Patents by Inventor Ronald J. Valus

Ronald J. Valus 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: 9701459
    Abstract: A container 22 includes a shell 24 made from a polymer, for example PET, and incorporating a catalyst, for example a palladium catalyst. A closure 40 incorporates a plug which includes a source of hydrogen, for example a hydride. In use, with container 22 including a beverage and closure 40 in position, the headspace in the container will be saturated with water vapor. This vapor contacts the hydride associated with plug 42 and as a result the hydride produces molecular hydrogen which migrates into the polymer matrix of shell 24 and combines with oxygen which may have entered the container through its permeable walls. A reaction between the hydrogen and oxygen takes place, catalyzed by the catalyst, and water is produced. Thus, oxygen which may ingress the container is scavenged and the contents of the container are protected from oxidation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignee: COLORMATRIX HOLDINGS, INC.
    Inventors: Mark Rule, Ronald J. Valus, Steven Burgess Tattum
  • Publication number: 20150129454
    Abstract: A container 22 includes a shell 24 made from a polymer, for example PET, and incorporating a catalyst, for example a palladium catalyst. A closure 40 incorporates a plug which includes a source of hydrogen, for example a hydride. In use, with container 22 including a beverage and closure 40 in position, the headspace in the container will be saturated with water vapor. This vapor contacts the hydride associated with plug 42 and as a result the hydride produces molecular hydrogen which migrates into the polymer matrix of shell 24 and combines with oxygen which may have entered the container through its permeable walls. A reaction between the hydrogen and oxygen takes place, catalysed by the catalyst, and water is produced. Thus, oxygen which may ingress the container is scavenged and the contents of the container are protected from oxidation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 7, 2014
    Publication date: May 14, 2015
    Applicant: COLORMATRIX HOLDINGS, INC
    Inventors: Mark Rule, Ronald J. Valus, Steven Burgess Tattum
  • Patent number: 8906299
    Abstract: A container (22) includes a shell (24) made from a polymer, for example PET, and incorporating a catalyst, for example a palladium catalyst. A closure (40) incorporates a plug which includes a source of hydrogen, for example a hydride. In use, with container (22) including a beverage and closure (40) in position, the headspace in the container will be saturated with water vapor. This vapor contacts the hydride associated with plug (42) and as a result the hydride produces molecular hydrogen which migrates into the polymer matrix of shell (24) and combines with oxygen which may have entered the container through its permeable walls. A reaction between the hydrogen and oxygen takes place, catalyzed by the catalyst, and water is produced. Thus, oxygen which may ingress the container is scavenged and the contents of the container are protected from oxidation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Assignee: Colormatrix Holdings, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Rule, Ronald J. Valus, Steven Burgess Tattum
  • Publication number: 20100028499
    Abstract: A container (22) includes a shell (24) made from a polymer, for example PET, and incorporating a catalyst, for example a palladium catalyst. A closure (40) incorporates a plug which includes a source of hydrogen, for example a hydride. In use, with container (22) including a beverage and closure (40) in position, the headspace in the container will be saturated with water vapor. This vapor contacts the hydride associated with plug (42) and as a result the hydride produces molecular hydrogen which migrates into the polymer matrix of shell (24) and combines with oxygen which may have entered the container through its permeable walls. A reaction between the hydrogen and oxygen takes place, catalysed by the catalyst, and water is produced. Thus, oxygen which may ingress the container is scavenged and the contents of the container are protected from oxidation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 24, 2008
    Publication date: February 4, 2010
    Inventors: Mark Rule, Ronald J. Valus, Steven Burgess Tattum
  • Publication number: 20030194517
    Abstract: Coatings are provided to give inorganic oxide coated polymeric structures a top coat that improves the gas barrier properties of the structure while enhancing the water resistance of the top coating and while improving the adhesion of the top coat to an inorganic oxide substrate layer. These top coat compositions comprise an organic compound in combination with a silane additive which crosslinks the organic compound with the inorganic oxide. Multilayer structures having this top coat are also provided, particularly in the form of containers for food and beverage packaging.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 15, 2002
    Publication date: October 16, 2003
    Inventors: Yu Shi, Ronald J. Valus, John V. Standish
  • Publication number: 20030194563
    Abstract: Coatings are provided to give polymeric structures a top coat that improves the gas barrier properties of the structure while enhancing the water resistance of the top coating and while improving the adhesion of the top coat to an underlying layer of the structure. These top coat compositions comprise an organic barrier coating material in combination with an epoxide additive which enhances the water resistance, adhesion, gas barrier, or a combination thereof, of the top coat barrier layer. Multilayer structures having this top coat are also provided, particularly in the form of containers for food and beverage packaging.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 7, 2003
    Publication date: October 16, 2003
    Inventors: Yu Shi, Lawrence S. Mucha, Ronald J. Valus, John V. Standish
  • Patent number: 6083297
    Abstract: The invention relates to a gas dehydration membrane comprising a membrane having pores communicating between a first and an opposing second surface of the membrane and further having an average pore diameter on the first surface of the membrane which is about 10 to 1000 times smaller than that on the opposing second surface of the membrane. The invention further relates to a process for dehydrating a gaseous feedstock comprising passing the gaseous feedstock over a membrane characterized by high surface porosity wherein pore openings on a first surface thereof are at least 10 to 1000 times smaller than pore openings on an opposing surface thereof and wherein from about 2% to about 30% of the pore volume is occupied by a humectant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2000
    Assignee: Whatman, Inc.
