Patents by Inventor Victor Alfred Beck

Victor Alfred Beck 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).

  • Publication number: 20230275238
    Abstract: Disclosed are flow-through electrode devices and techniques for making flow-through electrodes. In one aspect, a flow through electrode apparatus comprises one or more fiber layers. Each fiber layer comprises a plurality of fibers oriented to be orthogonal to a flow direction of a fluid. The plurality of fibers are configured to cause an inertial flow of the fluid around the plurality of fibers at a first flow rate of the fluid.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2022
    Publication date: August 31, 2023
    Inventors: Victor Alfred Beck, Sarah Baker, Swetha Chandrasekaran, Eric Duoss, Jean-Baptiste Forien, Anna Nikolaevna Ivanovskaya, Marcus Worsley
  • Patent number: 11413813
    Abstract: An additive manufacturing process includes creating an aerosol from a powder at a spray generator, charging the aerosol to produce a charged aerosol having a first charge, forming a blanket charge on a deposition surface having a second charge with an opposite polarity from the first charge, selectively removing regions of the blanket charge, leaving charged regions on the deposition surface, and transporting the charged aerosol to the charged regions to form structures on the charged regions from the charged aerosol.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Assignee: PALO ALTO RESEARCH CENTER INCORPORATED
    Inventors: David Mathew Johnson, Scott A. Elrod, David K. Biegelsen, Victor Alfred Beck
  • Publication number: 20220255165
    Abstract: Disclosed are electrochemical reactors with electrodes that have variable porosity across the electrode. The electrodes are designed and micro-architected to have variable porosity and 3D flow. In one aspect, an electrochemical cell apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus includes an electrochemical vessel and an electrochemical fluid contained in the electrochemical vessel. The apparatus further includes a porous electrode submerged in the electrochemical fluid in the electrochemical vessel, the porous electrode having different porosities in different areas of the porous electrode. The different porosities inhibit electrochemical fluid flow and increase electrical conductivity in first areas of the porous electrode with decreased porosity compared to second areas, and enable increased electrochemical fluid flow and decrease electrical conductivity in the second areas of the porous electrode with increased porosity compared to the first areas.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 8, 2022
    Publication date: August 11, 2022
    Inventors: Victor Alfred Beck, Sarah Baker, Jonathan Tesner Davis, Eric Duoss, Daniel Tortorelli, Seth Evan Watts, Marcus A. Worsley
  • Patent number: 11267164
    Abstract: A method includes providing a reservoir of randomly oriented fibers in a solution, dispensing the solution of randomly oriented fibers through a nozzle having an orientation component onto a porous substrate as a solution of aligned fibers, and immobilizing the fibers to form a fiber pre-form. A system includes a porous substrate, a deposition nozzle, a reservoir of randomly oriented fibers in solution connected to the deposition nozzle, the deposition nozzle position adjacent the porous substrate and connected to the reservoir, the nozzle to receive the randomly oriented fibers and output aligned fibers, and a vacuum connected to the porous substrate to remove fluid from the porous substrate as the deposition nozzle deposits the aligned fibers on the porous substrate to produce a fiber pre-form having aligned fibers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: PALO ALTO RESEARCH CENTER INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Victor Alfred Beck, Ranjeet Rao
  • Patent number: 11059216
    Abstract: A deposition system has a reservoir of a material to be deposited, the material having fibers, a print head having a mixer to generate a mixed flow of the materials having fibers, a flow focusing section arranged to cause short fibers to align inside the print head, and an outlet of the print head to allow the material to be deposited on a substrate, and a controller to actuate the print head to control an orientation of the print head relative to a substrate to cause longer fibers to align external to the print head. A deposition system includes a reservoir of a material to be deposited, the material having fibers, a print head connected to the reservoir of material by a conduit, the print head having an exit nozzle and an actuator, the actuator to control the orientation of the exit nozzle relative to a substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2021
    Assignee: PALO ALTO RESEARCH CENTER INCORPORATED
    Inventors: John Steven Paschkewitz, Gabriel Iftime, Victor Alfred Beck, David Mathew Johnson
  • Publication number: 20210129424
