Patents Examined by Arun Phasge
  • Patent number: 6702932
    Abstract: The invention relates to an electroplating barrel whose barrel shell consists of a plurality of plastic shell elements (11) which are firmly interlinked across the circumference of the shell by gluing or welding without preheating. The shell elements (11) facilitate the production of polygonal barrel shells (10) of different cross-sections. To this end, the shell elements (11) have respective integrally formed rib-shaped projections (16 and 18), whose outer surfaces (21, 22) form between them an angle &agr;. The sides of said angle intersect in the barrel axis a-a and the degree of angle is determined, for example, for a maximum number of shell elements (11) that are to be firmly interlinked. The profile of the rib-shaped projections (16, 18) is chosen in such a manner that in the present case the angle &agr; can be increased to produce an electroplating barrel from a smaller quantity of shell elements (11) by machining the rib outer surfaces (21, 22).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2004
    Assignee: Richard Tscherwitschke GmbH
    Inventor: Richard Tscherwitschke
  • Patent number: 6676821
    Abstract: Amorphous and/or crystalline oxides of metals of the third to fifth main group or subgroups of the periodic table are obtained in particulate form by an electrochemical process. The process is characterized in that ions of the metal dissolved in an organic electrolyte are electrochemically reduced on a cathode in the presence of an oxidizing agent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2004
    Assignee: Henkel Kommanditgesellschaft Auf
    Inventors: Rolf Hempelmann, Harald Natter
  • Patent number: 6531050
    Abstract: A process for removing nitrate ions from an aqueous solution thereof which comprises passing the solution through an electrochemical cell comprising at least one anode and at least one cathode and passing a current therebetween, wherein the cathode surface (s) comprise rhodium metal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2003
    Assignee: Ionex Limited
    Inventor: Michael Waite
  • Patent number: 6372109
    Abstract: A method for dehydrating a porous material using electro-osmosis, includes applying a pattern of D.C. voltage pulses to an anode system embedded in the porous material, wherein the anode system is electrically interactive with a cathode structure embedded in earth, and wherein the pattern of D.C. voltage pulses, has a pulse period T in a range from about 3 to about 60 seconds, and each pulse period T includes a positive pulse duration of T+ from about 0.7T to about 0.97 T, a negative pulse duration of T− from about 0.01T to about 0.05T, and a neutral pulse duration of Tp from about 0.02T to about 0.25T. In another embodiment, each pulse period includes two or more positive pulses separated by at least one of either a negative pulse or a neutral pulse, with the positive pulse duration being the combined duration of the two positive pulses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2002
    Assignee: Drytronic, Inc.
    Inventors: Egil Bjerke, Henning Olson
  • Patent number: 6358395
    Abstract: An under the counter water treatment system to treat water from an outside supply source, is provided. A prefilter to remove sediment, organic compounds, and certain pollutants is first provided. Then the water enters a reverse osmosis system including reverse osmotic membrane which filters out impurities and very small particles providing highly purified water, and is stored in a water tank. When the water exits the tank, it passes through an electrolytic cell having a plurality of plates. This electrolytic treatment creates oxygen in the water, inserts free electrons into the water, and improves the taste and affinity of the water for accepting other minerals. After passing out of the electrolytic cell, the water may pass through a final treatment stage after which it is provided at an outlet tap for consumption by an end user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2002
    Assignee: H20 Technologies Ltd.
    Inventors: Scott A. Schorzman, John J. Orolin, Troy T. Johnson, Vaughn A. Sucevich, Sr.
