Patents by Inventor Clifford LaRue McDonald, Jr.

Clifford LaRue McDonald, Jr. 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).

  • Water impurity analyzer
    Patent number: 6123904
    Abstract: To determine the total organic carbon content of a flowing liquid in a continuous process, water and oxidizing agents enter lower ports in a multi-stage column and flow upwardly through residence chambers as they are mixed. Spaced apart along the upper path of the liquid, there are helical reaction grooves relatively shallow and containing at least one helical groove to cause rapid motion of the liquid. An ultraviolet lamp extends downwardly through the center of the column so that the outer confining surface of the helical grooves is the outer surface of the ultraviolet lamp, causing the liquid to move rapidly in intimate contact with the ultraviolet lamp to receive intense radiation. The stages are separate and interchangeable so that selected sizes may interconnect. The residence chambers may have different sizes to permit different lengths of residence time and thus permit tailoring of the reaction to the expected organic carbon content and possible side reactions with other impurities in the water.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2000
    Assignee: Isco, Inc.
    Inventors: Paul George Wright, Curtis W. Nicholls, Clifford LaRue McDonald, Jr.
  • Water impurity analysis method
    Patent number: 5733789
    Abstract: To determine the total organic carbon content of a flowing liquid in a continuous process, water and oxidizing agents enter lower ports in a multi-stage column and flow upwardly through residence chambers as they are mixed. Spaced apart along the upper path of the liquid, there are helical reaction grooves relatively shallow and containing at least one helical groove to cause rapid motion of the liquid. An ultraviolet lamp extends downwardly through the center of the column so that the outer confining surface of the helical grooves is the outer surface of the ultraviolet lamp, causing the liquid to move rapidly in intimate contact with the ultraviolet lamp to receive intense radiation. The stages are separate and interchangeable so that selected sizes may interconnect. The residence chambers may have different sizes to permit different lengths of residence time and thus permit tailoring of the reaction to the expected organic carbon content and possible side reactions with other impurities in the water.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 31, 1998
    Assignee: Isco, Inc.
    Inventors: Paul George Wright, Curtis W. Nicholls, Clifford LaRue McDonald, Jr.