Patents Examined by Patrick Orme
  • Portable ultrafiltration device
    Patent number: 11666692
    Abstract: A portable ultrafiltration device having a suction bellows connected to a tube, passing through a solenoid valve, to a first dialysate connector of a hemofilter incorporated into a blood circuit having arterial lines, extending from a vascular access and passing through a peristaltic pump, and venous lines passing through an electronic safety block to the vascular access, and a second dialysate connector connected to an ultrafiltration pressure sensor. The elements of the portable ultrafiltration device are connected and controlled by an intelligent central unit powered by a rechargeable battery. Liquid collects in the space surrounding the fibres and in the suction bellows until the space is completely full.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignee: HASSAN II UNIVERSITY OF CASABLANCA
    Inventors: Mohamed Zamd, Benyounes Ramdani, Abdellah Ait Taleb, Abdellah Boualam
  • Valve leak detection system
    Patent number: 11660382
    Abstract: An improved valve leak detection system. The improved valve leak detection system comprises a membrane pump defining a flow path arranged to be opened and closed by at least one valve, a measuring device, a comparator, and a signal generator. The measuring device is configured to determine a conductivity value between two points on the flow path of the membrane pump, one point arranged upstream of the at least one valve and the other point arranged downstream of the at least one valve. The measuring device measures the conductivity value when the at least one valve is closed. The comparator is configured to continuously monitor the conductivity value. The signal generator is arranged to provide an output signal when the conductivity value is indicative of a valve leak condition for a set number of measurements within a set period of time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: Quanta Dialysis Technologies Limited
    Inventor: Eric William Westenbrink
  • Deformation-enhanced cleaning of fouled membranes
    Patent number: 11638903
    Abstract: Enhanced cleaning of a fouled membrane is achieved via controlled deformation in a method wherein a feed composition, comprising a solvent and dissolved components, flows into a retentate side of a membrane module. The solvent passes through the membrane from the retentate side to a permeate or draw side of the membrane module while retaining the dissolved components on the membrane. As a foulant accumulates on either side of the membrane, a driving force is generated across the membrane, wherein the membrane responds cyclically by deforming back and forth toward the permeate or draw side and toward the retentate side. The foulant is dislodged from the membrane via mechanical fatigue at the foulant-membrane interface caused by the deformation of the membrane and contact with a spacer in contact with the membrane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2023
    Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Omar Labban, Grace Goon, John H. Lienhard, Xuanhe Zhao
  • Liquid solution concentration system comprising isolated subsystem and related methods
    Patent number: 11629072
    Abstract: Liquid solution concentration systems, and related methods, are generally described. In some embodiments, the system is an osmotic system comprising a plurality of osmotic modules. For example, the osmotic system can comprise a feed osmotic module configured to produce an osmotic module retentate outlet stream having a higher concentration of solute than the retentate inlet stream transported to the feed osmotic module. The osmotic system can also comprise an isolation osmotic module fluidically connected to the feed osmotic module. The osmotic system can also optionally comprise a purification osmotic module fluidically connected to the feed osmotic module and/or the isolation osmotic module. Certain embodiments are related to altering the degree to which the feed osmotic module retentate outlet stream is recycled back to the retentate-side inlet of the feed osmotic module during operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2023
    Assignee: Gradiant Corporation
    Inventors: Richard Stover, Looh Tchuin Choong, Maximus G. St. John, Prakash Narayan Govindan
  • Loading/unloading of particulates to/from microchannel reactors
    Patent number: 11612874
    Abstract: The invention providing methods of loading and unloading particulate from micorchannels in apparatus that contains multiple microchannels, typically apparatus that is designed to operate with hundreds or thousands of particulate-containing microchannels. Aligning a sonicating head at one end of a set of microchannels provides a particularly effective mode for densifying particulate in microchannels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: Velocys, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey J. Ramler, Anna Lee Tonkovich, Rachid D. Taha, Kai T. P. Jarosch, Robert J. Luzenski, Jeffery D. Slane, Thomas D. Hickey, Sean D. Fitzgerald, Harley D. Freeman, Frederick A. Zenz
  • Method and system for gasification of biomass
    Patent number: 11613705
    Abstract: A continuous system for gasification of a biomass feedstock comprising: a fuel conditioning zone, a gasification zone and a char cooling area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: McGolden, LLC
    Inventor: Michael McGolden
  • Filtration system with automatic drain plug
    Patent number: 11607633
