Patents Examined by Ana M. Fortuna
  • Patent number: 10118842
    Abstract: Deionizing fluid filter devices and methods of use are described herein. An example filter device comprises a plurality stacked panels that comprise filter structures. The filter structures comprise filter features that filter a fluid. The fluid is processed by the filter device such that filtered fluid is output as well as a concentrate of particulate matter extracted from the fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2018
    Assignee: Imagine TF, LLC
    Inventor: Brian Edward Richardson
  • Patent number: 10113458
    Abstract: An oil strainer 1 has a filter 10 and a casing 20. The casing 20 is provided with an oil inlet hole 43a and an oil outlet hole 33a. The frame 12 of the filter 10 is provided with a notch 12a.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2018
    Assignee: DaikyoNishikawa Corporation
    Inventor: Kengo Takatsugi
  • Patent number: 10105679
    Abstract: A composite filter aid may include diatomaceous earth, natural glass, and a precipitated silica binder, wherein the filter aid has a permeability ranging from 3 to 20 darcys. A composite filter aid may include diatomaceous earth, perlite, and a precipitated silica binder, wherein the filter aid has an alpha density less than 15 lbs/ft3. A method for making a composite material may include blending diatomaceous earth and perlite, adding alkali silicate to the blended diatomaceous earth and perlite, and precipitating the alkali silicate as a binder to make the composite material. A method for filtering a beverage may include using a composite filter aid and/or composite material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: Imerys Filtration Minerals, Inc.
    Inventor: Bo Wang
  • Patent number: 10106436
    Abstract: A water purification chamber is provided. In one embodiment, a system comprises a purification chamber comprising a selective adsorbent activated carbon fiber fabric including one or more selective functional groups that bind arsenic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: Chemica Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Takuji Tsukamoto, Jason Trevor Gatlin
  • Patent number: 10099163
    Abstract: A water purifier is provided, including a framework, including a plurality of vertical supporting members respectively vertically arranged in intervals and a metal frame disposed on top ends of the plurality of vertical supporting members, the metal frame having two first through holes; two filtering mechanisms, received in the framework and connected in series, one of the two filtering mechanisms for being connected to a water source; a magnetizer, received in the framework, the magnetizer connected to the other of the two filtering mechanisms in series and being communicable with outside; a shell, covering the framework, including a plastic cover covering the metal frame, the plastic cover including two first pass holes corresponding to the two first through holes and two cover bodies disposed on the two first pass holes, the two cover bodies being capable of sealing the two filtering mechanisms respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Inventor: Chung-Ming Lee
  • Patent number: 10065132
    Abstract: Membrane-based method of washing and deacidification of oils, wherein a stream of oil is conveyed from an oil reservoir along one side of porous hydrophobic membrane, and washing aqueous solution is conveyed along another side of this membrane. The membranes form hollow fibers, and their total surface area and porosity are large enough for efficient removal of fatty acids, water, ions and hydrophilic organic impurities from oil. Membrane pore size is small enough, so that hydrodynamic mixing of oil and aqueous solution does not take place. Additional stabilization of oil/water meniscus in the pores is achieved by transmembrane pressure difference.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Inventor: Nikolai Kocherginksy
  • Patent number: 10053376
    Abstract: A method of treating fluids, including for recovery of water apart from impurities or undesired matter, utilizes application of shock waves to the fluids.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: SANUWAVE, INC.
    Inventors: Iulian Cioanta, John Jackson
  • Patent number: 9511330
    Abstract: Fiber webs which are used in filter media are described herein. In some embodiments, the fiber webs include fibrillated fibers and optionally non-fibrillated fibers, amongst other optional components (e.g., binder resin). In some embodiments, the fiber webs include limited amounts of, or no, glass fiber. The respective characteristics and amounts of the fibrillated fibers are selected to impart desirable properties including mechanical properties and filtration properties (e.g., dust holding capacity and efficiency), amongst other benefits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2016
    Assignee: Hollingsworth & Vose Company
    Inventors: Howard Yu, Sneha Swaminathan
  • Patent number: 9475717
    Abstract: The present invention relates to water purification systems and uses thereof. In particular, the present invention relates to the use of water filtration systems to combat Legionella bacterial contamination of industrial and commercial water systems, such as grocery store misting systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2016
    Assignee: TOTAL WATER TREATMENT SYSTEMS, INC.
