Patents Examined by Krishnan Menon
  • Patent number: 7374672
    Abstract: A filter apparatus having a filter membrane, a main body, a supply channel running perpendicular to the surface of the filter membrane and a gap running between it and the filter membrane, for the formation of a tangentially directed transverse flow, a return channel connected with the supply channel, a circulation channel located around a circumferential edge of the membrane, having an inlet connected to the gap and an outlet connected to the return channel, and a circulator to impart a circular movement to the fluid in the circulation channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2008
    Assignee: NFT Nanofiltertechnik GmbH
    Inventor: Wilfried Hofmann
  • Patent number: 7344033
    Abstract: To provide a solid-liquid separator in which a treatment object such as sludge can be transported without clogging, liquid can be efficiently separated from the treatment object, and a maintenance operation can be easily conducted. Movable plates 12 and fixed plates 13 are disposed alternately, two screws 21, 22 are disposed in recess sections 14, 15 formed in the movable plates 12 and fixed plates 13, parts of blade sections 25, 26 of the two screws 21, 22 overlap each other, the two screws 21, 22 are rotary driven, and the liquid is discharged from the gap between the movable plates 12 and fixed plates 13, while the treatment object is being transported. When the movable plates 12 are replaced, the two screws 21, 22 are lifted up and then the movable plates 12 are pulled up and replaced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2008
    Assignee: Amukon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masayoshi Sasaki
  • Patent number: 7329339
    Abstract: A strainer device for a fuel tank includes a sucking passage member provided with a passage opened in the fuel tank; a filtering member attached to the sucking passage member for covering a hole of the passage; and a conduit connecting portion extending outside the fuel tank for connecting a conduit for guiding fuel passing through the filtering member. The conduit connecting member is attached to the sucking passage member, so that a concave portion is formed at a connecting portion for receiving a check valve for preventing the fuel from flowing back from outside of the fuel tank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2008
    Assignees: NIFCO Inc., Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshihide Kimisawa, Takashi Iwamoto, Masaki Ueno, Osamu Suzuki
  • Patent number: 7325694
    Abstract: A strainer is provided to facilitate the washing of an item in a conventional sink. The strainer includes a flexible sheet having a plurality of apertures extending therethrough. Handles project from the outer periphery of the flexible sheet to move the flexible sheet between a first position wherein the sheet is generally planer and a second position wherein the sheet forms a bag. A plurality of spacers extends from and are spaced along a first face of the sheet to space the sheet from the surface of the sink.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2008
    Inventor: Richard D. Bushey
  • Patent number: 7323105
    Abstract: A direct flow filter includes a pleated filter element filtering fluid flowing axially therethrough parallel to the wall segment pleat tip bend lines. Embossments on the wall segments have a height extending along a lateral direction into a respective flow channel to maintain channel width and guiding and directing fluid axially into and along the flow channels from the upstream ends of the wall segments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: Fleetguard, Inc.
    Inventors: Eric A. Janikowski, Jason E. Dorgan, Christopher E. Holm, Z. Gerald Liu
  • Patent number: 7323106
    Abstract: A filter has multiple pleated filter elements having axially extending channels having a transverse pleat channel height and a lateral channel width. The pleated filter elements have different channel heights.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: Fleetguard, Inc.
    Inventors: Tadeusz Jaroszczyk, Mark A. Terres, Scott W. Schwartz, Eric A. Janikowski, Jeffrey S. Morgan, Barry M. Verdegan, Scott P. Heckel, Caryn J. Christianson, Jerald J. Moy, Murray R. Schukar
  • Patent number: 7314558
    Abstract: A pleated panel fluid filter filters fluid flowing along an axial flow direction and includes angled panels and/or progressively increasing flow channel width and/or skewed panel projections and/or flattened pleat tip bend lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2008
    Assignee: Fleetguard, Inc.