    Inventors: Ronald J. Valus, Randall W. Nichols, James C. Davis
  • Patent number: 5853586
    Abstract: A sealing member for a multi-well microfiltration plate comprises a flexible sealing material which, in response to the application of differential pressure, will flex or collapse in the direction of the filtration along the contour of each individual well. A process maintains a differential pressure substantially constant over a multi-well microfiltration plate comprising placing said flexible sealing member over that surface of the plate having well openings, stretching the flexible sealing member so as to seal the perimeter of each individual well, creating a differential pressure around said plate covered with said seal and filtering a media from each occupied well at a rate independent of the filtration rate of any other well while maintaining a substantially constant differential pressure around the plate until filtration in the last well containing media is complete.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 29, 1998
    Assignee: Whatman, Inc.
    Inventors: Ronald J. Valus, Jonathan N. Lipsky
  • Patent number: 5665247
    Abstract: A sealing member for a multi-well microfiltration plate comprises a flexible sealing material which, in response to the application of differential pressure, will flex or collapse in the direction of the filtration along the contour of each individual well. A process maintains a differential pressure substantially constant over a multi-well microfiltration plate comprising placing said flexible sealing member over that surface of the plate having well openings, stretching the flexible sealing member so as to seal the perimeter of each individual well, creating a differential pressure around said plate covered with said seal and filtering a media from each occupied well at a rate independent of the filtration rate of any other well while maintaining a substantially constant differential pressure around the plate until filtration in the last well containing media is complete.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 9, 1997
    Assignee: Whatman Inc.
    Inventors: Ronald J. Valus, Jonathan N. Lipsky
  • Patent number: 5131928
    Abstract: The subject invention relates to a membrane for the selective separation of at least one component of a gaseous feed stream comprising a porous membrane, having pores of from about 10 Angstroms to about 200 Angstroms, the pores containing a facilitator liquid having an affinity for the at least one component to be selectively separated, the membrane being capable of operating at a transmembrane pressure of about 100 psig to about 1000 psig, and the membrane comprising a polymer, a solvent, an alcohol non-solvent, and a viscosity enhancer and pore former.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 1991
    Date of Patent: July 21, 1992
    Assignee: The Standard Oil Company
    Inventors: Marc W. Blackman, Alex E. Velikoff, James C. Davis, Ronald J. Valus
  • Patent number: 5057641
    Abstract: The subject invention relates to a process for the selective separation of at least one component of a gaseous feedstream comprising passing the feedstream containing the component through a separation unit, the separation unit containing a porous membrane having a feed side and a permeate side, and a pore size of from about 10 Angstroms to about 200 Angstroms, and having disposed in the pores of the porous membrane a facilitator liquid comprising a carrier dissolved in a suitable solvent, including:a) dissolving the component in the facilitator liquid on the feed side of the porous membrane at the feed gas/membrane interface;b) forming a component-carrier complex;c) diffusing the complex to the permeate side of the porous membrane; andd) releasing the component from the carrier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 1990
    Date of Patent: October 15, 1991
    Assignee: The Standard Oil Company
    Inventors: Ronald J. Valus, Reza Eshraghi, Alexander E. Velikoff, James C. Davis
  • Patent number: 4661629
    Abstract: Separating phenylalanine from its admixture with phenylalanine ethyl ester by preferential permeation through a sulfonated polystyrene cation exchange resin membrane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 1985
    Date of Patent: April 28, 1987
    Assignee: The Standard Oil Company
    Inventors: Ronald J. Valus, James C. Davis
  • Patent number: 4155901
    Abstract: The process for copolymerization of styrene and acrylonitrile in the presence of a diolefin elastomer in high conversion to polymers having superior impact resistance and other excellent physical properties by the careful control of the percent unrealized total solids during the early stages of the copolymerization is described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 1975
    Date of Patent: May 22, 1979
    Assignee: The Standard Oil Company
    Inventors: Curtis E. Uebele, Ronald J. Valus