Patents Examined by Naomi Birbach
  • Patent number: 7824500
    Abstract: A system and a method are disclosed for cleaning a reactor chamber of a pump exhaust abatement system. During the cleaning of the reactor chamber a transparent protective shield is temporarily mounted on an opening of a cabinet that contains the reactor chamber. The transparent protective shield has apertures and associated glove mounts that allow protective gloves to be placed through the apertures. This allows a technician to have gloved access to clean the reactor chamber within the cabinet. The transparent protective shield protects the technician from exposure to pollutants during the time that the reactor chamber is being cleaned. The transparent protective shield is removed after the cleaning process has been completed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2010
    Assignee: National Semiconductor Corporation
    Inventor: Roger Sarver
  • Patent number: 7799137
    Abstract: A system and method of cleaning an enclosure of a container defined by inner walls, including providing a container, orienting the container so that the opening is lowermost and opens downwardly and generating resonant vibration in the container at a predetermined frequency and at an energy level sufficient to dislodge any loose solid particles from the inner walls of said container but not being of an energy level to impact the structural integrity of the container and maintaining the resonant vibration within the container enclosure for a sufficient time to dislodge all loose solid particles from the inner walls of said container. The system may include a resonant chamber in the form of a shroud and means to effectuate the method steps and may also include a sanitizing step in which the containers are further sanitized to render inactive any organic contaminants.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2010
    Assignee: Stokely-Van Camp, Inc.
    Inventor: Thomas S. Wolters
  • Patent number: 7789964
    Abstract: A method of cleaning a surface of a photomask by removing contaminants from its surface that includes placing the photomask in a vessel, which is held under an elevated pressure and feeding a supercritical fluid, in particular, CO2 in a supercritical state, to the vessel. An additive, such as alcohol, water ketones, esters, surfactants, and organic solvents, can be added to the fluid. The vessel can be held under a pressure higher than the critical pressure of the fluid and at a temperature higher than the critical temperature of the fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2010
    Assignee: Advanced Mask Technology Center GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Christian Chovino, Matthew Lamantia
  • Patent number: 7785421
    Abstract: The substrate treatment method includes: a cleaning step of supplying deionized water to a major surface of a substrate to clean the substrate; a pre-drying treatment step of supplying a pre-drying treatment liquid containing an organic solvent more volatile than the deionized water to the major surface of the substrate after the cleaning step to replace deionized water remaining on the major surface with the pre-drying treatment liquid; and a drying step of removing the pre-drying treatment liquid supplied to the major surface of the substrate after the pre-drying treatment step to dry the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2010
    Assignee: Dainippon Screen Mfg. Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Toyohide Hayashi
  • Patent number: 7785423
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for removing debris from the propulsion system of a vehicle such as a battle tank, including a tank in which the vehicle is positioned, means for lifting the vehicle in the tank, and means to wash the vehicle's propulsion system while the vehicle is in raised position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2010
    Inventor: David G. Midkiff
  • Patent number: 7775225
    Abstract: A device for washing and storing machinery is provided. This device includes a storage apparatus and a washing apparatus formed integrally with the storage apparatus. The storage apparatus further includes: a housing defining an internal chamber therein; a base attached to the bottom portion of the housing, wherein the base further includes at least one aperture formed therein; a debris tray attached to the base, wherein a portion of the tray is positionable beneath the aperture formed in the base; and a door for gaining access to the internal chamber, wherein the door further includes a floating upper portion and a lower portion connected to the base. The washing apparatus further includes: a plurality of directional sprayers, wherein the plurality of directional sprayers are located within the housing and the base; and plumbing for connecting the plurality of sprayers to one another and to a source of pressurized fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2010
    Inventor: Gary Wade
  • Patent number: 7775223
    Abstract: A drawer-type dishwasher includes a outer housing and an extensible wash chamber that in a first position resides completely within the outer housing and in a second position extends completely out from the outer housing. The wash chamber is connected to the outer housing through a utility link. In order to permit full travel of the wash chamber, the utility link is provided with multiple, flexible loops. The utility link can include a drain hose, an electrical cable or a combination of both. Regardless, the utility link is supported through a carrier that is connected at one end to the outer housing and at another end to the wash chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2010
    Assignee: Maytag Corporation
    Inventors: Kory A. Gunnerson, Heather Hagans, Kristen K. Hedstrom, Mark E. Palm, Rodney M. Welch
  • Patent number: 7775222
    Abstract: Provided are a single substrate cleaning apparatus, and a method for cleaning the backside of a substrate, where a substrate reversing device for cleaning the backside of a substrate is installed inside a processing chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2010
