All request for quotations are due by Sept. 19.The solicitation (No. SPM4A508Q4488) was posted on Sept. 12 and is available at: ...
Defense Logistics Agency Seeks Air Navigational Lights
Sep 15, 2008 ... RICHMOND, Va., Sept. 15 -- The Defense Logistics Agency said it was looking to buy air navigational lights.All request for quotations are due by Sept. 23.The solicitation (No. SPM4A608Q9809) was posted on Sept. 13 and is available at: ...
Defense Logistics Agency Seeks Source Cable Assemblies
Sep 15, 2008 ... RICHMOND, Va., Sept. 15 -- The Defense Logistics Agency said it was looking to buy source cable assemblies.This acquisition is a 100 percent small business set-aside.All request for quotations are due by Sept. 29.The solicitation (No. SPM4A608Q9808) was posted on Sept. 12 and is available at: ...
Defense Logistics Agency Seeks Corrosion Prevention Anodes
Sep 15, 2008 ... RICHMOND, Va., Sept. 15 -- The Defense Logistics Agency said it was looking to buy corrosion prevention anodes.The NAICS code for this requirement is 332995.All request for quotations are due by Sept. 29.The solicitation (No. SPM4A608TT982) was posted on Sept. 12 and is available at: ...
Defense Logistics Agency Seeks Power Cable Assemblies
Sep 15, 2008 ... RICHMOND, Va., Sept. 15 -- The Defense Logistics Agency said it was looking to buy power cable assemblies.The NAICS code for this requirement is 335929. This acquisition is a 100 percent small business set-aside.All request for quotations are due by Sept. 29.The solicitation (No. SPM4A608TT999) ...
Defense Logistics Agency Seeks Groove Clamp Couplings
Sep 15, 2008 ... RICHMOND, Va., Sept. 15 -- The Defense Logistics Agency said it was looking to buy groove clamp couplings.All request for quotations are due by Sept. 15.The solicitation (No. SPM4A608Q9755) was posted on Sept. 12 and is available at: ...
Defense Logistics Agency Seeks Special Cable Assemblies
Sep 15, 2008 ... RICHMOND, Va., Sept. 15 -- The Defense Logistics Agency said it was looking to buy special cable assemblies.This acquisition is a 100 percent small business set-aside.All request for quotations are due by Sept. 25.The solicitation (No. SPM4A608Q9802) was posted on Sept. 12 and is available at: ...
Defense Logistics Agency Seeks Vertical Velocity Indicators
Sep 15, 2008 ... RICHMOND, Va., Sept. 15 -- The Defense Logistics Agency said it was looking to buy vertical velocity indicator.This acquisition is a 100 percent small business set-aside.All request for quotations are due by Sept. 19.The solicitation (No. SPM4A608Q9565) was posted on Sept. 12 and is available ...
Defense Logistics Agency Seeks Aircraft Structural Panels
Sep 15, 2008 ... RICHMOND, Va., Sept. 15 -- The Defense Logistics Agency said it was looking to buy aircraft structural panels.The NAICS code for this requirement is 336411.All request for quotations are due by Sept. 29.The solicitation (No. SPM4A508TA512) was posted on Sept. 12 and is available at: ...
Texas, West Virginia Inventors Develop Bullet Test Tube
Sep 15, 2008 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 15 -- Charles H. Slsk of Dayton, Texas, Joseph M.Natoli of Spring, Texas, and Richard A. Mann, II of Princeton, W.Va., have developed a bullet test tube for bullet recovery. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A bullet test tube is taught having a media ...
German Inventors Develop Electrical Power Output Regulating Apparatus
Sep 15, 2008 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 15 -- Joachim Blum of Stuttgart, Germany, Josef Sonntag of Kirchheim, Germany, and Manfred Strohmaier of Ohmden, Germany, have developed a method of operating fuel cell system. An abstract of the invention, released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, said: ...
