Patents Examined by Dirk Bass
  • Patent number: 9050410
    Abstract: The present invention provides a blood purifier which shows a decreased amount of hydrogen peroxide extracted from its selectively permeable separation membranes, and thus is highly reliable in its safety in use for hemecatharysis. The present invention relates to a blood purifier which comprises selectively permeable separation membranes as a main component and which is characterized in that the amount of hydrogen peroxide which is extracted from the selectively permeable separation membrane removed from the blood purifier after 3 months or longer has passed since the sterilization of the blood purifier by exposure to a radioactive ray and/or an electron ray is not larger than 10 ppm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2015
    Assignee: Nipro Corporation
    Inventors: Kimihiro Mabuchi, Noriko Monden, Noriaki Kato, Yuuki Hatakeyama, Takashi Sunohara, Toshiaki Masuda
  • Patent number: 9044697
    Abstract: An oil strainer includes a body having first and a second tubular member. One end of an outlet side tubular member has an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of one end of an inlet side tubular member. The inner periphery of the one end of the outlet side tubular member includes a fusion bonding part, a shoulder closer to the one end of the outlet side tubular member than the fusion bonding part and another shoulder closer to the other end of the outlet side tubular member than the fusion bonding part. The outer periphery of the one end of the inlet side tubular member includes a fusion bonding part, a shoulder closer to the one end of the inlet side tubular member than the fusion bonding part and another shoulder closer to the other end of the inlet side tubular member than the fusion bonding part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2015
    Assignee: DaikyoNishikawa Corporation
    Inventors: Satoshi Enokida, Atsushi Yuki, Toshiya Kaneyasu
  • Patent number: 9039903
    Abstract: A dispenser system for delivering various combinations of dispersants to a body of water with the various combinations of dispersants supplied to the body of water through the interchanging of dispensing cartridges which are attachable to a main dispensing cartridge where a condition for interchanging of dispensing cartridges may be triggered by an event.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2015
    Assignee: King Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Joseph A. King, Jeffrey D. Johnson, Lyle Enderson, Paul Freeberg, Donald Dalland
  • Patent number: 9034190
    Abstract: A device for filtering liquids has a container, units for introducing a liquid to be filtered into the container, a container outlet for unfiltered liquid to be discharged from the container, and at least one rotor, which is drivable to rotate around the container axis. The rotor has a hollow shaft mounted in an end wall and a support device fastened thereon for filter elements, which are arranged with a clearance to the container axis or rotate around their own axis. The interior of the filter elements opens via the support device and the hollow shaft out of the container as the discharge for filtered liquid. To provide improved filtration conditions, the container internal radius of the inner wall of the container circumferential shell is enlarged up to a maximum in the container circumferential direction while bulging the inner wall between two minima. The bulge forms a guide unit which guides the liquid toward the filter elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2015
    Assignee: Pantreon GmbH
    Inventor: Andreas Lüer
  • Patent number: 9027765
    Abstract: Filter media suitable for various applications (e.g., hydraulic) and related components, systems, and methods associated therewith are described. The filter media may include a fiber web having a mixture of glass fibers and fibers that are fibrillated. The fibrillated fibers, for example, may be formed of lyocell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2015
    Assignee: Hollingsworth & Vose Company
    Inventors: Juergen Battenfeld, William E. Widrig, Eszter Nofz
  • Patent number: 9028695
    Abstract: The process includes operation as follows: putting ozone generated by an ozone generator into raw water, in a normal mode, to subject the raw water to ozone treatment; injecting a flocculant into the raw water before or after the ozone treatment; filtering the raw water by a separation membrane after the ozone treatment and the injection of the flocculant; and intermittently setting cleaning mode to put a larger quantity of cleaning ozone than that in the normal mode into the raw water so as to intermittently increase the concentration of dissolved ozone, thereby cleaning the filtration membrane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2015
    Assignee: Metawater Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Motoharu Noguchi, Hideki Kozono, Michiko Aoki
  • Patent number: 9022226
    Abstract: A separation membrane according to the present invention is characterized by having a porous tube containing an alumina as a main component and an attachment member disposed in a connection position of the porous tube, wherein the porous tube and the attachment member are bonded by a ceramic oxide-based bonding agent containing 17 to 48 wt % of SiO2, 2 to 8 wt % of Al2O3, 24 to 60 wt % of BaO, and 0.5 to 5 wt % of ZnO as essential components and containing at least one of La2O3, CaO, and SrO, and a thin zeolite layer is formed on a surface of the porous tube. The attachment member is bonded to the porous tube before the formation of the zeolite layer. Therefore, the bonding agent can have a melting temperature higher than 600° C., which is the upper heatproof temperature limit of the zeolite. Thus, the ceramic oxide material for the bonding agent can be selected from a wider range of compositions such as glass compositions (without limitations on the glass softening temperature).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2015
