Patents Examined by Dirk R Bass
  • Patent number: 12042587
    Abstract: A method includes collecting used dialysis fluid in a container and combining the dialysis fluid with an acid to lower the pH value of the used dialysis fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2024
    Assignee: Fresenius Medical Care Holdings, Inc.
    Inventors: David Yuds, Jun Yi
  • Patent number: 12036512
    Abstract: Spacers for filtration membranes that are formed from perforated films. The spacer include unperforated regions, which can serve as integrated lamination strips, advantageously omitting the need for separate lamination steps required with woven and nonwoven spacer fabrics while also providing a spacer with a uniform thickness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2024
    Assignee: ENTEGRIS, INC.
    Inventor: John Paul Puglia
  • Patent number: 12037261
    Abstract: A water purification kit/system comprises a first pot, a second pot, a filter, and a condensation collector. The first pot and the second pot are configurable into first and second configurations, wherein, in the first and second configurations, the first pot is either an upper pot or a lower pot, and the second pot is the other of the upper pot and the lower pot. In the first configuration, the upper pot and the lower pot form a water filtration system. In the second configuration, the upper pot and the lower pot form a water distillation system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2024
    Assignee: SHTFandGo LLC
    Inventor: Richard Gilbreath
  • Patent number: 12023427
    Abstract: A peritoneal dialysis apparatus includes a filter and a dialysis fluid circuit in fluid communication with the filter. The peritoneal dialysis apparatus also includes a pump for pumping fresh dialysis fluid to a peritoneum of a patient via the dialysis fluid circuit and pumping used dialysis fluid from the peritoneum of the patient through the dialysis fluid circuit and the filter. The peritoneal dialysis apparatus further includes a selective air access in fluid communication with the dialysis fluid circuit and a control unit configured to control the pump during a peritoneal dialysis treatment and a filter cleaning sequence. The control unit forms a fluid mixture during a filter cleaning sequence by opening the selective air access to mix air with a physiologically safe fluid. The fluid mixture is transferred across insides and/or outsides of the filter at least one time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2024
    Assignees: Baxter International Inc., Baxter Healthcare SA
    Inventors: Justin Rohde, Derek Wiebenson
  • Patent number: 12017936
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for operating a water filter cartridge in a pipe, said water filter cartridge having a housing in the form of a pressure vessel, and an inlet and an outlet for water, characterized in that a main flow of water to which minerals are added is conducted through a main pipe inside the pressure vessel, and a dosing flow of concentrated salt solution is conducted through a dosing pipe, wherein the dosing pipe branches off from the main pipe and passes through a reservoir of constant volume and in which there is a concentrated salt solution consisting of sulphate salt, chloride salt and/or hydrogen carbonate salt, wherein the part of the dosing pipe extending from the reservoir leads into the main flow at a dosing point through a dosing opening with a constant flow cross-section, and wherein a resistance section which is situated upstream of the dosing point in the main flow is used to set the flow resistance in the main flow such that a pressure difference results between the main
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2024
    Assignee: AQUIS Wasser-Luft-Systeme, GmbH, Lindau Zweigniederlassung Rebstein
    Inventor: Bernd Heitele
  • Patent number: 12005376
    Abstract: A sample separation apparatus includes a first-dimension separation unit for separating the fluidic sample, having a first-dimension outlet for outputting the fluidic sample or fractions thereof, and a second-dimension separation unit for further separating the fluidic sample or fractions thereof. The second-dimension separation unit has a second-dimension inlet fluidically coupled to the first-dimension outlet. A modulation unit, coupled between the first-dimension outlet and the second-dimension inlet at a first coupling point, is configured for withdrawing fluid from the first coupling point and for ejecting fluid into the first coupling point. A second-dimension fluid drive is coupled to a second coupling point located between the first-dimension outlet and the second-dimension inlet and downstream from the first coupling point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2024
    Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Konstantin Shoykhet, Dwight Robert Stoll
  • Patent number: 12005173
    Abstract: Systems and methods for the treatment of a bodily fluid, for example, using a cartridge that may include a cartridge body configured to retain an adsorptive material and an end segment configured to cover a first end of the cartridge body. The end segment may include a circular face comprising an outwardly truncated conical shape and defining an internal conical space, a cylindrical wall joined to a periphery of the circular face, and an inlet configured to provide fluid connection to a source of the bodily fluid. The inlet may be disposed tangential to the circular face at the cylindrical wall so as to direct bodily fluid entering the cartridge into the internal conical space tangentially so as to decelerate the bodily fluid within the internal conical space prior to contact with the adsorptive material disposed within the cartridge body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2024
    Assignee: Immutrix Therapeutics, Inc.
