Patents Examined by Kristen Jolley
  • Patent number: 10857744
    Abstract: A thermoplastic prepreg includes a web or mesh of fibers in which the web or mesh of fibers includes chopped fibers. The thermoplastic prepreg also includes a thermoplastic material that fully impregnates the web or mesh of fibers so that the thermoplastic prepreg has a void content of less than 5%. The thermoplastic material is polymers that are formed by in-situ polymerization of monomers or oligomers in which greater than 90% of the monomers or oligomers react to form the thermoplastic material. The thermoplastic prepreg includes between 5 and 95 weight percent of the thermoplastic material and the chopped fibers that form the web or mesh of fibers are un-bonded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2020
    Inventors: Mingfu Zhang, Christopher Sandoval, Jawed Asrar
  • Patent number: 10684548
    Abstract: In a developing method, a developing nozzle starts discharge of developer to a position set in advance on a substrate, spinning about the center thereof, away from the center. This causes a flow of the developer at the center having a small centrifugal force immediately after the discharge is started. Accordingly, a dissolution product of a resist can be ejected outside the substrate more efficiently than the case when the discharge of the developer to the center is started. Moreover, this achieves distributed arrival positions of the developer directly discharged from the developing nozzle immediately after the discharge is started. Consequently, thin resist patterns especially at the center of the substrate are eliminated to obtain suppression in treatment variation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2020
    Assignee: SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuji Tanaka, Tadashi Miyagi, Masahiko Harumoto, Koji Kaneyama
  • Patent number: 10201826
    Abstract: Disclosed is a liquid coating method. The method executes processes of: coating a coating liquid in a spiral form on a surface of a substrate by ejecting the coating liquid from the ejection nozzle while moving the ejection nozzle in a predetermined direction between the rotary axis and a peripheral edge of the substrate during rotation of the substrate; making a linear velocity at an ejection position of the coating liquid from the ejection nozzle substantially constant by reducing a number of rotations of the substrate as the ejection position is positioned closer to the peripheral edge of the substrate; and making an ejection flow rate of the coating liquid ejected from the ejection nozzle substantially constant by changing a gap between the ejection port of the ejection nozzle and the surface of the substrate based on a flow rate of the coating liquid before ejection from the ejection nozzle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Katsunori Ichino, Takayuki Ishii, Kouzou Kawahara, Daisuke Simokawa, Kazuyuki Tashiro
  • Patent number: 10105817
    Abstract: An article of footwear is made by (a) providing a component having a contaminant on a receiving area of a surface; (b) blast cleaning the receiving area of the surface by propelling an abrasive alkali, alkaline earth, or ammonium compound in a pressurized gas stream against the receiving area; (c) applying a pressurized gas stream free of the abrasive compound, liquid water, and organic liquid to the receiving area to remove any residual abrasive compound from the receiving area of the surface to produce a cleaned receiving area; (d) applying a layer of material to the cleaned receiving area, wherein the material is selected from the group consisting of adhesives and coating compositions; and (e) incorporating the component into an article of footwear.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: NIKE, Inc.
    Inventor: Geun Rok Park
  • Patent number: 9757975
    Abstract: A process of applying a surface finish to a material selects an insect for the surface finish, completely dries the insect and removes tissue from underneath a surface of the insect for the surface finish.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2017
    Assignee: FOUNDATION FOR THE PROMOTION OF SUPPLEMENTARY OCCUPATIONS AND RELATED TECHNIQUES OF HER MAJESTY QUEEN SIRIKIT, THE CHITRALADA PALACE
    Inventor: Thanpuying Supornpen Luangthep
  • Patent number: 8846145
    Abstract: A liquid processing method forms a coating film by supplying and pouring a coating solution from a coating solution nozzle onto a surface of a substrate held substantially horizontally by a substrate holder. In the liquid processing method, a process for photographing a leading end portion of a coating solution nozzle is provided. When performing a process for anti-drying of the coating solution for a long period of time in advance, a position of the coating solution and a position of an anti-drying liquid are set by using a soft scale displayed on a screen where the photographed image is displayed. Therefore, a dispense control is performed based on a set value without depending on the naked eyes and a control for suppressing the drying of the coating solution in the leading end portion of the coating solution nozzle is performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2014
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventor: Michio Kinoshita
  • Patent number: 8728566
    Abstract: The present invention is a method of making a composite polymeric material by dissolving a vinyl thermoplastic polymer, un-functionalized carbon nanotubes and hydroxylated carbon nanotubes and optionally additives in a solvent to make a solution and removing at least a portion of the solvent after casting onto a substrate to make thin films. The material has enhanced conductivity properties due to the blending of the un-functionalized and hydroxylated carbon nanotubes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: Sandia Corporation
    Inventors: Gregory O'Bryan, Jack L. Skinner, Andrew Vance, Elaine Lai Yang, Thomas Zifer
  • Patent number: 8691336
