Patents Examined by Dirk R Bass
  • Patent number: 12083451
    Abstract: Devices and methods associated therewith for facilitating movement, removal and/or installation of components from treatment units (e.g., water treatment units and wastewater treatment units). The treatment unit can take the form of a granular media filter (e.g., upflow filter, downflow filter or bi-flow filter) or a sludge collection basin. One preferred device is one or more floats facilitating safe removal of components of a treatment unit. The float(s) can be operably associated with an air scour system of a water filter to remove the air scour system from a granular media filter bed. The float(s) can be operably associated with a collection grid of a sludge collection container facilitating safe removal of the collection grid from the sludge collection container. Another preferred device is a flexible piping/conduit operably connected to a pressurized air source and an air scour system to assist in removal/installation of the air scour system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2024
    Assignee: Roberts Marketing DE, Inc.
    Inventors: R. Lee Roberts, Matthew Roberts
  • Patent number: 12076471
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method of loading a medical device, in particular to a dialysis device, and preferably a peritoneal dialysis device, which comprises a device control and a user interface, wherein at least one fluid-filled container is connected to a corresponding interface of the device, wherein at least one property of the container is checked by the device before or during its connection and the measured value is compared with least one desired value stored in the device control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2024
    Assignee: FRESENIUS MEDICAL CARE DEUTSCHLAND GMBH
    Inventors: Erik Griessmann, Klaus Wolf, Peter Wabel, Bernd Mohr
  • Patent number: 12072225
    Abstract: A mixed fluid collection apparatus includes a collection vessel configured to contain a fluid comprising a first component and a second component. The collection vessel includes an outer shell within which the fluid is contained. An emitter is coupled to an outside of the outer shell at a first position, and is configured to emit an acoustic signal into the outer shell. A receiver is coupled to the outside of the outer shell at a second position, with the receiver being configured to detect the acoustic signal emitted by the emitter. A controller is coupled to the emitter and the receiver. The controller is configured to determine a time between when the acoustic signal is emitted and when the acoustic signal is detected, and the controller is configured to determine a level of the second component in the collection vessel based on the time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2024
    Assignee: ENERCORP ENGINEERED SOLUTIONS INC.
    Inventor: Ryan Thomas Bowley
  • Patent number: 12070539
    Abstract: An extracorporeal blood treatment apparatus comprises: a blood treatment device (2) comprising a blood chamber (3) and a fluid chamber (4) separated from one another by a semipermeable membrane (5); an extracorporeal blood circuit (17) comprising a blood withdrawal line (6) connected to an inlet port (3a) of the blood chamber (3) and a blood return line (7) connected to an outlet port (3b) of the blood chamber (3); a blood pump (21) configured to be coupled to the blood withdrawal line (6); a hydraulic circuit (100) connectable to the fluid chamber (4), wherein the hydraulic circuit (100) comprises a fluid preparation device (9) connected to a water network (14) and configured to dilute concentrates in water to prepare a treatment fluid; a control unit (12) connected to the preparation device (9) and to the blood pump (21).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2024
    Assignee: GAMBRO LUNDIA AB
    Inventors: Paolo Rovatti, Katty Ferrari
  • Patent number: 12070540
    Abstract: A detector assembly configured for use in a dialysis (e.g., a hemodialysis) system is disclosed herein. The detector assembly including a wetness detector configured to detect blood, fluid, a leak, etc. The detector assembly being operatively coupled to, and more preferably, including an inertial measurement unit (IMU). Thus arranged, the detector assembly is configured to measure, read, obtain, provide, etc. additional information or data during a dialysis treatment, which information or data can be transmitted and/or used to, for example, provide greater insight into the system and/or to make better decisions. In one embodiment, the detector assembly can be used to determine when and how a patient is moving and feed that information back to the dialysis machine. In use, the information or data can be used in combination with other information to make an improved determination as to the requirement for an alert and/or stoppage of the dialysis treatment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2024
    Assignee: Fresenius Medical Care Holdings, Inc.
    Inventors: Colin Weaver, Martin Crnkovich, David Yuds
  • Patent number: 12070538
    Abstract: This disclosure relates to dialysis systems and methods. In some implementations, a dialysis system includes a dialysis machine with a fluid line and a drain line, a blood line set configured to be connected to the dialysis machine, and a drain apparatus coupled to the dialysis machine. The drain apparatus includes a chamber configured to receive an end of a patient line of the blood line set, an inlet line, an outlet line, and a valve. The inlet line has a first end configured to be coupled to the chamber and a second end configured to be coupled to the fluid line of the dialysis machine. The outlet line has a first end configured to be coupled to the chamber and a second end configured to be coupled to the drain line of the dialysis machine. The valve is configured to control flow of fluid through the outlet line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2023
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2024
    Assignee: Fresenius Medical Care Holdings, Inc.
    Inventors: Martin Joseph Crnkovich, Colin Weaver, David Yuds
  • Patent number: 12065370
    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 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2024
    Assignee: BATTELLE MEMORIAL INSTITUTE
    Inventors: Kurt Blohm, Richard Peterson, Ann E. Lane, Slawomir Winecki, Darwin Argumedo
  • Patent number: 12048899
    Abstract: This invention discloses a hollow fiber membrane and its preparation method and application, belonging to the field of membrane separation. The preparation method adopts a spinning device with a triple-orifice spinneret, including the casting solution, bore fluid and outer solution. The bore fluid, casting solution and outer solution are respectively co-extruded from the inner, middle and outer orifice of the spinneret, respectively, to form the nascent membrane. The nascent membrane is immersed in external coagulation bath to form a hollow fiber membrane. The outer solution and bore fluid are weakly-polar non-solvents of membrane-forming material and are water soluble. Based on the characteristics of the bore fluid and the outer solution, on the one hand, the mass exchange rate between solvents and non-solvents can be slowed down, the formation of dense skin is effectively avoided, and the surface porosity of the membrane is improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2024
    Assignee: BEIJING UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Yuelian Peng, Songchen Xie, Yue Li
  • Patent number: 12048790
    Abstract: The application refers to a medical treatment device a medical treatment system and a method for operating the medical treatment device and medical treatment system for treatment of a patient, comprising a sensor interface for receiving sensor data from a plurality of different external and internal peripheral sensors, a controller for processing the received sensor data in order to calculate control data and for providing the calculated control data for controlling medical treatment-related devices or for controlling a configuration of medical treatment-related apparatuses and an output interface for providing the control data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2024
    Assignees: Fresenius Medical Care Deutschland GmbH, Medical Care Holdings, Inc.
    Inventors: Alexander Heide, Karsten Fischer, Stephen A. Merchant
  • Patent number: 12048798
    Abstract: An interface device between a hemodialysis machine and venous and arterial tubes includes: a first port adapted to be connected to an output port of the hemodialysis machine and a venous port to inject blood into the venous tube. The interface device includes a second port adapted to be connected to an input port of the hemodialysis machine and an arterial port for receiving blood from the patient from the arterial tube. The interface device is further adapted to selectively allow or prohibit the passage of blood between the first and second ports and the venous and arterial ports respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2024
    Assignee: UBIPLUG
    Inventors: Eric Jean, Fabrice Missaire, Sylvain Thuaudet
  • 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: 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: 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: 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: 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