Patents Examined by Regina M. Yoo
  • Patent number: 11691162
    Abstract: A cartridge that is releasably connectable with a housing of a microfluidic delivery device is provided. The cartridge has a reservoir for containing a fluid composition and a microfluidic die in fluid communication with the reservoir. The microfluidic die is configured to dispense substantially all of the fluid composition in a horizontal direction or downward direction relative to horizontal. The cartridge also includes an air flow channel disposed below the reservoir. The air flow channel extends from a fan to an air outlet. The air flow channel comprises a first region disposed adjacent to a fan, a second region disposed adjacent to the air outlet, and a third region joining the first and second regions. At least the second region is angled upward to the air outlet, relative to horizontal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
    Inventors: Dana Paul Gruenbacher, Stephan Gary Bush, Hua Hu
  • Patent number: 11672878
    Abstract: Embodiments of a targeted surface disinfection system are disclosed. The system includes a set of one or more UV lamps, a high voltage power supply for driving the lamps, a mobile carriage including a chassis supporting the set, an articulated head assembly including at least one UV lamp from the set, a vacuum pump, and a suction hose extending between the vacuum pump and the head assembly for dissipating heat generated by the at least one UV lamp. The system also includes a pulse configuration control unit for configuring an output of the high voltage power supply for driving the set to emit a UV radiant energy upon a target surface requiring disinfection, where the set of one or more UV lamps emits the UV radiant energy at a rate of at least 20 pulses per second.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: ANGELICA HOLDINGS LLC
    Inventors: Prakash Valentino Ramanand, Manjinder Singh Dhillon, Adam Ray Steinhoff, Vinod K. Menon
  • Patent number: 11660361
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for the plasma treatment of containers. The essential aspect according to the method according to the invention is that, after the plasma treatment at the plasma station and before the container is filled, at least the container interior of the container is at least partially ventilated with a sterilization medium, i.e. is loaded with a sterilization medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: KHS GmbH
    Inventors: Juergen Franz Vorwerk, Igor Singur, Sebastian Kytzia
  • Patent number: 11655167
    Abstract: Disclosed are advantageous systems and methods for treating building water systems, especially the interior surfaces of premise plumbing, to remove biofilm and inactivate biofilm-associated pathogens, including protozoa, using disinfectant formulations at concentrations at in excess of those used for drinking water treatment, and further, in co-applying complexing agents to mitigate corrosion of the materials treated; and using these in conjunction with off-gas containment devices that allow flushing of taps without the liberation of toxic fumes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: GORDON & ROSENBLATT, LLC
    Inventors: Aaron Rosenblatt, Gilbert Gordon
  • Patent number: 11648327
    Abstract: A method of sterilizing an article such as a flexible endoscope is performed in a sterilization chamber. A vacuum is applied in the sterilization chamber while the article is contained in the sterilization chamber. A sterilant is then introduced into the sterilization chamber. The pressure within the sterilization chamber is incrementally increased to provide a step-wise transition from a high vacuum state to atmospheric pressure. The article is thereby sterilized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2023
    Assignee: ASP Global Manufacturing GmbH
    Inventors: Keyvan Nowruzi, Navid Omidbakhsh
  • Patent number: 11648326
    Abstract: Methods are provided which include placing one or more objects into a cabinet, subsequently closing the cabinet and remotely starting a disinfection device disposed therein to disperse a germicide within the closed cabinet. Embodiments of cabinets include an interior void of at least 10 ft3, a door to enclose the cabinet and one or more support structures arranged within the cabinet adjacent the interior void. Portions of the support structures facing the interior void are transparent and/or have through-holes. Other embodiments of cabinets include a moveable germicidal blocking partition for separating portions of the cabinet, a door for accessing one of the portions and a sensor for detecting when the partition is in position to separate the portions. An embodiment of a support structure includes a base having transparent materials and/or one or more through-holes, sidewalls shaped to match a peripheral contour of a medical device, and a weight sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2023
    Assignee: Xenex Disinfection Services Inc.
    Inventor: Mark A. Stibich
  • Patent number: 11608516
    Abstract: The invention is directed towards methods and compositions for identifying the specific microorganisms present in a particular potion of a water process system. The method involves obtaining a sample from the process and determining if a problematic organism exceeds an acceptable threshold. If so a remedial bio-control procedure can be applied long before any unwanted defects or problems occur.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Assignee: ECOLAB USA INC.
