Patents Examined by Elena T Lightfoot
  • Patent number: 9559356
    Abstract: Synthesis process for new particles of Li4Ti5O12, Li(4-?)Z?Ti5O12 or Li4Z?Ti(5-?)O12, preferably having a spinel structure, wherein ? is greater than 0 and less than or equal to 0.5 (preferably having a spinel structure), ? representing a number greater than zero and less than or equal to 0.33, Z representing a source of at least one metal, preferably chosen from the group made up of Mg, Nb, Al, Zr, Ni, Co. These particles coated with a layer of carbon notably exhibit electrochemical properties that are particularly interesting as components of anodes and/or cathodes in electrochemical generators.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: HYDRO-QUEBEC
    Inventors: Karim Zaghib, Michel Gauthier, Fernand Brochu, Abdelbast Guerfi, Monique Masse, Michel Armand
  • Patent number: 9517971
    Abstract: A method of coating a silica-silica optical fiber, comprising, in a single pass on a fiber coating machine: applying a primary layer of UV curable acrylate carrying a first color, on said fiber; and applying a second layer of UV curable acrylate carrying a second color different from the first color, on top of the primary layer, the second layer being applied in patterns over the primary layer. The method is used to identify fibers in bundles or loose tubes where there are more fibers than there are basic colors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2016
    Assignee: Teldor Cables & Systems Ltd.
    Inventors: David Miller, Tuvia Liberman
  • Patent number: 9508616
    Abstract: A method for forming a multilayer structure comprises the steps of: depositing a first polymerizable layer on a substrate; applying microwave energy to the polymerizable layer while monitoring at least one property of the layer; and, ending the application of microwave energy when the monitored property indicates that the polymerizable layer has reached a desired degree of cure. The property monitored may be optical, e.g., Raman spectrum, or electrical, e.g., dielectric loss. This process control strategy lowers the overall thermal budget, and is especially suitable for curing polymer films on silicon. The method may be used repetitively to cure multiple layers of polymeric material when a thicker film is needed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2016
    Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Iftikhar Ahmad, Robert L. Hubbard
  • Patent number: 9481011
    Abstract: An apparatus including an air blower; a rotary airlock; a receptacle having an inner chamber supplied with a plurality of colorant particles; a water supply; and a mixing chamber. The air blower blows air into a bottom section of the rotary airlock, and the rotary airlock receives colorant particles from an output of the receptacle. A rotor shaft of the rotary airlock rotates to cause colorant particles to be transported to the bottom section of the rotary airlock. Air blown into the bottom section of the rotary airlock mixes with colorant particles transported into the bottom section of the rotary airlock to form an air and colorant particles mixture, which is blown out of a first output of the rotary airlock and combined with water to form a water, air, and colorant particles mixture, which is mixed with material in a mixing chamber. The material may be natural mulch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Inventor: Mark N. Halper
  • Patent number: 9481010
    Abstract: Provided is a method for producing a gas barrier film having a base and a gas barrier layer being arranged on the base, containing a step (1) for preparing a base having a moisture content of 0.01 to 1% by mass, a step (2) for obtaining a coating film by coating a coating liquid containing polysilazane onto the base, and a step (3) for forming a gas barrier layer by irradiating the coating film with vacuum ultraviolet rays.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventor: Kazutoshi Murota
  • Patent number: 9464194
    Abstract: A method of preparing a hard coating film by applying a first hard coating composition onto one side of a supporting substrate, performing a first photocuring by irradiating one side of the supporting substrate, applying a second hard coating composition onto the other side of the supporting substrate, performing a second photocuring by irradiating the other side of the supporting substrate which the second coating composition applied on, with ultraviolet having a first wavelength and a second wavelength longer than the first wavelength.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2016
    Assignee: LG CHEM, LTD.
