Patents Examined by Steven B. Leavitt
  • Patent number: 5845649
    Abstract: A flavor-tasting article including a flavor-generating medium, and a heating source disposed physically separated from the flavor-generating medium to heat the flavor-generating medium to release a flavoring component therefrom. The flavor-generating medium includes a flavoring component-holding material formed of a heat-irreversibly gelled, heat-irreversibly coagulating glucan and a flavoring component held in the holding material. The flavor-generating material releases a sufficient amount of the flavoring component only through heating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 8, 1998
    Assignee: Japan Tobacco Inc.
    Inventors: Yutaka Saito, Yuriko Anzai, Ryuichi Suzuki, Hiroshi Ichinose
  • Patent number: 5837099
    Abstract: This invention related to a process for the deinking of office wastepaper stocks which comprises:a) converting the wastepaper to a pulp,b) contacting the pulp with an aqueous medium of alkaline pH containing between about 0.05 and about 2 percent by weight, calculated on a dry weight basis of the pulp, of a deinking agent comprising a first component comprising at least one ethylene oxide adduct of a detergent-range alcohol having in the range of from about 8 to about 20 carbon atoms and an average of from about 3 to about 20 oxyethylene units per molecule of alcohol, and a second component selected from the group consisting of one or more detergent-range olefins having from about 8 to about 22 carbon atoms, one or more saturated hydrocarbons having from about 8 to about 20 carbon atoms, and mixtures thereof, andc) treating the resulting pulp-containing medium by washing or flotation to remove suspended ink therefrom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 17, 1998
    Assignee: Shell Oil Company
    Inventor: John Keith Borchardt
  • Patent number: 5830318
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a tipping paper adapted for wrapping a filter of a smoking article. The tipping paper contains a pigment made from calcium carbonate particles having a median size of between about 0.1 microns to about 0.5 microns. The calcium carbonate pigment can be used to create a tipping paper having an opacity of up to at least 89%. In comparison to conventional tipping papers, it has been surprisingly discovered that the tipping paper of the present invention reduces knife wear of a cutting instrument used to cut the paper and is less retentive to solvents when the paper is printed with a solvent based ink or covered with a solvent based coating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 3, 1998
    Assignee: Schweitzer-Mauduit International, Inc.
    Inventors: Larry Snow, Kerry Mahone, Italo Baccoli
  • Patent number: 5827397
    Abstract: This invention related to a process for the deinking of a mixture of xerographically printed wastepaper stocks and ledger printed wastepaper stocks which comprises:a) converting the wastepaper to a pulp,b) contacting the pulp with an aqueous medium of alkaline pH containing between about 0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 1997
    Date of Patent: October 27, 1998
    Assignee: Shell Oil Company
    Inventor: Ruth Javier Blanco
  • Patent number: 5824187
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for continuously producing pulp in which finely divided fiber material, preferably wood chips, is impregnated in an impregnation vessel (10), preferably by being fed in at the top (14) and fed out from the bottom (16) of the said vessel (10), in which cooking pressure essentially prevails in the said first vessel (10). The impregnation vessel, preferably, does not have a screen. The chips are heated and impregnated with the aid of black liquor that is concurrently flowing with a flow of the wood chips which have been thoroughly impregnated with boiling hot black liquor are transferred to the top (28) of a steam-phase digester (12). The pulp is permitted to flow passed at least one screen girdle (32) for drawing off spent liquor. The drawn off spent liquor has a high amount of effective alkali.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 1997
    Date of Patent: October 20, 1998
    Assignee: Kvaerner Pulping AB
    Inventors: Johan Richter, Ole Richter
  • Patent number: 5820732
    Abstract: A cleaning apparatus is disclosed for cleaning a forming wire extending around a wire turning roll of a paper machine. The apparatus includes a shower which is disposed upstream relative to the turning roll for spraying a cleaning liquid onto the forming wire. A housing is disposed between the shower and the turning roll, the housing being connected to a source of pressurized air. The housing defines an opening which has a first and a second end. The housing also defines an orifice which has an upstream and a downstream end for permitting a flow therethrough of the pressurized air such that the flow of air is directed against the wire for at least partially removing the cleaning liquid therefrom. The opening cooperates with the turning roll such that the opening conforms with the turning roll for substantially sealing the opening against loss of the pressurized air so that the flow of pressurized air is directed through the orifice.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 1997
    Date of Patent: October 13, 1998
