Patents Represented by Attorney Mark D. Kuller
  • Patent number: 6538076
    Abstract: A continuous process for the production of poly(trimethylene terephthalate) is disclosed. According to the process, a liquid feed mixture comprising bis-3-hydroxypropyl terephthalate and/or low molecular weight polyesters of 1,3-propanediol and terephthalic acid, the liquid feed mixture having a mole ratio of propylene groups to terephthalate groups of 1.1 to 2.2 is fed to a flasher. A first stream of gaseous by-products is continuously vaporized and removed from the flasher, and a liquid flasher reaction product having a mole ratio of propylene groups to terephthalate groups of less than about 1.5 is continuously withdrawn from the flasher. The liquid flasher reaction product is continuously fed to a prepolymerizer where it is continuously polymerized to form a poly(trimethylene terephthalate) prepolymer and a second stream of gaseous by-products.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2003
    Assignee: E. I. Du Pont de Nemours and Company
    Inventors: Carl J. Giardino, David B. Griffith, Chungfah Howard Ho, James M. Howell, Michelle Hoyt Watkins
  • Patent number: 6531548
    Abstract: Disclosed are physical blends of poly(1,3-propylene 2,6-naphthalate) polymer compositions with other polymers in which the concentration of poly(1,3-propylene 2,6-naphthalate) is from 1 to 99 mole %.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2003
    Assignee: E. I. Du Pont de Nemours and Company
    Inventor: Howard Chung-Ho Ng
  • Patent number: 6458455
    Abstract: Poly(trimethylene terephthalate) tetrachannel cross-section staple fibers, as well as yarns, fiberfill webs, batts and products, and fabrics made therewith. Also, the process of making such staple fibers, yarns, fiberfill webs, batts and products, and fabrics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2002
    Assignee: E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company
    Inventors: Ismael A. Hernandez, Geoffrey David Hietpas, James M. Howell, Claudia Schultze
  • Patent number: 6426398
    Abstract: A poly(trimethylene terephthalate) polymer composition (a) comprising repeat units derived from terephthalic acid and 1,3- propanediol, (b) having a b value of less than about 10, and (c) having an intrinsic viscosity (IV) in the range from about 0.74 to about 2.0. The poly(trimethylene terephthalate) polymer composition does not contain a blue masking pigment. It is prepared by a process comnprising contacting, in the presence of a catalyst comprises tin and titanium. A copolymer that contains up to 20 mole percent of another acid and/or a second alcohol is also disclosed. Further disclosed is a composition of, or comprising, a bis (3-hydroxypropyl) terephthalalte prepolymer. The bis (3-hydroxypropyl) terephthalalte prepolymer and poly(trimethylene terephthalalte) can each contain 10 to 100 ppm tin and 10 to 200 ppm titanium relative to the terephthalic acid content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2002
    Assignee: E. I. Du Pont De Nemours and Company
    Inventors: Joseph V Kurian, Yuanfeng Liang, Donald Edward Putzig
  • Patent number: 6383632
    Abstract: Fine denier poly(trimethylene terephthalate) feed yarns and drawn yarns wherein the drawn yarns are characterized by a denier per filament less than 1.5 and are drawn such that the actual draw ratio is within 10 percent of the predicted draw ratio determined according to: [(elongation to break of the feed yarn)+115]/[(elongation to break of the drawn yarn)+115)] are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2002
    Assignee: E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company
    Inventors: James M. Howell, Joe Forrest London, Jr., Michelle H. Watkins
  • Patent number: 6353062
    Abstract: A continuous process for the production of poly(trimethylene terephthalate) is disclosed. According to the process, a liquid feed mixture comprising bis-3-hydroxypropyl terephthalate and/or low molecular weight polyesters of 1,3-propanediol and terephthalic acid, the liquid feed mixture having a mole ratio of propylene groups to terephthalate groups of 1.1 to 2.2 is fed to a prepolymerizer. Bis-3-hydroxypropyl terephthalate and the low molecular weight polyesters are continuously polymerized to form a poly(trimethylene terephthalate) prepolymer and a first stream of gaseous by-products. Poly(trimethylene terephthalate) prepolymer having a relative viscosity of at least about 5 is continuously withdrawn from the prepolymerizer and continuously fed to a final polymerizer, where it is continuously polymerized to form a higher molecular weight poly(trimethylene terephthalate) and a second stream of gaseous by-products.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2002
