Patents Examined by Betsey Morrison
  • Patent number: 6620330
    Abstract: A method for reducing the toxicity of onium compounds, such as ammonium compounds and phosphonium compounds, by the addition of an anionic polymer is described. Suitable anionic polymers include, but are not necessarily limited to, polycarboxylic acids, polysulfonic acids, polyphosphoric acids, polyphosphonic acids, and mixtures thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2003
    Assignee: Baker Hughes Incorporated
    Inventors: Gordon T. Rivers, Lynn M. Frostman, John L. Pryzbyliski, Jo Ann McMahon
  • Patent number: 6616849
    Abstract: The present invention proposes a method of and system for continuously processing liquid material by which enzymes in the liquid material are inactivated and the liquid material is sterilized effectively. In one example of the system according to the present invention, a liquid material is introduced into a processing chamber 11 from an introduction port at the bottom, and liquefied carbon dioxide formed into micro-particles by a filter 16 is also introduced in the chamber 11. The micro-particles of liquefied carbon dioxide dissolves into the liquid material efficiently. The liquid material taken out from a take-out port 18 is introduced into a warming pipe 20 kept at such a preset temperature and pressure where the carbon dioxide turns to a supercritical fluid. After that, the liquid material is introduced through a pressure control valve 24 into a pressure-reducing chamber 24. The carbon dioxide rapidly changes from supercritical fluid to gas, and vaporizes from the liquid material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2003
    Assignee: Shimadzu Corporation
    Inventors: Yutaka Osajima, Mitsuya Shimoda, Michinosuke Takada, Masaki Miyake
  • Patent number: 6616848
    Abstract: A die lube recovery and recycling system includes a weir tank, a filtration assembly, and a holding tank. The weir tank receives used, dirty die lube and filters large particles therefrom. Preliminarily filtered die lube is pumped through the filtration assembly and reconditioned die lube is delivered to the holding tank. A level of reconditioned die lube in the holding tank is monitored and, the die lube is replenished with fresh die lube from a fresh die lube source when the level falls below a predetermined level. A die lube pressure booster is used to withdraw die lube from the holding tank, pressurize the withdrawn die lube, and spray the pressurized die lube on a die in a casting machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2003
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Michael R. Steiner
  • Patent number: 6610210
    Abstract: A disposable cartridge device is provided for use in a heated cartridge water treatment system in which particles, formed by the heat-induced reaction of bicarbonates in the water, can be efficiently collected in non-turbulent particle settling zones. The cartridge includes multiple containers which are assembled to fit into each other and which form channels for the flow of water within gaps between the walls of the containers. When the particle collecting section becomes full, the water flow automatically is blocked, or cut-off, which signals the need to replace the cartridge. The cartridge also can include a polishing filter and a heater mounted to a surface of the outer container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2003
    Assignee: The Coca-Cola Company
    Inventor: George Plester
  • Patent number: 6607672
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for treating an oxygen containing gas (generally air) and/or water in an appliance such as a refrigerator washing machine, dryer or dishwasher with ozone so as to disinfect the water used within the appliance and use the ozone in the air to disinfect the interior space and the contents of the appliance. Arrangements may be made to provide disinfected water on demand. The ozone containing gas is provided when needed, or in the case of a refrigerator, at a time of the day when the refrigerator is not generally in use. The generator may include a source of ultraviolet radiation, a plenum for the air and a plenum for the water. The plenum for the water may be in the form of a tube which is transparent to ultraviolet. The diameter of the tube is preferably selected so that plug flow of water through the tube occurs. The ozone containing air and the disinfected water may be provided to a location remote from the appliance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2003
    Assignee: Koslow Technologies Corp.
    Inventors: Evan E. Koslow, Lawrence S. Walters, Jr.