    Inventors: Ken Clark, Skip Heffernan
  • Patent number: 8758623
    Abstract: A rapid one-pass liquid filtration system efficiently concentrates biological particles that are suspended in liquid from a dilute feed suspension. A sample concentrate or retentate suspension is retained while eliminating the separated fluid in a separate flow stream. Suspended biological particles include such materials as proteins/toxins, viruses, DNA, and/or bacteria in the size range of approximately 0.001 micron to 20 microns diameter. Concentration of these particles is advantageous for detection of target particles in a dilute suspension, because concentrating them into a small volume makes them easier to detect. Additional concentration stages may be added in “cascade” fashion, in order to concentrate particles below the size cut of each preceding stage remaining in the separated fluid in a concentrated sample suspension. This process can also be used to create a “band-pass” concentration for concentration of a particular target size particle within a narrow range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Assignee: InnovaPrep LLC
    Inventors: David S. Alburty, Andrew E. Page, Zachary A. Packingham, Daniel B. Marske
  • Patent number: 8613859
    Abstract: Synergistic mixtures of haloamines and their use to control the growth of microorganisms in aqueous systems are disclosed. The method of using the synergistic mixtures entails adding an effective amount of a monohaloamine and an effective amount of a dihaloamine to an aqueous system. The ratio of monohaloamine to dihaloamine is selected to result in a synergistic biocidal effect.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2013
    Assignee: Hercules Incorporated
    Inventors: Michael J. Mayer, Freddie L. Singleton
  • Patent number: 8540885
    Abstract: The use of alkoxylated polyalkanolamines as demulsifiers for splitting oil-water emulsions, especially for splitting crude oil emulsions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Assignee: BASF SE
    Inventors: Sophia Ebert, Andreas Eichhorn
  • Patent number: 8205754
    Abstract: A fluorine resin polymer separation membrane and a manufacturing method of the same, which are excellent in a virus-eliminating property, further excellent in water permeability, chemical strength (chemical resistance), physical strength, and an antifouling property, and particularly suitable for practicable use as a filtration membrane for the elimination of viruses, are provided. A fluorine resin polymer separation membrane includes a layer having a three-dimensional network structure and a layer having a spherical structure, in which the layer having a three-dimensional network structure does not substantially contain micro-voids having a void diameter of 5 ?m or more, and the fluorine resin polymer separation membrane has filtration performance represented by the elimination rate of 80% or more of dextran having molecular weight of 75,000. The layer having a three-dimensional network structure is formed by the solidification with a polymer solution containing a fluorine resin polymer and cellulose ester.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2012
    Assignee: Toray Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Masayuki Hanakawa, Shin-ichi Minegishi
  • Patent number: 8177978
    Abstract: An interfacial polymerization process (IFP) for preparing a highly permeable TFC RO membrane by contacting on a porous support membrane for IFP, a polyfunctional acyl halide monomer and a polyamine monomer and recovering a highly permeable thin film (TFC) reverse osmosis (RO) membrane. At least one of solutions may contain nanoparticle additives which may release ions into solution and at least one of the solutions may contain additional ions from a second additive. The presence of the nanoparticle additives during IFP may increase the hydrophilicity and/or permeability of the recovered membrane compared to a control membrane. The presence of the additional ions from the second additive may also increase the permeability of the recovered membrane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2012
    Assignee: NanoH20, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher James Kurth, Jeffrey Alan Koehler, Meijuan Zhou, Brett Anderson Holmberg, Robert Leon Burk
  • Patent number: 8133344
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of producing a hollow fiber membrane bundle having an end fixed with a casting material wherein the ends of hollow fiber membranes are fixed with the casting material in a condition that an insert is placed inside a hollow fiber membrane bundle at a position inner than a region where a fixing portion is formed, and then the insert is removed from the inside of the hollow fiber membrane bundle; and relates to a method of producing a hollow fiber membrane filter element through this method. The hollow fiber membrane bundle produced by the method of the present invention can be used in various types of filtration treatment such as external pressure filtration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2012