    Inventors: Todd Goodrich, Ryan McGivern, Rob Moyers
  • Patent number: 12006271
    Abstract: A method for sludge dewatering using kitchen waste to synergistically enhance a coupling of an anaerobic biological acidification and a low-temperature hydrothermal of excess sludge is disclosed. The method includes the following steps: first, uniformly mixing the excess sludge from a sewage treatment plant and the kitchen waste for an anaerobic biological acidification reaction at 36.5-37.5° C. for 2-4 days; then, concentrating the acidified mixture by centrifugation at a speed of 3000-5000 rpm for 5-10 min; performing a low-temperature thermal hydrolysis treatment on a residue obtained after removing a supernatant for 15-30 min at 100-140° C.; and after the thermal hydrolysis treatment is finished, cooling and dewatering to obtain a dewatered sludge cake and a dewatered filtrate. The new method realizes high-efficiency sludge dewatering and innocuous utilization of dewatered filtrate and sludge cake without adding chemical reagents and effectively avoids generating hardly-degradable chemical oxygen demand.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2024
    Assignee: TONGJI UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Bin Dong, Sisi Chen, Jun Gao, Renjie Chen, Xiangjuan Sun, Zao Yang, Bing Xue
  • Patent number: 12005247
    Abstract: Membranes are provided to be specially developed for use in chambers for artificial circulatory assistance which may be employed primarily in cardiovascular procedures, notably to produce arterial capacitance, to regulate blood pressure, to produce aortic counterpulsation and to pump blood. The membrane may have circular sections that may vary in size or not depending on the function to be performed and are interconnected so that the transition between one section and the other is smooth, regardless of the size of each section. Further, chambers and pumps may be used for cardiopulmonary bypass and a pumping system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2024
    Assignee: ZAMMI INSTRUMENTAL LTDA
    Inventor: Luiz Henrique Vargas Fonseca
  • Patent number: 11999638
    Abstract: Disclosed are methods, apparatuses and systems for the remediation of contaminated soils, groundwater, water, and/or waste using a combination of reagents. The disclosed methods may be used to treat various recalcitrant halogenated substances, such as perfluoroalkyls and polyfluoroalkyls. Particular combinations of reagents that may be used in the disclosed methods include but are not limited to: (1) persulfate, oxygen and ozone; (2) persulfate, salt, oxygen and ozone; (3) persulfate, phosphate, and/or oxygen; (4) persulfate, phosphate, oxygen and ozone; (5) persulfate, phosphate, salt and oxygen (6) persulfate, phosphate, salt, oxygen and ozone; (7) oxygen and salt; and (8) air and salt. The disclosed methods may enhance destruction of organic contaminants in the liquid phase and may also control the rate of aerosol or foam formation relative to the rate of chemical oxidation and/or reduction/transfer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2023
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2024
    Assignee: OXYTEC LLC
    Inventor: Raymond G. Ball
  • Patent number: 12002936
    Abstract: Method of separating individual cathode active materials from a mixture of cathode active materials by froth flotation has been developed. They are based on using appropriate chemical reagents that selectively hydrophobize individual cathode active materials to be recovered, so that they can be collected by air bubbles used in flotation and separated from other mixtures. The chemical reagents are amphiphilic molecules with specialized head groups have a strong affinity to metal elements on surfaces of cathode materials. This method enables a separation of individual cathode active material from a mixture of cathode active materials.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2024
    Assignees: UChicago Argonne, LLC, Michigan Technological University
    Inventors: Lei Pan, Tinuade Ololade Folayan, Jeffrey S. Spangenberger, Bryant J. Polzin
  • Patent number: 11999643