    Inventors: Laura E. Rice, Liliya Lund
  • Patent number: 11602573
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a system, and the method of application thereof, for washing and decontamination comprising nebulizing means (8) of a mixture of at least one first gas and at least one first liquid, and pressurizing means (1) of said first gas, wherein said pressurizing means (1) are in fluid communication with a first pressure-regulating valve (3) and with a second pressure-regulating valve (4), the first pressure-regulating valve (3) being in fluid communication with a first pressurized tank (5) through first inlet means (31) of said first gas, the first pressurized tank (5) being configured to contain the first liquid, and comprising first outlet means (30) of said first liquid to the nebulizing means (8) through a first valve (6), at a first pressure that is greater than atmospheric pressure, and wherein the second pressure-regulating valve (4) is in fluid communication with said nebulizing means (8), and is configured to pressurize the gas at a second pressure that is greater than atmosp
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2023
    Assignee: UNIVERSIDAD DE ALCALA
    Inventor: Jose Luis Perez Diaz
  • Patent number: 11602574
    Abstract: An item or object is exposed to electromagnetic light using a plurality of electromagnetic light emitters that are arranged throughout an enclosed structure. A plurality of images of the item or object is captured by a plurality of image sensors that are arranged throughout the enclosed structure. A first pattern in at least one image is recognized. The first pattern includes encoded information associated with the item and the first pattern is visible in response to the exposure of the item to the electromagnetic light. The encoded information is decoded and the item is identified based on the decoded information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2023
    Inventor: Stanley Kevin Miles
  • Patent number: 11596701
    Abstract: The invention relates to a disinfection process comprising the feed materials H2O2 and NO2? and a mixing step and a distribution step, wherein the mixing step and the distribution step (during which each point on the surface being disinfected is wetted with a solution of active substance) are implemented during a processing period ZA. An exposure step follows, in which the distributed solution of active substance acts upon the surface in contact with the solution of active substance during an exposure period ZE. In this process, the maximum NO2? concentration during the mixing step is of 300 mM, and the time-integrated reaction rate W is represented during the exposure period ZE by the integral formula (I), where k1 denotes the pH-value-dependent speed constant of the reaction between H2O2 and NO2? and the pH value of the solution of active substance before it contacts the surface being disinfected lies in the range of 2.1?pH?6.8.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2023
    Assignee: LEIBNIZ-INSTITUT FÜR PLASMAFORSCHUNG UND TECHNOLOGIE E.V.
    Inventors: Ansgar Schmidt-Bleker, Jörn Winter, Klaus-Dieter Weltmann, Hannes Bendt
  • Patent number: 11589571
    Abstract: A scent masking device for masking a person's body scent while hunting or performing other outdoor activities related to tracking wildlife. The device includes a portable housing having a plurality of air vents, a power supply designed to provide electrical energy to a control panel, an ozone generator, and a fan. The ozone generator is designed to produce ozone when a charge is applied to a plurality of insulated electrode plates coated with trace amounts of conductive materials exposed to atmospheric gases. The fan is designed to expel the generated ozone through at least one of the plurality of air vents outward and away from the hunter, such that the hunter's scent is masked by the expelled ozone within the immediately surrounding region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2023
    Inventor: Evan Marlow
  • Patent number: 11583602
    Abstract: An irradiation system is provided which comprises a cabinet housing one or more X-ray tubes providing an irradiation source for a biomass contained within a cylindrical container arranged on a rotating device. The X-ray tubes generate directional X-ray beams and are provided in ultra-close proximity to the container, and the X-ray tubes can be configured to traverse the container. The rotational movement and traversal during the irradiation process ensure a more even irradiation of the entire biomass in the container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: KIMTRON, INC.
