Patents Examined by Herbert J. Lilling
  • Patent number: 8247202
    Abstract: Ear corn is picked from corn fields by ear corn harvesters and transported to a central shelling station associated with an ethanol manufacturing facility. Shelled corn from the central shelling station is processed into ethanol at the ethanol manufacturing facility, and corn cobs from the central shelling station are burned to provide process heat for the ethanol manufacturing process. Energy is conserved and costs are reduced during the picking and shelling of the ear corn and by the burning of cobs for process heat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2012
    Inventor: Alvin D. Shulman
  • Patent number: 8247198
    Abstract: It has surprisingly been discovered that it is possible to use enzymes in deep eutectic solvents (DES). DES's are mixtures of a nitrogen salt or a metal salt and a strong hydrogen bond donor that can be mixed in proportions that form a eutectic point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2012
    Assignee: Friedrich Srienc
    Inventors: Johnathan T. Gorke, Romas J. Kazlauskas, Friedrich Srienc
  • Patent number: 8247213
    Abstract: Provided is a method for massive culture of Dinophysis acuminata which is a marine dinoflagellate causing diarrhetic shellfish poisoning, and methods for extracting, isolating and purifying the shellfish toxin pectenotoxin-2 from the cultured Dinophysis acuminata. Particularly, Dinophysis acuminata is cultured massively in massive culture apparatus comprising polycarbonate water bath having the bottom sinking down toward the center of the bottom; acryl tube (E) containing fluorescent lamp laid long in the center of the water bath; air supplying device (B) supplying the air to the sinking center of the bottom of the water bath; and air purifying device containing one or more devices selected from the group consisting of UV lamp (C) and carbon cartridge filter (D) purifying the air supplied by the said air supplying device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2012
    Assignee: Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation, Kunsan National University
    Inventors: WonHo Yih, Jung-Rae Rho, Hyung-Seop Kim, HeonJoong Kang
  • Patent number: 8241880
    Abstract: Biomass is pretreated using an organic solvent solution under alkaline conditions in the presence of one or more alkylamine and optionally one or more additional nucleophile to fragment and extract lignin. Pretreated biomass is further hydrolyzed with a saccharification enzyme consortium. Fermentable sugars released by saccharification may be utilized for the production of target chemicals by fermentation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2012
    Assignee: E I du Pont de Nemours and Company
    Inventors: Bruce A. Diner, Janine Fan
  • Patent number: 8241873
    Abstract: Biomass is pretreated using an organic solvent solution under alkaline conditions in the presence of ammonia and optionally an additional nucleophile to fragment and extract lignin without loss of hemicellulose. Pretreated biomass is further hydrolyzed with a saccharification enzyme consortium. Fermentable sugars released by saccharification may be utilized for the production of target chemicals by fermentation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2012
    Assignee: E I du Pont de Nemours and Company
    Inventors: Bruce A. Diner, Janine Fan
  • Patent number: 8236536
    Abstract: Dissolution, partial dissolution or softening of cellulose in an ionic liquid (IL) and its subsequent contact with anti-solvent produces regenerated cellulose more amorphous in structure than native cellulose, which can be separated from the IL/anti-solvent mixture by mechanical means such as simple filtration or centrifugation. This altered morphology of IL-treated cellulose allows a greater number of sites for enzyme adsorption with a subsequent enhancement of its saccharification. The IL-treated cellulose exhibits significantly improved hydrolysis kinetics with optically transparent solutions formed after about two hours of reaction. This provides an opportunity for separation of products from the catalyst (enzyme) easing enzyme recovery. With an appropriate selection of enzymes, initial hydrolysis rates for IL-treated cellulose were up to two orders of magnitude greater than those of untreated cellulose.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2012
    Assignee: The University of Toledo
    Inventors: Sasidhar Varanasi, Constance Ann Schall, Anantharam Prasad Dadi
  • Patent number: 8234813
    Abstract: Systems and methods for hydroponically growing microorganisms within a self-contained air-supported structure, in which microorganisms are grown in an organic slurry, harvested, and processed to obtain and process and distribute molecules useful for biofuel or other purposes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2012
    Assignee: Algepower LLC
    Inventors: Gail Busch, Jacques M. Dupont
  • Patent number: 8236153
    Abstract: An immobilization carrier containing an electron acceptor compound is used in addition to glutaraldehyde and poly-L-lysine to immobilize an enzyme and an electron acceptor compound simultaneously to an electrode. For example, here are used diaphorase as the enzyme and 2-amino-3-carboxy-1, 4-naphthoquinone (ACNQ) as the electron acceptor compound.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Atsushi Sato, Tokuji Ikeda, Kenji Kano
  • Patent number: 8236534
    Abstract: A process for producing ethanol including a combination of biochemical and synthetic conversions results in high yield ethanol production with concurrent production of high value coproducts. An acetic acid intermediate is produced from carbohydrates, such as corn, using enzymatic milling and fermentation steps, followed by conversion of the acetic acid into ethanol using esterification and hydrogenation reactions. Coproducts can include corn oil, and high protein animal feed containing the biomass produced in the fermentation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2012
    Assignee: Zeachem, Inc.