  • Patent number: 6602426
    Abstract: A process and facility for treating and disinfecting water supplies comprising first treating the water with chlorine, then with ammonia, then with ozone to substantially disinfect the water, then passing the water through a filter with microorganisms to reduce the amount of small organic compounds and carbon in the water and finally again treating with chlorine so as to produce a residual level of chlorine in the water.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2003
    Assignee: Black & Veatch Holding Company
    Inventors: Robert A. Hulsey, Jeffrey J. Neemann, Ronald E. Zegers, David J. Rexing
  • Patent number: 6602409
    Abstract: An apparatus for supplying deozonized ozone sterilized water includes a first UV lamp unit received in an ozone-containing gas generating member to irradiate oxygen-containing gas flowing through the gas generating member to produce ozone-containing gas. The ozone-containing gas is entrained in water flowing in a water supplying conduit for sterilizing the water. A cooling system can cool the gas generating member during the UV radiation for maintaining the ozone concentration entrained in the water. The ozone sterilized water in the conduit is deozonized by a second UV lamp unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2003
    Inventor: Joseph Kuo
  • Patent number: 6599431
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus for purifying water including groundwater contaminated with a pollutant such as organohalogenated compounds are provided. The contaminated water is purified by aeration to expel the pollutant into gas phase, and the pollutant containing gas is then mixed with a chlorine-containing gas under light irradiation to decompose the pollutant, where the chlorine-containing gas may generated from functional water by aeration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2003
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masahiro Kawaguchi, Kinya Kato, Akira Kuriyama
  • Patent number: 6599430
    Abstract: Method and multipurpose apparatus for internally cleaning a hydraulic control system are disclosed. The method is carried out by establishing a turbulent flow of cleaning fluid through the hydraulic control system and maintaining the turbulent flow until the hydraulic control system has been cleaned without diverting a portion of cleaning fluid through a bypass valve, by use of a variable speed pump coupled to a fluid accumulator. The apparatus comprises a filtration system for cleaning up recovered fluid, a primary pump, an accumulator, a first manifold for fluid injection, a second manifold for fluid recovery, and a return conduit from the second manifold to the filter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2003
    Inventor: Louis P. Vickio, Jr.
  • Patent number: 6599429
    Abstract: A water treatment product which is a particulate material having a specific surface area of at least 1.0 m2/g, or an artefact formed by bonding together such particulate material, and having an insoluble ferric iron coating. Perferably, the particulate material is an alumina-based material. The product is useful in the treatment of water to remove organic materials, cations or anions, and more particularly heavy metals, As, Se or F. Methods of making the water product are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2003
    Assignee: Alcan International Limited
    Inventor: Farid Azizian
  • Patent number: 6596177
    Abstract: In a method of improving the quality of diesel fuel, an oxidizing gas is formed into sub-micron size bubbles which are dispersed into diesel fuel, after which the treated fuel is recovered. The oxidizing gas is preferably ozone and is utilized immediately upon its manufacture. By means of the method, sulfur is removed from the diesel fuel and the cetane rating thereof is increased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2003
    Assignee: GRT, Inc.