Texas Inventors Develop Property Estimation Apparatus
Sep 15, 2008 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 15 -- Rocco DiFoggio of Houston, and Peter W. Reittinger of Katy, Texas, have developed an apparatus for estimating a property. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A method and apparatus for estimating a property of a fluid downhole are disclosed. The ...
British Inventors Develop Knitting Machines
Sep 15, 2008 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 15 -- Tilak Dias of Stockport, Great Britain, William Cooke of Cheshire, Great Britain, and Anura Fernando of Cheadle, Great Britain, have developed a method of knitting. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "There is disclosed a knitting machine ...
German Inventors Develop Fuel Cell System
Sep 15, 2008 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 15 -- Gilbert Erdler, Mirko Lehmann and Class Muller, all from Freiburg, Germany, have developed a fuel cell method. An abstract of the invention, released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, said: "A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell and a fuel infeed ...
New York Inventors Develop Solid-Oxide Fuel Cell System
Sep 15, 2008 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 15 -- Karl J. Haltiner Jr. of Fairport, N.Y., and Sean M. Kelly of Churchville, N.Y., have developed a thermally-regulated cathode air heat exchanger. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "In a solid-oxide fuel cell system, an integrated air supply ...
Japanese Inventors Develop Tire Hardware-In-The-Loop Simulator
Sep 15, 2008 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 15 -- Etsujiro Imanishi, Koichi Honke, Akira Tsutsui, Naoki Sugano and Takao Nanjo, all from Kobe, Japan, and Yoshihiro Suda of Ota-ku, Japan, have developed a hardware-in-the-loop simulator. According to a description of the invention, released by the U.S. Patent & ...
Colorado Inventor Develops Fluid Level Measurement Method
Sep 15, 2008 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 15 -- Joseph W. Caldwell of Boulder, Colo., has developed a fluid tank. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A fluid level measuring system comprising a fluid level sensor is disclosed. The fluid level sensor may comprise a top or bottom mounted ...
Washington, New York Inventors Develop Modular Fuel Cell Cassette Insulating System
Sep 15, 2008 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 15 -- Kenneth Scott Weil and John S. Hardy, both of Richland, Wash., Gary F. Reisdorf of Penfield, N.Y., Joseph M. Keller of Grand Blanc, N.Y., Karl J. Haltiner Jr. of Fairport, N.Y., and Subhasish Mukerjee of Rochester, N.Y., have developed a ceramic coating ...
California Inventors Develop High Temperature Fuel Cell System
Sep 15, 2008 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 15 -- Swaminathan Venkataraman of Cupertino, Calif., Matthias Gottmann of Sunnyvale, Calif., and John Finn of Mountain View, Calif., have developed a solid oxide fuel cell method. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A high temperature fuel cell ...
California Inventors Develop Amine Systhesis Method
Sep 15, 2008 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 15 -- Stacey I. Zones of San Francisco, and Allen W. Burton Jr. of Richmond, Calif., have developed a synthesis method for amines. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "The present invention relates to new crystalline molecular sieve SSZ-74 prepared ...
Japanese Inventors Develop Fuel Cell Separator
Sep 15, 2008 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 15 -- Hiromichi Nakata and Joji Yoshimura, both of Toyota, Japan, Kenichi Suzuki and Fumio Nonoyama, both of Aichi-gun, Japan, and Masayoshi Yokoi of Ozazaki, Japan, have developed a method for manufacturing fuel cell separator. An abstract of the invention, ...
German Inventor Develops Latch Needle
Sep 15, 2008 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 15 -- Josef Schmidt of Me.beta.stetten-Unterdigisheim, Germany, has developed a latch needle for loop-forming textile. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, the invention relates to "a latch needle having a latch provided on its latch spoon on the ...
Massachusetts Inventors Develop Inertial Sensor
Sep 15, 2008 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 15 -- John A. Geen of Tewksbury, Mass., and Jinbo Kuang of Acton, Mass., have developed an inertial sensor with a cross-quad configuration. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "An inertial sensor includes a cross-quad configuration of four interconnected ...