    Abstract: An additive manufacturing process includes creating an aerosol from a powder at a spray generator, charging the aerosol to produce a charged aerosol having a first charge, forming a blanket charge on a deposition surface having a second charge with an opposite polarity from the first charge, selectively removing regions of the blanket charge, leaving charged regions on the deposition surface, and transporting the charged aerosol to the charged regions to form structures on the charged regions from the charged aerosol.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 12, 2021
    Publication date: May 6, 2021
    Inventors: DAVID MATHEW JOHNSON, SCOTT A. ELROD, DAVID K. BIEGELSEN, VICTOR ALFRED BECK
  • Publication number: 20210053056
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a computer aided design (CAD) manufactured lattice structure. The structure may have a plurality of tessellated cells formed from a plurality of interconnected struts, with the interconnected struts formed from a curable resin. The interconnecting struts form voids within each cell, with the voids communicating with one another. The struts may be formed such that the voids have a non-uniform dimension to create a varying porosity within the lattice structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 23, 2019
    Publication date: February 25, 2021
    Inventors: Nikola DUDUKOVIC, Sarah BAKER, Victor Alfred BECK, Swetha CHANDRASEKARAN, Joshua R. DEOTTE, Eric B. DUOSS, Jeremy Taylor FEASTER, Jennifer Marie KNIPE, Julie MANCINI, James OAKDALE, Fang QIAN, Marcus A. WORSLEY
  • Patent number: 10919215
    Abstract: An additive manufacturing system has an aerosol generator to aerosolize a powder, a deposition surface, a surface charging element to apply a blanket charge to the deposition surface, a charging print head to selectively remove portions of the blanket charge from the deposition surface, and a transport system to transport the aerosol powder from the aerosol generator to the deposition surface, the transport system having an aerosol charging element to apply charge opposite of the blanket charge to the aerosol powder. An additive manufacturing process includes creating an aerosol from a powder at a spray generator, charging the aerosol to produce a charged aerosol having a first charge, forming a blanket charge on a deposition surface having a second charge of an opposite polarity from the first charge, selectively removing regions of the blanket charge, and transporting the charged aerosol to the charged regions to form structures on the charged regions from the charged aerosol.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: PALO ALTO RESEARCH CENTER INCORPORATED
    Inventors: David Mathew Johnson, Scott A. Elrod, David K. Biegelsen, Victor Alfred Beck
  • Patent number: 10500784
    Abstract: An additive deposition system and method, the system including generating an aerosol of additive material that is charged and deposited onto a selectively charged substrate. Selectively charging the substrate includes uniformly charging a surface of the substrate, selectively removing charged from the substrate to create charged and neutral regions of the substrate surface. The charged regions of the substrate having a polarity opposite a polarity of the charged aerosol. The charged aerosol of additive material deposited onto the selectively charged portions of the substrate surface due to the potential difference between the charged substrate and charged aerosol. The system and method further including repeating the additive deposition process to create a multi-layer matrix of additive material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: PALO ALTO RESEARCH CENTER INCORPORATED
    Inventors: David Mathew Johnson, Victor Alfred Beck, Scott A. Elrod, David K. Biegelsen
  • Patent number: 10434703
    Abstract: An additive deposition system and method, the system including generating an aerosol of additive material that is charged and deposited onto a selectively charged substrate. Selectively charging the substrate includes uniformly charging a surface of the substrate, selectively removing charged from the substrate to create charged and neutral regions of the substrate surface. The charged regions of the substrate having a polarity opposite a polarity of the charged aerosol. The charged aerosol of additive material deposited onto the selectively charged portions of the substrate surface due to the potential difference between the charged substrate and charged aerosol. The system and method further including repeating the additive deposition process to create a multi-layer matrix of additive material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2019
    Assignee: PALO ALTO RESEARCH CENTER INCORPORATED
    Inventors: David Mathew Johnson, Victor Alfred Beck, Scott A. Elrod, David K. Biegelsen
  • Patent number: 10259157
