Patents Examined by Timothy J. Kugel
  • Patent number: 8541347
    Abstract: Methods that include a method comprising providing a hydrocarbon-acid emulsion composition that comprises an acid phase, a hydrocarbon blend phase, and an emulsifying agent; and placing the hydrocarbon-acid emulsion composition in a subterranean formation. In some embodiments, the hydrocarbon blend phase comprises at least about 65% hydrocarbons having from six carbons (C6) through eleven carbons (C11). In other embodiments, the hydrocarbon blend phase has a flash point greater than about 100° F. Additional methods are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: M. Hunter Watkins, Robert S. Taylor, Mary van Domelen
  • Patent number: 8518861
    Abstract: A solid zirconium cross-linking agent and use in a cross-linking composition in oil field applications such as hydraulic fracturing and plugging of permeable zones. The zirconium cross-linking agent is prepared by a process comprising contacting a zirconium complex with an alkanolamine and water at particular mole ratios of alkanolamine and water to zirconium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2013
    Assignee: Dorf Ketal Speciality Catalysts, LLC
    Inventor: Donald Edward Putzig
  • Patent number: 8338510
    Abstract: Various embodiments provide a photosensitive siloxane composition containing (a) polysiloxane, (b) a quinone diazide compound, (c) a solvent, and (d) one or more kinds of specified imidosilane compounds. Various embodiments also provide a cured film obtained by applying and/or patterning the photosensitive siloxane composition. Various embodiments further provide a device including the cured film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignee: Toray Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Mitsuhito Suwa
  • Patent number: 8273404
    Abstract: A process for reducing solvent contents in drug-containing polymeric compositions may be utilized to reduce the solvent content in implantable medical device wherein the compositions are in reservoirs. Specifically, the solvent contents in the drug-containing polymeric compositions are first reduced by one or more conventional drying methods, to a range from about 0.5 weight percent to about 10 weight percent of the total weight of the polymeric composition. Subsequently, the drug-containing polymeric compositions are further treated by a low temperature drying method for further reduction of the solvent content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2012
    Inventors: Vipul Dave, Robert Falotico, Jonathon Z. Zhao
  • Patent number: 8247461
    Abstract: An ophthalmic solution comprising a polyethoxylated glyceride in the range of 0.001 to about 10 percent by weight and a buffer agent. These solutions impart surprising comfort and wearability to contact lenses. At the same time the solutions provide good preservative capacity and do not increase protein deposit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2012
    Inventors: Francis X. Smith, John Randall Tracey
  • Patent number: 8236738
    Abstract: An aqueous slurry composition for use in industries such as petroleum and pipeline industries that includes: a particulate, an aqueous carrier fluid, a chemical compound that renders the particulate surface hydrophobic, and a small amount of an oil. The slurry is produced by rendering the surface of the particulate hydrophobic during or before the making of the slurry. The addition of the oil greatly enhances the aggregation potential of the hydrophobically modified particulates once placed in the well bore.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2012
    Assignee: Trican Well Service Ltd
    Inventor: Kewei Zhang
  • Patent number: 8236735
    Abstract: The use is described of oligoglycerol fatty acid esters, produced from (a) an acid component, selected from (a1) fatty acids of the general formula (I) R—COOH??(I) in which R stands for a saturated or unsaturated, branched or linear alkyl- or alkenyl radical with 7 to 21C atoms, and/or (a2) dicarboxylic acids and/or (a3) dimer fatty acids and/or (a4) oligomer fatty acids and/or (a5) hydroxy fatty acids with (b) a polyol component, which is selected from oligoglycerols or alkoxylates of oligoglycerols, as additive to oil-based drilling mud compositions to improve the lubricating effect of these mud systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2012
    Assignee: Emery Oleochemicals GmbH
    Inventors: Diana Maker, Heinz Muller
  • Patent number: 8235119
    Abstract: Lost circulation of drilling fluid is one of the most serious and expensive problems facing the drilling industry. The present invention relates to an improved drilling fluid for reducing or preventing lost circulation to an underground formation surrounding a well bore in the process of drilling a well. The drilling fluid comprises a base fluid and wax or waxy substance as a primary seepage loss agent. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the seepage loss agent does not include particles having a blend of natural wax and synthetic wax together in a single particle. The invention also provides a method of reducing or preventing lost circulation to an underground formation surrounding a well bore in the process of drilling a well using the drilling fluid of the invention, wherein the primary seepage loss agent is added to the drilling fluid, either before or during drilling, and the drilling fluid is pumped down hole during drilling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2012
    Assignee: Canadian Energy Services, LP
    Inventor: Terry W. Hoskins
  • Patent number: 8236736
    Abstract: A packer or annular fluid includes a hydrocarbon fluid; and a gelling agent; wherein the packer fluid is a yield power law fluid. A method for preparing a packer fluid includes preparing a mixture of a hydrocarbon fluid, and a gelling agent; heating the mixture to a selected temperature; and shearing the mixture. A method for emplacing a packer fluid into an annulus includes preparing the packer fluid that includes a hydrocarbon fluid and a gelling agent, wherein the packer fluid is a yield power law fluid; and pumping the packer fluid into the annulus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2012
    Assignee: M-I L.L.C.
