Patents by Inventor William C. Kimbrell, Jr.
William C. Kimbrell, Jr. 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: 7550399Abstract: The present invention relates generally to substrates that exhibit useful, auto adaptable surface energy properties that depend on the environment of the substrate. Such surface energy properties provide relatively high advancing and receding contact angles for liquids when in contact with the target substrate surface. The substrates exhibit low surface energy quantities of at most about 20 millijoules per square meter (mJ/m2) at a temperature of about 25 degrees C. and a surface energy greater than about 20 mJ/m2 at, or with exposure to, a temperature of about 40 degrees C. More specifically, encompassed within the present invention are textile substrates having this highly desirable unique surface energy modification property and which exhibit wash durable oil and water repellency and stain release features. Novel compositions and formulations that impart such surface energy modifications to substrates are also encompassed within this invention, as well as methods for producing such treated substrates.Type: GrantFiled: March 11, 2008Date of Patent: June 23, 2009Assignee: Milliken & CompanyInventors: William C. Kimbrell, Jr., Xinggao Fang, Yunzhang Wang, Dominick J. Valenti, Daniel T. McBride
-
Patent number: 6899923Abstract: The present invention relates generally to substrates that exhibit useful, auto adaptable surface energy properties that depend on the environment of the substrate. Such surface energy properties provide relatively high advancing and receding contact angles for liquids when in contact with the target substrate surface. The substrates exhibit low surface energy quantities of at most about 20 millijoules per square meter (mJ/m2) at a temperature of about 25 degrees C. and a surface energy greater than about 20 mJ/m2 at, or with exposure to, a temperature of about 40 degrees C. More specifically, encompassed within the present invention are textile substrates having this highly desirable unique surface energy modification property and which exhibit wash durable oil and water repellency and stain release features. Novel compositions and formulations that impart such surface energy modifications to substrates are also encompassed within this invention, as well as methods for producing such treated substrates.Type: GrantFiled: January 10, 2003Date of Patent: May 31, 2005Assignee: Milliken & CompanyInventors: William C. Kimbrell, Jr., Xinggao Fang, Yunzhang Wang, Daniel T. McBride
-
Patent number: 6769146Abstract: A fabric having a unique combination of stain resistance, fluid barrier properties, aesthetic characteristics and drape ability is described, and a method of making such fabrics. The fabric includes a fabric substrate that has been treated with a low surface energy stain resist compound on at least one of its surfaces, and one or more layers secured to the other of its surfaces, with the layers providing the fabric with the unique combination of characteristics. In addition, the fabric is desirably provided with flame resisting and ultraviolet resisting characteristics, to enable it to be used as a seating material for transportation vehicles. Methods for making the fabric are also described.Type: GrantFiled: January 7, 2003Date of Patent: August 3, 2004Assignees: Milliken & Company, Honda Motor Co., Ltd.Inventors: Todd Copeland, Roy P. DeMott, Thomas E. Godfrey, Masato Ishibashi, William C. Kimbrell, Jr., Samuel J. Lynn, Patricia Scott
-
Patent number: 5902753Abstract: A barrier fabric composite is provided which comprises:i) a textile fabric comprising a front surface, a back surface, interstices within said fabric, and a determinable interstitial volume;ii) a liquid barrier enhancing thermoplastic within said interstices and on said back surface, filling at least 50% of said interstitial volume; andiii) a liquid barrier enhancing plastic coating, on the back surface of said thermoplastic, having a higher melting point or glass transition temperature (T.sub.g) than said thermoplastic, and capable of withstanding temperatures of at least 350.degree. F.Type: GrantFiled: June 11, 1997Date of Patent: May 11, 1999Assignee: Milliken & CompanyInventors: Roy P. DeMott, William C. Kimbrell, Jr., Allan W. Smith
-
Patent number: 5162135Abstract: A conductive polymeric material such as a textile fabric having a conductive polymer film may be treated with a solution containing a chemical reducing agent to reduce its conductivity. By selectively reducing portions of the conductive polymer in varying degrees, a gradient of conductivity may be produced in the material. After the conductive polymer has been reduced to a target level, the reducing solution may be removed with a hot water rinse.Type: GrantFiled: September 27, 1990Date of Patent: November 10, 1992Assignee: Milliken Research CorporationInventors: Richard V. Gregory, William C. Kimbrell, Jr., Mark E. Cuddihee
-
Patent number: 5030508Abstract: Fabrics are made electrically conductive by contacting the fiber under agitation conditions with an aqueous solution of an aniline compound, oxidizing agent and a doping agent or counter ion and then depositing onto the surface of individual fibers of the fabric a prepolymer of the aniline compound so as to uniformly and coherently cover the fibers with a conductive film of the polymerized aniline compound and wherein, furthermore, the oxidizing agent is a vanadyl compound whereby the reaction rate is controlled such that the prepolymer is uniformly and coherently adsorbed onto the surface of the textile material, thereby providing improved films of electrically conductive polymerized compound on the textile material.Type: GrantFiled: October 26, 1990Date of Patent: July 9, 1991Assignee: Milliken Research CorporationInventors: Hans H. Kuhn, William C. Kimbrell, Jr.