    Assignee: E. I. du pont de Nemours and Company
    Inventors: Carl J. Giardino, David B. Griffith, Chungfah Howard Ho, James M. Howell, Michelle Hoyt Watkins, Joseph James Duffy
  • Patent number: 6350895
    Abstract: This invention relates to an improvement for the preparation of bis(3-hydroxypropyl) dicarboxylate monomers using 1,3-propanediol and a dialkyl dicarboxylate in the presence of a catalytic amount of such yttrium and/or samarium compounds as yttrium/samarium acetylacetonate or tris(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptanedionato) yttrium/samarium which act as a catalyst for the transesterification reaction
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2002
    Assignee: E. I. Du Pont de Nemours and Company
    Inventor: Joseph Varapadavil Kurian
  • Patent number: 6335421
    Abstract: A process of preparing poly(trimethylene terephthalate) containing less than 2.0 mole % of DPG comprising: (a) providing a molar amount of 1,3-propanediol:C1 to C4 dialkyl ester of terephthalic acid of 1.2:1 to 1.9:1, (b) reacting the 1,3-propanediol with the C1 to C4 dialkyl ester of terephthalic, acid to form bis(3-hydroxypropyl)terephthalate monomer in the presence of 10-100 ppm (as titanium metal) of an organic titanate catalyst, by weight of the poly(trimethylene terephthalate), and (c) polymerizing the bis(3-hydroxypropyl)terephthalate monomer to obtain the poly(trimethylene terephthalate); and poly(trimethylene terephthalate) produced by the process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2002
    Assignee: E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company
    Inventors: Joseph Varapadavil Kurian, Yuanfeng Liang
  • Patent number: 6333106
    Abstract: A stable partially oriented poly(trimethylene terephthalate) yarn suitable for use in subsequent drawing and/or draw-texturing operations characterized by an elongation to break of at least 110%, and a process for false-twist texturing a partially oriented poly(trimethylene terephthalate) yarn are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2001
    Assignee: E. I. Du Pont De Nemours and Company
    Inventors: James M Howell, Joe F London, Jr., Michelle H Watkins
  • Patent number: 6331264
    Abstract: The invention comprises polymer compositions containing 3-hydroxypropanoxy terminated polymer that exhibit reduced levels of degradation product emissions during processing, by contacting the polymer in the molten state with a melt stable, organic nitrogen-containing stabilizing compound, such as polyamide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2001
    Assignee: E. I. Du Pont De Nemours and Company
    Inventors: Joseph Varapadavil Kurian, Jing Chung Chang
  • Patent number: 6325893
    Abstract: A sizing agent for paper that is a 2-oxetanone ketene multimer which is not solid at 35° C., particularly a multimer mixture in which at least 25 weight percent of the hydrocarbon substituents contain irregularities such as branched alkyl groups or linear or branched alkenyl groups. Paper surface sized with the 2-oxetanone ketene multimer sizing agent and the method of surface sizing paper are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2001
    Assignee: Hercules Incorporated
    Inventors: Clement L. Brungardt, Richard J. Riehle, Jian Jian Zhang
  • Patent number: 6325945
    Abstract: This invention relates to an improved process for the treatment of aqueous waste stream containing aldehydes and ketones, in particular, alpha, beta-ethylenically unsaturated aldehydes and ketones, which can be rendered non-toxic to biological treatment systems by contacting the waste stream with organic polyamines and/or inorganic ammonium compounds at essentially ambient conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2001
    Assignee: E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company
    Inventors: Joseph Varapadavil Kurian, Yuan Feng Liang
  • Patent number: 6316095
    Abstract: Fine paper that is sized with a 2-oxetanone alkaline sizing agent and that does not encounter machine feed problems in high speed converting or reprographic machines, including continuous forms bond paper and adding machine paper, processes for converting the paper into envelopes, continuous forms bond paper and adding machine paper, and paper products of the processes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2001