    Inventors: Larry H. Leggett, Charles Svoboda, Morris Arvie, Jr., Robert L. Horton, Joyce H. Zhang
  • Patent number: 8236737
    Abstract: Particles, including proppants, comprising a fluorinated siloxane. The particles are useful as proppants in fractured a subterranean geological formation comprising hydrocarbons.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2012
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: Wayne W. Fan, John D. Skildum
  • Patent number: 8231997
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide an electrolyte membrane-electrode membrane assembly for a solid polymer fuel cell having superior characteristics, wherein a gas diffusion electrode membrane and a solid electrolyte membrane are well bonded, and electrode catalysts are uniformly-dispersed to obtain high electrode activity, a production method thereof and a fuel cell equipped therewith.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2012
    Assignee: Tokuyama Corporation
    Inventors: Hitoshi Matsuoka, Kenji Fukuta
  • Patent number: 8227382
    Abstract: A method of cleaning a wellbore drilled with a drilling fluid that forms a filter cake that includes emplacing a breaker fluid into the wellbore, the breaker fluid comprising: an aqueous fluid; a fragmentation agent; and an amphoteric chemotrope; and shutting in the well for a period of time sufficient to initiate breaking of the filter cake is disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Assignee: M-I L.L.C.
    Inventors: Eugene Dakin, Andrey Reznichenko, Hui Zhang
  • Patent number: 8227521
    Abstract: Fluoropolymer foams are prepared by mixing fluoropolymer resin with blowing agents and additives to produce foamable compounds at temperatures below the activation temperature of the blowing agent. The compounded material is expanded at temperatures above both the softening point of the fluoropolymer resin and the activation temperature of the blowing agent. The resulting fluoropolymer foam can be fabricated into any desired shape, such as pipes, sheets, tapes, blocks and rods, using techniques such as cutting, welding, thermoforming and adhesive bonding. Alternatively the fluoropolymer compound may be expanded directly into the desired shape, for example, by expanding the compound in a mold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Assignee: Zotefoams PLC
    Inventors: Paul Jacobs, Roger Lock, Neil Witten
  • Patent number: 8227685
    Abstract: A graphene sheet including an intercalation compound and 2 to about 300 unit graphene layers, wherein each of the unit graphene layers includes a polycyclic aromatic molecule in which a plurality of carbon atoms in the polycyclic aromatic molecule are covalently bonded to each other; and wherein the intercalation compound is interposed between the unit graphene layers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Jae-young Choi
  • Patent number: RE45849
    Abstract: Degradable polylactic or polyhydroxyalkanoate polymers may be used to viscosify aqueous fluids for use in wells, Sand control screen or liner can be coated with a solid degradable polymer during placement in a well. Mechanical changes or flow changes in a well can be caused by solid degradable polymer that changes physical properties after it is placed in a well. Parts of devices or entire devices can be made of solid degradable polymer that converts to a fluid after selected times in an aqueous environment in a well.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2016
    Inventor: Claude E. Cooke, Jr.
  • Patent number: RE45940
    Abstract: Polymerization process comprising the steps of: (a) reacting an aqueous suspension comprising initiator, vinyl chloride, and optionally one or more co-monomers in a continuous stirred tank reactor; and (b) further reacting the resulting suspension in at least one second reactor; wherein the conversion level of vinyl chloride in the continuous stirred tank reactor of step (a) is from 10 to 60 wt %.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignee: AKZO NOBEL N.V.
    Inventors: Carolina Anna Maria Christina Dirix, Johannes Jacobus Theodorus De Jong, Lambertus Meulenbrugge, Koen Antoon Kornelis Vanduffel
  • Patent number: RE45950
    Abstract: Degradable polylactic or polyhydroxyalkanoate polymers may be used to viscosify aqueous fluids for use in wells. Sand control screen or liner can be coated with a solid degradable polymer during placement in a well. Mechanical changes or flow changes in a well can be caused by solid degradable polymer that changes physical properties after it is placed in a well. Parts of devices or entire devices can be made of solid degradable polymer that converts to a fluid after selected times in an aqueous environment in a well.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2016
    Inventor: Claude E. Cooke, Jr.
  • Patent number: RE45970
    Abstract: The invention provides a toner for electrostatic image development, containing a toner particle and external additive particles adhered to the surface of the toner particle, each of the external additive particles being constituted of plural irreversibly coalesced primary particles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2016
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tetsuya Taguchi, Motoko Sakai, Jun Igarashi, Masahiro Takagi
  • Patent number: RE45997
    Abstract: An air clay and a method of manufacturing the same are disclosed. In one embodiment, the method includes i) selecting at least one raw material from a group consisting of sand powder, shell powder, crop powder and a mixture thereof, ii) finely grinding the raw material to prepare a base material having a particle diameter of about 0.02 mm to about 0.2 mm, iii) adding about 10 wt. parts to about 30 wt. parts of glycerin to about 100 wt. parts of the base material, iv) mixing and kneading these materials together to form a paste and v) adding about 0.1 wt. parts to about 9 wt. parts of a liquid coagulating agent for water treatment to the paste and mixing these materials together. According to one embodiment, the clay is useful for various types of play and learning for infants and young children.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2016
    Assignee: MCA CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Jeong Yong Cho, Hyun Cho
  • Patent number: RE45998
    Abstract: A mold and a process for preparing a customized hot pour product formed of a hot pour material. The process comprises the steps of providing a mold having a top part with a pour space and a base part, applying hot pour material into the mold through the pour space and allowing the hot pour material to cool, removing the top part of the mold to provide a first exposed surface, and releasing the base part to provide a second exposed surface. The mold may be customized to include inserts, removable members, projections, recesses, and combinations thereof in the base part and/or top part, thereby providing for a hot pour product with one or more exposed surfaces that are embossed, debossed, or both.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2016
    Assignee: Cosmetic Group USA, Inc.
    Inventor: Alfred E. Booth