Food supplements from freeze-dried bovine tissues & method of ordering food supplements
A system and method for recycling used hydrocarbon-based carrier liquid removes contaminants from the used carrier liquid and monitors and electrical property of the output carrier liquid so that the carrier liquid can be reused in a predefined application, such as an electrostatic imaging process. The system and method may be integrated into an electrostatic imaging machine.
The invention relates generally to recycling, and more particularly to a system and method for recycling carrier liquid.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONIn an electrostatic imaging process, a copy of an original image is produced by forming a toner image from a latent electrostatic image, which is then transferred to a target substrate, such as paper. The latent electrostatic image is generated by initially charging a photoconductor to create a uniform electrostatic charge of a particular polarity over the surface of the photoconductor. As an example, the photoconductor can be charged by exposing the surface of the photoconductor to a charge corona. The uniformly charged surface of the photoconductor is then patterned by selectively directing a modulated beam of light, such as a beam of laser light, to form the latent electrostatic image. Using charged toner particles having opposite polarity of the photoconductor surface, the latent electrostatic image is developed into the toner image by applying the charged toner particles to the photoconductor surface, which selectively adhere to the photoconductor surface according to the latent electrostatic image.
There are two distinct types of electrostatic imaging machines. The first type of electrostatic imaging machines uses dry toner to form toner images. The second type of electrostatic imaging machines uses liquid toner to form the toner images. Liquid toner generally includes toner particles and charge director compounds that are dispersed in a dielectric hydrocarbon-based carrier liquid, such as hydrocarbon solvents sold under the name of ISOPAR, which is a trademark of the Exxon Corporation. In some electrostatic imaging machines, the liquid toner is formed within the machine by mixing concentrated toner solvent, charge director compounds and dielectric hydrocarbon-based carrier liquid. In these electrostatic imaging machines, after the liquid toner is used, the used carrier liquid is extracted from remaining liquid toner by evaporating the carrier liquid and then condensing the evaporated carrier liquid. The used carrier liquid is then collected in a receptacle. The used carrier liquid cannot be reused in an electrostatic imaging process, so the carrier liquid is discarded. When additional carrier liquid is needed, new carrier liquid is introduced to the machine to produce more liquid toner.
A concern with the above-described electrostatic imaging machines is that the machines continuously use carrier liquid, and consequently, continuously produce used carrier liquid. Used carrier liquid, such as ISOPAR, is hazardous waste and must be disposed in a proper manner. The disposal of used carrier liquid adds significant cost and time to the operation of the electrostatic imaging machines. Furthermore, since the used carrier liquid is treated as hazardous waste, the operation of the electrostatic imaging machines contributes to the environmental problem of hazardous waste disposal.
In view of these concerns, there is a need for a system and method to reduce or eliminate hazardous waste in the form of used carrier liquid produced by electrostatic imaging machines and to reduce operator interventions.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONA system and method for recycling used hydrocarbon-based carrier liquid removes contaminants in the form of water and solid particulates from the used carrier liquid and monitors an electrical property of the output carrier liquid so that the carrier liquid can be reused in an electrostatic imaging process. In the exemplary embodiment, the system and method is integrated into an electrostatic imaging machine, which greatly reduces or eliminates, depending on operating efficiency, the need to manually remove used carrier liquid and to refill the machine with new carrier liquid. In addition, since the system and method allows the electrostatic imaging machine to reuse the carrier liquid, there is no need to dispose the used carrier liquid as hazardous waste or to refill the machine with new carrier liquid. Consequently, the system and method reduces the cost of operating the electrostatic imaging machine and reduces operator interventions.
A system for recycling used hydrocarbon-based carrier liquid in accordance with the invention includes a contaminant removal device and a monitoring device. The contaminant removal device is configured to remove contaminants in the used hydrocarbon-based carrier liquid to produce an output hydrocarbon-based carrier liquid. The monitoring device is configured to monitor an electrical property, e.g., the resistivity, of the output hydrocarbon-based carrier liquid to determine the suitability of the output hydrocarbon-based carrier liquid for predefined application, such as electrostatic imaging.