    Abstract: A filtration system includes a housing and a filter element positioned within the housing. The housing includes a first housing end and a second housing end. A drain opening is defined in the second housing end. The filter element includes a first endplate and a second endplate defining an endplate opening. Filter media is positioned between and extending axially between the first endplate and the second endplate. The filter media defines a central opening extending axially therein. A drain plug axially protrudes from the second endplate in a direction away from the filter media. The drain plug is configured to engage the drain opening and facilitate installation of the filter element into the housing. A lid is configured to engage the first housing end. The engagement between the lid and the first housing end occurs when the drain plug is disposed within the drain opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Assignee: CUMMINS FILTRATION SARL
    Inventor: Gérard Malgorn
  • Methods for producing a high protein corn meal from a whole stillage byproduct and system therefore
    Patent number: 11603507
    Abstract: The present invention relates generally to corn dry-milling, and more specifically, to methods for producing a high protein corn meal from a whole stillage byproduct produced in a corn dry-milling process for making ethanol and a system therefore. In one embodiment, a method for producing a high protein corn meal from a whole stillage byproduct includes, in a corn dry-milling process for making ethanol, separating the whole stillage byproduct into an insoluble solids portion and a thin stillage portion. The thin stillage portion is separated into a protein portion and a water soluble solids portion. Next, the protein portion is dewatered then dried to define a high protein corn meal that includes at least 40 wt % protein on a dry basis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2023
    Assignee: Fluid Quip Technologies, LLC
    Inventor: Chie Ying Lee
  • Porous fiber, adsorbent material, and purification column
    Patent number: 11596922
    Abstract: A solid fiber is described, where the solid fiber is characterized by (a) a modification degree Do/Di, in a cross section of the solid fiber of 1.20 to 8.50 where the inscribed circle diameter is denoted by Di and the circumscribed circle diameter is denoted by Do; and (b) a porous specific surface area of not less than 30 m2/g.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2023
    Assignee: TORAY INDUSTRIES. INC.
    Inventors: Hiroaki Fujieda, Yoshiyuki Ueno, Kazumi Tanaka
  • Header-equipped air diffusion device, and membrane separation activated sludge device
    Patent number: 11591244
    Abstract: Header-equipped air diffusion devices includes, in the header, an air storage unit, on its lower end including inlet(s) for water to be treated, and air supply part(s) and air sending part(s) on the air storage unit upper section. The air diffusion device's air sending part and horizontal tube are connected, air sent from the header being diffused by the air diffusion device, and air sending in the air storage unit is above the air supply part's air supply port. The air storage portion's partition portion, with a 50+mm height, partitions the upper portion into an air supply and an air feeding portion side. The partition portion forms a cylindrical portion and an upper plate portion and the air storage portion's trunk portion serves as part of the air supply portion, and an opening end on a lower end side of the partition portion serves as the air supply port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2023
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation
    Inventors: Yunje Lee, Makoto Ideguchi, Shinsuke Furuno
  • Filter element for a vehicle
    Patent number: 11583791
    Abstract: The filter element includes a filter medium having an axis and forming a channel extending substantially axially, a first and a second end plate, each end plate covering one axial end of the filter medium and being sealingly mounted on the axial end whereby a liquid to be filtered can flow through the filter medium towards the channel and out of the filter element through an opening in fluid communication with the channel, or reversely. The filter element includes a protrusion fixedly secured to the first end plate and extending outwardly from the first end plate, the protrusion being substantially tubular and having a through hole in fluid communication with the first end plate opening, the protrusion forming a female coupling piece of a male-female connector, and a locking member capable of releasably locking a male coupling piece of the male-female connector in the female coupling piece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: VOLVO TRUCK CORPORATION
    Inventors: Baptiste Boutin, Hervé Coste, Bertrand Cauvin
  • Membrane support made with preformed sheets
    Patent number: 11577203
    Abstract: A planar membrane cartridge includes a support and a semi-permeable membrane layer. The support includes a first layer attached to a second layer and defining a front face and a back face of the support. At least one of the first layer and the second layer form a first embossment and a second embossment. Respective back faces of the first layer and the second layer are attached to each other along edges of the first embossment and of the second embossment, such that the first embossment defines a fluid compartment between the first layer and the second layer and the second embossment defines an internal channel between the first layer and the second layer which is isolated from the fluid compartment. An area of the first layer corresponding to the first embossment is covered by the semi-permeable membrane layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: VITO NV (VLAAMSE INSTELLING VOOR TECHNOLOGISCH ONDERZOEK NV)
    Inventors: Bart Molenberghs, Chris Dotremont
  • Methods of dewatering of alcoholic solutions via forward osmosis and related systems
    Patent number: 11571660
    Abstract: Embodiments described herein relate to methods and systems for dewatering alcoholic solutions via forward osmosis, where the concentration of alcohol in the draw stream is equal to or greater than the concentration of the alcohol in the feed stream. As the feed stream is concentrated the alcohol is retained in the feed stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2023
    Assignee: PORIFERA, INC.
