Patents by Inventor James Lawrence Spivack
James Lawrence Spivack 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).
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Patent number: 6995294Abstract: This disclosure relates to a method for producing and using catalysts in the production of bisphenols, and in particular to a method for producing catalysts which contain poly-sulfur mercaptan promoters, and using these catalysts in the production of bisphenol-A and its derivatives.Type: GrantFiled: July 25, 2003Date of Patent: February 7, 2006Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Jimmy Lynn Webb, James Lawrence Spivack
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Patent number: 6992228Abstract: This disclosure relates to a method for producing and using catalysts in the production of bisphenols, and in particular to a method for producing catalysts which contain poly-sulfur mercaptan promoters, and using these catalysts in the production of bisphenol-A and its derivatives.Type: GrantFiled: July 25, 2003Date of Patent: January 31, 2006Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Jimmy Lynn Webb, James Lawrence Spivack
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Patent number: 6884894Abstract: This disclosure relates to a method for producing and using catalysts in the production of bisphenols, and in particular to a method for producing catalysts which contain poly-sulfur mercaptan promoters, and using these catalysts in the production of bisphenol-A and its derivatives.Type: GrantFiled: July 25, 2003Date of Patent: April 26, 2005Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Jimmy Lynn Webb, James Lawrence Spivack
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Patent number: 6872860Abstract: This disclosure relates to a method for producing and using catalysts in the production of bisphenols, and in particular to a method for producing catalysts which contain poly-sulfur mercaptan promoters, and using these catalysts in the production of bisphenol-A and its derivatives.Type: GrantFiled: July 25, 2003Date of Patent: March 29, 2005Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Jimmy Lynn Webb, James Lawrence Spivack
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Patent number: 6710212Abstract: A method of producing a chemical reaction is provided. In the practice of one embodiment of the invention, the method includes the steps of providing a reaction vessel and reactants; placing at least one of the reactants in the reaction vessel; and allowing the reaction to proceed for a time interval. A volume increment of at least one of the reactants is withdrawn from the reaction vessel, and a volume increment of at least one of the reactants is added to the reaction vessel. The volume increment withdrawal/addition is repeated after successive time intervals until the reaction reaches a substantially steady state. In various alternative embodiments, the volume increment withdrawal can take place before, after, or contemporaneously with the volume increment addition.Type: GrantFiled: June 26, 2002Date of Patent: March 23, 2004Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: William Patrick Flanagan, Cheryl Lynn Sabourin, James Lawrence Spivack
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Patent number: 6693220Abstract: Method for producing multiple chemical reactions and for rapid screening of chemicals, catalysts, process conditions and the like is disclosed. The method includes the steps of providing an array of reactor vessels and reactants; loading each reactor vessel with at least one reactant; and allowing the reactions to proceed for a predetermined time interval. A volume increment is withdrawn from each reactor vessel and a volume increment of at least one reactant is added to each reactor vessel in the array. The steps of volume increment withdrawal and addition are repeated after successive time intervals until the reactions reach a substantially steady state. The loading, withdrawal, and addition steps are performed by liquid or solid handling robots. In one embodiment, the volume increment withdrawal occurs before, after, or contemporaneously with the volume increment addition.Type: GrantFiled: September 4, 2002Date of Patent: February 17, 2004Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: William Patrick Flanagan, James Lawrence Spivack, Cheryl Lynn Sabourin
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Publication number: 20040019242Abstract: This disclosure relates to a method for producing and using catalysts in the production of bisphenols, and in particular to a method for producing catalysts which contain poly-sulfur mercaptan promoters, and using these catalysts in the production of bisphenol-A and its derivatives.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 25, 2003Publication date: January 29, 2004Inventors: Jimmy Lynn Webb, James Lawrence Spivack
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Patent number: 6620939Abstract: This disclosure relates to a method for producing and using catalysts in the production of bisphenols, and in particular to a method for producing catalysts which contain poly-sulfur mercaptan promoters, and using these catalysts in the production of bisphenol-A and its derivatives.Type: GrantFiled: September 18, 2001Date of Patent: September 16, 2003Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Jimmy Lynn Webb, James Lawrence Spivack
