Patents Examined by Henry S. Hu
  • Patent number: 7429428
    Abstract: The present invention provides a polymer electrolyte material comprising a polymer having a repeating unit based on an alicyclic fluoromonomer having a carbon-carbon double bond with radical polymerization reactivity, wherein either of carbon atoms at both ends of the double bond constitutes a ring structure; the repeating unit contains a strongly acidic group such as a sulfonic acid group; the polymer is preferably perfluorinated. This electrolyte material has a high softening temperature and a polymer electrolyte fuel cell using this electrolyte material can be operated at higher temperatures than before. Furthermore, when this electrolyte material is used for a catalyst layer of a cathode in a polymer electrolyte fuel cell, an output voltage of the cell can be increased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2008
    Assignee: Asahi Glass Company, Limited
    Inventor: Atsushi Watakabe
  • Patent number: 7388646
    Abstract: Use in optical systems as liquids to transmit light at wave lengths lower than 250 nm, in particular at 157 nm, of perfluoropolyethers having the following formula: X1—O(CF2O)n(CF2CF2O)m(CF2CF2CF2O)p(CF2CF2CF2CF2O)q—X2??(I) wherein: the repeating units —CF2O—, —CF2CF2O—, —CF2CF2CF2O—, —CF2CF2CF2CF2O— are statistically distributed along the chain; —X1 and —X2 are perfluoroalkyl chain end groups equal to or different from each other, having formula —(CF2)zCF3 wherein z is 0 or an integer from 1 to 3; n, m, p, q are 0 or integers comprised between 1 and 100, with the proviso that: at least one among n, m, p and q is different from zero; the ratio between the oxygen atoms and the carbon atoms (O/C) is higher than 0.33; wherein the chlorine atoms, determined by 19F-NMR are substantially absent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2008
    Assignee: Solvay Solexis S.p.A.
    Inventors: Mattia Bassi, Pier Antonio Guarda
  • Patent number: 7381765
    Abstract: A composition of fluoropolymer and dispersed conductive particulate provides an electrically conductive polymeric material resistant to static charge buildup. Radiation curing, especially electron beam radiation curing, is favored for curing fluoroelastomer-based precursor articles into desired electrically conductive articles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2008
    Assignee: Freudenberg-NOK General Partnership
    Inventor: Edward Hosung Park
  • Patent number: 7375157
    Abstract: A polymer melt additive that is suitable for use as a processing aid in the extrusion of a non-fluorinated polymer. The polymer melt additive composition includes a fluoropolymer that has a long chain branching index (LCBI) of at least 0.2 and a zero shear rate viscosity at 265° C. of not more than 107 Pa's. The polymer melt additive may additionally include other compounds such as, polyoxyalkylene polymer or polycaprolactone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2008
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: Stephen E. Amos, Klaus Hintzer, Harald Kaspar, Claude Lavallée
  • Patent number: 7375155
    Abstract: According to the present invention, there is provided a low dielectric loss tangent resin composition containing a crosslinking component having a weight average molecular weight of not more than 1,000 and a plurality of styrene groups and represented by the formula [1], wherein R is a hydrocarbon skeleton which may have a substituent, R1 is hydrogen, methyl or ethyl, m is an integer of 1-4 and n is an integer of 2 or more, and further containing at least one member selected from a high polymer having a weight average molecular weight of not less than 5,000 and a filler, which resin composition can give a cured product having a good flexibility, high tensile strength and low dielectric constant and dielectric loss tangent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2008
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Satoru Amou, Shinji Yamada, Takao Ishikawa, Takao Miwa
  • Patent number: 7375159
    Abstract: Blends of PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride) homopolymer or copolymer with ABC triblock copolymers are useful for manufacturing parts which may be sheets, film, tubes, rods, centrifugal pump components and containers. The PVDF comprises a fraction of non-transferred chains of very high molar mass which are insoluble in the usual solvents for PVDF, such as DMF (dimethylformamide), DMSO (dimethyl sulphoxide) and NMP (N-methylpyrrolidone), the polymer fraction associated with these high-mass chains having a dynamic viscosity of greater than 50 kpoise at 230° C., and at a shear rate of 100 s1, and has spherulites with a size between 0.5 and 4?m.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2008
    Assignee: Atofina
    Inventor: Thierry Pascal
  • Patent number: 7371786
    Abstract: The present invention provides a coating composition capable of forming a fluorine-containing coating layer having a low refractive index and a high hardness, a coating layer formed by using the coating composition, an anti-reflecting layer using the coating layer and an anti-reflecting film and an image display device to which the anti-reflecting layer is applied. The coating composition according to the present invention comprises (A) a binder system containing a fluorine-containing component (a) having one or both of a functional group which can be cured by ionizing radiation and a polar group which can be heat-cured, and contains both an ionizing radiation-curable group and a heatcurable polar group as a whole and (B) an inorganic superfine particle of the order of submicron in size which can be dispersed in a colloidal state in a liquid medium for preparing a coating liquid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2008
    Assignee: Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshio Yoshihara, Takahiro Niimi