    Assignee: Beloit Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Matthew L. Gregersen, Paul Newton, David E. Oldenburg, Jeffrey H. Pulkowski, Jay Shands
  • Patent number: 5820734
    Abstract: A graphite composite trailing element for a headbox of a paper making machine is described. A protective layer is provided at or around pondside edges of a trailing element. The protective layer reinforces the pondside edges of the element to protect the edges from damage. The protective layer can also provide a protective sheath around the edges of the element to help prevent stock from being absorbed between the composites making up the elements. With reinforced edges and a protective sheath, the bonded composite sheets of the element are less susceptible to separation and delamination thereby resulting in an improved graphite composite trailing element. The protective layer can be made from any number of woven fiber glass mesh materials and is embedded in an epoxy base. The protective layer is compatible with the bonding and curing requirements of the composite sheets making up the trailing element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 13, 1998
    Assignee: Beloit Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Scott B. Pantaleo, Richard R. Hergert
  • Patent number: 5820676
    Abstract: An apparatus for applying precise, uniform, coatings to elongated shafts, such as golf club shafts. Shafts are held by a gripper in a downwardly hanging array. A paint head assembly is moved upwardly over each shaft in sequence to apply a paint coating to a selected portion of the shaft length. The paint head assembly includes a flexible container including a central hole, a vertically moveable edge frame and an expander for changing the area of the hole. Raising the frame forms the container into a bowl like configuration, so that paint will contact a shaft extending through, and in contact with, the hole. The assembly is moved up along the shaft to apply a layer of paint, with the hole area varied to accommodate shaft taper, steps, etc. When the desired shaft length has been painted, the frame is lowered, changing the container to a trough-like configuration with pint away from the hole region. The expander widens the hole out of contact with the shaft and the assembly is lowered to below the shaft end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 13, 1998
    Inventor: Albrecht B. Bauerle
  • Patent number: 5804035
    Abstract: A process is dislcosed for recovering chips and fibers from residues of ter-derived materials, old pieces of furniture, production residues, water and other timber-containing materials glued with urea-formaldehyde binders or other binders capable of being hydrolysed or chemically disintegrated by disintegrating the timber-derived materials at a high temperature. In a first step of the process, the residues of timber-derived materials are impregnated with an impregnating solution and previously swollen until they have absorbed at least 50% of their own weight of impregnating solution. In a second step, the thus impregnated residues of timber-derived materials are heated up to 80.degree. C. to 120.degree. C. The thus disintegrated residues of timber-derived materials are then sorted by sieving and/or wind screening. The residues of timber-derived material have edges of at least 10 to 20 cm length.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 8, 1998
    Assignee: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Forderung der Angewandten Forschung e.V.
    Inventors: Andreas Michanickl, Christian Boehme
  • Patent number: 5800674
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for improving a batch cooking process, e.g. providing about 7% increase in discharge time, are provided. The invention is especially suitable for improving modern displacement batch cooking processes. A dedicated pump is mounted directly to each digester and discharges to a common superatmospheric pressure discharge tank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 1, 1998
    Assignees: Ahlstrom Machinery Oy, Metsa-Botnia Ab Joutseno Pulp
    Inventors: Mauno Iivonen, Arto Koso, Olavi Pikka, Seppo Pursiainen, Esko Turunen
  • Patent number: 5795438
    Abstract: A number of distinct parallel digesters are fed with chips from a common steaming vessel. After steaming the chips are slurried and pressurized, and substantially simultaneously the steamed, slurried, and pressurized chips are transferred to at least some of (and typically each of) the distinct parallel digesters. A material stream is split into a number of individually controllable material streams (one for each of the digesters) either at the discharge from the steaming vessel, after slurrying (or at the discharge from a slurrying vessel), or after pressurizing (e.g. in a high pressure transfer device). For example a multi-branch conduit may be connected to the slurry outlet from the high pressure transfer device, the conduit having a branch directly connected to each of the digesters. A distinct return conduit may also be provided from each of the digesters to the high pressure transfer device, each return conduit preferably has a distinct flow control device and/or pump which are individually controlled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 1996
    Date of Patent: August 18, 1998
    Assignee: Ahlstrom Machinery Inc.
