Patents by Inventor Novis Smith

Novis Smith 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).

  • Patent number: 11932554
    Abstract: A more efficient and lower cost method for producing electrochemically stable, and thus safe from thermal runaway, high electrochemical capacity coated lithium nickelate is disclosed. The coated nickelate hydroxide particles are formed from a mixed metal sulfate solution (MMS) serving as the starting material that is obtained from recycled lithium ion and/or nickel metal hydride batteries. The coating of the particles includes a relatively small amount of cobalt/manganese oxide forming the surface of the nickelate particles, while the core of the particles includes a relatively large amount of nickel in relation to the weight of the coating. Battery cathode electrodes may be manufactured by using the obtained coated lithium nickelate particles as the cathode active material (CAM) in forming the battery cathodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: American Hyperform, Inc.
    Inventor: William Novis Smith
  • Patent number: 11909016
    Abstract: A hydrometallurgical process is described that can isolate and recover NIMH battery constituents in high-value form: the nickel and cobalt hydroxides (cathode) as nickel and cobalt hydroxides; elemental nickel and cobalt (metallic anode) as nickel and cobalt hydroxides; rare earth metals (metallic anode) as oxides of rare earth metals, conductive carbon (electrodes) as conductive carbon, and the magnetic nickel-plated steel grids (electrodes) and battery cases in a relatively clean and directly smeltable form. The isolation portion of the process isolates the rare earth metals in oxide form from the nickel hydroxide and the cobalt hydroxide. If present, titanium, aluminum, and yttrium are isolated as oxides with the rare earth metal oxides.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: American Hyperform, Inc.
    Inventor: William Novis Smith
  • Publication number: 20230387489
    Abstract: A flotation method for separating cathode material from anode and other carbon materials is described. The cathode material may be that including lithium, nickel, and cobalt or that including lithium iron phosphate. The starting material for the flotation process is conventional black mass as recovered from fractured lithium-ion batteries and lithium-ion battery production scrap. The fractured lithium-ion batteries may originate from spent batteries including used batteries and/or out of specification new production batteries. A very fine mesh screening preferably is used to remove interfering binder from the black mass powder prior to froth flotation, preferably in combination with a hydrophilic depressant to enhance separation of the cathode material from the anode and other carbon materials present in the black mass. The separated cathode and anode materials recovered from the method may be used directly or augmented with additional lithium to form new LIB cathodes, anodes, and batteries.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 22, 2023
    Publication date: November 30, 2023
    Applicant: American Hyperform, Inc.
    Inventor: William Novis Smith
  • Publication number: 20230335815
    Abstract: A hydrometallurgical process is described that can isolate and recover NIMH battery constituents in high-value form: the nickel and cobalt hydroxides (cathode) as nickel and cobalt hydroxides; elemental nickel and cobalt (metallic anode) as nickel and cobalt hydroxides; rare earth metals (metallic anode) as oxides of rare earth metals, conductive carbon (electrodes) as conductive carbon, and the magnetic nickel-plated steel grids (electrodes) and battery cases in a relatively clean and directly smeltable form. The isolation portion of the process isolates the rare earth metals in oxide form from the nickel hydroxide and the cobalt hydroxide. If present, titanium, aluminum, and yttrium are isolated as oxides with the rare earth metal oxides.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 18, 2022
    Publication date: October 19, 2023
    Applicant: American Hyperform, Inc.
    Inventor: William Novis Smith
  • Publication number: 20230322578
    Abstract: A more efficient and lower cost method for producing electrochemically stable, and thus safe from thermal runaway, high electrochemical capacity coated lithium nickelate is disclosed. The coated nickelate hydroxide particles are formed from a mixed metal sulfate solution (MMS) serving as the starting material that is obtained from recycled lithium ion and/or nickel metal hydride batteries. The coating of the particles includes a relatively small amount of cobalt/manganese oxide forming the surface of the nickelate particles, while the core of the particles includes a relatively large amount of nickel in relation to the weight of the coating. Battery cathode electrodes may be manufactured by using the obtained coated lithium nickelate particles as the cathode active material (CAM) in forming the battery cathodes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2023
    Publication date: October 12, 2023
    Applicant: American Hyperform, Inc.