    Assignee: Hercules Incorporated
    Inventors: Donald K. Black, Kyle J. Bottorff, Clement Linus Brungardt, David Howard Dumas, Susan Merrick Ehrhardt, John Charles Gast, Jian-Jian Zhang
  • Patent number: 6197417
    Abstract: A 2-oxetanone sizing agent that is made from fatty acid(s) containing linoleic acid. Paper that is sized with the 2-oxetanone alkaline sizing agent does not encounter machine feed problems in high speed converting or reprographic machines, so the sizing agent is useful for paper including continuous forms bond paper and adding machine paper, processes for converting the paper into envelopes, continuous forms bond paper and adding machine paper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2001
    Assignee: Hercules Incorporated
    Inventor: Kyle J. Bottorff
  • Patent number: 6165320
    Abstract: This invention relates to a method of sizing paper comprising use of a sizing composition comprising: (a) at least one thermoplastic resin selected from the group consisting of thermoplastic rosins having an acid number less than 50, thermoplastic hydrocarbon resins, thermoplastic polyamides and thermoplastic amide waxes; (b) starch; and (c) surfactant. The sizing takes place substantially in the absence of alum or other aluminum based fixing agents.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2000
    Assignee: Hercules Incorporated
    Inventors: Robert Bates, Gerard J. Broekhuisen, Edwin R. Hensema, Malcolm J. Welch
  • Patent number: 6165534
    Abstract: A food composition having a softening point of at least about 115.degree. F., and composed of an emulsion and a chemically set gel. The emulsion is prepared from water and a fat; the chemically set gel is prepared from a carbohydrate and water.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 1994
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2000
    Assignee: Hercules Incorporated
    Inventors: Gary Andrew Luzio, Anne Elizabeth Tieleman
  • Patent number: 6117546
    Abstract: A yarn comprising linear low density polyethylene fiber and nonmelting fiber or fiber having a melting point higher than the linear low density polyethylene fiber, and structures made therefrom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2000
    Assignee: Hercules Incorporated
    Inventors: James D. Geiman, Rakesh K. Gupta, Randall E. Kozulla, Richard J. Legare, Robert G. MacLellan
  • Patent number: 6074468
    Abstract: This invention relates to a sizing composition comprising (a) thermoplastic resin selected from the group consisting of thermoplastic rosins having an acid number less than 50, thermoplastic hydrocarbon resins, thermoplastic polyamides and thermoplastic amide waxes; (b) starch selected from the group consisting of natural, anionic, oxidized, amphoteric and modified starch; and (c) surfactant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2000
    Assignee: Hercules Incorporated
    Inventors: Robert Bates, Gerard J. Broekhuisen, Edwin R. Hensema, Malcolm J. Welch
  • Patent number: 6048392
    Abstract: A sizing agent for paper that is a 2-oxetanone ketene multimer which is not solid at 35.degree. C., particularly a multimer mixture in which at least 25 weight percent of the hydrocarbon substituents contain irregularities such as branched alkyl groups or linear or branched alkenyl groups. Paper surface sized with the 2-oxetanone ketene multimer sizing agent and the method of surface sizing paper are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 1997
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2000
    Assignee: Hercules Incorporated
    Inventors: Clement L. Brungardt, Richard J. Riehle, Jian Jian Zhang
  • Patent number: 6033526
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method for sizing paper at a pH of about 5.0-8.5 by incorporating a sizing composition consisting essentially of (1) rosin, (2) a cationic polyamine resin at a weight ratio of rosin to cationic polyamine of about 5:1 to about 1:2, and (3) up to 0.3% alum. The cationic polyamine resin is selected from the group consisting of polyalkyleneamine-epihalohydrin resins, polyalkyleneamine-dicyandiamide-epihalohydrin resins, poly(diallylamine.HCl)-epihalohydrin resins, poly(methyldiallylamine.HCl)-epihalohydrin resins, epihalohydrin-modified polyethyleneimine resins, amine-modified poly(methyldiallylamine.HCl)-epihalohydrin resins and mixtures thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 1994
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2000
    Assignee: Hercules Incorporated
    Inventors: Susan M. Ehrhardt, D. Bruce Evans