    Assignee: Asahi Kasei Chemicals Corporation
    Inventors: Yuzuru Ishibashi, Akihiro Watanabe
  • Patent number: 8123992
    Abstract: The present invention provides for a method of producing an integral multilayered porous membrane by simultaneously co-casting a plurality of polymer solutions onto a support to form a multilayered liquid sheet and immersing the sheet into a liquid coagulation bath to effect phase separation and form a porous membrane. The support can be a temporary support or form an integrated support for the membrane. The plurality of layers may be of the same polymer or different, same concentration or viscosity or different and may be subjected to the same processing conditions or different ones to form unique structures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignee: Millipore Corporation
    Inventor: Willem Kools
  • Patent number: 8075776
    Abstract: A filtration device is provided for withdrawing permeate essentially continuously from a multicomponent aqueous substrate containing growing microorganisms in a reservoir. A vertical skein of fiber is scrubbed with coarse bubbles which emanate from a conversion baffle positioned under the skein. The substrate is aerated with fine bubbles in a size range small enough to transfer oxygen to the substrate efficiently. The baffle traps the fine bubbles and converts them to coarse bubbles which are effective to scrub the fibers. In the most preferred embodiment, the finished headers of the skein are derived from composite headers comprising a fixing lamina of resin in which the fibers are potted near their terminal ends, and a fugitive lamina of fugitive powdery material in which the terminal ends of the fibers are potted. The fugitive lamina is removed, preferably by dissolving the powder, e.g. finely divided common salt in water.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2011
    Assignee: Zenon Technology Partnership
    Inventors: Mailvaganam Mahendran, Steven Kristian Pedersen
  • Patent number: 8061532
    Abstract: The present invention provides for a method of producing an integral multilayered porous membrane by simultaneously co-casting a plurality of polymer solutions onto a support to form a multilayered liquid sheet and immersing the sheet into a liquid coagulation bath to effect phase separation and form a porous membrane. The support can be a temporary support or form an integrated support for the membrane. The plurality of layers may be of the same polymer or different, same concentration or viscosity or different and may be subjected to the same processing conditions or different ones to form unique structures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2011
    Assignee: Millipore Corporation
    Inventor: Willem Kools
  • Patent number: 8029857
    Abstract: Disclosed are compaction resistant thin film composite membranes having a porous polymeric support; a semi-permeable polymer film polymerized on the porous polymeric support; and particles, of a size in the range of microparticles and nanoparticles, dispersed in the porous polymeric support. Also disclosed are methods of making compaction resistant membranes by polymerizing a polymer film on a porous polymeric support with particles of a size in the range of microparticles and nanoparticles dispersed therein, the particles having been selected to improve flux flow characteristics over time of the semi-permeable membrane. Also disclosed are methods of purifying water using the disclosed membranes. This abstract is intended as a scanning tool for purposes of searching in the particular art and is not intended to be limiting of the present invention.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2011
    Assignee: The Regents of the University of California
    Inventors: Eric M. V. Hoek, Asim K. Ghosh, Jodie M. Nygaard
  • Patent number: 8028842
    Abstract: The present invention provides a membrane, kit, and method of making a hydrophilic-hydrophobic random copolymer membrane. The hydrophilic-hydrophobic random copolymer membrane includes a hydrophilic-hydrophobic random copolymer. The hydrophilic-hydrophobic random copolymer includes one or more hydrophilic monomers having a sulfonated polyarylsulfone monomer and a second monomer and one or more hydrophobic monomers having a non-sulfonated third monomer and a fourth monomer. The sulfonated polyarylsulfone monomer introduces a sulfonate into the hydrophilic-hydrophobic random copolymer prior to polymerization.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2011
    Assignee: Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.
    Inventors: James E. McGrath, Ho Bum Park, Benny D. Freeman