    Inventors: Joon Koo Kang, Yeong Rae Chang, Jae Hoon Shim, Sung Don Hong, Seung Jung Lee
  • Patent number: 9464179
    Abstract: A process and apparatus for producing a nanovoided article, a nanovoided coating, and a low refractive index coating is described. The process includes providing a first solution of a polymerizable material in a solvent; at least partially polymerizing the polymerizable material to form a composition that includes an insoluble polymer matrix and a second solution, wherein the insoluble polymer matrix includes a plurality of nanovoids that are filled with the second solution; and removing a major portion of the solvent from the second solution. An apparatus for the process is also described, and includes a webline, a coating section, a partial polymerization section, and a solvent removal section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2016
    Assignee: 3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY
    Inventors: William B. Kolb, Encai Hao, Brant U. Kolb, David L. Phillips
  • Patent number: 9447501
    Abstract: A non-aqueous photocurable composition contains dispersed carbon-coated metal particles in an organic diluent in an amount of at least 10 weight %. The dispersed carbon-coated metal particles have a median diameter equal to or less than 0.6 ?m, and are dispersed using a particle dispersing agent that has a weight average molecular weight (Mw) of at least 2,000 and up to and including 100,000 and comprises nitrogen-containing units. The median diameter of the dispersed particles is determined using a dynamic light scattering method. Moreover, when the non-aqueous composition contains up to and including 25 weight % of the dispersed carbon-coated metal particles, it exhibits no visual settling when subjected to a settling test of at least 24 hours at 20° C. Such non-aqueous photocurable compositions include photocurable components and are useful to prepare photocurable and photocured electrically-conductive patterns and layers in various articles, including touch screen devices having touch screen displays.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2016
    Assignee: EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY
    Inventors: Karen M. Kosydar, Christine Joanne Landry-Coltrain, Gary L. Slater, Mary Christine Brick
  • Patent number: 9403934
    Abstract: A process for protecting an edge area, a soldered point, a weld seam or a repair point or for sealing a seam of one or more optionally interjoined strips, metal sheets or shaped parts, containing the steps of applying a coating mixture to at least a part of a surface of a metallic substrate, applying actinic radiation, and forming a firmly adhering, ductile, corrosion-preventing coating on the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2016
    Assignee: Chemetall GmbH
    Inventors: Georg Gros, Norbert Maurus, Karl-Heinz Stellnberger, Marcus Schinzel
  • Patent number: 9399721
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an article whose surface has been at least partly sealed and to methods of its sealing, the sealing layer comprising a reactive melt layer and a coating layer. The invention provides a method of sealing at least part of the surface of an article, comprising the steps of: (a) applying a reactive melt layer based on polyurethane to at least one part of the surface of the article; (b) smoothing the reactive melt layer; and (c) applying a coating material to form a coating layer on the reactive melt layer, the coating layer being applied before the full curing of the reactive melt layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2016
    Assignee: KLEBCHEMIE M.G. BECKER GMBH & CO. KG
    Inventors: Jens Fandrey, Elke Ehrmann, Klaus Becker-Weimann
  • Patent number: 9394455
    Abstract: Benzophenone derivatives of formula (I) in which X is O, S or NR3, and R3 is H or linear or branched C1-C10 alkyl; R1 is H or methyl, R2 is H, halogen, linear or branched C1-C10 alkoxy, linear or branched C1-C10 alkyl, linear or branched C1-C10 alkylthio or a group NR4R5, wherein R4 and R5 are independently linear or branched C1-C10 alkyl, can be used as copolymerizable photoinitiators and photocrosslinkers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2016
    Assignee: IGM RESINS ITALIA S.R.L.
    Inventors: Angelo Casiraghi, Enzo Meneguzzo, Gabriele Norcini, Giovanni Floridi, Giuseppe Li Bassi
  • Patent number: 9387610
    Abstract: A hard coating forming method is disclosed that can form a hard coating on surfaces of various manufactured goods including resin products and wood products. The method includes transcribing a coating layer of a sheet having a substrate and the coating layer formed on the substrate, the coating layer containing a thermoset product of a resin composition comprising a resin having an epoxy group and a (meth)acryloyl group and a thiol based curing agent; delaminating the substrate from the sheet; and irradiating light to the coating layer to cure the coating layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: LG Hausys, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yun Bong Kim, Won Kook Kim, Yang Go Kang, Jin Woo Kim, Dong Joo Kwon, Mu Seon Ryu
  • Patent number: 9376750
    Abstract: Inorganic materials are deposited onto organic polymers using ALD methods. Ultrathin, conformal coatings of the inorganic materials can be made in this manner. The coated organic polymers can be used as barrier materials, as nanocomposites, as catalyst supports, in semiconductor applications, in coating applications as well as in other applications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2016
    Assignee: Regents of the University of Colorado, a Body Corporate
    Inventors: Steven M. George, John D. Ferguson, Alan W. Weimar, Christopher A. Wilson
  • Patent number: 9378851