    Inventors: Dan Verser, Timothy J. Eggeman
  • Patent number: 8232082
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for obtaining fuel ethanol by using agricultural and agroindustrial waste materials composed of lignocellulose, and especially sugar cane bagasse. These residues have significant contents of carbohydrates in the form of polysaccharides (cellulose and hemicellulose), which can be hydrolyzed by chemical and enzymic processes. The hemicellulose fraction is submitted to mild hydrolysis with sulphuric acid, and the solid material from this hydrolysis is submitted to a process of saccharification (enzymic hydrolysis) with simultaneous rapid alcoholic fermentation under conditions which allow a significant increase in conversion to alcohol in a greatly shortened time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2012
    Assignee: Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.-Petrobras
    Inventors: Lidia Maria Melo Sant'anna, Nei Pereira, Jr., Absai Da Conceicao Gomes, Mariana Penuela Vasques
  • Patent number: 8232073
    Abstract: Provided herein are methods of diagnosing or monitoring the treatment of abnormal glycan accumulation or a disorder associated with abnormal glycan accumulation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2012
    Assignee: Zacharon Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
    Inventors: Brett E. Crawford, Jillian R. Brown, Charles A. Glass, Jim R. Beitel, Robin M. Jackman
  • Patent number: 8226933
    Abstract: A skin care product comprising from about 0.001% to about 10% of a retinoid, in combination with 0.0001% to about 50% of a combination of retinoid boosters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Assignee: Unilever Home & Personal Care, USA division of Conopco, Inc.
    Inventors: Stewart Paton Granger, Ian Richard Scott, Robert Mark Donovan, Susanne Teklits Iobst, Lisa Licameli
  • Patent number: 8227234
    Abstract: A process for preparing a 2-hydroxy-4-substituted pyridine compound using a microbiological method, a novel microorganism, and a novel compound are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Assignee: Yuki Gosei Kogyo Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Mie Sasaki, Seiichiro Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 8227617
    Abstract: A process for preparing a 2-hydroxy-4-substituted pyridine compound using a microbiological method, a novel microorganism, and a novel compound are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Assignee: Yuki Gosei Kogyo Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Mie Sasaki, Seiichiro Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 8227219
    Abstract: A method and apparatus is provided for microbial seeding and amendment of traditional alternative fuels production systems and processes using immobilized microbe bioreactors. The system addition utilizes attachment of yeast or other microbial consortia to a substrate to enhance alternative fuels production in fermentation processes. The system allows for the maintenance of a constant concentrated microbial population, thus enhancing alternative fuels production by stabilizing microbial populations. Desired aerobic and anaerobic conditions are maintained using a microbubble aeration device coupled to the Immobilized Microbe Bioreactor (IMBR) seeding reactors. Generation of the microbial populations for seeding requires control of aerobic and anaerobic conditions to ensure growth of a microbial population acclimated to elevated alternative fuels concentrations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Inventor: Tommy Mack Davis
  • Patent number: 8222233
    Abstract: Methods for hydrolyzing solid ungranulated lysophosphatidylcholine with phospholipase A2 are provided. Also disclosed are methods for making a lipid matrix of lysophosphatidylcholine, monoglyceride and fatty acid, and lipid matrices of particular structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2012
    Assignee: BioMolecular Products, Inc.
    Inventors: David W. Yesair, Walter A. Shaw, Stephen W. Burgess, Robert Travis Mckee
  • Patent number: 8216799
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a dry analytical element for pancreatic lipase analysis having high selectivity with respect to pancreatic lipase, whose multianalyte correlation has been improved. The present invention provides a dry analytical element for measurement of pancreatic lipase contained in a body fluid, which comprises at least one development layer and/or reagent layer containing diglyceride or triglyceride of long-chain alkyl fatty acid having 12 to 22 carbon atoms, monoglyceride lipase, and a glycerine measurement reagent, wherein the development layer and/or the reagent layer comprise two or more types of anionic surfactants and at least one type of the anionic surfactant is alkylarylsulfonate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2012
    Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation
    Inventors: Shigeki Kageyama, Hideaki Tanaka
  • Patent number: 8216809
    Abstract: Biomass is pretreated using an organic solvent solution under alkaline conditions in the presence of elemental sulfur and optionally one or more alkylamine and/or one or more additional nucleophile to fragment and extract lignin. Pretreated biomass is further hydrolyzed with a saccharification enzyme consortium. Fermentable sugars released by saccharification may be utilized for the production of target chemicals by fermentation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2012
    Assignee: E I du Pont de Nemours and Company
    Inventors: Bruce A. Diner, Paul Joseph Fagan, Janine Fan
  • Patent number: 8211662
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an enzyme substrate for detecting nitroreductase activity of formula (I) below: in which X is S, NX1, O or NX1-CO; R1 is nothing or a substituent selected from Cl, CH3, Br, F, I, alkyl, aryl and carboxyl; R2 is nothing or a substituent selected from Cl, O—CH2—O, O—CH3, F, diethylenediamine-CH3, NR3R4, Br, I, alkyl, aryl, carboxyl, NO2 and R3 and R4 are independently H or an alkyl group containing from 1 to 4 carbon atoms; and X1 is selected from H, CH3, C2H4Ph, OH, alkyl and aryl.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: Biomerieux
    Inventors: Olivier Fabrega, Arthur James, Vindhya Lakshika Salwatura, Sylvain Orenga, Stephen Stanforth
  • Patent number: 8211681
    Abstract: The present invention comprises an in vitro enzymatic process that effectively converts renewable polysaccharides into high yields of hydrogen at mild conditions, using only enzymes and water. The process comprises a number of enzymes: (1) phosphorylases, (2) phosphoglucomutases, (3) hydrogenases, and (4) enzymes involved in the pentose-phosphate pathway. Preferred embodiments of the process produce only hydrogen and carbon dioxide as net products, translating into an inexpensive method of generating hydrogen in very large quantities from low-cost feedstocks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.
    Inventors: Yi-Heng Percival Zhang, Jonathan Mielenz