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Patent number: 6566299Abstract: A catalyst system for economically producing aromatic carbonates from aromatic hydroxy compounds. In one embodiment, the present invention provides a carbonylation catalyst system that includes a catalytic amount of an inorganic co-catalyst containing ytterbium. In various alternative embodiments, the carbonylation catalyst system can include an effective amount of a palladium source and an effective amount of a halide composition. Further alternative embodiments can include catalytic amounts of various inorganic co-catalyst combinations.Type: GrantFiled: June 23, 2000Date of Patent: May 20, 2003Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: James Lawrence Spivack, Donald Wayne Whisenhunt, Jr., James Norman Cawse, Grigorii Lev Soloveichik
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Publication number: 20030088130Abstract: This disclosure relates to a method for producing and using catalysts in the production of bisphenols, and in particular to a method for producing catalysts which contain poly-sulfur mercaptan promoters, and using these catalysts in the production of bisphenol-A and its derivatives.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 18, 2001Publication date: May 8, 2003Applicant: General Electric Company.Inventors: Jimmy Lynn Webb, James Lawrence Spivack
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Publication number: 20030055295Abstract: Method for producing multiple chemical reactions and for rapid screening of chemicals, catalysts, process conditions and the like is disclosed. The method includes the steps of providing an array of reactor vessels and reactants; loading each reactor vessel with at least one reactant; and allowing the reactions to proceed for a predetermined time interval. A volume increment is withdrawn from each reactor vessel and a volume increment of at least one reactant is added to each reactor vessel in the array. The steps of volume increment withdrawal and addition are repeated after successive time intervals until the reactions reach a substantially steady state. The loading, withdrawal, and addition steps are performed by liquid or solid handling robots. In one embodiment, the volume increment withdrawal occurs before, after, or contemporaneously with the volume increment addition.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 4, 2002Publication date: March 20, 2003Applicant: General Electric CompanyInventors: William Patrick Flanagan, James Lawrence Spivack, Cheryl Lynn Sabourin
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Patent number: 6534432Abstract: A method and catalyst system for economically producing aromatic carbonates from aromatic hydroxy compounds. In one embodiment, the present invention provides a method of carbonylating aromatic hydroxy compounds by contacting at least one aromatic hydroxy compound with oxygen and carbon monoxide in the presence of a carbonylation catalyst system that includes a catalytic amount of an inorganic co-catalyst containing zinc. In various alternative embodiments, the carbonylation catalyst system can include an effective amount of a palladium source and an effective amount of a halide composition. Further alternative embodiments can include catalytic amounts of various inorganic co-catalyst combinations.Type: GrantFiled: September 15, 2000Date of Patent: March 18, 2003Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: James Lawrence Spivack, Donald Wayne Whisenhunt, Jr., James Norman Cawse, Bruce Fletcher Johnson
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Patent number: 6534686Abstract: This disclosure relates to a method for producing and using catalysts in the production of bisphenols, and in particular to a method for producing catalysts which contain attached mercaptan promoters, and using these catalysts in the production of bisphenol-A and its derivatives.Type: GrantFiled: September 18, 2001Date of Patent: March 18, 2003Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Jimmy Lynn Webb, James Lawrence Spivack
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Publication number: 20030045758Abstract: A method of producing a chemical reaction is provided. In the practice of one embodiment of the invention, the method includes the steps of providing a reaction vessel and reactants; placing at least one of the reactants in the reaction vessel; and allowing the reaction to proceed for a time interval. A volume increment of at least one of the reactants is withdrawn from the reaction vessel, and a volume increment of at least one of the reactants is added to the reaction vessel. The volume increment withdrawal/addition is repeated after successive time intervals until the reaction reaches a substantially steady state. In various alternative embodiments, the volume increment withdrawal can take place before, after, or contemporaneously with the volume increment addition.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 26, 2002Publication date: March 6, 2003Applicant: General Electric CompanyInventors: William Patrick Flanagan, Cheryl Lynn Sabourin, James Lawrence Spivack
