Patents Examined by Bradley R Spies
  • Patent number: 11013848
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for removing a first fluid from a blood filter for the blood treatment of a patient and/or for removing blood from the blood filter after completing the blood treatment session. It further relates to a medical treatment apparatus having a control device with which a method for removing a first fluid from a blood filter is executable, a digital storage medium, and a computer program product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2021
    Assignee: Fresenius Medical Care Deutschland GmbH
    Inventors: Jürgen Häcker, Sören Gronau
  • Patent number: 11007309
    Abstract: It is described an extracorporeal blood treatment apparatus (1) with a user interface (12) device capable configuring and allowing execution of one or more isolated ultrafiltration tasks during the course of a dialysis treatment. The extracorporeal blood treatment apparatus (1) is controlled in a normal mode, where dialysis fluid is fed to the blood treatment unit (2), and in an isolated ultrafiltration mode, where fresh dialysis fluid is no longer fed to the blood treatment unit (2).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2021
    Assignee: Gambro Lundia AB
    Inventors: Michela Carpani, Guy Mercier, David Nepote-Vesino
  • Patent number: 11007490
    Abstract: The present invention provides a hollow fiber membrane including a cellulose acetate-based polymer, in which when an inner surface of the hollow fiber membrane is observed under an atomic force microscope, a plurality of groove-like recesses oriented in a lengthwise direction of the hollow fiber membrane are observed, an average length of the recesses is greater than or equal to 200 nm and less than or equal to 500 nm, an average width of the recesses is greater than or equal to 15 nm and less than or equal to 50 nm, and an aspect ratio defined as a ratio of the average length to the average width of each of the recesses is greater than or equal to 6 and less than or equal to 22.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOBO CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kimihiro Mabuchi, Haruhiko Kohyama, Yoshinori Takii
  • Patent number: 11000807
    Abstract: A control valve for a reverse osmosis water purifying system provides a feed water port, a squeeze water port, a drain port, and a product water connection, each of which open into a bore. A first, second, and third O-rings are located in the bore successively between the feed water port, the squeeze water port, the drain port, and the product water connection. A control piston is moveably located in the bore of the housing. The control piston includes a vent/drain well in which a side is chamfered. The vent/drain well provides a fluid passage between the squeeze water port and the drain port when the vent/drain well passes over the second O-ring. The fluid passage includes an opening formed between the second O-ring and the chamfered side of the vent/drain well, where the size of the opening is responsive to the position of the control piston.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2021
    Assignee: Topper Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventor: Timothy Allen Beall
  • Patent number: 10994245
    Abstract: A method of treatment of liquid in a liquid treatment system comprising: at least one liquid treatment module including at least one membrane and having a feed liquid inlet at a feed side of said at least one membrane, a permeate outlet at a permeate side of said at least one membrane, and a concentrate outlet at a brine side of said at least one membrane; a high pressure pump operative for pressurizing feed liquid to be received at said feed liquid inlet; and a system controller for controlling operation of the system including providing instructions to operate said high pressure pump in one of at least two operation modes including: a first mode in which the high pressure pump maintains a fixed flow rate of the feed liquid at said feed liquid inlet or of a permeate liquid at said permeate outlet, while energy consumption of said high pressure pump being a function of variations of a first operational parameter measured in the system and indicative of salinity of liquid within said at least one liquid treatm
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: ISRAEL AEROSPACE INDUSTRIES LTD.