  • Patent number: 7365122
    Abstract: A fluoroelastomer composition, which comprises 100 parts by weight of vinylidene fluoride-perfluoro(methyl vinyl ether)-tetrafluoroethylene terpolymer or vinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropene copolymer, and 10-50 parts by weight of liquid fluoroelastomer having a viscosity of 500 to 3,000 cps at 100° C., can be made cross-linkable or vulcanizable fluoroelastomer composition upon further addition of 0.5 to 5 parts by weight of an organic peroxide and 0.5 to 10 parts by weight of a polyfunctional unsaturated compound or further addition of 0.5 to 10 parts by weight of a polyol-based vulcanizing agent thereto. The fluoroelastomer composition can give a cross-linked or vulcanized product having a hardness (Durometer A) of not more than 50 and distinguished processability and compression set resistance characteristics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2008
    Assignee: NOK Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshifumi Kojima, Atsushi Koga, Kenichi Fujimoto
  • Patent number: 7361717
    Abstract: A fluorocopolymer film formed by molding at a molding temperature of at most 320° C. a fluorocopolymer comprising repeating units based on ethylene, repeating units based on tetrafluoroethylene, repeating units based on hexafluoropropylene and repeating units based on a fluoroalkyl vinyl ether represented by CF2?CFORf (wherein Rf represents a C1-10 fluoroalkyl group), having a molar ratio of the repeating units based on ethylene/the repeating units based on tetrafluoroethylene of from 10/90 to 60/40, a content of the repeating units based on hexafluoropropylene to the total repeating units of from 0.1 to 20 mol % and a content of the fluoroalkyl vinyl ether to the total repeating units of from 0.1 to 10 mol %, and having a volumetric flow rate of from 0.1 to 30 mm3/sec at 297° C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2008
    Assignee: Asahi Glass Company, Limited
    Inventors: Shigeru Aida, Masaru Yamauchi, Hiroshi Aruga
  • Patent number: 7358302
    Abstract: A composition for a light-scattering film contains fluorine-containing resin fine particles each including a copolymer of a first ethylenically unsaturated monomer containing fluorine with other ethylenically unsaturated monomer component, and having an average particle diameter of 0.8 to 5.0 ?m; and a transparent resin having a refractive index of 1.50 to 1.70. Where the other ethylenically unsaturated monomer component is formed of a second ethylenically unsaturated monomer containing no fluorine nor hydrophilic group, the copolymer contains 10 to 60% by weight of the first monomer, and 90 to 40% by weight of the second monomer. Where the other ethylenically unsaturated monomer component is formed of the second monomer and a third ethylenically unsaturated monomer containing a hydrophilic group, the copolymer contains 10 to 90% by weight of the first monomer, 89 to 5% by weight of the second monomer and 1 to 10% by weight of the third monomer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2008
    Assignees: Toyo Ink Mfg. Co., Ltd., Toppan Printing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuki Matsumoto, Kana Okazaki, Masayuki Kawashima, Hiromitsu Ito
  • Patent number: 7358296
    Abstract: Fluorine-containing emulsifiers can be removed from fluoropolymer dispersions by adding to the dispersion a non ionic emulsifier, removing the fluorine-containing emulsifier by contact with an anion exchanger and separating the dispersion from the anion exchanger. The resulting dispersions can be concentrated and used for coating applications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2008
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: Hermann Blädel, Klaus Hintzer, Gernot Löhr, Werner Schwertfeger, Reinhard Albert Sulzbach
  • Patent number: 7357793
    Abstract: A polymer blend that contains a polymer of fluorinated monomers and another biocompatible polymer. The polymer blend can form a coating on a medical device. The medical device can be used for treat, prevent or ameliorate a medical condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2008
    Assignee: Advanced Cardiovascular Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Stephen Dirk Pacetti
  • Patent number: 7348377
    Abstract: A heat sealable tape of a copolymer of tetrafluoroethylene and at least about 15% by weight of a highly fluorinated monomer. The copolymer has a melt viscosity of no greater than about 1000 Pa·S at 372° C. and an application temperature of no greater than about 250° C. The invention further provides for a seam formed from two sections of sheet material, especially fabric, wherein each sheet has at least one fluoropolymer surface. The sections are sealed one to the other by application of heat sealable composition over one fluoropolymer surface of each section. The heat sealable composition comprises a copolymer of tetrafluoroethylene and at least about 15% by weight of a highly fluorinated monomer, the copolymer having a melt viscosity of no greater than about 1000 Pa·S at 372° C. and an application temperature of no greater than about 250° C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2008
    Assignee: E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company
    Inventors: Ronald Earl Uschold, Sina Ebnesajjad
  • Patent number: 7347988
    Abstract: A method is disclosed for creating hydrogels with ordered crystalline structures that exhibit a characteristic colored opalescence. In addition to the unique optical properties, these materials contain a large amount of water in their crosslinked networks. The manufacturing processes include synthesizing monodispersed hydrogel nanoparticles containing specific reactive functional groups, self-assembly of these particles to form a crystalline structure, and subsequent crosslinking neighboring spheres to stabilize the entire network. Polymerizing a hydrogel monomeric composition around the crystalline structure can enhance the mechanical strength. The resulting network is dimensionally and thermodynamically stabile under various pH and temperature conditions. The color and volume of these crystalline hydrogel networks can reversibly change in response to external stimuli such as temperature, pH and other environmental conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2008
