Patents Examined by Katie Hammer
  • Patent number: 8016894
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for generating gas-phase active chemical species suitable for selectively processing one side of a textile or nonwoven material are described. Processing includes etching or stripping coatings, as examples. A low-temperature plasma is used to produce an ionized gas containing radical species, atoms, ions, and electrons, some of which are suitable for removing or modifying the coating. For the purposes of the present invention, the plasma may be generated in a vacuum, or at atmospheric pressure. Dielectric-barrier discharges, atmospheric-pressure plasma jets, micro hollow-cathode discharges, coronas, or plasmas produced by a microwave discharge or laser-supplied energy may be used to generate the required species.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2011
    Assignee: APJeT, Inc.
    Inventors: Gary S. Selwyn, Hans W. Herrmann, Matthew R. Barnes
  • Patent number: 8002852
    Abstract: A method of dyeing a lens, comprises the steps of: (a) applying a dyeing ink containing a sublimable dye onto a base material to produce a dyeing base body; (b) placing the dyeing base body and the lens so that a dye-applied surface of the dyeing base body and a surface of the lens to be dyed face each other in noncontact relation, and heating the dyeing base body under substantially a vacuum condition to sublimate and deposit the applied dye on the lens; and (c) heating the dye deposited surface of the lens by irradiation of infrared rays from one direction to fix the deposited dye on the lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2011
    Assignee: Nidek Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Minoru Inuzuka, Takahiro Hirai
  • Patent number: 7976586
    Abstract: The invention relates to an aqueous dye solution comprising a) 5 to 30% by weight of an anionic or cationic direct dye, b) 0.1 to 10% by weight of 1-phenoxy-2-propanol, c) 0 to 20% by weight of an inorganic or an organic acid, d) 0 to 20% by weight of further additives and e) water to complete to 100%, a process for the preparation of the solution and the use thereof for dyeing paper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2011
    Assignee: BASF SE
    Inventors: Holger Lautenbach, Adolf Käser
  • Patent number: 7971302
    Abstract: A method of washing fabric articles in a tunnel washer includes moving the fabric articles from the intake of the washer to the discharge of the washer through first and second sectors that are a pre-wash zone. In the pre-wash zone, liquid is counter flowed in the wash interior along a flow path that is generally opposite the direction of travel of the fabric articles. The fabric articles are transferred to a main wash zone, and a washing chemical is added to the main wash zone. At about the same time, counter flow is reduced or stopped. The main wash zone can be heated as an option. After a period of time (for example, between about 20 and 120 seconds) counter flow is increased. The increased counter flow after chemical treatment amounts to either an intermediate rinse or a pre-rinse depending upon which module or zone the goods occupy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2011
    Assignee: Pellerin Milnor Corporation
    Inventors: Russell H. Poy, Karl Schubert
  • Patent number: 7938865
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of dyeing a substrate with a reactive dyestuff in supercritical or near supercritical carbon dioxide, said substrate being selected from the group consisting of cellulose fibers, modified cellulose fibers, protein fibers and of synthetic fibers, or any combination thereof, wherein the method comprises the subsequent steps of: pre-treating the substrate by wetting the substrate with a fluid medium containing at least 10 wt. %, preferably at least 40 wt. % of one or more organic hydrogen bond acceptor compounds selected from the group consisting of C1-C6 alkanols, dimethyl sulfoxide, dimethylformamide, acetone, butan-2-one, dimethyl ether, methyl acetate and ethyl acetate; dyeing the substrate by contacting the pre-treated substrate with supercritical or near supercritical carbon dioxide containing a reactive dyestuff.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2011
    Assignee: Feyecon Development & Implementation B.V.
    Inventors: Maria Vanesa Fernandez Cid, Geert Jan Witkamp, Kathryn Nicole Teesink-Gerstner, Wilhelmus Johannes Theodorus Veugelers, Geert Feye Woerlee
  • Patent number: 7922929
    Abstract: The present invention relates a method of making a coated cellulosic textile, whereby a silk peptide is polymerized with a building block to develop a silk peptide/building block nanoparticle, said nanoparticle then being used to coat the textile. The resultant textile exhibits a high level of wrinkle recovery angle and/or tear strength, all without the use of N-methylol compounds, including ureas and formaldehydes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2011
    Assignee: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
    Inventors: Yi Li, Lok Yuen Lo, Jun Yan Hu
  • Patent number: 7922779
    Abstract: The invention herein provides for an improved dye material composed of a concentrated dye element for mixture with an aqueous element prior to application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2011
    Assignee: American Decorative Concrete Supply Company, Inc.