Canadian Inventors Develop Fluid Pressure Sensing Method
Sep 15, 2008 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 15 -- Kian Sheikh-Bahaie of Port Moody, Canada, Shawn Lammers of Delta, Canada, and Robert Gordon Patterson of Burnaby, Canada, have developed an apparatus of producing a circuit carrier. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A method and apparatus for ...
Michigan Inventor Develops Fabricating Glass Art Process
Sep 15, 2008 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 15 -- Karen Daniel of Holland, Mich., has developed a process for fabricating glass art. According to a description of the invention, released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "The present invention relates in general to a process for fabricating glass ...
French Inventors Develop Part Inspection Method
Sep 15, 2008 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 15 -- Jean-Yves Francois Roger Chatellier of Arcueil, France, and Richard Michael Coulette of Gentilly, France, have developed a method for using ultrasound. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A method of inspecting a part in immersion using a focused ...
Taiwanese Inventors Develop Fuel Cell Apparatus
Sep 15, 2008 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 15 -- Chien-Lang Wang, Feng-Yi Deng, Tsang-Ming Chang, Hsi-Ming Shu and Wei-Li Huang, all from Taipei, Taiwan, have developed a fuel cell device. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A fuel cell device with a compound power supply is disclosed, ...
Japanese Inventor Develops Tire Monitor Radio Circuit
Sep 15, 2008 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 15 -- Michiya Katou of Ogaki, Japan, has developed a tire monitor radio circuit for performing radio transmission. According to a description of the invention, released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A tire monitor radio circuit includes a control ...
California Inventor Develops Oil-Filled Pressure Sensors
Sep 15, 2008 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 15 -- Amnon Brosh of Santa Monica, Calif., has developed an internal pressure simulator for pressure sensors. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "In oil-filled pressure sensors, the measured pressure is applied to a compliant isolation diaphragm, ...
Wisconsin Inventor Develops Variable Frequency Charge Pump
Sep 15, 2008 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 15 -- Joel C. Vanderzee of La Crosse, Wis., has developed a method for determining a fluid level. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A method of determining a fluid or material level. The method comprises the steps of: providing, at a first ...
German Inventors Develop Seal Construction System
Sep 15, 2008 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 15 -- Olav Finkenwirth of Munich, Germany, Bernd Kuhn of Leinfelden, Germany, and Hans-Rainer Zerfass of Taunusstein, Germany, have developed a fuel cell electrolyser. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A sealing structure in a fuel cell and/or ...
Japanese Inventors Develop Optical Transmission Substrate
Sep 15, 2008 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 15 -- Tadashi Fukuzawa of Tokyo-to, Japan, and Masaki Hasegawa of Kanagawa-ken, Japan, have developed a method for manufacturing optical transmission substrate. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "Provided is an optical transmission substrate including: ...
Japanese Inventors Develop Fuel Cell Life Predicting Device
Sep 15, 2008 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 15 -- Shinichi Arisaka, Osamu Sakai, Hideo Kasahara and Shigeyuki Unoki, all from Osaka, Japan, and Eiichi Yasumoto of Kyoto, Japan, have developed a fuel cell life predicting method. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "There are provided ...
Pennsylvania Inventors Develop Control System
Sep 15, 2008 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 15 -- Dennis Lee Shaffer of Thomasville, Pa., and Russell Mark Thompson of York, Pa., have developed an automatic start/stop sequencing control system for a steam turbine. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A control system and method are provided for ...
Washington Inventors Develop Surface Sensor System
Sep 15, 2008 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 15 -- Dale Keep and Lance Doyle, both of Walla Walla, Wash., have developed a surface sensor system for sensing conditions. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "An embodiment of the present invention provides a surface sensor system comprising a wet/dry ...
California Inventors Develop Resonance Method
Sep 15, 2008 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 15 -- Richard K. Workman of Los Altos, Calif., Storrs T. Hoen of Brisbane, Calif., have developed a method for determining a spring constant of a scanning probe microscope. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "In accordance with the invention, the spring ...