    Assignee: Semes Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Chung-Sic Choi
  • Patent number: 7770589
    Abstract: A water-powered eductor cleaner for removing accumulated matter from within a chamber of an eductor. The water-powered eductor cleaner includes an eductor cleaning system for separating accumulated matter from the inside walls of the eductor chamber. The eductor cleaning system utilizes a high-pressured water stream from within the eductor chamber to provide the energy to move the eductor cleaning system between the inside walls of the eductor chamber, thereby engaging and dislodging the accumulated matter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2010
    Assignee: The Southern Company
    Inventor: Damon Eric Woodson
  • Patent number: 7763117
    Abstract: A method for the manufacture of extended steel products. The steel product is initially contaminated by oils and by at least one of organic and inorganic particles that are suspended or dissolved in the oils. Following the shaping of the steel product by working but before the subsequent treatment of the steel product, burners emit exhaust gases that interact directly with the surface of the steel product. The burners are driven by an oxidant that contains at least 80% oxygen by weight, whereby oils that are present on the product are vaporized and combusted. The exhaust gases interact with the surface of the steel product with a speed that is sufficiently high to blow away organic and/or inorganic particles from the surface of the steel product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2010
    Assignee: AGA AB
    Inventors: Ola Ritzén, Tomas Ekman, Lennart Rangmark
  • Patent number: 7749333
    Abstract: In a substrate processing apparatus, a control section is preset to perform a chemical liquid process by use of a chemical liquid after a rinsing process by use of a rinsing liquid. The control section first executes a step of rotating a substrate at a rotational speed not lower than that used in the rinsing process and supplying the chemical liquid onto the substrate, thereby performing cleaning inside a drain cup by the chemical liquid, while discarding, through a waste line, liquid received by the drain cup. The control section then executes a step of rotating the substrate at a decreased rotational speed for the chemical liquid process and supplying the chemical liquid onto the substrate, thereby performing the chemical liquid process on the substrate, while collecting, through a collection line, liquid received by the drain cup.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2010
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventor: Hiromitsu Nanba
  • Patent number: 7699063
    Abstract: A drawer-type dishwasher includes a dispenser mounted to one of front and opposing side walls of a basin. The basin is slidably supported in an outer body of the dishwasher. The dispenser includes a main body portion, first and second reservoirs and an actuator. Each of the first and second reservoirs includes upper and lower openings. The first reservoir includes a cover that selectively closes the upper opening, while the lower opening is opened by the actuator. The second reservoir is provided with first and second lids pivotally mounted to the main body portion. The first lid is opened to allow loading of wash aid, while the second lid is opened during a wash operation to release the wash aid. After the wash operation concludes, the second lid is closed, causing the first lid to open allowing detergent to again be loaded into the second reservoir.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2010
    Assignee: Maytag Corporation
    Inventor: Daniel Hruby
  • Patent number: 7691210
    Abstract: A resist film removing method for removing a resist film disposed on a substrate and having a cured layer at a surface includes covering the surface of the resist film with a protection film; causing popping in the resist film covered with the protection film; denaturing the resist film and the protection film after causing popping, to be soluble in water; and performing purified water cleaning to remove from the substrate the resist film and the protection film denatured to be soluble in water.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2010
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Takehiko Orii, Kenji Sekiguchi, Tadashi Iino
  • Patent number: 7648582
    Abstract: A method of cleaning an ESC comprises immersing a ceramic surface of the ESC in dielectric fluid; spacing the ceramic surface of the ESC apart from a conductive surface such that the dielectric fluid fills a gap between the ceramic surface of the ESC and the conductive surface; and subjecting the dielectric fluid to ultrasonic agitation while simultaneously applying voltage to the ESC.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2010
    Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
    Inventor: Robert J. Steger
  • Patent number: 7641739
    Abstract: The invention is directed to a friction stir welding tool cleaning method and apparatus for fixed and retractable pin tools. The method and apparatus use a heating component, a temperature indicator component, a controller component, and a rotatable tool cleaner component for cleaning fixed pin tools. An additional bore cleaner component is used for cleaning retractable pin tools. Heat is applied to a friction stir welding tool having a surface with weld process residue material until the process residue material is sufficiently plasticized, and then the tool cleaner component is applied to the heated tool to remove the plasticized residue on the pin and shoulder surfaces of the tool, and for retractable pin tools, the bore cleaner component is applied to the heated tool to remove the plasticized residue in the tool bore.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2010
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Michael P. Matlack, Kurt A. Burton