    Inventor: Benaya Hoz
  • Patent number: 10995022
    Abstract: Methods for reducing the concentration of one or more contaminants in water using zero-valent iron media. In the method, a mixed aluminum (III) and iron (II) salt solution is added to water containing one or more contaminants that is in contact with a zero-valent iron media that comprises (a) a reactive solid comprising zero-valent iron and one or more iron oxide minerals in contact therewith and (b) magnetite to provide an aqueous reaction medium. The aqueous reaction medium is contacted with the zero-valent iron media for a period of time sufficient to reduce the concentration of one or more of the contaminants.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: The Texas A&M University System
    Inventor: Yongheng Huang
  • Patent number: 10994228
    Abstract: Disclosed is a reverse flow multi-stage sedimentation rake-free thickening device relating to the field of slime water treatment. The device includes a feed assembly, a guide assembly, and a clean coal collection assembly. The guide assembly also includes a central tank body and coal slurry flows from the upper part of the central tank body to the inner side wall of the central tank body through the feed assembly and the medicament, and then flows to the middle of the central tank body through the guide assembly. After the reaction, the bubbles carry the fine coal slime and move up to the clean coal collection assembly. The clean coal collection assembly is located above the outlet of the guide assembly, and the clean coal collection assembly is sequentially provided with a central collection area, a defoaming area, and a diversion settlement area from the middle to the outside.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Inventors: Chao Wang, Erning Zhao, Biao Hu, Chengliang Qiu, Mengmeng Wang, Xueqing Jiang, Xiong Xiao, Xinchun Liu, Yang Feng, Jiaqiang Zhou, Jin Zhang, Yu Zhang
  • Patent number: 10995016
    Abstract: A membrane filtration system with reverse osmosis (RO) or nanofiltration (NF) elements is adapted to provide high recovery from difficult wastewater. The system has a plurality of stages. The system is configured to provide concentrate staging. The last stage also has concentrate recirculation. The valves and pumps of the system are arranged such that the order of flow and a recirculation pump may be switched between the first stage and the last stage at some times.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: BL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventor: Jianwen Zhai
  • Patent number: 10987634
    Abstract: A diffusiophoretic water filter with a flushing system is provided. The flushing system preferably includes a reverse flow flushing system and/or a cleaning agent delivery system and/or a non-laminar flow flushing system. Methods are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: Split Rock Filter Systems LLC
    Inventor: William C. Gehris
  • Patent number: 10984903
    Abstract: A portable adapter is provided that can include a closure system configured to control the flow of blood and/or dialysate between the adapter and a blood treatment apparatus. Modular systems are also provided that include the portable adapter engaged with various units such as a portable blood processing module, a non-portable base module, and/or a remote module. Methods of conducting blood treatments such as blood circulation, hemodialysis, and hemofiltration, hemodiafiltration, using the modular systems are also provided. The systems, units, and methods enable the engagement and disengagement of the adapter from the various units to conduct, interrupt, and resume blood treatments without disconnecting the adapter from the vasculature of a patient. Modular systems including interchangeable portable and base modules configured for various blood treatments are also provided that can be engaged and disengaged with each other without disconnecting the portable module from the vasculature of a patient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignee: Fresenius Medical Care Holdings, Inc.
    Inventors: Matthew Doyle, Lee Tanenbaum, Donovan Halliburton, Eric Hoffstetter
  • Patent number: 10974202
    Abstract: The present invention relates to modified ceramic membranes for the treatment of water. The invention discloses a modified ceramic membrane, comprising: a ceramic membrane, and an outer surface of said ceramic membrane is grafted by a hydrophilic organosilane, wherein said organosilane is selected from the group consisting of: CH30(C2H40)x(CH2)ySi(OCH3)3, where x is >4 and y is >0; CH30(C2H40)x(CH2)ySi(OCH2CH3)3, where x is >4 and y is >0; (CH30)3Si(CH2)yO(C2H40)x(CH2)ySi(OCH3)3, N where x is >4 and y is >0; and (CH3CH20)3Si(CH2)yO(C2H40)x(CH2)ySi(OCH2CI-13)3, where x is >4 and y is >0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2021
    Assignee: HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN IN RIGHT OF CANADA AS REPRESENTED BY THE MINISTER OF NATURAL RESOURCES
    Inventors: Saviz Mortazavi, Andre Yves Tremblay, Charbel Atallah
  • Patent number: 10975640
    Abstract: A process and device to create access to low gravity solids (LGS) of about 2 to 20 microns for removal from a fluid material/LGS emulsion having the steps of: flowing the emulsion into high pressure tubing; separating the emulsion into at least two high pressure streams; forcing the emulsion through high pressure nozzles at a terminus of each of the at least two high pressure tubing streams at a speed in the range of about 10 ft/sec to 200 ft/sec or at a force in a range of about 10 to 100 PSI; and colliding the streams of emulsion exiting the high pressure nozzle within a pressure drop chamber, wherein the pressure drop is in a range of about 5% to 50% of the back pressure of the nozzles; wherein a cavitation effect is realized from a collision force of the high pressure streams within the pressure drop chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2021
    Assignee: Tekstein Scientific
    Inventor: Joe Sherwood
  • Patent number: 10967331
