Patents by Inventor Colin McCracken

Colin McCracken 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: 9085468
    Abstract: A niobium suboxide powder comprising niobium suboxide particles having a bulk nitrogen content of between 500 to 20,000 ppm. The nitrogen is distributed in the bulk of the powder particles. The nitrogen at least partly is present in the form of at least one of Nb2N crystals or niobium oxynitride crystals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2015
    Assignee: H. C. STARCK GMBH
    Inventors: Christoph Schnitter, Holger Brumm, Christine Rawohl, Colin McCracken
  • Publication number: 20120244354
    Abstract: A niobium suboxide powder comprising niobium suboxide particles having a bulk nitrogen content of between 500 to 20,000 ppm. The nitrogen is distributed in the bulk of the powder particles. The nitrogen at least partly is present in the form of at least one of Nb2N crystals or niobium oxynitride crystals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 9, 2012
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Applicant: H.C. STARCK GMBH
    Inventors: CHRISTOPH SCHNITTER, Holger Brumm, Christine Rawohl, Colin McCracken
  • Patent number: 8187567
    Abstract: Disclosed is a niobium suboxide powder for the manufacture of capacitors with higher break down voltages, higher temperatures of operation and elongated lifetimes. The powder is doped with nitrogen which is at least partly present in the form homogeneously distributed, x-ray detectable Nb2N-crystal domains. The niobium suboxide powder contains niobium suboxide particles having a bulk nitrogen content of between 500 to 20,000 ppm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2012
    Assignee: H. C. Starck GmbH
    Inventors: Christoph Schnitter, Holger Brumm, Christine Rawohl, Colin McCracken
  • Patent number: 8114340
    Abstract: The present invention relates to the field of solid state capacitors, and in particular to capacitors that have an anode body formed of porous valve action material, such as tantalum, niobium or niobium monoxide. According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of forming capacitor anode bodies from valve action material comprising the steps of: providing a capacitor grade powder of the valve action material, charging the powder into a press mold, compacting the powder in the mold so as to shape the powder into an anode body shape, stabilizing the body shape, for example by sintering of the material to form an inter-connected porous body, characterized in that the molding process involves the use of a lubricant applied locally to lubricate the interface between an outside surface of the anode body and a molding surface of the mold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2012
    Assignee: AVX Corporation
    Inventors: Colin McCracken, Nigel Patrick Grant
  • Patent number: 8029762
    Abstract: Porous anode bodies suitable for use in solid state capacitors, the porous anode bodies prepared by processes which include providing a niobium suboxide powder comprising niobium suboxide particles having a bulk nitrogen content of 500 to 20,000 ppm, and agglomerating and coalescing the powder; and capacitors incorporating such anode bodies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2011
    Assignee: H. C. Starck GmbH
    Inventors: Christoph Schnitter, Holger Brumm, Christine Rawohl, Colin McCracken
  • Patent number: 7824452
    Abstract: The present invention concerns the field of solid state capacitors and in particular high performance capacitors for use in modern electronic devices. Specifically, the present invention relates to a method by which powders of valve-action material may be modified to make them suitable for use in the formation of capacitor anodes for solid state electrolytic capacitors. According to the present invention there is provided a method of modifying raw valve-action material powder into capacitor grade structured powder comprising: (i) providing a raw powder to be converted; (ii) compressing a portion of the powder to form a porous solid mass of powder (iii) heating the solid mass to a pre-determined sintering temperature and maintaining the temperature for a pre-determined time period to form a sintered body, (iv) pulverising the sintered body to form a processed powder and (v) optionally grading the powder particles within pre-determined size ranges so as to collect capacitor grade powder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2010
    Assignee: AVX Limited
    Inventors: Brady A. Jones, Colin McCracken, James Fife, Ian Margerison, Tomas Karnik
  • Publication number: 20100067175
    Abstract: The present invention concerns the field of solid state capacitors and in particular high performance capacitors for use in modern electronic devices. Specifically, the present invention relates to a method by which powders of valve-action material may be modified to make them suitable for use in the formation of capacitor anodes for solid state electrolytic capacitors. According to the present invention there is provided a method of modifying raw valve-action material powder into capacitor grade structured powder comprising: (i) providing a raw powder to be converted; (ii) compressing a portion of the powder to form a porous solid mass of powder (iii) heating the solid mass to a pre-determined sintering temperature and maintaining the temperature for a pre-determined time period to form a sintered body, (iv) pulverising the sintered body to form a processed powder and (v) optionally grading the powder particles within pre-determined size ranges so as to collect capacitor grade powder.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2007
    Publication date: March 18, 2010
    Applicant: AVX LIMITED
    Inventors: Brady A. Jones, Colin McCracken, James Fife, Ian Margerison, Tomas Karnik
  • Publication number: 20090193637
    Abstract: The present invention relates to the field of solid state capacitors, and in particular to capacitors that have an anode body formed of porous valve action material, such as tantalum, niobium or niobium monoxide. According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of forming capacitor anode bodies from valve action material comprising the steps of: providing a capacitor grade powder of the valve action material, charging the powder into moulding means, compacting the powder in the moulding means so as to shape the powder into an anode body shape, stabilising the body shape, for example by sintering of the material to form an inter-connected porous body, characterised in that the moulding process involves the use of lubrication means which is adapted to apply lubricant locally to lubricate the interface between an outside surface of the anode body and a moulding surface of the moulding means.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 1, 2006
    Publication date: August 6, 2009
    Inventors: Colin McCracken, Nigel Patrick Grant
  • Publication number: 20080310080
    Abstract: The present invention concerns the field of solid state capacitors and is directed more particularly to a method for manufacturing solid state electrolytic capacitors formed from porous conductive metal oxide anode bodies and having a cathode layer of conducting polymer, and capacitors thereby formed. There is disclosed a solid state capacitor comprising a porous anode body, a dielectric layer formed on surfaces of the porous anode body and a cathode layer formed on the dielectric layer, characterised by the combination of the anode body being formed from an electrically conducting ceramic material and the cathode layer being formed from an electrically conductive polymer material. The conducting ceramic material may be a metal oxide or nitride.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 18, 2006
    Publication date: December 18, 2008
    Inventors: Martin Biler, Zdenek Sita, Colin McCracken
  • Publication number: 20080212263
    Abstract: Porous anode bodies suitable for use in solid state capacitors, the porous anode bodies prepared by processes which include providing a niobium suboxide powder comprising niobium suboxide particles having a bulk nitrogen content of 500 to 20,000 ppm, and agglomerating and coalescing the powder; and capacitors incorporating such anode bodies.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 1, 2006
    Publication date: September 4, 2008
    Applicant: H. C. Starck GmbH
    Inventors: Christoph Schnitter, Holger Brumm, Christine Rawohl, Colin Mccracken
  • Publication number: 20080199393
    Abstract: Disclosed is a niobium suboxide powder for the manufacture of capacitors with higher break down voltages, higher temperatures of operation and elongated lifetimes. The powder is doped with nitrogen which is at least partly present in the form homogeneously distributed, x-ray detectable Nb2N-crystal domains. The niobium suboxide powder contains niobium suboxide particles having a bulk nitrogen content of between 500 to 20,000 ppm.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2006
    Publication date: August 21, 2008
    Applicant: H.C. Starck GmbH
    Inventors: Christoph Schnitter, Holger Brumm, Christine Rawohl, Colin McCracken