Patents Assigned to Iowa State University Research Foundation, Inc.
  • Patent number: 10457904
    Abstract: A system, method, and apparatus for the fermentation of a beverage by use of continuous flow is provided. The fermented beverage can be any of a wine, beer, mead, ale, soda, cider, or other. The invention provides for small-scale fermentation that can be done in a much shorter time than previous batch fermentations. The small-scale and shortened time allows for variables to be introduced and tested to produce new varieties, flavors, qualities, and other combinations that are inputs of the fermented beverage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2019
    Assignee: Iowa State University Research Foundation, Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel Attinger, Liang Dong, Yuncong Chen
  • Patent number: 10442055
    Abstract: A lubricated mechanical polishing (LMP) process is provided that uses hard nanoparticles of less than 5 nm diameter dispersed in a fluid lubricant as a polishing slurry to produce an ultra-smooth surface on a hard metallic or non-metallic substrate with a sub-nanometer surface roughness substantially less than that produced by silica chemical mechanical polishing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2019
    Assignee: Iowa State University Research Foundation, Inc.
    Inventors: Ludovico Cademartiri, Briane Caroline Montoya
  • Patent number: 10442118
    Abstract: To better control part quality of 3D printed parts, the temperature of an extruder filament using a secondary heat source is provided. A heat source, such as an infrared heat source, can be used to heat the filament of a 3D printer to the optimum temperature that will enhance welding of the filament to a substrate that it is being printed on or to. Such an optimum temperature can be based upon, in part, the temperature of the substrate. A controller or other intelligent control can be used to receive temperature readings of the substrate and/or filament and then can adjust the temperature of the heating source to optimize the temperature of the filament to better combine the filament to the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2019
    Assignee: Iowa State University Research Foundation, Inc.
    Inventor: David Grewell
  • Patent number: 10446852
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a fuel-cell system. This system includes an anode electrode; a cathode electrode; a separator positioned between the anode electrode and the cathode electrode, wherein the separator is not an ion exchange membrane; an anode catalyst; and a cathode catalyst, wherein the cathode catalyst is a non-precious metal catalyst or metal-free catalyst. The present invention also relates to a method of generating energy from crude fuel. This method involves providing a fuel-cell system and contacting the fuel-cell system with a crude fuel under conditions effective to generate energy from the crude fuel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2019
    Assignee: Iowa State University Research Foundation, Inc.
    Inventors: Wenzhen Li, Neeva Benipal, Ji Qi, Yang Qiu
  • Patent number: 10442037
    Abstract: A solder alloy includes Sn, optional Ag, Cu, and Al wherein the alloy composition is controlled to provide a strong, impact-and thermal aging-resistant solder joint that has beneficial microstructural features and is substantially devoid of Ag3Sn blades.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2019
    Assignee: Iowa State University Research Foundation, Inc.
    Inventors: Iver E. Anderson, Joel L. Harringa, Adam J. Boesenberg
  • Patent number: 10434083
    Abstract: Methods for transmammary administration of an analgesic to offspring swine are disclosed, which are useful for mitigating, inhibiting, and/or reducing pain in offspring swine prior to undergoing processing procedures that would cause or result in pain. The methods generally comprise administering, via injection, a cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor class analgesic directly to a lactating female swine. The analgesic is passed indirectly to the offspring swine through the milk of the treated lactating female swine and has beneficial effects, including increases in weight gain, performance, and decreases in pain. A single dosage form injected into the lactating female is suitable for achieving indirect therapeutically effective levels of the cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor class analgesic in the milk for the offspring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2019
    Assignee: Iowa State University Research Foundation, Inc.
    Inventor: Johann F. Coetzee
  • Patent number: 10435770
    Abstract: A carbothermic reduction method is provided for reducing a La-, Ce-, MM-, and/or Y-containing oxide in the presence of carbon and a source of a reactant element comprising Si, Ge, Sn, Pb, As, Sb, Bi, and/or P to form an intermediate alloy material including a majority of La, Ce, MM, and/or Y and a minor amount of the reactant element. The intermediate material is useful as a master alloy for in making negative electrode materials for a metal hydride battery, as hydrogen storage alloys, as master alloy additive for addition to a melt of commercial Mg and Al alloys, steels, cast irons, and superalloys; or in reducing Sm2O3 to Sm metal for use in Sm—Co permanent magnets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2019
    Assignee: Iowa State University Research Foundation, Inc.