  • Patent number: 6258225
    Abstract: A device for producing ion water having a pleasant odor, comprising an electrolytic cell containing two partition walls equipped with ion exchange membranes such that the cell is partitioned into three electrolytic chambers therein, said device also provided with spicery-supplying means such that ion water is produced inside at least one electrolytic chamber. In addition, an anode is located in the intermediate electrolytic chamber, and cathodes are located in the electrolytic chambers at both sides in the electrolytic cell respectively. Therefore, the desired pH of the ion water having a pleasant odor can be achieved by controlling the quantity of hydrogen ions generated as determined by the amount of electricity delivered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2001
    Inventor: Tateki Yamaoka
  • Patent number: 6214189
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus for electrokinetically decontaminating the soil contained in a radioactive waste drum are disclosed. The radioactively contaminated soil is put into drums, and the drums are carried to a temporary storage or to a disposal site. If the extremely low level radioactive soil is decontaminated rather than carrying the soil to the temporary storage or to a disposal site, and if the decontaminated soil is returned to the nature, then the limited storage capacity can be saved. Further, if a high level radioactive soil is treated to a low level one, and if thus a low level radioactive soil is stored in a storage, then the safety is improved. In the present invention, electrodes are buried into the contaminated soil contained in a radioactive waste drum, and a dc current is supplied, so that the radioactive nuclide and impurities can be removed by the electroosmosis and the electromigration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2001
    Assignees: Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Korea Electric Power Corporation
    Inventors: Hui-Jun Won, Byung-Gil Ahn, Gye-Nam Kim, Hoy-Sam Kwon, Chul-Yong Lee, Chong-Hun Jung, Byung-Jik Lee, Won-Zin Oh
  • Patent number: 5443700
    Abstract: A method for treating waster water containing oil composed of esters, which makes reactivation of spent adsorbent possible or unnecessary, and facilitates treatment of waste adsorbent. In order to realize the above method, oil composed of esters is adsorbed into an electroconductive adsorbent from the waste water, and is converted to water soluble materials by electrolytic hydrolysis using the adsorbent as a part of cathode for separating from and reactivating the adsorbent, or adsorbing step and reactivating step are performed concurrently. In accordance with the present invention, reactivation of spent adsorbent becomes possible and an amount of generated waste decreases remarkably, and generated waste adsorbent hitherto can be readily incinerated because of eliminating adsorbed oil. Secondary waste is not generated because no chemicals are used other than electric power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 1994
    Date of Patent: August 22, 1995
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuo Hirose, Kikuo Okada
  • Patent number: 5439576
    Abstract: An apparatus for sterilizing water by anodic oxidation. A reactor contains a plurality of anodes (3) and cathodes (4) arranged as parallel plates within the reactor. The anodes and cathodes are arranged in series within four modules (2). Each module includes two draw bolts (34, 44) extending through bores in the anodes and cathodes and threadably engaged to contact bolts (7) on either side of the module. The contact bolts provide high surface pressure to the anodes and cathodes so that high electrical currents can be conducted through the reactor. The anodes each consist of materials that provide a greater overvoltage with respect to oxygen generation than with respect to chlorine generation. Thus, the reactor can produce a sufficient quantity of oxidants to sterilize the water without adding chlorine compounds to the water.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 1992
    Date of Patent: August 8, 1995
    Inventor: Meinolf Schoeberl
  • Patent number: 5385648
    Abstract: In processes for preparing a ceric ion-containing aqueous acid solution by electrolytically oxidizing cerous ions in a cerous ion-containing aqueous acid solution using a diaphragm-free electrolytic bath having no diaphragm between the anode and the cathode, a process for preparing a ceric ion-containing aqueous acid solution which comprises making at least one heterocyclic compound selected from the group consisting of five-membered heteromonocyclic compounds having substituent(s), six-membered heteromonocyclic compounds having substituent(s) and condensed heteropolycyclic compounds exist in the cerous ion-containing aqueous acid solution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 1993
    Date of Patent: January 31, 1995
    Assignee: Nippon Shokubai Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Noboru Sugishima, Noriaki Ikeda, Koichi Yamamoto, Yasuhiko Kizu
  • Patent number: 5145565
    Abstract: A sample of a body fluid, such as blood, is collected in a cartridge having a sample chamber for storing the sample and one or more calibration chambers, each for storing a respective calibration fluid. The fluid sample is drawn ino the sample chamber by placing the sample chamber in fluid communication with a needle inserted into the fluid sample and applying a vacuum to the chamber using either a syringe or internal vacuum. A body fluid sample may also be drawn into the sample chamber from a syringe or capillary tube containing the fluid sample. The cartridge may be either planar or cylindrical. The chambers of a cylindrical cartridge may be either elongated voids symmetrically positioned about the longitudinal axis of the cartridge or axially spaced annular voids.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 1989
    Date of Patent: September 8, 1992
    Assignee: SpaceLabs, Inc.
    Inventors: John Kater, Glenn Pelikan
  • Patent number: 5013415
    Abstract: Recirculating water is pumped through a coarse filter and then through a fine filter, ionization cells and catalytic water converter with a first portion of the water being diverted at the coarse filter to simultaneously clean its exposed surface and backwash its filtering material during a filtering action.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 1989
    Date of Patent: May 7, 1991
    Inventor: Wilbur N. Hudson