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a fiber reinforced thermoplastic part includes placing fibers, fixing the fibers in place, cutting the fibers, infusing the fibers with a thermoplastic polymer, stacking multiple sheets of the fibers, and molding the multiple sheets together. A method of manufacturing a part includes placing original fibers, fixing the fibers in place, cutting the fibers, infusing the fibers with a thermoplastic polymer, stacking multiple sheets of the fibers, molding the multiple sheets together to form a moldable sheet, and applying a mold to the moldable sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignee: PALO ALTO RESEARCH CENTER INCORPORATED
    Inventor: Victor Alfred Beck
  • Publication number: 20190084000
    Abstract: A method includes providing a reservoir of randomly oriented fibers in a solution, dispensing the solution of randomly oriented fibers through a nozzle having an orientation component onto a porous substrate as a solution of aligned fibers, and immobilizing the fibers to form a fiber pre-form. A system includes a porous substrate, a deposition nozzle, a reservoir of randomly oriented fibers in solution connected to the deposition nozzle, the deposition nozzle position adjacent the porous substrate and connected to the reservoir, the nozzle to receive the randomly oriented fibers and output aligned fibers, and a vacuum connected to the porous substrate to remove fluid from the porous substrate as the deposition nozzle deposits the aligned fibers on the porous substrate to produce a fiber pre-form having aligned fibers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 19, 2018
    Publication date: March 21, 2019
    Inventors: VICTOR ALFRED BECK, RANJEET RAO
  • Publication number: 20190061233
    Abstract: An additive manufacturing system has an aerosol generator to aerosolize a powder, a deposition surface, a surface charging element to apply a blanket charge to the deposition surface, a charging print head to selectively remove portions of the blanket charge from the deposition surface, and a transport system to transport the aerosol powder from the aerosol generator to the deposition surface, the transport system having an aerosol charging element to apply charge opposite of the blanket charge to the aerosol powder. An additive manufacturing process includes creating an aerosol from a powder at a spray generator, charging the aerosol to produce a charged aerosol having a first charge, forming a blanket charge on a deposition surface having a second charge of an opposite polarity from the first charge, selectively removing regions of the blanket charge, and transporting the charged aerosol to the charged regions to form structures on the charged regions from the charged aerosol.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2017
    Publication date: February 28, 2019
    Inventors: DAVID MATHEW JOHNSON, SCOTT A. ELROD, DAVID K. BIEGELSEN, VICTOR ALFRED BECK
  • Patent number: 10160004
    Abstract: A deposition nozzle has a housing, an inlet into the housing arranged to receive a solution carrying randomly oriented fibers, an orientation component within the housing, the orientation component positioned to receive the solution from the inlet and operate to produce aligned fibers in a predetermined, single direction, and an outlet on the housing arranged to receive the aligned fibers and deposit them on a substrate. A system includes a porous substrate, a deposition nozzle, a reservoir of randomly oriented fibers in solution connected to the deposition nozzle, the deposition nozzle position adjacent the porous substrate and connected to the reservoir, the nozzle to receive the randomly oriented fibers and output aligned fibers, and a vacuum connected to the porous substrate to remove fluid from the porous substrate as the deposition nozzle deposits the aligned fibers on the porous substrate to produce a fiber pre-form having aligned fibers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignee: PALO ALTO RESEARCH CENTER INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Victor Alfred Beck, Ranjeet Rao
  • Patent number: 10112213
    Abstract: A method of powder coating a substrate includes receiving a powder coating material into a feed input, using the feed input, melting the powder coating material into a homogeneous fluid of powder coating material, receiving the homogeneous fluid of powder coating material into a filament extension atomizer positioned in-line with the feed input, atomizing, with the filament extension atomizer, the received homogeneous fluid of powder coating material into multiple droplets of powder coating material, cooling the droplets of powder coating material to a processing temperature that prevents the droplets from agglomerating, and directing the cooled droplets through a deposition passage positioned in-line with the filament extension atomizer, the deposition passage configured to direct at least a portion of the cooled droplets towards a substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2018
    Assignee: Palo Alto Research Center Incorporated