    Inventor: William Novis Smith
  • Patent number: 11710857
    Abstract: A process for recovering a nickel cobalt manganese hydroxide from recycled lithium-ion battery (LIB) material such as black mass, black powder, filter cake, or the like. The recycled LIB material is mixed with water and either sulfuric acid or hydrochloric acid at a pH less than 2. Cobalt, nickel, and manganese oxides from the recycled lithium-ion battery material dissolve into the acidic water with the reductive assistance of gaseous sulfur dioxide. Anode carbon is filtered from the acidic water, leaving the dissolved cobalt, nickel, and manganese oxides in a filtrate. The filtrate is mixed with aqueous sodium hydroxide at a pH greater than 8. Nickel cobalt manganese hydroxide precipitates from the filtrate. The nickel cobalt manganese hydroxide is filtered from the filtrate and dried. The filtrate may be treated ammonium fluoride or ammonium bifluoride to precipitate lithium fluoride from the filtrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2023
    Assignee: American Hyperform, Inc.
    Inventors: William Novis Smith, Scott D. Swoffer
  • Publication number: 20230065685
    Abstract: A process for recovering a nickel cobalt manganese hydroxide from recycled lithium-ion battery (LIB) material such as black mass, black powder, filter cake, or the like. The recycled LIB material is mixed with water and either sulfuric acid or hydrochloric acid at a pH less than 2. Cobalt, nickel, and manganese oxides from the recycled lithium-ion battery material dissolve into the acidic water with the reductive assistance of gaseous sulfur dioxide. Anode carbon is filtered from the acidic water, leaving the dissolved cobalt, nickel, and manganese oxides in a filtrate. The filtrate is mixed with aqueous sodium hydroxide at a pH greater than 8. Nickel cobalt manganese hydroxide precipitates from the filtrate. The nickel cobalt manganese hydroxide is filtered from the filtrate and dried. The filtrate may be treated ammonium fluoride or ammonium bifluoride to precipitate lithium fluoride from the filtrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 16, 2022
    Publication date: March 2, 2023
    Inventors: William Novis Smith, Scott D. Swoffer
  • Publication number: 20220136168
    Abstract: The present invention provides a process for modifying the surface of a polyvinyl alcohol film or fabric by applying heat and pressure to the film or fabric to increase the moisture on the surface which is held by the fabric and to coalesce the surface fibers and reduce the porosity of the surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2021
    Publication date: May 5, 2022
    Inventors: Novis Smith, Charles Roberson
  • Patent number: 11316208
    Abstract: A process for recovering a nickel cobalt manganese hydroxide from recycled lithium-ion battery (LIB) material such as black mass, black powder, filter cake, or the like. The recycled LIB material is mixed with water and either sulfuric acid or hydrochloric acid at a pH less than 2. Cobalt, nickel, and manganese oxides from the recycled lithium-ion battery material dissolve into the acidic water with the reductive assistance of gaseous sulfur dioxide. Anode carbon is filtered from the acidic water, leaving the dissolved cobalt, nickel, and manganese oxides in a filtrate. The filtrate is mixed with aqueous sodium hydroxide at a pH greater than 8. Nickel cobalt manganese hydroxide precipitates from the filtrate. The nickel cobalt manganese hydroxide is filtered from the filtrate and dried. The filtrate may be treated ammonium fluoride or ammonium bifluoride to precipitate lithium fluoride from the filtrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2022
    Inventors: William Novis Smith, Scott D. Swoffer
  • Publication number: 20220013815
    Abstract: A process for recovering a nickel cobalt manganese hydroxide from recycled lithium-ion battery (LIB) material such as black mass, black powder, filter cake, or the like. The recycled LIB material is mixed with water and either sulfuric acid or hydrochloric acid at a pH less than 2. Cobalt, nickel, and manganese oxides from the recycled lithium-ion battery material dissolve into the acidic water with the reductive assistance of gaseous sulfur dioxide. Anode carbon is filtered from the acidic water, leaving the dissolved cobalt, nickel, and manganese oxides in a filtrate. The filtrate is mixed with aqueous sodium hydroxide at a pH greater than 8. Nickel cobalt manganese hydroxide precipitates from the filtrate. The nickel cobalt manganese hydroxide is filtered from the filtrate and dried. The filtrate may be treated ammonium fluoride or ammonium bifluoride to precipitate lithium fluoride from the filtrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2021
    Publication date: January 13, 2022
    Applicant: American Hyperform, Inc.