    Inventors: Karl A. Gschneidner, Jr., Frederick A. Schmidt
  • Patent number: 10436913
    Abstract: A bale information system includes a baling machine configured to process a material into a bale, the baling machine including a sensor configured to measure a release of the bale from the baling machine, a global positioning system receiver in operable communication with the baling machine, and a data storage system operable to receive and store data from the global positioning system receiver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2019
    Assignees: DEERE & COMPANY, IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY RESEARCH FOUNDATION, INC.
    Inventors: Eric R. Lang, Walter M. Schlesser, Jeffrey Askey
  • Patent number: 10415053
    Abstract: Method of increasing resistance to a pathogen or a pest in a plant comprising introducing into the plant and expressing therein a polynucleotide comprising a nucleotide sequence encoding a Qua-Quine Starch (QQS) polypeptide; method of producing a plant with increased resistance to a pathogen or a pest comprising crossing a plant obtained in accordance with the above method with a second plant to produce progeny plants and selecting progeny plants with increased resistance to a pathogen or a pest; a plant with increased resistance to a pathogen or a pest; a seed of the plant; a hybrid of the plant; and a seed of the hybrid plant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2019
    Assignee: Iowa State University Research Foundation, Inc.
    Inventors: Ling Li, Eve Syrkin Wurtele
  • Patent number: 10400225
    Abstract: Materials and methods related to gene targeting (e.g., gene targeting with transcription activator-like effector nucleases; “TALENS”) are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignees: Regents of the University of Minnesota, Iowa State University Research Foundation, Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel F. Voytas, Adam J. Bogdanove, Feng Zhang
  • Patent number: 10392471
    Abstract: Various embodiments disclosed relate to polymers and methods of making the same. In various embodiments, the present invention provides a method of forming a polymer including subjecting a composition including a carboxylic acid having the structure (Rf—O)z1—Ra to conditions sufficient to form a polymer having the structure Reg—[O—Ra(O—Rb)z1-2—O—C(O)—R?(O—Rd)z2-1—C(O)]n—O—Ra(O—Rb)z1-2—O—Reg or a salt or ester thereof, wherein Ra, R? Rb, Rd, Rf, Reg, z1, z2, and n are as defined herein. In various embodiments, the polymer is a tackifier, a viscosifier, or a combination thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: Iowa State University Research Foundation, Inc.
    Inventors: Jason Shih-Hao Chen, Michael Dennis Zenner
  • Patent number: 10391503
    Abstract: A system and method for predicting a future wind direction and speed and, based thereon, determining a future wind-driven drift and providing the information to an operator or automatically acting to adapt application parameters to better control the wind-driven drift of a fluid during application of the fluid to land or crops by an agricultural machine. A processor receives machine and meteorological data, uses a model to predict the future wind direction and speed, and accesses a drift distance database to determine and visually depict the future wind-driven drift of the fluid. A sensitive area database stores information about sensitive areas bordering the target area, which may also be displayed, to facilitate controlling the wind-driven drift with regard to the sensitive areas. The mathematical model may be a kernel filter, an autoregressive model, an autoregressive integrated moving average model, or a hybrid model which incorporates features of different models.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignees: Iowa State University Research Foundation, Inc., AGCO Corporation
    Inventors: H. Mark Hanna, Matthew Schramm, John Peterson, Jeffrey Michael Zimmerman
  • Patent number: 10392606
    Abstract: A method of increasing production of fatty acids comprising introducing into a host and expressing therein an acyl-acyl carrier protein (ACP) thioesterase (TE) from Bryantella formatexigens or a mutant thereof; a method of making a mutant B. formatexigens acyl-ACP TE; a method of making a chimeric Cuphea viscosissima acyl-ACP TE; a nucleic acid molecule comprising a nucleotide sequence encoding a mutant acyl-ACP TE or a chimeric Cuphea viscosissima acyl-ACP TE; a host comprising the nucleic acid molecule; a mutant acyl-ACP TE or chimeric Cuphea viscosissima acyl-ACP TE; a method of altering the specificity of a plant acyl-ACP TE for at least one of its substrates comprising introducing into the plant acyl-ACP TE a substrate specificity-altering mutation; and a method of altering the level of activity of a plant acyl-ACP TE.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: Iowa State University Research Foundation, Inc.