    Inventors: Charles Benton, Olgica Bakajin, Jennifer Klare, Ravindra Revanur
  • Microfluidic devices containing reversibly pinned droplet samples and methods
    Patent number: 11554375
    Abstract: A microfluidic device comprising: (a) a plate comprising a substrate, a plurality of electrodes, and a first layer of hydrophobic material applied over the plurality of electrodes; (b) a processing unit operably programmed to perform a method of pinning an aqueous droplet within the microfluidic device; and (c) a controller operably connected to a power source, the processing unit, and the plurality of electrodes. The method of pinning an aqueous droplet comprises: applying an electric field of a first polarity to an aqueous droplet located on the surface of the layer of hydrophobic material and having a first contact angle, to cause the droplet to maintain a second contact angle in the absence of the electric field, wherein the aqueous droplet contains a surfactant and the second contact angle is less than the first contact angle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2023
    Assignee: Nuclera Nucleics Ltd.
    Inventor: Luke M. Slominski
  • Method of preparing hierarchical porous channel molecular sieve membrane and application thereof
    Patent number: 11554348
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for preparing a hierarchical porous zeolite membrane and an application thereof, comprising the following steps: a mesoporous structure-directing agent is added to limit the growth of zeolite crystals, and self-assembled in the crystallization process to generate a mesoporous structure. Based on a seed crystal induced secondary nucleation mechanism, this method can realize one-step hydrothermal synthesis of hierarchical porous zeolite membrane with the advantages of mild and controllable synthesis conditions, simple process, good repeatability, reduced energy consumption and cost savings. The hierarchical porous zeolite membrane prepared by the method has good cut-off performance, and the cut-off molecular weight is adjustable between 200 to 500,000 Da.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2023
    Assignee: NANJING UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Xuehong Gu, Xun Yao, Li Peng
  • Blood filter
    Patent number: 11547783
    Abstract: A blood filter device having an iron-chelating molecule, a haem-binding molecule and a haemoglobin-binding molecule bound to a support. Use of the device in a vessel containing blood, for example a blood bag or a flow line, removes haemolysis-derived components from the blood.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignees: IMPERIAL COLLEGE INNOVATIONS LIMITED, UCL BUSINESS LTD
    Inventors: Alan Christopher Spivey, Gregory John Quinlan, Nathan Davies
  • Removing components of alcoholic solutions via forward osmosis and related systems
    Patent number: 11541352
    Abstract: Examples disclosed herein relate to methods and systems for controllably removing one or more solutes from a solution. Examples disclosed herein relate to methods and systems for removing water from alcoholic beverages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: Porifera, Inc.
    Inventors: Charles Benton, Olgica Bakajin, Jennifer Klare, Ravindra Revanur
  • Electrically enhanced filter cartridge and methods for its use
    Patent number: 11534707
    Abstract: A fluid treatment apparatus and related methods involving the use of replaceable treatment cartridges that include a treatment media, wherein the treatment cartridge is electrically enhanced to form regions of differing polarity within the cartridge. The treatment cartridge can include a pair of fixed polarity conductors that can be electrically connected to a power source so as to induce regions of differing polarity within the cartridge. The fluid treatment apparatus can be utilized to treat liquids including aqueous solutions as well as gases such as an air supply by exposing the fluid to the regions of differing polarity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: PARAGON WATER SYSTEMS, INC.
    Inventor: Karl J. Fritze
  • Water filtration system and method
    Patent number: 11534704
    Abstract: A modular water filtration system including a first filter manifold and a second filter manifold is provided. The first filter manifold includes a first bracket and a first pair of arm members horizontally extending from the first bracket. One of the first pair of arm members includes a protrusion defining a bore. The second filter manifold includes a second bracket and a second pair of arm members horizontally extending from the second bracket. One of the second pair of arm members includes a duct, and the duct is configured to receive the protrusion of the first filter manifold to provide fluid communication through the bore between the first filter manifold and the second filter manifold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: PENTAIR RESIDENTIAL FILTRATION, LLC
    Inventors: Richard Reckin, Tedd M. Schneidewend
  • Grey-water processing device for rail vehicles
    Patent number: 11535527
    Abstract: A processing device for grey water for a rail vehicle includes a grey water container, a grey water supply in an inlet region, a drain for processed grey water in an outlet region, and a slotted filter between the inlet and outlet regions that has at least one movable sliding member which touches the base of the grey water container in a lowered position and is lifted off the base in a raised position. The base of the grey water container rises from the inlet region to the outlet region. A cleaning outflow is disposed in the inlet region on the base side. A fresh water supply for supplying fresh water is disposed in the outlet region. A rail vehicle having at least one processing device for grey water for a toilet module or toilet bowl is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: Siemens Mobility GmbH
    Inventors: Simon Gaedker, Frank Hugemann, Andreas Haeussler, Thomas Kuebeck