    Abstract: This invention relates to a method of preparing nuclear fuel including the step of depositing at least two adjacent series of layers (16, 18) around a kernel (12) of fissile material, each series comprising a layer of pyrolytic carbon (16) contiguous with a layer of silicon carbide (18) and each layer (16, 18) having a thickness of at most (10) micrometers, such that alternate layers of (16, 18) of pyrolytic carbon and silicon carbide are deposited around the kernel (12). The invention extends to a nuclear fuel element (10).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2016
    Assignee: Pebble Bed Modular Reactor Proprietary Limited
    Inventor: Leszek Andrzej Kuczynski
  • Patent number: 9372241
    Abstract: A method by which portions of a wafer level fabrication can be selectively heated by forming plasmon generating layers of specific size, shape, orientation and material on the fabrication and then illuminating the formation with electromagnetic radiation of such wavelength and polarization as will optimally be absorbed by the plasmon generating layers so as to generate plasmons therein. The generated plasmons thereupon produce thermal energy which is transferred to portions of the fabrication with which the plasmon generation layer has thermal contact. This method is particularly advantageous for producing multiple anneals and different magnetic pinning directions for the anti-ferromagnetic pinning layer in each of an array of GMR or TMR devices. In that process, the anti-ferromagnetic layer must be raised above its Curie temperature at which point it loses its anti-ferromagnetic properties and can have a magnetization imposed by application of an external magnetic field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: Headway Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Yuchen Zhou, Xuhui Jin, Grace Gorman
  • Patent number: 9365658
    Abstract: Acrylate-containing compositions are photocured by mixing at least one N-oxyazinium salt photoinitiator, a photosensitizer for the N-oxyazinium salt, an N-oxyazinium salt efficiency amplifier, an aromatic heterocyclic, nitrogen-containing base, and one or more photocurable acrylates to form a photocurable composition. This photocurable composition is then irradiated to effect polymerization of the one or more acrylates. This method can be carried out in oxygen-containing environments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2016
    Assignee: EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY
    Inventor: Deepak Shukla
  • Patent number: 9360427
    Abstract: Pyrene can be used as a fluorescent probe for various industrial purposes. For example, it can be included in photocurable or thermally curable compositions and monitoring the fluorescence emission spectra before and after some curing will provide an indication of how much curing has occurred. Such monitoring can be carried out multiple times during a manufacturing process. Monitoring can also be done at different locations of a composition such as at inner and outer surfaces of a photocured or thermally cured layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2016
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventor: Deepak Shukla
  • Patent number: 9360596
    Abstract: Provided are methods of depositing polymer solutions on substrates to form various optical elements. A polymer solution may include about 0.1%-30% by weight of a specific polymer having rigid rod-like molecules. The molecules may include various cores, spacers, and sides groups to ensure their solubility, viscosity, and cross-linking ability. The deposition techniques may include slot die, spray, molding, roll coating, and so forth. Pre-deposition techniques may be used to improve wettability and adhesion of substrates. Post-deposition techniques may include ultraviolet cross-linking, specific drying techniques, evaporation of solvent, treating with salt solutions, and shaping. The disclosed polymers and deposition processes may yield optical elements with high refractive index values, such as greater than 1.6. These optical elements may be used as +A plates, ?C plates, or biaxial polymers and used as retarders in LCD active panels or as light collimators and light guides.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2016
    Assignee: LIGHT POLYMERS HOLDING
    Inventors: Irina Kasyanova, Mary Parent, Evgeni Poliakov, Valery Kuzmin
  • Patent number: 9328015
    Abstract: A method of applying a coating to a glass container, which includes the steps of coating an exterior surface of the glass container with a thermally-curable coating material containing electrically-conductive nanoparticles, and exposing the coated container to radio frequency radiation such that absorption of the radio frequency radiation by the nanoparticles internally heats and cures the thermally-curable coating material on the exterior surface of the glass container to result in a cured coating on the glass container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2016
    Assignee: Owens-Brockway Glass Container Inc.
    Inventors: Michael P. Remington, Jr., Terence K. G. Howse
  • Patent number: 9296870
    Abstract: Methods for functionalizing a surface of a substrate with nanoparticles are described. In certain embodiments, the method can include attaching a plurality of photoactive linker to nanoparticles to obtain photoactive nanoparticles, wherein each photoactive linker comprises a binding group that attaches to the nanoparticles and a photoactive group; depositing the photoactive nanoparticles to the surface of the substrate, wherein the surface of the substrate comprises reactive groups that are capable of reacting with the photoactive groups; and irradiating the photoactive nanoparticles with radiation to react the photoactive group with the reactive group and to functionalize the surface of the substrate with nanoparticles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2016
    Assignee: The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York
    Inventors: Ellane J. Park, Nicholas J. Turro, Jeffrey T. Koberstein