Patents by Inventor Donald E. Trimbur

Donald E. Trimbur has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20090035842
    Abstract: The invention provides methods of manufacturing oils and oil-based products such as transportation fuels, industrial chemicals, edible oils, lubricants and plastics using sugar cane, sugar beets, and cane/beet agricultural processing byproducts as a feedstock for bioproduction processes. The disclosed processes utilize oil-bearing microbes as a conversion technology to convert chemical energy produced by sugar cane and sugar beets into energy-containing oils and oil derivatives. Also provided herein are oil-bearing microbes containing one or more exogenous sucrose utilization genes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 2, 2008
    Publication date: February 5, 2009
    Applicant: SOLAZYME, INC.
    Inventors: Donald E. Trimbur, Chung-Soon Im, Harrison F. Dillon, Anthony G. Day, Scott Franklin, Anna Coragliotti
  • Publication number: 20090011480
    Abstract: The invention provides methods of cultivating oil-bearing microbes using cellulosic material. Also provided are microorganisms that manufacture non-alcohol-based fuels and fuel feedstocks through a process of converting cellulosic materials into oils. Also provided are compositions comprising depolymerized cellulosic materials and oil-bearing microbes. Some methods of microbial fermentation are provided that comprise combining depolymerized cellulosic materials with other non-cellulosic feedstocks to enhance the economics of renewable fuel manufacturing. Particular advantages of the processes provided herein include production of oils rather than alcohols through cellulosic processes. Additional advantages include methods for manufacturing high nutrition oils from non-edible feedstocks such as wood chips, switchgrass, and bagasse.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 2, 2008
    Publication date: January 8, 2009
    Applicant: SOLAZYME, INC.
    Inventors: Donald E. Trimbur, Chung-Soon Im, Harrison F. Dillon, Anthony G. Day, Scott Franklin, Anna Coragliotti
  • Publication number: 20090004715
    Abstract: The invention provides methods of manufacturing biodiesel and other oil-based compounds using glycerol and combinations of glycerol and other feedstocks as an energy source in fermentation of oil-bearing microorganisms. Methods disclosed herein include processes for manufacturing high nutrition edible oils from non-food feedstock materials such as waste products from industrial waste transesterification processes. Also included are methods of increasing oil yields by temporally separating glycerol and other feedstocks during cultivation processes. Also provided herein are oil-bearing microbes containing exogenous oil production genes and methods of cultivating such microbes on glycerol and other feedstocks.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 2, 2008
    Publication date: January 1, 2009
    Applicant: Solazyme, Inc.
    Inventors: Donald E. Trimbur, Chung-Soon Im, Harrison F. Dillon, Anthony G. Day, Scott Franklin, Anna Coragliotti
  • Patent number: 7402415
    Abstract: Recombinant organisms are provided comprising genes encoding a glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and/or a glycerol-3-phosphatase activity useful for the production of glycerol from a variety of carbon substrates. The organisms further contain disruptions in the endogenous genes encoding proteins having glycerol kinase and glycerol dehydrogenase activities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2008
    Assignees: E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, Genencor International
    Inventors: Ramesh Nair, Mark S. Payne, Donald E. Trimbur, Fernando Valle
  • Patent number: 7132527
    Abstract: This invention provides a series of low-copy number plasmids comprising restriction endonuclease recognition sites useful for cloning at least three different genes or operons, each flanked by a terminator sequence, the plasmids containing variants of glucose isomerase promoters for varying levels of protein expression. The materials and methods are useful for genetic engineering in microorganisms, especially where multiple genetic insertions are sought.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2006
    Assignee: E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company
    Inventors: Mark S. Payne, Stephen K. Picataggio, Amy Kuang-Hsu, Ramesh V. Nair, Fernando Valle, Philippe Soucaille, Donald E. Trimbur
  • Patent number: 7005291
    Abstract: Recombinant organisms are provided comprising genes encoding a glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and/or a glycerol-3-phosphatase activity useful for the production of glycerol from a variety of carbon substrates. The organisms further contain disruptions in the endogenous genes encoding proteins having glycerol kinase and glycerol dehydrogenase activities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2006
    Assignees: E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, Genencor International
    Inventors: Ramesh V. Nair, Mark S. Payne, Donald E. Trimbur, Fernando Valle
  • Publication number: 20040235099
    Abstract: This invention provides a series of low-copy number plasmids comprising restriction endonuclease recognition sites useful for cloning at least three different genes or operons, each flanked by a terminator sequence, the plasmids containing variants of glucose isomerase promoters for varying levels of protein expression. The materials and methods are useful for genetic engineering in microorganisms, especially where multiple genetic insertions are sought.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2003
    Publication date: November 25, 2004
    Inventors: Mark S. Payne, Stephen K. Picataggio, Amy Kuang-Hua Hsu, Ramesh V. Nair, Fernando Valle, Philippe Soucaille, Donald E. Trimbur
  • Patent number: 6432686
    Abstract: Recombinant organisms are provided comprising genes encoding genes encoding glycerol dehydratase, 1,3-propanediol oxidoreductase, a gene encoding vitamin B12 receptor precursor(BtuB), a gene encoding vitamin B12 transport system permease protein(BtuC) and a gene encoding vitamin B12 transport ATP-binding protein (BtuD). The recombinant microorganism is contacted with a carbon substrate and 1,3-propanediol is isolated from the growth media.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2002
    Assignees: E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, Genencor International
    Inventors: Ben A. Bulthuis, Gregory M. Whited, Donald E. Trimbur, Anthony A. Gatenby
  • Patent number: 6013494
    Abstract: Recombinant organisms are provided comprising genes encoding glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, glycerol-3-phosphatase, glycerol dehydratase and 1,3-propanediol oxidoreductase activites useful for the production of 1,3-propanediol from a variety of carbon substrates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 1997
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2000
    Assignees: E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, Genencor International
    Inventors: Charles E. Nakamura, Anthony A. Gatenby, Amy Kuang-Hua Hsu, Richard D. La Reau, Sharon L. Haynie, Maria Diaz-Torres, Donald E. Trimbur, Gregory M. Whited, Vasantha Nagarajan, Mark S. Payne, Stephen K. Picataggio, Ramesh V. Nair