Patents by Inventor Robert Bair

Robert Bair 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: 11891321
    Abstract: A modular system for waste treatment, water recycling, and resource recovery includes a buffer tank to receive and pre-treat raw organic waste, at least one reactor tank configured as an anaerobic bioreactor that receives and digests pre-treated waste from the buffer tank, a membrane module having a membrane configured to filter waste from the digested waste from the at least one reactor tank to produce a permeate, a permeate collection tank configured to collect and store the permeate generated by the membrane module, a pump system having a plurality of pumps, and a control system configured to monitor the flow of waste and to control the pump system to control the flow of waste between the buffer tank, the at least one reactor tank, the membrane module, and the permeate collection tank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignees: UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AS REPRESENTED BY THE ADMINISTRATIOR OF NASA
    Inventors: Daniel H. Yeh, Luke Roberson, Talon Bullard, Melanie Pickett, Robert Bair, Ahmet Erkan Uman
  • Publication number: 20210395125
    Abstract: A modular system for waste treatment, water recycling, and resource recovery includes a buffer tank to receive and pre-treat raw organic waste, at least one reactor tank configured as an anaerobic bioreactor that receives and digests pre-treated waste from the buffer tank, a membrane module having a membrane configured to filter waste from the digested waste from the at least one reactor tank to produce a permeate, a permeate collection tank configured to collect and store the permeate generated by the membrane module, a pump system having a plurality of pumps, and a control system configured to monitor the flow of waste and to control the pump system to control the flow of waste between the buffer tank, the at least one reactor tank, the membrane module, and the permeate collection tank.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 21, 2021
    Publication date: December 23, 2021
    Inventors: Daniel H. Yeh, Luke Roberson, Talon Bullard, Melanie Pickett, Robert Bair, Ahmet Erkan Uman
  • Patent number: 11162061
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a concentrically baffled reactor includes an outer housing that defines an interior space, an inlet through which material can be delivered into the interior space, an outlet through which material can be removed from the interior space, and multiple concentric baffles within the interior space that define multiple concentric reactor zones through which the material can sequentially flow to the outlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA
    Inventors: Daniel H. Yeh, Onur Y. Ozcan, Robert A. Bair
  • Patent number: 10961130
    Abstract: A system includes at least one reusable nutrient cartridge including an outer housing having an inlet and an outlet, and nutrient-adsorbing material contained within the housing, the material being configured to adsorb nutrients, wherein the cartridge is configured to be charged with nutrients by flowing a nutrient stream through the inlet, through the nutrient-adsorbing material, and through the outlet to enable the nutrient-adsorbing material to adsorb the nutrients, wherein the cartridge is also configured to be later discharged of the nutrients by flowing water through the inlet, through the nutrient-adsorbing material, and through the outlet so as to transfer the nutrients to the water to generate a dilute nutrient solution suitable for use as a fertilizer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2021
    Assignee: UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA
    Inventors: Daniel H. Yeh, Jorge Luis Calabria, Onur Y. Ozcan, Robert A. Bair
  • Patent number: 10875802
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a portable wastewater treatment system includes an anaerobic reactor in which organic material within the wastewater can be broken down, a membrane filter that receives wastewater from the anaerobic reactor and filters the water to produce permeate, and a small shipping container in which the reactor and the membrane filter are contained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Assignee: UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA
    Inventors: Daniel H. Yeh, Robert A. Bair, Onur Y. Ozcan, George H. Dick, Jorge Luis Calabria, Matthew Jeffrey Woodham
  • Patent number: 10464833
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a dilute wastewater treatment system includes a separation subsystem configured to receive dilute wastewater and separate it into a product stream containing a low concentration of organic material and a reject stream containing a high concentration of organic material, and a conversion subsystem configured to receive the reject stream from the separation subsystem and anaerobically treat the reject stream to break down the organic material and separate it from water within the reject stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2019
    Assignee: University of South Florida
    Inventors: Daniel H. Yeh, George H. Dick, Robert A. Bair, Onur Y. Ozcan, Jorge Luis Calabria
  • Publication number: 20190276334
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a system includes at least one reusable nutrient cartridge including an outer housing having an inlet and an outlet, and nutrient-adsorbing material contained within the housing, the material being configured to adsorb nutrients, wherein the cartridge is configured to be charged with nutrients by flowing a nutrient stream through the inlet, through the nutrient-adsorbing material, and through the outlet to enable the nutrient-adsorbing material to adsorb the nutrients, wherein the cartridge is also configured to be later discharged of the nutrients by flowing water through the inlet, through the nutrient-adsorbing material, and through the outlet so as to transfer the nutrients to the water to generate a dilute nutrient solution suitable for use as a fertilizer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 21, 2017