The system may further include an electrostatic imaging system that uses liquid toner having hydrocarbon-based carrier liquid. The electrostatic imaging system is configured to extract the used hydrocarbon-based carrier liquid from used liquid toner to provide the used hydrocarbon-based carrier liquid to the contaminant removal device.
A method of recycling used hydrocarbon-based carrier liquid includes receiving the used hydrocarbon-based carrier liquid, removing contaminants in the used hydrocarbon-based carrier liquid to produce an output hydrocarbon-based carrier liquid, and monitoring an electrical property, e.g., the resistivity, of the output hydrocarbon-based carrier liquid to determine the suitability of the output hydrocarbon-based carrier liquid for predefined application, such as electrostatic imaging.
Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrated by way of example of the principles of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
With reference to
As shown in
The imaging system 104 of the electrostatic imaging machine 100 operates to print a replicate image of an original image onto a target substrate 120, e.g., a printing paper, using the liquid toners from the liquid toner receptacles 108-114. As a result of the electrostatic imaging operation, the imaging system produces used carrier liquid, which is extracted from remaining liquid toners. The imaging system is illustrated and described herein as an example. The imaging machine may utilize any type of imaging system that utilizes one or more liquid toners and produces used carrier liquid as a byproduct of an electrostatic imaging process.
As shown in
The imaging system 104 further includes an intermediate transfer member 148 positioned to engage the photoconductor surface 124 of the drum 122, as illustrated in
The imaging system 104 also includes a carrier liquid removal device 150, which is operatively associated with the intermediate transfer member 148. The carrier liquid removal device operates to extract the used carrier liquid from the liquid toners that were used to form the toner images. The carrier liquid is extracted by evaporating the carrier liquid from remaining liquid toner on the surface of the intermediate transfer member, and then, condensing the evaporated carrier liquid to collect the used carrier liquid. Consequently, the carrier liquid removal device may include a fan (not shown) and a condenser (not shown) to evaporate and condense the carrier liquid. The collected used carrier liquid is transmitted to the carrier liquid recycling system 102 through a conduit 152.
The imaging system 104 may include additional components that are commonly found in conventional electrostatic imaging machines. However, these additional components are not described herein so as to not obscure aspects of the invention.
The carrier liquid recycling system 102 of the electrostatic imaging machine 100 operates to remove contaminants from the used carrier liquid so that the used carrier liquid can be recycled, and consequently, reused in the imaging system 104. Thus, there is no need to dispose the used carrier liquid, which is treated as hazardous waste. Furthermore, since the used carrier liquid is reused, there is no need to introduce new carrier liquid into the electrostatic imaging machine, except to periodically replenish a minute operating loss of carrier liquid. The carrier liquid recycling system is connected to the imaging system through the conduit 152 to receive used carrier liquid. In addition, the carrier liquid recycling system is connected to the carrier liquid receptacle 106 through a conduit 154 to replenish the supply of carrier liquid in the carrier liquid receptacle.
In
The pump 204 of the carrier liquid recycling system 202 is connected to the conduit 152 to receive the used carrier liquid from the carrier liquid removal device 150 of the imaging system 104. The pump operates to push the received used carrier liquid through the carrier liquid recycling system. The contaminant removal device 206 operates to remove contaminants in the form of water and solid particulates from the used carrier liquid to output a reusable carrier liquid. In the exemplary implementation, the contaminant removal device includes a primary oil/water separating-and-filtering device 214 and a secondary oil/water separating-and-filtering device 216. The secondary oil/water separating-and-filtering device 208 is an optional component of the contaminant removal device. However, the contaminant removal device may include more than two oil/water separating-and-filtering devices. The primary and secondary oil/water separating-and-filtering devices are described in more detail below.