    Assignee: University of North Texas
    Inventors: Zhibing Hu, Xihua Lu, Jun Gao, Tong Cai, Gang Huang, Bo Zhou
  • Patent number: 7348386
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for producing a fluorocopolymer which comprises a polymerization reaction of a fluorine-containing ethylenic monomer with a fluorovinyl ether derivative represented by the following general formula (I): CF2?CF—O—[CF2CF(CF3)O]n—(CF2)m-A??(I) (wherein n represents an integer of 0 to 3, m represents an integer of 1 to 5, and A represents —SO2X or —COOY; X represents a halogen atom or —NR1R2; R1 and R2 are the same or different and each represents a hydrogen atom, an alkali metal, an alkyl group or a sulfonyl-containing group and Y represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms) to give a fluorocopolymer, said fluorine-containing ethylenic monomer being a perhaloethylenic monomer represented by the following general formula (II): CF2?CF—Rf1??(II) (wherein Rf1 represents a fluorine atom, a chlorine atom, Rf2 or ORf2; Rf2 represents a straight or branched perfluoroalkyl group having 1 to 9 carbon atoms, which may have an ether oxygen atom(s)) a
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2008
    Assignee: Daikin Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takuya Arase, Masahiro Kondou, Kenji Ishii, Tadaharu Isaka
  • Patent number: 7347960
    Abstract: A process is disclosed for dispersion spinning non-melt-processible fluoropolymer fiber in which a mixture of an aqueous dispersion of non-melt-processible fluoropolymer particles and an aqueous solution of a matrix polymer is formed. The non-melt-processible fluoropolymer particles have an SSG of less than about 2.40 and comprise a core of high molecular weight polytetrafluoroethylene and a shell of lower molecular weight polytetrafluoroethylene or modified polytetrafluoroethylene. The mixture is extruded into a coagulation bath containing a concentration of ions which coagulate the matrix polymer to form an intermediate fiber structure. The intermediate fiber structure is sintered to decompose the matrix polymer and coalesce the non-melt-processible fluoropolymer particles to form the fiber. The present invention also provides for spinning composition useful for the dispersion spinning of non-melt-processible fluoropolymer fiber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2008
    Assignee: E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company
    Inventor: Clay Woodward Jones
  • Patent number: 7349215
    Abstract: A material comprising aerogel particles and a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) binder is formed having a thermal conductivity of less than or equal to 25 mW/m K at atmospheric conditions. The material is moldable or formable, having little or no shedding of filler particles, and may be formed into structures such as tapes or composites, for example, by bonding the material between two outer layers. Advantageously, composites may be flexed, stretched, or bent without significant dusting or loss of insulating properties.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2008
    Assignee: Gore Enterprise Holdings, Inc.
    Inventors: Cedomila Ristic-Lehmann, Brian Farnworth, Anit Dutta, Bradley E. Reis
  • Patent number: 7344768
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an active energy ray curable composition for coating optical disc, comprising a urethane (meth)acrylate compound having at least one amide group in the molecule, an ethylenically unsaturated compound other than the urethane (meth)acrylate compound and a photopolymerization initiator; and an optical disc having a cured coating layer obtained by curing the composition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2008
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Rayon Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Juichi Fujimoto, Kouji Hayama, Seiji Nushi, Hiroshi Fukushima
  • Patent number: 7345124
    Abstract: The present invention provides a process for preparing a fluorine-containing polymer having few branched chains and little weight change in high temperatures, which is a new process wherein composition distribution substantially does not occur. The fluorine-containing polymer is prepared by a batch copolymerization process conducted under conditions of reduced temperature of at least 0.95 and reduced pressure of at least 0.80 of the critical constant calculated from critical temperature, critical pressure and composition ratio of each monomer in the gaseous phase of the reaction vessel using the Peng-Robinson formula.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2008
    Assignee: Daikin Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masaki Irie, Satoshi Tokuno, Sadashige Irie, Yosuke Nishimura, Yoshinori Hori, Mitsuru Kishine
  • Patent number: 7344796
    Abstract: A gasket elastomer precursor of admixed fluoroelastomer particulate, curing agent, and metallic oxide reduction-agent optionally admixed with any of microspheres, inert particulate, PTFE particles. In one embodiment, the composition is applied to a substrate and cured to provide a fuel cell gasket. The admixtures provide a basis for designed cured admixtures having internally differentiated regions interbonded by cured elastomer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2008
    Assignee: Freudenberg-NOK General Partnership
    Inventors: Hui Liang Yuan, Yingjie Kong