    Abstract: There is provided a hollow fiber membrane for vacuum membrane distillation having a maximum tensile strength of a ?3.5 MPa and a liquid entry pressure (LEP) of ?3.0 bar, wherein the hollow fiber membrane is a single layer hollow fiber membrane comprising a wall with a thickness of ?150 ?m and a cross-section comprising two open cell layers with an array of interconnected pores and a macrovoid layer between the two open cell layers. The hollow fiber has improved mechanical strength and vacuum membrane distillation flux.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2021
    Assignee: National University of Singapore
    Inventors: Jian Zuo, Tai-Shung Neal Chung
  • Patent number: 10968194
    Abstract: Cannabinoids can be separated or extracted from plant material. Versions can include a process for separating trichomes from plant material, including mixing plant material with a fluid in a metered feed system and forming a slurry; pumping the slurry into a turbulent processor, agitating the slurry between rotating and static teeth and shearing trichomes from the plant material to form a mixture of fluid, trichomes and plant material; coarse filtering the mixture and removing portions of the plant material to form an interim mixture; and then second filtering the interim mixture and removing other plant material and some trichomes to form a resulting mixture comprising other trichomes and fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2021
    Assignee: DELTA SEPARATIONS, LLC
    Inventor: Benjamin K. Stephens
  • Patent number: 10953411
    Abstract: A cyclone separator includes a cyclone body having an inlet and an underflow outlet. The inlet is configured to receive a mixed fluid therethrough and into the cyclone body. An underflow is separated from the mixed fluid and directed to the underflow outlet. The cyclone separator also includes an inlet insert positioned in and coupled to the inlet, the inlet insert being configured to direct the mixed fluid generally tangent to an interior surface of the cyclone body, a cyclone insert positioned at least partially within the cyclone body, the cyclone insert including a conical cyclone, and a sand collection vessel coupled to the cyclone body and in communication with the underflow outlet. The underflow is directed to within the sand collection vessel when separated from the mixed fluid in the cyclone body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2021
    Assignee: ENERCORP SAND SOLUTIONS INC.
    Inventor: Ryan Thomas Bowley
  • Patent number: 10947117
    Abstract: A method of restoring the proton conductivity of a sintered pyrophosphate membrane of intermediate temperature fuel cells (IT-FCs) by introducing phosphoric acid into the sintered SnP2O7 membrane to react with the degraded SnP2O7 species and thus restore the membrane pyrophosphate and proton conductivity. Such cells operate with low external humidification, and the active area of the cells may be fabricated up to 100 cm2 in size.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2021
    Assignee: UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON SYSTEM
    Inventors: Anima B. Bose, Wei Li
  • Patent number: 10940485
    Abstract: A purification system and method may include a container receiving portion, pump, and magnetic field generating element. The container receiving portion may be configured to receive and support a container containing a mixture. Magnetic beads may be added to the container for separating a target substance from a remainder of the mixture. The magnetic field generating element may be movable relative to the container receiving portion between a non-working position remote from the container receiving portion and a working position adjacent an outer periphery of the container receiving portion. In the working position, the magnetic field generating element may attract the magnetic beads and hold them firmly against an interior surface of the container. While the magnetic beads are immobilized by the magnetic field generating element, the pump may remove the mixture from the container, leaving behind the magnetic beads bound tightly but reversibly to the target substance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2021
    Assignee: AMGEN INC.
    Inventors: Craig Michael Schulz, Justin James Provchy, John Kasajja Kawooya
  • Patent number: 10934190
    Abstract: When treating an aqueous stream containing metal ions, the pH is often raised to remove at least a portion of the metal ions. The presence of a multiplicity of metal ions with interfering chemistries and/or varying concentrations can make the pH rise difficult to predict for a given amount of base. Accordingly, water treatment processes can comprise: providing an acidic aqueous stream comprising one or more metal ions; adding a base to the aqueous stream and increasing its pH to a first pH value; after adding the base and increasing the pH, adding an alkaline source of hypochlorous acid to the aqueous stream and further increasing its pH to a second pH value, the second pH value being about 7 or above; and removing at least a portion of the metal ions from the aqueous stream after adding the base and the alkaline source of hypochlorous acid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2021
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Shantel J. Stone, Charles R. Landis
  • Patent number: 10926228
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of altering the relative proportions of protons, deuterons and tritons in a sample using a membrane. The membrane comprises a 2D material and an ionomer. The invention also relates to a method of making said membranes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2021
    Assignee: The University of Manchester
    Inventors: Marcelo Lozada, Andre K. Geim
  • Patent number: 10927014
    Abstract: A waste water treatment system for removing contaminant chemicals, bacteria and organic matter to reduce the chemical oxygen demand (COD) and the biological oxygen demand (BOD). The system uses thermal energy to remove chemicals that can be oxidized to reduce the COD, and to destroy bacteria and organic matter to reduce the BOD of the treated water. The system can include an expansion chamber and a nozzle to create steam which can be used as thermal energy to heat the waste water and provide the proper treatment to reduce the COD and BOD of the processed waste water.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2021
    Inventor: Raymond C. Sherry