The monitoring device 208 of the carrier liquid recycling system 202 operates to measure the resistivity of the output carrier liquid. In the exemplary implementation, the monitoring device includes an in-line data station 218 that contains circuitry to measure the resistivity of the output carrier liquid. In one configuration, the in-line data station includes a shut-off valve (not shown) to stop the flow of carrier liquid when the measured resistivity falls below a predefined threshold so that the output carrier liquid is ensured to be suitable for electrostatic imaging process. In an alternative configuration, the in-line data station includes a valve (not shown) to selectively route the carrier liquid to the conduit 154 as output carrier liquid or to the conduit 152 through a feedback conduit 220 to further process the carrier liquid when the measured resistivity falls below the predefined threshold to ensure that the output carrier liquid is suitable for electrostatic imaging process. The check valve 210 operates to ensure that the carrier recycling system is under positive pressure, eliminating excess air in the carrier liquid. Consequently, the influence of air on the resistivity reading by the in-line data station is minimized. The check valve is connected to the conduit 154, which leads to the carrier liquid receptacle 106 to replenish the carrier liquid used in the imaging system.
As stated above, in the exemplary implementation, the contaminant removal device 206 includes the primary and secondary oil/water separating-and-filtering devices 214 and 216, which operate to remove water and solid particulates from the used carrier liquid. Each of the oil/water separating-and-filtering devices may be a device that uses a three-stage process, such as the diesel fuel filter/separator (model 500FGSS) sold by the Racor Division of the Parker Hannifin Corporation. The first stage involves centrifuging the input carrier liquid, which sends water droplets and large particulates to the lower part of the device. The second stage involves coalescing the carrier liquid so that remaining water is formed into water droplets and drops to the lower part of the device. The third stage involves filtering the carrier liquid using a micron-level filter to remove smaller particulates from the carrier liquid. However, other types of devices may be used for the primary and secondary oil/water separating-and-filtering devices that can remove water and solid particulates from the input carrier liquid so that the resistivity of the output carrier liquid is suitable for electrostatic imaging process, which ranges approximately from 1×1011 to 1×1013 ohm*cm.
Each of the primary and secondary oil/water separating-and-filtering devices 214 and 216 includes a sensor 222 for detecting the removed water level at the bottom of the respective device. In addition, each oil/water separating-and-filtering device includes a release valve 224 for releasing the removed water and solid particulates from the bottom of the device through a drain tube 226. The sensors and release valves are electrically connected to the central processor 212, which controls the release valves based on the detected water levels at the respective oil/water separating-and-filtering devices. The central processor is also connected to the pump 204 to control the flow of carrier liquid through the recycling system 202. The central processor monitors the sensors and the release valves of the oil/water separating-and-filtering devices and the pump to ensure that the output carrier liquid does not include the removed water and solid particulates. The central processor may be a part of a computer system to exclusively control the carrier liquid recycling system. Alternatively, the central processor may be a part of a computer system to control the entire electrostatic imaging machine 100.
Turning now to
Although the carrier liquid recycling systems 202 and 302 have been described herein as being a part of the electrostatic imaging machine 100, the carrier liquid recycling systems may be configured as stand-alone systems. That is, the carrier liquid recycling systems may be physically separated from the electrostatic imaging machine. In these embodiments, the carrier liquid recycling systems includes an input container (not shown) to supply the used carrier liquid and an output container (not shown) to store the processed carrier liquid. Furthermore, in these embodiments, the carrier liquid recycling systems may not include the feedback conduit 220 from the in-line data station 218 to the conduit 152. Consequently, when the measured resistivity of the carrier liquid is below the predefined threshold, the carrier liquid is further processed by simply transferring the is carrier liquid from the output container back to the input container.