    Publication date: September 12, 2019
    Applicant: University of South Florida
    Inventors: Daniel H. Yeh, Jorge Luis Calabria, Onur Y. Ozcan, Robert A. Bair
  • Publication number: 20190249129
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a concentrically baffled reactor includes an outer housing that defines an interior space, an inlet through which material can be delivered into the interior space, an outlet through which material can be removed from the interior space, and multiple concentric baffles within the interior space that define multiple concentric reactor zones through which the material can sequentially flow to the outlet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 24, 2019
    Publication date: August 15, 2019
    Applicant: University of South Florida
    Inventors: Daniel H. Yeh, Onur Y. Ozcan, Robert A. Bair
  • Patent number: 10316283
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a concentrically baffled reactor includes an outer housing that defines an interior space, an inlet through which material can be delivered into the interior space, an outlet through which material can be removed from the interior space, and multiple concentric baffles within the interior space that define multiple concentric reactor zones through which the material can sequentially flow to the outlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2019
    Assignee: University of South Florida
    Inventors: Daniel H. Yeh, Onur Y. Ozcan, Robert A. Bair
  • Publication number: 20180016171
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a dilute wastewater treatment system includes a separation subsystem configured to receive dilute wastewater and separate it into a product stream containing a low concentration of organic material and a reject stream containing a high concentration of organic material, and a conversion subsystem configured to receive the reject stream from the separation subsystem and anaerobically treat the reject stream to break down the organic material and separate it from water within the reject stream.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2016
    Publication date: January 18, 2018
    Applicant: University of South Florida
    Inventors: DANIEL H. YEH, GEORGE H. DICK, ROBERT A. BAIR, ONUR Y. OZCAN, JORGE LUIS CALABRIA
  • Publication number: 20170081225
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a portable wastewater treatment system includes an anaerobic reactor in which organic material within the wastewater can be broken down, a membrane filter that receives wastewater from the anaerobic reactor and filters the water to produce permeate, and a small shipping container in which the reactor and the membrane filter are contained.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2015
    Publication date: March 23, 2017
    Applicant: University of South Florida
    Inventors: Daniel H. Yeh, Robert A. Bair, Onur Y. Ozcan, George H. Dick, Jorge Luis Calabria, Matthew Jeffrey Woodham
  • Publication number: 20170067005
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a concentrically baffled reactor includes an outer housing that defines an interior space, an inlet through which material can be delivered into the interior space, an outlet through which material can be removed from the interior space, and multiple concentric baffles within the interior space that define multiple concentric reactor zones through which the material can sequentially flow to the outlet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 3, 2015
    Publication date: March 9, 2017
    Applicant: UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA
    Inventors: Daniel H. YEH, Onur Y. OZCAN, Robert A. BAIR
  • Patent number: 8997635
    Abstract: A vertical grill (11) for cooking food items is disclosed wherein the vertical grill is comprised of a body (12) containing at least one vertical grilling area disposed between at least two sources of radiant heat energy (24), and wherein the body (12) is adapted to direct fats and breakaway solids generated during the cooking of the food into an external receptacle (32) via the external opening (22). It achieves this by including (Evacuation Slides) guides (28) and (30) which are contained within the body (12) of the grill (11) and arranged in various shaped assemblies such that food and fats falling on (Evacuation Slide) guide 28 travels down until it is collected by (Evacuation Slide) guide (30) which delivers the food and fats to the external receptacle (32) where they are not in any danger of catching fire.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Inventors: Bonnie Lee Buzick, Robert Bair
  • Publication number: 20070043216
    Abstract: Reagents, methods and kits for the purification of RNA from biological materials are provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 30, 2006
    Publication date: February 22, 2007
    Applicant: Gentra Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Bair, Ellen Heath, Heather Meehan, Kim Paulsen, John Wages
  • Publication number: 20060105372
    Abstract: The invention features reagents, methods and kits for the purification of RNA, or DNA, or both, from a sample.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 3, 2005
    Publication date: May 18, 2006
    Inventors: Robert Bair, Kim Paulsen
  • Publication number: 20050032105
    Abstract: Reagents, methods and kits for the purification of DNA from biological materials are provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 2, 2004
    Publication date: February 10, 2005
    Inventors: Robert Bair, Kristen Benedict, Wendy Kivens, Robert Kwiatkowski, Kim Paulsen, Daniel Strom, John Wages