    Inventor: Clint Howle
  • Patent number: 7896929
    Abstract: A method of treating textiles with a silicone block copolymer containing polyether-amide units is disclosed. Textiles treated with the silicone block copolymer have a feel or hand comparable to conventional hydrophobic silicones, but do not negatively impact the hydrophilicity of the textile.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2011
    Assignee: Dow Corning Corporation
    Inventors: Kimmai Thi Nguyen, Lenin Petroff, Fernando Vazquez
  • Patent number: 7846214
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing carpet provides for an old art dyeing effect. Specifically, acid and cationic dyes are provided in a solution to a carpet tufted with cationic and acid dye fibers. The carpet is preferably tufted in such a way that there is a relative scarcity of one of the cationic and acid dye fibers at a first width. An abundance of the other dye accumulates in higher concentration than in surrounding areas at the first width. This higher concentration tends to diffuse and/or be moved by other mechanisms to the surrounding areas or widths where the dye attaches to appropriate contacts. This creates at least one of the dark band, a fade and/or a old art dye effect at that location. By precisely controlling the carpet fiber location at the upper surface, the dye solution and the dyeing process, fades and other process can be precisely controlled for repeatable performance as has not been experienced in the prior art.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2010
    Assignee: Product Concepts Residential, LLC
    Inventor: Robert S. Weiner
  • Patent number: 7842102
    Abstract: A dye formulation is disclosed that includes a vegetable oil ester based solvents that have carbon chain lengths of C-1 to C-18, a solvent dye that is a true liquid dye dissolved in the vegetable oil ester for imparting color to the dye formulation, and reduced sulfur levels in commercially available dye formulations as compared to those in hydrocarbon based solvent systems. Sulfur content is typically reduced to 2-3 percent of dye formulations in hydrocarbon based solvents. The formulations are particularly useful for tagging petroleum substrates as well as writing instrument and ink jet formulations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2010
    Assignee: Sunbelt Corporation
    Inventor: Michael R. Friswell
  • Patent number: 7837741
    Abstract: The present invention provides a safe method for cleaning fabric articles, comprising the step of treating the fabric articles with a working cyclosiloxane dry cleaning solvent to remove contaminants from the articles, wherein the working solvent is contacted and mixed with a solidifying catalyst in case of an increased temperature event. The present invention also provides a dry cleaning system suitable for carrying out the method of the invention. Since said method has improved safety, it is very suitable for in-home use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2010
    Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
    Inventors: Fred Kerpels, Joel A. Luckman, Pieter E. Overdevest, Tremitchell Wright
  • Patent number: 7819927
    Abstract: A synthetic-rich fabric (e.g., polyester, polypropylene, nylon, acrylic and elastane fibers—including lycra, spandex, etc.) useful in the manufacture of commercially launderable items is described. The fabric has many of the properties that make cotton fabrics desirable including hand feel, and wicking, but retains the best properties of synthetic fabrics, m addition, the soil release properties, pilling resistance and UV protection offered by the present items makes the fabric ideal in manufacturing apparel and non-apparel (e.g., pillow cases, bed sheets, aprons, tablecloths, napkins, etc.) items.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2010
    Inventor: Frederick M. Greenspoon
  • Patent number: 7812156
    Abstract: The instant invention relates to stilbene optical brightening agents which combine a high solubility in water while providing superior fluorescent whitening effects when applied to the surface of paper in either the size-press or in a pigmented coating composition and which show a reduced anionic charge. The instant optical brighteners may also be used for finishing of textiles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2010
    Assignee: Clariant Finance (BVI) Limited
    Inventors: Andrew Clive Jackson, Nicholas Philip Lock
  • Patent number: 7799098
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a shading process characterized by using a composition comprising a phthalocyanine to which at least one dyestuff is attached through a covalent bonding, to shading compositions, to new compounds used in these shading compositions as well as to the production of these new compounds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2010
    Assignee: Ciba Specialty Chemicals Corp.