    Inventor: Peter Cawley
  • Patent number: 11583802
    Abstract: A filter configured to photocatalytically oxidize target compounds in an air stream includes a support structure having an air permeability greater than approximately 155 CFM/ft2 and a photocatalyst supported by the support medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: ZENTOX CORPORATION
    Inventors: Joe D. Phillips, Stephen P. Axtell
  • Patent number: 11583606
    Abstract: An ultraviolet (UV) germicidal irradiation system comprising: a light emitting diode (LED) disinfecting face mask comprising: a flexible mask body having a front surface and a back surface; a flexible printed circuitry (FPC) sheet disposed within the flexible mask body, the FPC sheet having a plurality of LEDs adapted to emit UV light, the plurality of LEDs facing the front surface; a vibration sensor electrically connected to the FPC sheet, the vibration sensor being adapted to detect vibrations; a UV-reflective layer disposed behind the FPC sheet, the UV-reflective layer being adapted to reflect the UV light; and a light diffusion layer disposed in front of the FPC sheet, the light diffusion layer being adapted to scatter the UV light; and a control module comprising: a central processing unit (CPU), an LED driver, and a power source; the CPU being in electrical communication with the LED driver and the vibration sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Inventors: Yonglin Huang, Andy P. Huang, Liang Wang, Yongxing Huang, Xiangdong Shi
  • Patent number: 11565015
    Abstract: A biological indicator with variable resistance may be controlled by moving a cap or housing of the biological indicator to cause the size of vents that allow flow of sterilant through the housing to decrease or increase in effective size. An indicator window may show a user the current resistance of the biological indicator, and may also show a readable indicator that may be captured by a scanner to allow a sterilizing cabinet to identify the current resistance. When the level of resistance shown by the readable indicator is not compatible with a sterilization cycle selected by a user, the procedure may be delayed and a notification provided to the user that a problem exists. The readable indicator may be a passive tag with a memory that allows information to be read and written, so that the biological indicator may carry data from one device to another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: ASP Global Manufacturing GmbH
    Inventors: Yan Fang, Griffith E. Altmann, Behnam Amin, Jeremy Yarwood, Lawrence Y. Mok
  • Patent number: 11554188
    Abstract: Provided herein is a method of treating material that is contaminated with a virus, comprising exposing the material to vapor, wherein the vapor is produced by heating and/or vaporizing a dry cleaning solvent, and wherein the method at least partially deactivates the virus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2023
    Assignee: GREENEARTH CLEANING, LLC
    Inventors: Ronald L. Benjamin, Andrew T. Lien, Timothy R. Maxwell
  • Patent number: 11547769
    Abstract: To provide a light source module device capable of controlling the light distribution of ultraviolet light with a small and simple structure. A light source module device 7 includes a substrate 4, a light source 3 mounted on the substrate 4 and emitting ultraviolet light, a reflector 8 mounted on the substrate 4 so as to surround the light source 3 and reflecting the ultraviolet light by its inner surface to guide the ultraviolet light toward an irradiation target, and a cap-like optical member 9 mounted so as to cover the outer circumference of the reflector 8 and condensing or diffusing the ultraviolet light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: STANLEY ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hideaki Tanaka, Hiroyuki Kato, Kazuhisa Shinno
  • Patent number: 11541219
    Abstract: A device for disinfection of a medical injection port is provided. The device includes a capping portion having an inner surface, a hollow portion having an inner surface, a proximal opening, and a distal opening, a connector coupling the capping portion of the device to the hollow portion thereof, and a disinfecting absorbent material disposed inside the capping portion of the device. The connector permits movement of the capping portion between a fully-seated position on the hollow portion of the device, and a position apart from the proximal opening thereof to permit ingress to the medical injection port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: DRMA Group International LLC
    Inventor: Zoran Drmanovic
  • Patent number: 11534515
    Abstract: A sanitization device may include an ozone operating system configured to generate ozone, a sanitization compartment, a distribution line fluidly coupling the ozone operating system to the sanitization compartment, and an adaptor disposed within the sanitization compartment. The adaptor may be configured to couple to a mask and may be further configured to be fluidly coupled to the distribution line such that ozone passes through the adaptor and into the sanitization compartment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: SOCLEAN INC.
    Inventors: Robert A. Charles, Keith Jon Jorgenson
  • Patent number: 11528919
    Abstract: A high temperature food treatment method is disclosed wherein by alternatingly operating between a first final heater (13) and second final heater (23) arranged in parallel on a food processing line (30, 40, 50), it is possible to operate a continuous process, yet significantly reducing the overall downtime of the processing line (30, 40, 50), by performing a cleaning in place process on the final heater (13, 23), not currently being used in the high temperature food treatment process, thereby eliminating or significantly reducing the influence on the processing line (30, 40, 50) downtime by the process elements and/or processing equipment most easily contaminated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2022
    Assignee: SPX Flow Technology Danmark A/S
    Inventor: Claus Thorsen