-
Patent number: 4981718Abstract: Fabrics are made electrically conductive by contacting the fiber under agitation conditions with an aqueous solution of an aniline compound, oxidizing agent and a doping agent or counter ion and then depositing onto the surface of individual fibers of the fabric a prepolymer of the aniline compound so as to uniformly and coherently cover the fibers with a conductive film of the polymerized aniline compound and wherein, furthermore, the oxidizing agent is a vanadyl compound whereby the reaction rate is controlled such that the prepolymer is uniformly and coherently absorbed onto the surface of the textile material, thereby providing improved films of electrically conductive polymerized compound on the textile material.Type: GrantFiled: June 27, 1988Date of Patent: January 1, 1991Assignee: Milliken Research CorporationInventors: Hans H. Kuhn, William C. Kimbrell, Jr.
-
Patent number: 4975317Abstract: Fabrics are made electrically conductive by contacting the fabric under agitation conditions with an aqueous solution of a pyrrole or aniline compound, and an oxidizing agent and a doping agent or counter ion; and then epitaxially depositing onto the surface of the individual fibers of said fabric the in status nascendi forming polymer of the pyrrole or aniline compound so as to uniformly and coherently cover the fibers with an ordered conductive film of the polymerized pyrrole or aniline compound. Individual fibers and yarns can be similarly treated and then formed into fabrics. Products made by the process are also described.Type: GrantFiled: June 16, 1989Date of Patent: December 4, 1990Assignee: Milliken Research CorporationInventors: Hans H. Kuhn, William C. Kimbrell, Jr.
-
Patent number: 4877646Abstract: Fabrics are made electrically conductive by contacting the fiber under agitation conditions with an aqueous solution of a pyrrole compound, an oxidizing agent and a doping agent or counter ion and then depositing onto the surface of individual fibers of the fabric a prepolymer of the pyrrole compound so as to uniformly and coherently cover the fibers with a conductive film of the polymerized pyrrole compound and wherein, furthermore, the oxidizing agent is a ferric salt and the aqueous solution further contains a weak complexing agent for ferric ions to effectively control the reaction rate such that the prepolymer is uniformly and coherently adsorbed onto the surface of the textile material, thereby providing improved films of electrically conductive polymerized compound on the textile material.Type: GrantFiled: June 27, 1988Date of Patent: October 31, 1989Assignee: Milliken Research CorporationInventors: Hans H. Kuhn, William C. Kimbrell, Jr.
-
Patent number: 4803096Abstract: Fabrics are made electrically conductive by contacting the fabric under agitation conditions with an aqueous solution of a pyrrole or aniline compound, and an oxidizing agent and a doping agent or counter ion; and then epitaxially depositing onto the surface of the individual fibers of said fabric the in status nascendi forming polymer of the pyrrole or aniline compound so as to uniformly and coherently cover the fibers with an ordered conductive film of the polymerized pyrrole or aniline compound. Individual fibers and yarns can be similarly treated and then formed into fabrics. Products made by the process are also described.Type: GrantFiled: August 3, 1987Date of Patent: February 7, 1989Assignee: Milliken Research CorporationInventors: Hans H. Kuhn, William C. Kimbrell, Jr.
-
Patent number: 4758243Abstract: A process is provided for the coloration of a preformed polyester resin shaped article having improved dye migration properties, which comprises:(a) coloring said article with a coloring agent in an amount sufficient to provide coloration to said shaped article; said coloring agent having the formulaR-(polymeric constituent-X).sub.nwherein R is an organic dyestuff radical; the polymeric constituent is selected from polyalkylene oxides and copolymers of polyalkylene oxides in which the alkylene moiety of the polymeric constituent contains 2 or more carbon atoms and such polymer constituent has a molecular weight of from about 132 to about 5000; and.sub.n is an integer of from 1 to about 12; and X is selected from --OH, --NH.sub.2, --SH, --OCOR.sub.1, --CO.sub.2 H, --CO.sub.2 R.sub.1, --SO.sub.3 H, --SO.sub.3 R.sub.1 phosphate, phosphonite, urea, urethane, alkoxyl and alkoxide, wherein R.sub.Type: GrantFiled: May 27, 1986Date of Patent: July 19, 1988Assignee: Milliken Research CorporationInventors: John W. Rekers, William C. Kimbrell, Jr.
-
Patent number: 4329389Abstract: Textile materials comprising polyester fibers having improved durable soil release characteristics are provided by padding the textile material with an effective amount of polymer solution comprising from about 0.05 to about 5 weight percent based on the weight of the solution of a sulfonated polyester polymer, and at least about 10 percent based upon the weight of the sulfonated polyester polymer of a water-soluble salt in which the cation moiety of the salt is a polyvalent metal ion of magnesium, zinc, or calcium. The aqueous solution is padded onto the textile material in an amount sufficient to provide at least about 0.05 weight percent solids on the textile material, such solids being a combination of the sulfonated polyester and the salt constituent.Type: GrantFiled: April 4, 1980Date of Patent: May 11, 1982Assignee: Milliken Research CorporationInventor: William C. Kimbrell, Jr.