    Inventors: Tadeusz Jaroszczyk, Scott W. Schwartz, Eric A. Janikowski, Mark A. Terres, Murray R. Schukar, Barry M. Verdegan
  • Patent number: 7314555
    Abstract: A filter assembly including a replaceable filter cartridge for use with a reusable filter canister. The filter cartridge includes a cylindrical filter media having top and bottom ends respectively mounted within top and bottom end caps. The bottom end cap includes a sidewall that surrounds at least a lower portion of the filter media. A contaminant containment chamber is defined between the sidewall and an outer side of the filter media. When the cartridge is mounted within the canister, the radial sealing element engages an inner surface of the canister to provide a circumferential seal. The sidewall also includes a living hinge positioned below the sealing element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2008
    Assignee: Donaldson Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Stan M. Koehler, Brent A. Gulsvig, John R. Hacker
  • Patent number: 7303673
    Abstract: A high-pressure spin-on filter assembly is provided that utilizes a two-piece cover assembly to hold or sandwich the housing in place once the housing is folded over the inner cover member. This design allows for the outer cover member to be interchanged to fit multiple applications while making little or no change to the other components. Suitable gaskets are provided between the housing and two-piece cover assembly and the filter and cover assembly. The outer cover member may be changed to accommodate thread changes or gasket location changes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2007
    Assignee: Wix Filtration Corp LLC
    Inventor: James Michael Glazewski
  • Patent number: 7303083
    Abstract: A filter element support tube has a pair of axially extending spines and first and second sets of oppositely laterally extending half-rings axially offset from each other. The support tube is efficiently manufacturable, and desirably provides a constant diameter along its axial length.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2007
    Assignee: Fleetguard, Inc.
    Inventors: Gildas Le Men, Robert A. Bannister, Michael J. Connor, Michael R. Furseth
  • Patent number: 6994788
    Abstract: A sulfonated aromatic polymer comprising the repeating structural unit of the formula I —O—Ar1(SO3R)n—C(CF3)2—Ar1(SO3R)n—O—Ar2—(X—Ar2)m—, ??(I) in which Ar1 and Ar2 are, independently of one another, divalent aromatic or heteroaromatic radicals which are optionally substituted by one or more monovalent organic groups which are inert under the conditions of use, R is hydrogen, an alkali metal or alkaline earth metal ion or an ammonium ion, n is an integer from 0 to 3, m is 0, 1 or 2 and X is a —CO—, —O—, —CpH2p—, —CpF2p— or —S— group, in which p is an integer from 1 to 10, is described. Membranes with high proton conductivities can be produced from this polymer and are preferably used in fuel cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2006
    Assignee: PEMEAS GmbH
    Inventors: Alexander Dyck, Thomas Soczka-Guth
  • Patent number: 6854602
    Abstract: A hydrogen permselective membrane, a method of forming a permselective membrane and an apparatus comprising a permselective membrane, a porous substrate and an optional intermediate layer are described. Using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) at low reactant gas concentration, high permselectivities are achieved with minimal reduction in hydrogen permeance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2005
    Assignees: Conocophillips Company, Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University
    Inventors: Shigeo Ted Oyama, Lixiong Zang, Doohwan Lee, Doug S. Jack
  • Patent number: 6783008
    Abstract: A restraining system for hollow fibres is provided. The restraining system includes a plurality of longitudinally extending elements spaced from one another and supported by a number of discrete spacer elements, each spacer element extending generally transverse of said longitudinal elements, such that in combination with said longitudinal elements they define a cage-like structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2004
    Assignee: U.S. Filter Wastewater Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Fufang Zha, David John Cox
  • Patent number: 6645388
    Abstract: A leukocyte depletion filter media includes nonwoven material or microfiber glass which has been coated with a polysaccharide originally containing functionalized side chains capable of crosslinking with each other and the filter media. The leukocyte depletion filter media preferably includes a polysaccharide having a charge density of up to 5 meq/g.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2003
    Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Corporation
    Inventor: Bashir Musse Sheikh-Ali
  • Patent number: 6632356
    Abstract: A separation end cap adapted for connecting adjacent separation elements is provided. The end cap may be located at the distal ends of a separation element and is adapted for connection with a permeate tube located within the separation element. In one embodiment the end cap includes an inner hub for receiving an O-ring to seal against an inner hub of an end cap on an adjacent separation element. The inner hub of the end cap may be spin-welded to the outer surface of the permeate tube. A locking structure on an outer hub of the end cap co-acts with a locking structure on an end cap of an adjacent separation element to releaseably lock the end caps and, therefore, adjacent separation elements. The locking structure preferably provides a predetermined axial force on the O-ring to seal the connection between permeate tubes of adjacent separation elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2003
    Assignee: Dow Global Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Matthew Jon Hallan, Jon E. Johnson, Lance Dallas Johnson