Patents by Inventor Travis Gerald Stifter
Travis Gerald Stifter 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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Publication number: 20240050899Abstract: A by-pass control sleeve has circumferential protrusions along its outer surface. The protrusions of the by-pass control sleeve may be distributed along the length of the sleeve with constant diameter sections of the sleeve therebetween. The protrusions may be asymmetrical and/or may have a steep and/or concave curved forward face. A method of making a by-pass control sleeve comprises molding the protrusions on an outer surface of the sleeve. A method of installing the by-pass control sleeve comprises sliding the sleeve onto an end of a spiral wound membrane element. A combination of the by-pass control sleeve fixed to the spiral wound membrane element may be installed in a pressure housing.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 3, 2022Publication date: February 15, 2024Inventors: Travis Gerald STIFTER, Viadimir PAVLOVIC, Michael WIMBERLY, Philip STAFFIN-WIEBE
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Patent number: 11845019Abstract: A tubular depth filter element has three or more concentric zones. Each zone is made of an essentially continuous melt blown filament. The filament of an outer zone preferably has a larger diameter than the filaments of other zones. The outer zone overlaps with at least 85%, and preferably all, of another zone. Optionally, one or more additional filaments may traverse through all of zones. The depth filter element is made by spraying filaments onto a rotating mandrel to form a filament mass in contact with a conical press roller. The filaments are sprayed from three or more nozzles which are spaced apart along the length of the mandrel. One of the filaments is formed in a spray pattern that is angled towards an adjacent spray pattern so as to overlap with at least 50 or 85%, and preferably all, of the adjacent spray pattern.Type: GrantFiled: December 10, 2018Date of Patent: December 19, 2023Assignee: BL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.Inventors: Travis Gerald Stifter, Thomas Martin Aune
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Publication number: 20220152535Abstract: A tubular depth filter element has one or more concentric zones. Each zone includes layers of a melt blown filament. An additional filament oscillates through the depth of the element, traversing through part of the depth of the filament with each oscillation but traversing through substantially all of the depth of the element over multiple oscillations. The traversing filament is preferably biased towards the outside of the element. The depth filter element may be made by spraying filaments onto a rotating mandrel. The filaments of the concentric zones are sprayed from fixed nozzles spaced apart along the length of the mandrel. The traversing filament is sprayed from a nozzle assembly that moves laterally or has compound motion relative to the mandrel. For example, the nozzle assembly may oscillate relative to the mandrel while an air attenuator of the nozzle assembly oscillates relative to the remainder of the nozzle assembly.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 28, 2022Publication date: May 19, 2022Inventors: Travis Gerald STIFTER, Thomas Martin AUNE
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Patent number: 11266936Abstract: A tubular depth filter element has one or more concentric zones. Each zone includes layers of a melt blown filament. An additional filament oscillates through the depth of the element, traversing through part of the depth of the filament with each oscillation but traversing through substantially all of the depth of the element over multiple oscillations. The traversing filament is preferably biased towards the outside of the element. The depth filter element may be made by spraying filaments onto a rotating mandrel. The filaments of the concentric zones are sprayed from fixed nozzles spaced apart along the length of the mandrel. The traversing filament is sprayed from a nozzle assembly that moves laterally or has compound motion relative to the mandrel. For example, the nozzle assembly may oscillate relative to the mandrel while an air attenuator of the nozzle assembly oscillates relative to the remainder of the nozzle assembly.Type: GrantFiled: April 1, 2016Date of Patent: March 8, 2022Assignee: BL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.Inventors: Travis Gerald Stifter, Thomas Martin Aune
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Publication number: 20200179835Abstract: A tubular depth filter element has three or more concentric zones. Each zone is made of an essentially continuous melt blown filament. The filament of an outer zone preferably has a larger diameter than the filaments of other zones. The outer zone overlaps with at least 85%, and preferably all, of another zone. Optionally, one or more additional filaments may traverse through all of zones. The depth filter element is made by spraying filaments onto a rotating mandrel to form a filament mass in contact with a conical press roller. The filaments are sprayed from three or more nozzles which are spaced apart along the length of the mandrel. One of the filaments is formed in a spray pattern that is angled towards an adjacent spray pattern so as to overlap with at least 50 or 85%, and preferably all, of the adjacent spray pattern.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 10, 2018Publication date: June 11, 2020Inventors: Travis Gerald STIFTER, Thomas Martin AUNE