    Assignee: Hitachi Zosen Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Yano, Yoshinobu Takaki
  • Patent number: 9018158
    Abstract: The invention provides a method of overcoming resistance to at least one antibiotic in a multidrug resistant bacterium, said method comprising contacting said bacterium with an alginate oligomer together with the antibiotic. The multidrug resistant bacterium may be on an animate or inanimate surface and both medical and non-medical uses and methods are provided. In one aspect the invention provides an alginate oligomer for use together with at least one antibiotic in treating a subject infected, suspected to be infected, or at risk of infection, with a multidrug resistant bacterium to overcome resistance to the antibiotic in said multidrug resistant bacterium. In another aspect the method can be used to combat contamination of a site with multidrug resistant bacteria, e.g. for disinfection and cleaning purposes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Assignee: Algipharma AS
    Inventors: Edvar Onsoyen, Rolf Myrvold, Arne Dessen, David Thomas, Timothy Rutland Walsh
  • Patent number: 9017557
    Abstract: The present invention concerns new monolithic shaped bodies, a method for their preparation as well as their use especially for the selective purification and separation of biopolymers. A chromatographic separation material is provided with the new monolithic shaped bodies that allows a selective, efficient and reproducible purification and separation of biopolymers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Assignee: Qiagen GmbH
    Inventors: Christoph Erbacher, Christoph Ritt, Markus Kirchmann
  • Patent number: 9011678
    Abstract: The present invention provides a blood purification apparatus and a blood purification circuit, by which a circuit can be shared by different modes for performing respective continuous blood purification methods, a structure of the apparatus performing the continuous blood purification methods can be simplified, and CHF, CHD, CHDF, and ECUM can be performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Assignee: JMS Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Junya Fujii, Shigeki Kawarabata
  • Patent number: 9011687
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for obtaining various components of a multi-component material. Generally, a component of a whole blood sample may be concentrated from a patient and re-introduced to the same patient. For example, a clotting component, such as thrombin, from a whole blood sample may be extracted and concentrated in an apparatus and collection to be reapplied or reintroduced into a patient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Assignee: Biomet Biologics, LLC
    Inventors: Matthew Swift, Barry F. Hecker, Michael D. Leach
  • Patent number: 8999169
    Abstract: The invention is directed to a method of determining a dosage of phosphorus binder for a patient undergoing dialysis treatment to achieve a pre-dialysis serum phosphorus concentration within a desired concentration range while achieving a desired net accumulation of calcium. The method includes determining the dosage of phosphorus binder that will achieve pre-dialysis serum phosphorus concentration of the patient that is within the desired concentration range while accounting for the change in the amount of phosphorus removed by the dialysis treatment when the pre-dialysis serum phosphorus concentration of the patient is within the desired concentration range, determining a dialysate calcium concentration that will result in the desired net accumulation of calcium over a complete dialysis cycle, and dialyzing the patient with a dialysate containing a calcium concentration based upon that determination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: Fresenius Medical Care Holdings, Inc.
    Inventors: Frank A. Gotch, Benjamin J. Lipps, Peter Kotanko, Nathan W. Levin, Amanda K. Stennett, Norma J. Ofsthun
  • Patent number: 8999167
    Abstract: There is provided a composite porous membrane comprising a porous membrane comprised of an organic polymeric compound, and a supporting porous membrane adjacent to the porous membrane, characterized in that the organic polymeric compound constituting the porous membrane penetrates in at least part of a surface adjacent to porous membrane of the supporting porous membrane, the porous membrane having specified opening ratio, average pore diameter, standard deviation of pore diameter, ratio of through pore, average membrane thickness, standard deviation of membrane thickness and internal structure, and that the supporting porous membrane has communicating pores of 0.5 D ?m or greater average pore diameter. Further, there are provided a blood filtration membrane comprising the composite porous membrane; a leukocyte removing filter unit comprising the composite porous membrane as a second filter; and, utilizing the composite porous membrane, a cell culturing diaphragm and method of cell culturing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: Asahi Kasei Medical Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Nakano, Naoko Ishihara
  • Patent number: 8991414