    Inventors: Basil J. Nikolau, Marna Yandeau-Nelson, Fuyuan Jing
  • Patent number: 10371561
    Abstract: A system is provided that can include a 3D sensor. The 3D sensor can be configured to detect an area of an elevator on a harvester. The 3D sensor can further be configured to transmit a first signal associated with the area. The system can also include a processing device in communication with the 3D sensor. The system can further include a memory device in which instructions executable by the processing device are stored for causing the processing device to receive the first signal and determine a volume of a material on the elevator based on the first signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignees: Iowa State University Research Foundation, Inc., Deere & Company, Carnegie Mellon University
    Inventors: Matthew J. Darr, Daniel Joseph Corbett, Herman Herman, Carlos Vallespi-Gonzalez, Bryan E. Dugas, Hernan Badino
  • Patent number: 10370752
    Abstract: A technique is disclosed for straining an amorphous alloy at ambient temperature to plastically and homogeneously deform the amorphous alloy, such that at least an exterior surface of the deformed amorphous alloy is substantially free of shear bands. An amorphous alloy may be strained at a rate of less than about 9×10?5 s?1 or by multiple passes of cold rolling. A pattern from a die may be imprinted into the amorphous alloy when strained, and the amorphous alloy may be used as a die to plastically strain other materials.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignee: Iowa State University Research Foundation, Inc.
    Inventors: Min Ha Lee, Eun Soo Park, Ryan Timothy Ott, Jürgen Eckert
  • Patent number: 10362733
    Abstract: An agricultural harvester (100) has a control system (166) that is configured to control a biomass harvesting rate based upon electronically calculated soil effects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2019
    Assignees: Deere & Company, IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY RESEARCH FOUNDATION, INC.
    Inventors: Stuart Birrell, Aaron J Bruns, Stephen Michael Patton
  • Patent number: 10364437
    Abstract: The present invention relates nucleic acid molecules that are modulated (e.g., upregulated) by nitrogen in corn, to proteins or polypeptides encoded by these nucleic acid molecules, and promoters of these nucleic acid molecules. The present invention relates to a nucleic acid construct having a nucleic acid molecule that is modulated by nitrogen in corn, as well as to expression systems, host cells, plants, and plant seeds having the nucleic acid construct. The present invention also relates to a method of expressing the nucleic acid molecule that is modulated by nitrogen in a plant by growing a transgenic plant or a plant grown from a transgenic seed transformed with the construct. The present invention further relates to an isolated DNA promoter that can be used to direct nitrogen-regulated expression of an isolated nucleic acid in plants.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2019
    Assignee: Iowa State University Research Foundation, Inc.
    Inventors: Patrick S. Schnable, Sudhansu Dash
  • Patent number: 10358398
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a process of producing a metal-containing catalyst. The process involves mixing a support material with one or more metals in a solution to produce a catalyst comprising a metal-loaded support. The catalyst comprising a metal-loaded support is treated with an atmosphere comprising 0.01 to 100% carbon-containing agents and 0-100% hydrogen at a temperature of 50 to 500° C. to produce a treated metal-containing catalyst on a support. Also disclosed is the resulting treated metal-containing catalyst and its use in a process for converting propane to propylene.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2019
    Assignee: Iowa State University Research Foundation, Inc.
    Inventors: Wenyu Huang, Chaoxian Xiao
  • Patent number: 10359801
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a voltage reference generator without temperature dependency. The disclosed voltage reference generator includes a precursor voltage generator and a voltage extractor. The precursor voltage generator is configured to provide a base-emitter voltage, a proportional-to-absolute-temperature (PTAT) voltage, and a nonlinear (NL) voltage. The voltage extractor is configured to scale and sum the base-emitter voltage, the NL voltage, and the PTAT voltage and provide an output voltage, such that linear temperature dependent components and nonlinear temperature dependent components within the base-emitter voltage, the NL voltage, and the PTAT voltage are not included in the output voltage, which is temperature independent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2019
    Assignee: Iowa State University Research Foundation, Inc.
    Inventors: Degang James Chen, Zhiqiang Liu
  • Patent number: 10351798
    Abstract: This invention relates to a wax composition comprising one or more fatty acid diester compounds having the formula of R1 and R2 are each independently a substituted or unsubstituted C4 to C50 alkyl or aryl; and n1 is an integer from 2 to 10. This invention also relates to a wax composition comprising: a) one or more fatty acid monoester or diester compounds having the formula of: and b) one or more hydroxylated fatty acid diester compounds having the formula of In these formulae, R is H or COR1?; R1? and R2? are each independently a substituted or unsubstituted C4 to C50 alkyl or aryl; n2 is an integer from 2 to 24; m is an integer from 2 to 12; and .(OH)m represents 2 to 12 hydroxyl groups substituting for 2 to 12 hydrogen atoms in the alkyl groups R1? and/or R2?. Uses of the compositions are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2019
    Assignee: Iowa State University Research Foundation, Inc.
    Inventors: Tong Wang, Tao Fei