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Patent number: 10179426Abstract: A tubular depth filter element has three or more concentric zones. Each zone is made of an essentially continuous melt blown filament. The filament of an outer zone preferably has a larger diameter than the filaments of other zones. The outer zone overlaps with at least 85%, and preferably all, of another zone. Optionally, one or more additional filaments may traverse through all of zones. The depth filter element is made by spraying filaments onto a rotating mandrel to form a filament mass in contact with a conical press roller. The filaments are sprayed from three or more nozzles which are spaced apart along the length of the mandrel. One of the filaments is formed in a spray pattern that is angled towards an adjacent spray pattern so as to overlap with at least 50 or 85%, and preferably all, of the adjacent spray pattern.Type: GrantFiled: November 5, 2014Date of Patent: January 15, 2019Assignee: BL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.Inventors: Travis Gerald Stifter, Thomas Martin Aune
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Publication number: 20180028954Abstract: A tubular depth filter element has one or more concentric zones. Each zone includes layers of a melt blown filament. An additional filament oscillates through the depth of the element, traversing through part of the depth of the filament with each oscillation but traversing through substantially all of the depth of the element over multiple oscillations. The traversing filament is preferably biased towards the outside of the element. The depth filter element may be made by spraying filaments onto a rotating mandrel. The filaments of the concentric zones are sprayed from fixed nozzles spaced apart along the length of the mandrel. The traversing filament is sprayed from a nozzle assembly that moves laterally or has compound motion relative to the mandrel. For example, the nozzle assembly may oscillate relative to the mandrel while an air attenuator of the nozzle assembly oscillates relative to the remainder of the nozzle assembly.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 1, 2016Publication date: February 1, 2018Inventors: Travis Gerald STIFTER, Thomas Martin AUNE
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Publication number: 20150122726Abstract: A tubular depth filter element has three or more concentric zones. Each zone is made of an essentially continuous melt blown filament. The filament of an outer zone preferably has a larger diameter than the filaments of other zones. The outer zone overlaps with at least 85%, and preferably all, of another zone. Optionally, one or more additional filaments may traverse through all of zones. The depth filter element is made by spraying filaments onto a rotating mandrel to form a filament mass in contact with a conical press roller. The filaments are sprayed from three or more nozzles which are spaced apart along the length of the mandrel. One of the filaments is formed in a spray pattern that is angled towards an adjacent spray pattern so as to overlap with at least 50 or 85%, and preferably all, of the adjacent spray pattern.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 5, 2014Publication date: May 7, 2015Inventors: Travis Gerald STIFTER, Thomas Martin AUNE
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Publication number: 20130306562Abstract: A cartridge filter assembly includes a depth filter element and a downstream second filter element. The depth filter element has a mass of melt-blown polymer filaments. The depth filter removes 0.5 to 10 micron sized contaminants at an efficiency of 90% or more. The depth filter preferably comprises multiple zones occupying different depths, with one or more melt-blown polymer filaments traversing two or more of the zones. The second filter element comprises nano-fibers having a diameter of 1 micron or less, and removes a material percentage of contaminants that are less than 1 micron in size, preferably less than 0.5 microns in size. The depth filter element may be in the form of a tube and the second filter element may be in the form of a pleated sheet located inside of the depth filter. The cartridge filter assembly may be used to pre-treat a feed water upstream of an RO membrane. The SDI of the feed water may be reduced to 3 or less or 2 or less.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 9, 2011Publication date: November 21, 2013Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANYInventors: Travis Gerald Stifter, Thomas Martin Aune, Joseph T. Szczepanski, William B. Laidlaw, Upen Jayant Bharwada