Patents by Inventor Virginia Houlding

Virginia Houlding 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: 20060086247
    Abstract: A system and method for processing a matrix fluid to remove one or more impurities (such as moisture from a process gas). The purifier includes a pre-cooler that receives the matrix fluid and cools the matrix fluid to a second, lower temperature. A container is provided to contain a purifier element made up of a high surface area material. The container includes an inlet for receiving the matrix fluid from the pre-cooler and an outlet for outputting the matrix fluid after it is forced to flow through the purifier element. The purifier includes a cooler in thermal contact with an outer surface of the container to cool the outer surface of the container to a purifying temperature, which is selected to be below the ambient temperature and above a phase change point of the matrix fluid and is typically in the range of about 0 to ?200° C.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 17, 2005
    Publication date: April 27, 2006
    Inventors: Joseph Vininski, Robert Torres, Virginia Houlding, Harold Spicer
  • Publication number: 20020078825
    Abstract: Trace impurities such as organic compounds and carbon monoxide are reduced to sub-ppb levels in gases such as nitrogen, helium and argon, by gas purifying systems that contain an ultra-low emission (ULE) carbon material. Ultra-low emission (ULE) carbon materials can be made from commercially available carbon materials in the form of pellets, extrudates and beads and is capable of removing impurities from a gas stream down to parts-per-billion (ppb) and sub-ppb levels without concurrently emitting other impurities such as moisture or carbon dioxide to the purified gas stream. The carbon material is superactivated by heating the carbon to temperatures from 300° to about 800° degrees C. in an ultra-dry, inert gas stream. The ultra-low emission (ULE) carbon material is handled and stored in an environment that minimizes contamination from moisture and other oxygenated species in order to maintain its ppb and sub-ppb impurity removal and low emission properties.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 26, 2000
    Publication date: June 27, 2002
    Inventors: Hans H. Funke, Dan Fraenkel, Virginia Houlding
  • Patent number: 5344517
    Abstract: The present invention provides for improved methods of fabricating layered materials which are epitaxially grown on an electrically conductive single crystal substrate. The improved methods comprise the step of applying an electrochemical potential between the layered material/substrate and a counter electrode to oxidize and dissolve a thin etch layer positioned between the film and substrate, to thereby free the layered material from the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 1993
    Date of Patent: September 6, 1994
    Assignee: Bandgap Technology Corporation
    Inventor: Virginia Houlding