    Inventor: Jeffrey H. Sherman
  • Patent number: 6596173
    Abstract: The invention concerns an inorganic filtering membrane characterized in that it comprises a support made of an inorganic material coated with at least a membrane separating layer consisting of metal hydroxide and/or oxide particles and at the surface of which organomineral and/or mineral units are covalently grafted. The invention also concerns a method for preparing said membranes and their use for filtering.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2003
    Assignee: Orelis
    Inventors: Bernard Chaufer, Jun Kong Liou, Anne Bouguen, Murielle Rabiller-Baudry, Luc Millesime
  • Patent number: 6592767
    Abstract: An apparutus and a method for ozone-treating biosludges and reducing biosludges occurring upon a biological treatment of aqueous organic waste, wherein the apparatus is made up of a plurality of reactors for effecting the ozone treatment of the biosludge by contacting the biosludge with an ozone-containing gas, biosludge passages for flowing the biosludge to be ozone-treated through all the reactors in series, gas supply means for supplying the ozone-containing gas to each of the reactors, a pressurization means for maintaining each of the reactors under a pressurized condition and stirrers each disposed in each reactor for realizing a nearly equalized ozone absorption rate for all the reactors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2003
    Assignee: Kurita Water Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Hidenari Yasui
  • Patent number: 6589429
    Abstract: A method of treating industrial wastewater using casein includes an optimization step whereby treatment operating variable are optimized through statistical methods on experimental designs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2003
    Assignee: Sustainable Forest Management Network
    Inventors: Henri-Claude Lavallee, Daniel Gagnon, Sylvain Robert
  • Patent number: 6589432
    Abstract: In a method for processing a biologically hardly degradable waste water including benzene ring materials, the waste water is oxidized by using ozone to produce oxalic acid. Then, the oxalic acid is reacted using a chemical reaction to produce oxalate. Finally, the oxalate is separated out from the waste water.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2003
    Assignee: NEC Electronics Corporation
    Inventor: Tsutomu Taira
  • Patent number: 6585890
    Abstract: By treating potable water at a temperature of at least 230° C. (446° C.) and at a pressure at least equal to the pressure of saturated steam at said temperature, can produce pyrogen-free water using treatment times of 0.05 to 5 seconds or less. The addition of an oxidant, in the form of a gas, a liquid, or a solid, further decreases the required treatment time to less than 0.05 second. The reduction in equipment size achieved with this rapid treatment time allows the utilization of treatment units small enough to be easily transported to remote locations or installed in the restricted space environment existing in ships and submarines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2003
    Assignee: Applied Research Associates, Inc.
    Inventors: Lixiong Li, Jean J. Renard
  • Patent number: 6585896
    Abstract: A process and an apparatus are provided for altering the biological, chemical, and molecular activity of primary materials, such as metals and ceramics, in order to confer atypical energetic effects on the so-altered primary materials. Such primary material is bombarded by varying frequencies of energy from an array of sources, causing vibrational excitation of the primary material at the molecular level which changes the molecular nature of the so-treated material. The primary material is then effective in altering the biological, chemical, and molecular activity of secondary materials brought in close proximity thereto. The invention sets forth a process and apparatus for producing water-purifying tools and a process and apparatus for purifying water.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2003
    Inventors: Leon M. Silverstone, Fred M. Slingo
  • Patent number: 6585899
    Abstract: Disclosed are waste processing systems capable of being used on-board a transport such as a train, bus, airplane, boat, or other similar vehicles. The liquid waste is evaporated and condensed primarily as water vapor. The resulting liquid may be safely discharged in most places without adverse environmental and health effects. If desired, the liquid can be stored and reused for non-potable applications such as toilet flushing. The solid waste is converted to inert ash or carbon and may be either stored in a filter or discharged as carbon or ash into the water, air, or onto the railroad tracks. The system may also be used in stationary or semi-stationary applications where on-site treatment of waste may be desired.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2003
    Assignee: Microseptec, Inc.
    Inventors: Christina Edvardsson, Tomas Edvardsson
  • Patent number: 6585898
    Abstract: A system for production of water having dissolved ozone includes a water feeding section, a container part, an ozone feeding part for feeding ozone to a mixing part dissolving ozone in the water, the mixing part drawing water from the lower part of the container, an ozone measuring part for measuring the ozone concentration of the water in the container, a water pump for circulating the water from the lower part to an upper part of the container in dependence of the measured ozone concentration and from the ozone feeding section to the mixing part in dependence of a predetermined ozone concentration, the container having an outlet for water having the predetermined concentration of ozone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2003
    Assignee: Otre AB
    Inventors: Kjell Ekberg, Sudhir Chowdhury
  • Patent number: RE38238
    Abstract: A method of decontaminating wastewater sludge to a level that meets or exceeds USEPA Process to Further Reduce Pathogens standards, wherein lime or kiln dust and/or other alkaline materials are mixed with wastewater sludge in sufficient quantity to raise the pH of the mixture to 12 and above for a predetermined time and drying the resulting mixture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2003
    Assignee: N-Viro International Corp.
    Inventors: John P. Nicholson, Jeffrey C. Burnham