    Abstract: A method for removing blood from an extracorporeal blood circuit of a treatment apparatus for the extracorporeal blood treatment of a patient following termination of a blood treatment session, wherein the treatment apparatus includes at least one extracorporeal blood circuithaving a conduit interior; at least one blood pump for conveying blood inside the conduit interior of the extracorporeal blood circuit; and at least one substitute pumpfor introducing or conveying at least one substituate fluid inside the conduit interior of the extracorporeal blood circuit. The method comprises feeding of air into the conduit interior of the extracorporeal blood circuit by operating the blood pump, and introducing substituate fluid into the conduit interior of the extracorporeal blood circuitby operating the substitute pump. In addition, a suitable apparatus is described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Fresenius Medical Care Deutschland GmbH
    Inventors: Soeren Gronau, Goetz Guenther, Juergen Haecker
  • Patent number: 8980094
    Abstract: A method for the filling and flushing of a blood tube set including a pump segment for a blood pump, an arterial line connected to an inlet of a dialyser, a venous line connected to an outlet of a dialyser, a substituate line connected to a substituate port and having a pump segment for a substituate pump, and a three-way connector connected to the arterial line, the venous line and a rinse port. The method includes the steps of opening the rinse port, filling and simultaneously flushing the arterial and venous lines with the substituate supplied from the substituate line via the substituate pump, while substituate is drained off via the rinse port, closing the rinse port, and circulating the substituate in the circuit of arterial line, dialyser and venous line by the blood pump.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2015
    Assignee: Fresenius Medical Care Deutschland GmbH
    Inventor: Max Fischer
  • Patent number: 8980106
    Abstract: A microfluidic device comprising a flow channel that utilizes various principles of fluid dynamics to simplify the processes of preparing a sample prior to in vitro diagnostic analysis. A flow channel wherein flow conditions result in a Reynolds number no greater than about 2000, preferably no greater than about 1000, provides enhanced separation of blood cells from a liquid medium, i.e., serum or plasma.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2015
    Assignee: Abbott Laboratories
    Inventor: Tahua Yang
  • Patent number: 8974676
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus relate to treating fluid to at least reduce selenium content within the fluid. The treating includes conditioning stages to alter a composition of the fluid prior to removal of the selenium content from the fluid. The composition of the fluid after the conditioning stages facilitates the removal of the selenium content or at least limits detrimental impact to selenium removal efficiency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2015
    Assignee: Phillips 66 Company
    Inventors: Mark A. Hughes, Charles J. Lord, III, Bruce B. Randolph, Joe B. Cross, Sumod Kalakkunnath, Mike K. Corbett, Roger K. Goenner, Larry E. Reed
  • Patent number: 8961789
    Abstract: Systems and methods for performing hemodialysis to remove metabolic waste from the blood of a patient are disclosed. The systems and methods preferably comprise at least one blood processing apparatus that receives whole blood from a patient. Cellular blood components are removed from the whole blood by hemofiltration, to provide filtered plasma comprising metabolic waste that is substantially reduced of blood cells. The cellular blood components may be returned to the patient. The filtered plasma comprising waste may be removed from the blood processing apparatus through a waste path for further processing in a separate apparatus, or in the same apparatus in a second stage processing procedure to remove metabolic waste components and excess water from the plasma by hemodialysis. At least one of the hemofiltration and hemodialysis processing apparatus comprises a Taylor vortex-enhanced separation apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignees: Baxter International Inc., Baxter Healthcare SA
    Inventors: Randolph H. Watkins, Steven J. Wurgler, Shincy Maliekkal, Sujatha Karoor, Katrina Smith
  • Patent number: 8961787
    Abstract: Method and systems, for processing biological material, that contain a biological material in a vessel; add an aggregating agent to the material in the vessel and allow the material to separate into two or more distinct submaterials; extract one or more of the submaterials from the vessel; automatically transport one or more of the submaterials remaining in the vessel to a filtration device; and collect a resulting target retentate into a target retentate receptacle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Nichole Lea Wood, Reginald Donovan Smith, Hongyi Zhou, Liming Yu, Brian Polizzotti, Peter Miller
  • Patent number: 8940168
    Abstract: The present disclosure describes an axial bypass sleeve for use with a spiral wound membrane element. The axial bypass sleeve has a protrusion and an opening that defines a flow path to provide fluid flow communication through the axial bypass sleeve. In use, the axial bypass sleeve is wrapped around a spiral wound membrane element and both are placed in a pressure housing. A pressurized feedstock is introduced into the pressure housing. A portion of the pressurized feedstock flows through the spiral wound membrane element to produce a permeate stream and a retentate stream. A portion of the pressurized feed stock flows around the spiral wound membrane element, called bypass flow. The protrusion extends into the annular space to restrict the bypass flow. A portion of the bypass flow passes through the opening and enters into the spiral wound membrane element to increase permeate production.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2015
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Dean David Marschke