    Abstract: Systems and processes for purifying and concentrating a liquid feed stream are disclosed. In the systems, the concentrated liquid output from the high pressure side of a reverse osmosis stage is used as the draw solution in the low pressure side of the reverse osmosis stage in a configuration called osmotically assisted reverse osmosis. This reduces the osmotic pressure differential across the membrane, permitting high solute concentrations to be obtained, hastening the purification of the liquid. Reduced system pressures are also obtained by arranging multiple osmotically assisted reverse osmosis stages in a cross-current arrangement. Overall system energy consumption is reduced compared to conventional thermal processes for high concentration streams.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2024
    Assignee: BATTELLE MEMORIAL INSTITUTE
    Inventors: Kurt Blohm, Richard Peterson, Ann E. Lane, Slawomir Winecki, Darwin Argumedo
  • Patent number: 11975133
    Abstract: A dialysis system may include a blood circuit, a cassette, a subsystem having a processor, a sensor, and a blood pumping mechanism, a housing in which the subsystem is arranged, a movable support arranged in the housing and configured to hold the sensor and/or the blood pumping mechanism of the subsystem, a cassette holder configured to removably receive the cassette, and a loading system. The loading system may be configured to move the movable support, e.g. by an axial movement, to a first position and to a second position relatively to the housing while the cassette holder is fixedly arranged in the housing. The loading system may have an electric motor controlled by the processor, a drive assembly coupled to the electric motor, and a guiding assembly configured to cooperate with the drive assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2024
    Assignee: NEXTKIDNEY SA
    Inventors: Didier Vecten, Ricardo Allendes, Paul Vescovo
  • Patent number: 11975341
    Abstract: The invention provides an apparatus for separating components of a fluid stream comprising a first centrifugal separator and a further separator; the first centrifugal separator comprising: a support structure and a centrifugal separator unit rotatably mounted on the support structure so as to be rotatable about a rotational axis extending through the centrifugal separator unit; a drive element for driving rotation of the centrifugal separator unit; wherein the centrifugal separator unit comprises a centrifugal separation chamber having an inlet which is connected or connectable to a source of fluid requiring separation, a first outlet for collecting a higher density component of the fluid stream, and a second outlet for collecting a lower density component of the fluid stream; the first outlet being connected or connectable to a first collector for collecting the higher density component and the second outlet being connected or connectable to a second collector for collecting the lower density component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2024
    Assignee: GM INNOVATIONS LIMITED
    Inventors: Gerard Melling, Alan Suttie, Brian Loudon, John Elliot
  • Patent number: 11969536
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for therapeutic red blood cell exchange and/or therapeutic plasma exchange. A blood separation device includes a centrifugal separator, a spinning membrane separator drive unit, a pump system, and a controller. Blood is conveyed through a fluid flow circuit into either the centrifugal separator or the spinning membrane separator, which separates out the target blood component (red blood cells, in the case of therapeutic red blood cell exchange, or plasma, in the case of therapeutic plasma exchange). The target blood component is retained in the circuit as a waste product, while a replacement fluid is added to the remaining blood component(s), which is then conveyed to a recipient. In addition to allowing for execution of an exchange procedure using either a centrifugal separator or a spinning membrane separator drive unit, the blood separation device also allows for the use of differently sized spinning membrane separators.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: Fenwal, Inc.