    Inventors: Alfred Höhener, Frank Bachmann, Adolf Käser, Chandrasekhar Dayal Mudaliar, Dinesh Narendra Rele, Sneha Shankar Rane, Georg Roentgen
  • Patent number: 7766978
    Abstract: Provided are acidic hair dye compositions in which the dye has a high permeability into hair, the dye can be applied uniformly, and the composition has excellent staining property, safety and sense of use at the time of hair dyeing. The acidic hair dye compositions of the present invention comprise at least one dibasic acid ester compound represented by general formula I below: wherein, in general formula I, R1 is an alkylene group which may have a substituent with 2 to 4 carbon atoms, R2 and R3 are, independently from each other, an alkyl group which may have a substituent with 1 to 4 carbon atoms, R4 and R5 are, independently from each other, hydrogen, methyl group or ethyl group, m and n is, independently from each other, an integer of 0 to 4, wherein m+n?1 (with the proviso that the case is excluded in which R2 and R3 are both ethyl group, and m and n are both 1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2010
    Assignee: Kokyu Alcohol Kogyo Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuki Kokeguchi, Kyoichi Takeda, Kiyotaka Kawai
  • Patent number: 7737286
    Abstract: The present invention provides ?-hydroxy benzeneacetic acid derivatives of the formula as defined in the specification which is a precursor indispensable for synthesis of compounds having two 5-membered lactone rings fused to central cyclohexa-1,4-diene nucleus, and a process of easily preparing the same. According to the preparation process of the present invention, the ?-hydroxy benzeneacetic acid derivative can be readily prepared at high purity and yield without using toxic materials or producing toxic by-products. Some novel compounds, synthesized by using such a ?-hydroxy benzeneacetic acid derivative, have excellent fastness properties, dye fixing rate and leveling property to general synthetic fiber materials such as polyester fibers and their blends with other fibers, especially to micro fibers, and also can be used as a coloring agent for plastic resins, color tonors, color filters, etc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2010
    Assignee: Kyung-In Synthetic Corporation
    Inventors: Man-joon Han, Soon-hyun Park, Jwung-rhok Kim, Urs Lauk
  • Patent number: 7728067
    Abstract: An adjuvant composition comprising (A) a C1-C2carboxylic acid ester of a polyhydroxy compound containing from 2 to 20 hydroxyl groups and (B) an N-heterocyclic compound having a pKa, value of from 6 to 8 is storage-stable and suitable as an acid donor in the dyeing of polyamides.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2010
    Assignee: Huntsman International LLC
    Inventors: Hans-Jorg Peter, Claudius Brinkmann
  • Patent number: 7728072
    Abstract: An epichlorohydrinamine polymer has a ratio of amine units to epichlorohydrin units of from 0.8:1.2 to 1.0:1.0, dimethylaminopropylamine and benzylamine preferably being used as amine and/or ammonium units. The novel epichlorohydrinamine polymer is used, for example, for the surface treatment of semifinished leather products and textile materials.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2010
    Assignee: BASF Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Gerhard Wolf, Stephan Hueffer, Juergen Decker, Guenter Scherr, Oliver Reese
  • Patent number: 7723459
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a class of polyesters that are lightly crosslinked polyesters made by reacting polysorbate units (linked by the reaction of their hydroxyl groups) to the carboxyl group of dimer acid. As will become clear, lightly crosslinked as used herein relates to reactions in which there is an excess of hydroxyl groups on a molar basis to carboxylic groups on the dimer acid. The polymers and a contribute softness, lubricity and antistatic properties when applied to hair, skin, textile fiber and paper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2010
    Assignee: Zenetech LLC
    Inventors: Carter LaVay, Anthony J. O'Lenick, Jr.
  • Patent number: 7705144
    Abstract: Preparing dyes suitable for cosmetic use that start with known dyes and link them, for example, with 1,3,5 triazine to bulky organic groups that control solubility.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2010
    Inventor: Andrea E. Holmes