Patents by Inventor Brent Allen Culbert

Brent Allen Culbert has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9039948
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method and a device for producing and treating plastic pellets. According to said method, a melt of the plastic material is granulated to give pellets, the pellets are cooled in a cooling fluid, the pellets are separated from the cooling fluid and the pellets are crystallized. The device according to the invention is characterized by comprising a control unit which monitors the crystallization step and controls the method in such a manner that, in case of a disturbance of crystallization, the pellets are supplied to an intermediate storage alter separation of the pellets from the cooling fluid and, as soon as the disturbance is removed, the pellets temporarily stored in the intermediate storage are supplied to crystallization and are crystallized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2015
    Assignees: Rieter Automatik GMBH, Buhler Thermal Processes AG
    Inventors: Frank Glöckner, Fernando Eusebio, Brent Allen Culbert, Franziska Morganti
  • Publication number: 20130256929
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method and a device for producing and treating plastic pellets. According to said method, a melt of the plastic material is granulated to give pellets, the pellets are cooled in a cooling fluid, the pellets are separated from the cooling fluid and the pellets are crystallized. The device according to the invention is characterized by comprising a control unit which monitors the crystallization step and controls the method in such a manner that, in case of a disturbance of crystallization, the pellets are supplied to an intermediate storage alter separation of the pellets from the cooling fluid and, as soon as the disturbance is removed, the pellets temporarily stored in the intermediate storage are supplied to crystallization and are crystallized.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2013
    Publication date: October 3, 2013
    Applicants: BÜHLER AG, RIETER AUTOMATIK GMBH
    Inventors: Frank Glöckner, Fernando Eusebio, Brent Allen Culbert, Franziska Morganti
  • Patent number: 8435023
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method and a device for producing and treating plastic pellets. According to said method, a melt of the plastic material is granulated to give pellets, the pellets are cooled in a cooling fluid, the pellets are separated from the cooling fluid and the pellets are crystallized. The device according to the invention is characterized by comprising a control unit which monitors the crystallization step and controls the method in such a manner that in case of a disturbance of crystallization the pellets are supplied to an intermediate storage after separation of the pellets from the cooling fluid and as soon as the disturbance is removed, the pellets temporarily stored in the intermediate storage are supplied to crystallization and are crystallized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2013
    Assignees: Rieter Automatik GmbH, Buhler AG
    Inventors: Frank Glöckner, Fernando Eusebio, Brent Allen Culbert, Franziska Morganti
  • Publication number: 20100102466
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method and a device for producing and treating plastic pellets. According to said method, a melt of the plastic material is granulated to give pellets, the pellets are cooled in a cooling fluid, the pellets are separated from the cooling fluid and the pellets are crystallized. The device according to the invention is characterized by comprising a control unit which monitors the crystallization step and controls the method in such a manner that in case of a disturbance of crystallization the pellets are supplied to an intermediate storage after separation of the pellets from the cooling fluid and as soon as the disturbance is removed, the pellets temporarily stored in the intermediate storage are supplied to crystallization and are crystallized.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 12, 2007
    Publication date: April 29, 2010
    Applicants: RIETER AUTOMATIK GMBH, BUHLER AG
    Inventors: Frank Glöckner, Fernando Eusebio, Brent Allen Culbert, Franziska Morganti
  • Publication number: 20080272508
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method and a device for producing spherical particles from a melted mass of plastic. According to the invention, said melted mass is transformed into droplets by means of a droplet-forming nozzle (10); after falling a certain distance, the droplets are crystallised at least on the surface thereof; the droplets are then supplied to a crystallisation stage in which they are fully crystallised; and are then supplied to an postcondensation stage wherein solid phase polycondensation takes place. In order to ensure surface crystallisation without the risk of adhesion both among the drops and to parts of the device, the drops fall in a crystallisation stage (45) having a cloth element or a sheet metal element comprising openings or a fluidised bed chamber through which gas flows in order to swirl the drops.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 22, 2007
    Publication date: November 6, 2008
    Applicant: BUEHLER AG
    Inventors: Brent Allen CULBERT, Andreas Christel, Erhard Krumpholz, Theodor Juergens, Rudolf Geier
  • Patent number: 6852256
    Abstract: In a process for upgrading cleaned used plastic material to be reclaimed, all steps are performed in a continuous way so as to extrude continuously the plastic material to provide elongated strands thereof, cutting the strands continuously as they are supplied by extrusion to convert them into pellets. Then, the pellets are fed without any intermediate storage to a continuous crystallizer in a stream of hot gas to heat the pellets to crystallizing temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2005
    Assignee: Buhler AG
    Inventors: Camille Borer, Brent Allen Culbert
  • Publication number: 20020036361
    Abstract: In a process for upgrading cleaned used plastic material to be reclaimed, all steps are performed in a continuous way so as to extrude continuously the plastic material to provide elongated strands thereof, cutting the strands continuously as they are supplied by extrusion to convert them into pellets. Then, the pellets are fed without any intermediate storage to a continuous crystallizer in a stream of hot gas to heat the pellets to crystallizing temperature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 12, 2001
    Publication date: March 28, 2002
    Inventors: Camille Borer, Brent Allen Culbert