    Inventors: William Novis Smith, Scott D. Swoffer
  • Patent number: 11168441
    Abstract: The present invention provides a process for modifying the surface of a polyvinyl alcohol film or fabric by applying heat and pressure to the film or fabric to increase the moisture on the surface which is held by the fabric and to coalesce the surface fibers and reduce the porosity of the surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2021
    Assignee: Lakeland Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Novis Smith, Charles Roberson
  • Publication number: 20180171545
    Abstract: The present invention provides a process for modifying the surface of a polyvinyl alcohol film or fabric by applying heat and pressure to the film or fabric to increase the moisture on the surface which is held by the fabric and to coalesce the surface fibers and reduce the porosity of the surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 24, 2017
    Publication date: June 21, 2018
    Inventors: Novis Smith, Charles Roberson
  • Publication number: 20180080133
    Abstract: A method of purifying aqueous solubilized lithium compounds from other aqueous solubilized or suspended metal salts, including radioactive elemental ions, is described. The method also may purify aqueous solubilized lithium from aqueous solubilized or suspended organic and other contaminants.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 11, 2017
    Publication date: March 22, 2018
    Inventor: William Novis Smith
  • Patent number: 9797073
    Abstract: The present invention provides a process for modifying the surface of a polyvinyl alcohol film or fabric by applying heat and pressure to the film or fabric to increase the moisture on the surface which is held by the fabric and to coalesce the surface fibers and reduce the porosity of the surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Assignee: Lakeland Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Novis Smith, Charles Roberson
  • Patent number: 9523172
    Abstract: The present invention relates to novel polyvinyl alcohol non-woven films and fabrics which have been modified so as to have a breathable coalesced lower porosity surface polyvinyl alcohol layer attached to a fibrous polyvinyl alcohol layer by a transition layer. The fabrics are useful as clothing or wraps for inert articles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: Lakeland Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Novis Smith, Charles Roberson
  • Publication number: 20150159322
    Abstract: The present invention relates to novel polyvinyl alcohol non-woven films and fabrics which have been modified so as to have a breathable coalesced lower porosity surface polyvinyl alcohol layer attached to a fibrous polyvinyl alcohol layer by a transition layer. The fabrics are useful as clothing or wraps for inert articles.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 1, 2011
    Publication date: June 11, 2015
    Inventors: Novis Smith, Charles Roberson
  • Patent number: 9034517
    Abstract: There is provided an improvement for capacitors having activated carbon electrodes by the use of an electrolyte solution containing a carbonate of the formula RO(C?O)OR1 and a conductive salt such as a lithium salt or a quaternary ammonium salt at a concentration of from 0.6 to 3 mol/l.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2015
    Assignee: RETRIEV TECHNOLOGIES INCORPORATED
    Inventors: W. Novis Smith, Joel McCloskey
  • Publication number: 20150125760
    Abstract: There is provided an improvement for capacitors having activated carbon electrodes by the use of an electrolyte solution containing a carbonate of the formula RO(C?O)OR1 and a conductive salt such as a lithium salt or a quaternary ammonium salt at a concentration of from 0.6 to 3 mol/l.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 6, 2013
    Publication date: May 7, 2015
    Inventors: W. Novis Smith, Joel R. McCloskey
  • Patent number: 8980203
    Abstract: The present invention relates to the recovery of high purity litharge from spent lead acid battery paste at a low temperature which does not produce sulfur dioxide. In the process lead acetate or other lead salt is produced which is converted to high purity litharge by precipitation with a base.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2015
    Assignee: Retriev Technologies Incorporated
    Inventors: W. Novis Smith, Steven Kinsbursky
  • Patent number: 8911696
    Abstract: High purity MnO and zinc oxide may be efficiently recovered from alkaline and/or carbon zinc batteries using a process involving the treatment of the crushed batteries with an alkali hydroxide to produce insoluble manganese oxides and an alkali zincate solution. Zinc oxide is obtained by reacting the zinc solution with carbon dioxide or an acid such as a mineral acid and furnacing. The manganese oxides are converted to MnO by furnacing under an inert atmosphere.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2014
    Assignee: Retriev Technologies Incorporated
    Inventors: W. Novis Smith, James Applegate