    Inventors: David Mathew Johnson, Victor Alfred Beck
  • Publication number: 20180257103
    Abstract: A method of powder coating a substrate includes receiving a powder coating material into a feed input, using the feed input, melting the powder coating material into a homogeneous fluid of powder coating material, receiving the homogeneous fluid of powder coating material into a filament extension atomizer positioned in-line with the feed input, atomizing, with the filament extension atomizer, the received homogeneous fluid of powder coating material into multiple droplets of powder coating material, cooling the droplets of powder coating material to a processing temperature that prevents the droplets from agglomerating, and directing the cooled droplets through a deposition passage positioned in-line with the filament extension atomizer, the deposition passage configured to direct at least a portion of the cooled droplets towards a substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 16, 2018
    Publication date: September 13, 2018
    Inventors: DAVID MATHEW JOHNSON, VICTOR ALFRED BECK
  • Patent number: 9993839
    Abstract: A system and method for coating a substrate, the system including integrated powder coating material preparation and deposition of powder coating material onto a substrate. The system includes a feed input that processes the powder coating materials for use in a filament extension atomizer. The filament extension atomizer stretches fluid filaments of the powder coating material to form droplets of powder coating material. The droplets of powder coating material are partially cooled to prevent agglomeration and to form a powder coating material suitable for electrostatic deposition. The cooled powder coating material is electrostatically charged and directed onto the substrate surface, where it is deposited due to the electrostatic potential between the substrate and cooled droplets. The deposited powder coating material is then cured to the substrate to form a cohesive film of coating material across the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2018
    Assignee: PALO ALTO RESEARCH CENTER INCORPORATED
    Inventors: David Mathew Johnson, Victor Alfred Beck
  • Patent number: 9873131
    Abstract: A method of atomizing a fluid using a pair of counter-rotating rollers including a first roller having grooves, the grooves enclosed by a pair of fins extending away from the first surface and a second roller having channels, the first and second rollers aligned with each other such that the grooves of the first roller mate with the channels of the second roller forming enclosures and nips. The method includes drawing the fluid from a fluid source through the nips, the nips having an upstream side and a downstream side, stretching the fluid between the diverging surfaces of the pair of counter-rotating rollers on the downstream side of the nips to form fluid filaments, and forming fluid droplets from the stretched fluid filaments on the downstream side of the nips between the diverging surfaces of the pair of counter-rotating rollers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2018
    Assignee: PALO ALTO RESEARCH CENTER INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Victor Alfred Beck, David Mathew Johnson
  • Publication number: 20170355130
    Abstract: A deposition system has a reservoir of a material to be deposited, the material having fibers, a print head having a mixer to generate a mixed flow of the materials having fibers, a flow focusing section arranged to cause short fibers to align inside the print head, and an outlet of the print head to allow the material to be deposited on a substrate, and a controller to actuate the print head to control an orientation of the print head relative to a substrate to cause longer fibers to align external to the print head. A deposition system includes a reservoir of a material to be deposited, the material having fibers, a print head connected to the reservoir of material by a conduit, the print head having an exit nozzle and an actuator, the actuator to control the orientation of the exit nozzle relative to a substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 21, 2017
    Publication date: December 14, 2017
    Inventors: JOHN STEVEN PASCHKEWITZ, GABRIEL IFTIME, VICTOR ALFRED BECK, DAVID MATHEW JOHNSON
  • Patent number: 9821339
    Abstract: A method to fabricate hierarchical graded materials includes providing a reservoir of functionalized particles, mixing at least some of the functionalized particles using a mixer in the print head having a mixed fluid volume control on an order of a voxel to produce mixed functionalized particles, and actuating a print head to deposit the mixed functionalized particles on a substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: PALO ALTO RESEARCH CENTER INCORPORATED
    Inventors: John Steven Paschkewitz, Gabriel Iftime, Victor Alfred Beck, David Mathew Johnson