    Inventors: C. Bertil Stromberg, Bruno S. Marcoccia, J. Wayne Chamblee
  • Patent number: 5785817
    Abstract: A moldable pulp material, which contains a main constituent of pulp comprising strips of paper having a size of millimeters and a fibrous component defibrated from waste paper, a starch binder in which a portion of the hydroxyl group in molecules of starch is modified, and thermally expandable hollow particles, is mixed with water which is effective to gelatinize the starch binder. The moldable pulp material is filled in a mold assembly and compressed in the mold assembly. The compressed moldable pulp material is then heated to at least a gelatinization temperature at which the starch binder is gelatinized, for thereby gelatinizing the starch binder to produce a molded pulp product for use as a shock absorbing material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 1996
    Date of Patent: July 28, 1998
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Rengo Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masaru Tan, Tsutomu Noguchi, Mitoshi Kawano, Kazutoshi Mahama, Hiromu Ikeda, Sunao Suzuki
  • Patent number: 5785814
    Abstract: The invention is an apparatus and method for unwinding the butt portion of a reel of paper from the reel spool and delivering it to a repulper. It consists of a floor mounted stand with appropriate cradling surfaces to hold the spool butt. An air jet manifold is located at floor level below the stand. Air jets from the manifold direct the sheet toward the repulper. As the sheet enters the repulper it is met by water showers that direct it into the opening of the repulper. Once the sheet is engaged by the air jets and water showers it is continuously unrolled by the force delivered by these devices acting against the sheet. An accelerating mechanism may be provided to begin unrolling the paper from the spool and a brake mechanism is useful for stopping rotation of the spool after all of the paper has been removed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 1996
    Date of Patent: July 28, 1998
    Assignee: North Pacific Paper Corporation
    Inventors: Catherine A. Tang, Ralph W. Healy
  • Patent number: 5782978
    Abstract: A fluid application apparatus of the present invention includes a rotatable substrate holding mechanism (4), a photoresist liquid supply portion (5) and a motor mechanism (26). The photoresist liquid supply portion (5) supplies resist fluid to a region smaller than the entire region of the substrate surface while moving in the horizontal direction relative to the substrate holding mechanism (4). The motor mechanism (26) rotates the substrate holding mechanism (4) to diffuse the resist fluid over the entire surface of the substrate and form a resist layer having a predetermined thickness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 21, 1998
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazuo Kinose, Takeshi Yonezawa, Taimi Oketani, Tomoo Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 5783037
    Abstract: A pulp mill includes a digester which contains a raw material, a digesting medium, and a source of steam. Oxygen is injected into the steam line, at a point which minimizes exposure of the oxygen to the steam outside of the digester. The oxygen can also be injected directly into the digester. The oxygen speeds the chemical reactions in the digester, allowing the digesting process to be completed with a reduced quantity of chemicals and/or steam, and at a faster rate. The present invention improves the quality of the effluents from a pulp mill, and makes it easier for the operator of the mill to comply with environmental regulations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 1996
    Date of Patent: July 21, 1998
    Assignee: MG Industries
    Inventor: Sudhir R. Brahmbhatt
  • Patent number: 5783044
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device for cleaning a moving transport belt in a papermaking machine, for instance a dry or wet wire belt or a felt belt, having at least one nozzle which can be directed against the transport belt for spraying the woven belt with liquid or gaseous fluid. A suction chamber 18 surrounds and cooperates with the cleaning nozzle (8), so that dirt and/or water mist detached by the nozzle jet (27) from the transport belt (4) or residual water are drawn into the suction chamber (18) and led away, avoiding dirtying or contamination of the nearby area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 1996