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Patent number: 6514900Abstract: A method and catalyst system for economically producing aromatic carbonates from aromatic hydroxy compounds. In one embodiment, the present invention provides a method of carbonylating aromatic hydroxy compounds by contacting at least one aromatic hydroxy compound with oxygen and carbon monoxide in the presence of a carbonylation catalyst system that includes a catalytic amount of an inorganic co-catalyst containing titanium. In various alternative embodiments, the carbonylation catalyst system can include an effective amount of a palladium source and an effective amount of a halide composition. Further alternative embodiments can include catalytic amounts of various inorganic co-catalyst combinations.Type: GrantFiled: February 12, 2001Date of Patent: February 4, 2003Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: James Lawrence Spivack, James Norman Cawse, Donald Wayne Whisenhunt, Jr., Bruce Fletcher Johnson, Grigorii Lev Soloveichik
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Publication number: 20020182128Abstract: The present invention includes an array of flow-through, temperature-controlled reactor tubes containing reagents or catalysts that are prepared using combinatorial techniques. Reactant gases are passed through the reactor tubes at a controlled rate and the effluent reaction products are collected for analysis using a variety of analytical techniques. Analysis may be done in real-time, or at a later time.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 4, 2001Publication date: December 5, 2002Inventors: James Claude Carnahan, James Lawrence Spivack, Linda Leigh McCracken
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Patent number: 6486364Abstract: The acid catalyzed condensation of phenol with acetone in the presence of a thiol promoter to produce bisphenol A is found to occur with greater overall selectivity when the catalyst employed is an amine modified acidic resin catalyst. Amine modified acidic resin catalysts are prepared from acidic resins such as sulfonated polystyrene by neutralization of a portion of the acidic functional groups present with an amine such as pyridine. Where the thiol promoter is itself an amine the use of an amine such as pyridine as the modifying agent reduces the amount of thiol promoter required to achieve high selectivity.Type: GrantFiled: December 19, 2000Date of Patent: November 26, 2002Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventor: James Lawrence Spivack
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Publication number: 20020168292Abstract: Computerized systems and methods for planning, preparing, tracking, and analyzing a plurality of chemical reactions including a planner for planning how much of each of a plurality of materials is to be delivered to each of a plurality of reaction vessels; a delivery device for delivering a predetermined amount of each of the plurality of materials to each of the plurality of reaction vessels; a reaction device for reacting the plurality of materials disposed within each of the plurality of reaction vessels; a measuring device for testing and measuring the reacted contents of each of the plurality of reaction vessels; and an analyzer for analyzing the reacted contents of each of the plurality of reaction vessels to determine the amount of at least one component present in the reacted contents and to determine the relative performance of the materials disposed within each of the plurality of reaction vessels.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 14, 2001Publication date: November 14, 2002Inventors: Donald Wayne Whisenhunt, James Norman Cawse, Bruce Fletcher Johnson, Tracey Marie Jordan, Ralph Joseph May, Eric Douglas Williams, Kirill Vladimirovich Shalyaev, Michael Jarlath Brennan, Carl Matthew Laurence Sundling, James Lawrence Spivack
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Publication number: 20020147363Abstract: In one embodiment, the present invention provides a method of producing a homogeneous chemical reaction utilizing multiphase starting materials. The method includes the steps of providing a first reactant system embodied in a liquid and contacting the liquid with a second reactant system embodied in a gas. The liquid is arrayed in a form having dimensions such that the reaction rate of the homogeneous chemical reaction is essentially independent of the mass transport rate of the second reactant system into the liquid. The present invention further provides a method of performing simultaneous homogeneous chemical reactions utilizing multiphase reactant systems. The present invention is also directed to vessels for accommodating homogeneous chemical reactions.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 28, 2002Publication date: October 10, 2002Applicant: General Electric CompanyInventors: James Lawrence Spivack, Bruce Fletcher Johnson, John Yaw Ofori, Eric Douglas Williams
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Publication number: 20020123656Abstract: The acid catalyzed condensation of phenol with acetone in the presence of a thiol promoter to produce bisphenol A is found to occur with greater overall selectivity when the catalyst employed is an amine modified acidic resin catalyst. Amine modified acidic resin catalysts are prepared from acidic resins such as sulfonated polystyrene by neutralization of a portion of the acidic functional groups present with an amine such as pyridine. Where the thiol promoter is itself an amine the use of an amine such as pyridine as the modifying agent reduces the amount of thiol promoter required to achieve high selectivity.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 19, 2000Publication date: September 5, 2002Applicant: General Electric CompanyInventor: James Lawrence Spivack