    Abstract: A coating treatment method includes: a first step of discharging a coating solution from a nozzle to a central portion of a substrate while acceleratingly rotating the substrate, to apply the coating solution over the substrate; a second step of then decelerating the rotation of the substrate and continuously rotating the substrate; and a third step of then accelerating the rotation of the substrate to dry the coating solution on the substrate. In the first step, the acceleration of the rotation of the substrate is changed in the order of a first acceleration, a second acceleration higher than the first acceleration, and a third acceleration lower than the second acceleration to acceleratingly rotate the substrate at all times.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Kousuke Yoshihara, Katsunori Ichino
  • Patent number: 8578877
    Abstract: The present invention provides a spin coater including a rotation table that rotatably holds the disc substrate, a spin-cup that surrounds the outer circumference of a disc substrate held on the rotation table, a dripping unit configured to drip an ultraviolet-curable resin composition onto the surface of the disc substrate, a rotating unit configured to rotate the disc substrate via the rotation table to spread the ultraviolet-curable resin composition over the surface of the disc substrate, a heating unit configured to heat the ultraviolet-curable resin composition on the disc substrate, and a temperature controlling unit configured to control a reaching temperature of the spin cup which is increased by the heating unit each time the ultraviolet-curable resin composition is spread, so as to be constant over multiple spin coating processes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2013
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Yukitoshi Tajima
  • Patent number: 8318247
    Abstract: The present invention includes: a first step of discharging a coating solution from a nozzle to a center portion of the substrate to apply the coating solution on a surface of the substrate while rotating the substrate; a second step of decelerating, after the first step, the rotation of the substrate and continuously rotating the substrate; and a third step of accelerating, after the second step, the rotation of the substrate to dry the coating solution on the substrate, wherein: the substrate is rotated at a fixed speed of a first speed immediately before the first step; and in the first step, the rotation of the substrate which is at the first speed before start of the first step is gradually accelerated after the start of the first step so as to make the speed continuously change, and the acceleration of the rotation of the substrate is gradually decreased so as to make the speed of the rotation of the substrate converge in a second speed higher than the first speed at end of the first step.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Kousuke Yoshihara, Tomohiro Iseki, Koji Takayanagi
  • Patent number: 8168255
    Abstract: To manufacture a photochromic lens by uniformly applying a coating liquid having a photochromic function without leaving an uncoated area, with a minimum necessary coating amount. There is provided a manufacturing method of the photochromic lens for dripping and applying a coating liquid 9 having the photochromic function onto a coating surface 2 of a spectacle lens, while rotating a spectacle lens 1, and forming a photochromic film having the photochromic function on the coating surface, comprising dripping (ring-shaped drip part 25) the coating liquid in a ring shape in the vicinity of an outer circumference on the coating surface of the spectacle lens, and thereafter dripping (spiral-shaped drip part 26) the coating liquid in a spiral shape toward a geometrical center or an optical center of the spectacle lens from the vicinity of the outer circumference, wherein the coating surface has a convex curved shape, and a viscosity of the coating liquid is 25 to 500 cps at 25° C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Hoya Corporation
    Inventors: Masahiko Samukawa, Norihisa Tanaka
  • Patent number: 7364771
    Abstract: A method for producing a fluorine-containing polyimide film excelling in heat resistance, resistance to chemicals, water repellency, dielectric properties, electrical properties, and optical properties and a spin coater suitable for the method are to be provided. A method for the production of a fluorine-containing polyimide film which comprises forming a coating film of a fluorine-containing polyimide precursor in an atmosphere having a relative humidity thereof adjusted to a level of not more than 50 RH % and then subjecting the fluorine-containing polyimide precursor to heat treatment thereby forming a fluorine-containing polyimide film is provided. By adjusting the relative humidity in accordance with this method, the fluorine-containing polyimide precursor can be prevented from being decomposed by the absorption of moisture and consequently prevent effectively the fluorine-containing polyimide film from forming piriform spots and scratches.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2008
    Assignee: Nippon Shokubai Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kozo Tajiri, Shinichi Goto, Yoshinobu Asako, Kumiko Kawada
  • Patent number: 7166333
    Abstract: A method of decorating an article, the method comprising mixing a thermochromic ink with a transparent lacquer, applying the mixture on to part or all of the surface of an article, once the mixture is set, applying a second layer of dishwasher proof transparent lacquer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2007
    Inventor: James Anthony Lodge
  • Patent number: 6911231
    Abstract: A method for preparing a superconducting heat transfer medium having three basic layers, the method having the steps of preparing a first layer mixture, applying the first layer mixture to a surface of a substrate so as to form a first layer, preparing a second layer mixture, applying the second layer mixture to the substrate over the first layer so as to form a second layer on top of the first layer, preparing a third layer powder, and exposing the second layer to the third layer powder so as to form a third layer on top of the second layer, thus forming the three layer superconducting heat transfer medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2005
    Assignee: New Qu Energy Limited
    Inventor: Yu Zhi Qu