    Date of Patent: July 21, 1998
    Assignee: Voith Sulzer Papiermaschinen GmbH
    Inventors: Wolfgang Schneider, Hans-Peter Sollinger, Karlheinz Straub, Jurgen Banning, Markus Oechsle
  • Patent number: 5783247
    Abstract: Process for preparing a flavoring composition suitable as a butter flavor block by subjecting triglyceride fats, fatty acids or fatty acid derivatives to oxidizing conditions, comprising:(a) admixing an anti-oxidant to triglyceride fats, fatty acids or fatty acid derivatives at least to a concentration which is sufficient to increase the induction period of the fat by a factor of 1.5,(b) heating the mixture for 0.5 hours-1 week at 50.degree.-150.degree. C. under access of atmospheric oxygen and in the presence of water,under the condition that the triglyceride fats, fatty acids or fatty acid derivatives contain at least one poly-unsaturated fatty acid with an omega-3 non-conjugatable double bond system in an amount of >0.01 wt. %. Such fatty acids or derivatives of fatty acid are preferably obtained by partially hydrogenating a natural vegetable glyceride fat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 21, 1998
    Assignee: Van Den Berg Foods Co., Division of Conopco, Inc.
    Inventors: Arnoldus Van Der Heijden, Graham Andrew Cross, Krijn Mostert, David Simon Bot, Matthias Berger
  • Patent number: 5779856
    Abstract: Chemical (typically kraft) pulp having enhanced intrinsic fiber strength and bleachability compared to pulp produced using conventional or modified kraft cooking is produced by using high alkali and/or pH cooking, preferably by adding the vast majority of cooking liquor (such as kraft white liquor) after the first removal of liquid from the digester so that the effective alkali concentration is high near the end of the cook. That is during at least the last minute (preferably at least the last 15 minutes and most preferably at least the last 30 minutes) before the cook is terminated the effective alkali concentration is between 15-50 g/l, more preferably between about 18-40 g/l, and most preferably between about 20-35 g/l.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 1996
    Date of Patent: July 14, 1998
    Assignee: Ahlstrom Machinery Inc.
    Inventor: Auvo K. Kettunen
  • Patent number: 5776308
    Abstract: Wood pulp sheets treated with triacetin and other compounds, or solutions or emulsions of same, having increased softness while maintaining absorbency, and methods for producing same. More particularly, the invention relates to the treatment of wood pulp useful for making a fluff pulp using a softening agent including alkyl ethers or aryl ethers and esters of low molecular weight glycols, such as triacetin, propylene glycol diacetate and 2-phenoxyethanol.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 1996
    Date of Patent: July 7, 1998
    Assignee: Rayonier Research Center
    Inventors: Karl D. Sears, Peter R. Abitz
  • Patent number: 5776309
    Abstract: An endless loop of fabric of the type used in papermaking is provided with a row of optically detectable marks aligned in the direction of motion of the fabric. A beam of light pulses from a strobe light is directed to a position on the fabric through which the row of marks passes and the position of the marks as illuminated by the strobe light is observed. When the observed marks are stationary, the speed of the fabric can be determined based on the frequency of the light pulses from the strobe light and the spacing between the marks on the fabric. The speed of the fabric can be controlled to a desired speed by setting the strobe pulse frequency and adjusting a variable speed drive for the motor driven rollers driving the fabric until the marks as illuminated by the strobe light appear stationary. Variations in the speed of the fabric result in variations of the position of the marks as illuminated by the strobe light, allowing equipment problems causing the speed variations to be diagnosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 7, 1998
    Assignee: Badger Paper Mills, Inc.
    Inventor: Robert D. Fraik