A method for recycling used carrier liquid in accordance with the invention is described with reference to the process flow diagram of
Although specific embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated, the invention is not to be limited to the specific forms or arrangements of parts so described and illustrated. The scope of the invention is to be defined by the claims appended hereto and their equivalents.
Claims
1. A food supplement comprising a capsule including a blend of at least three of the following freeze-dried bovine tissues: stomach, liver, kidney, heart, and spleen.
2. The food supplement of claim 1 where the blend comprises no less than 2 percent by weight and no more than 92 percent by weight of any one of the freeze-dried bovine tissues.
3. The food supplement of claim 2 where the amount of the blend of freeze-dried bovine tissues in the capsule is from 190 to 1100 milligrams.
4. The food supplement of claim 1 where the blend includes bovine glandular tissue.
5. The food supplement of claim 4 where the blend comprises at least 8 weight percent of any one, or mixture of, the freeze-dried bovine glandular tissue.
6. The food supplement of claim 4 where the bovine glandular tissue is selected from the group consisting of adrenal cortex tissue, breast tissue, pancreas tissue, thymus tissue, duodenum tissue, parathyroid tissue, pituitary tissue, ovary tissue, placenta tissue, orchic tissue, prostate tissue, thyroid tissue, and uterus tissue.
7. The food supplement of claim 1 where the tissues are derived from range fed cattle and made by a freeze-drying method conducted at a reduced temperature that avoids destruction of the active enzymes in the tissue.
8. The food supplement of claim 7 where the temperature at which the freeze-drying method conducted from minus 5° C. to 38° C.
9. The food supplement of claim 1 where the blend comprises
- from 2 to 92 weight percent of the freeze-dried bovine stomach tissue,
- from 2 to 92 weight percent of the freeze-dried bovine liver tissue,
- from 2 to 92 weight percent of the freeze-dried bovine kidney tissue,
- from 2 to 92 weight percent of the freeze-dried bovine heart tissue, and
- from 2 to 92 weight percent of the freeze-dried bovine spleen tissue.
10. The food supplement of claim 1 where the blend comprises bovine liver tissue of 70 weight percent or more.
11. The food supplement of claim 1 where the blend comprises bovine kidney tissue of 70 weight percent or more.
12. The food supplement of claim 1 where the blend comprises bovine spleen tissue of 70 weight percent or more.
13. The food supplement of claim 1 where the blend comprises bovine stomach tissue of about 70 weight percent or more.
14. The food supplement of claim 1 where the blend additionally includes freeze-dried bovine tissue selected from the group consisting of bone tissue, brain tissue, lung tissue, eye tissue, lymph node tissue, artery tissue, large intestine and bone marrow tissue.
15-18. (canceled)
19. A food supplement comprising a blend of at least three of freeze-dried bovine tissues selected from the group consisting of stomach tissue, liver tissue, kidney tissue, heart tissue, and spleen tissue.
20. The food supplement of claim 19 additionally including freeze-dried bovine glandular tissues selected from the group consisting of adrenal cortex tissue, breast tissue, pancreas tissue, thymus tissue, duodenum tissue, parathyroid tissue, pituitary tissue, ovary tissue, placenta tissue, orchic tissue, prostate tissue, thyroid tissue, and uterus tissue.
21. A food supplement comprising a blend of freeze-dried bovine stomach tissue, liver tissue, kidney tissue, heart tissue, and spleen tissue.
22. The food supplement of claim 21 additionally including freeze-dried bovine glandular tissues selected from the group consisting of adrenal cortex tissue, breast tissue, pancreas tissue, thymus tissue, duodenum tissue, parathyroid tissue, pituitary tissue, ovary tissue, placenta tissue, orchic tissue, prostate tissue, thyroid tissue, and uterus tissue.
23-31. (canceled)
Type: Application
Filed: Aug 14, 2003
Publication Date: Feb 23, 2006
Inventor: David Nickel (Monica, CA)
Application Number: 10/525,684
International Classification: C10M 175/00 (20060101);