    Inventors: Benjamin E Kusters, Kyungyoon Min
  • Patent number: 11964088
    Abstract: A dialysis system may include a dialysis machine (e.g., a peritoneal dialysis machine) having a fluid system for delivering fluid (e.g., dialysate) to a patient. The dialysis machine may include at least one processor and a memory coupled to the at least one processor, the memory comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, may cause the at least one processor to determine volume information for a fluid system of a dialysis machine, wherein the volume information may comprise a patient line volume and an accuracy adjustment volume, and to determine a priming volume to prime the fluid system with a fluid based on the volume information. Other embodiments are described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignees: Fresenius Medical Care Holdings, Inc., Debiotech S.A.
    Inventors: Kulwinder S. Plahey, Pierre Thiebaud, John A. Biewer
  • Patent number: 11958062
    Abstract: A multi-stage float sorting device includes a first flotator float-sorting ores mixed with water based on a difference in density, and a second flotator provided with a column extending in a top-down direction, one side of which communicates with the first flotator to receive primary concentrates, and float-sorts the primary concentrates based on a difference in density to obtain secondary concentrates. The second flotator includes a washing water jetting section provided at a top of the column to jet washing water, a gas sparger provided at a bottom of the column to jet an inert gas, and an opening and closing section located between the washing water jetting section and the gas sparger to partition an inside of the column into upper and lower regions, and form an opening for rising secondary concentrates in the column according to a pressure state of the lower region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: KOREA ATOMIC ENERGY RESEARCH INSTITUTE
    Inventors: Bongju Kim, Yongkwon Koh, Jangsoon Kwon
  • Patent number: 11958016
    Abstract: Dialysis devices include a frame defined by a plurality of sidewalls that are impermeable to a sample being dialyzed, a pair of dialysis membranes that are each associated with an opposing face of the plurality of sidewalls such that the plurality of sidewalls and the pair of dialysis membranes define a sample chamber, an outer shell surrounding at least a portion of the pair of dialysis membranes, and a cap selectively associated with the sample chamber. The cap can be selectively associated with the sample chamber via an attachment mechanism that is configured to provide aural and/or haptic feedback when the cap forms a tight association with the sample chamber. The cap can be a sensor cap having one or more probes for measuring at least one property of fluid inside and/or outside the sample chamber and a transmitter for transmitting data captured at the probe(s) to a destination device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignees: Pierce Biotechnology, Inc., Life Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Kay Opperman, Barbara Kaboord, Aaron McBride, Greg Nagy, Sandro Klein, Joanna Geddes
  • Patent number: 11944939
    Abstract: A hollow fiber membrane element, comprising: a core tube comprising a side face having a plurality of pores; and a hollow fiber membrane group consisting of a plurality of hollow fiber membranes disposed around the core tube, the hollow fiber membrane element being a both open-ended type hollow fiber membrane element in which both ends of the core tube and the plurality of hollow fiber membranes are open. The hollow fiber membrane group includes a first hollow fiber membrane layer composed of a plurality of first hollow fiber membranes disposed so as to surround the core tube and a second hollow fiber membrane layer composed of a plurality of second hollow fiber membranes disposed so as to surround the first hollow fiber membrane layer, and a permeability coefficient of the plurality of first hollow fiber membranes is smaller than a permeability coefficient of the plurality of second hollow fiber membranes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: TOYOBO MC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takahito Nakao, Hidehiko Sakurai
  • Patent number: 11938451
    Abstract: A method of preparing a graphene-based membrane is provided. The method may include providing a stacked arrangement of layers of a graphene-based material, wherein the layers of the graphene-based material define one or more nanochannels between neighboring layers, and varying an electrical charge on a surface of the layers of the graphene-based material defining the one or more nanochannels to control size selectivity and/or ionic selectivity of the graphene-based membrane. A graphene-based membrane and a method of separating ions from a fluid stream are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: National University of Singapore
    Inventors: Slaven Garaj, Seunghyun Hong