The present invention relates to membrane filtration systems, and more particularly to those systems employing porous or permeable membranes located in a tank or cell open to atmosphere and a backwash method and arrangement therefor.
Any discussion of the prior art throughout the specification should in no way be considered as an admission that such prior art is widely known or forms part of common general knowledge in the field.
Porous membrane filtration systems require regular backwashing of the membranes to maintain filtration efficiency and flux while reducing transmembrane pressure (TMP) which rises as the membrane pores become clogged with impurities. Typically, during the backwash cycle the impurities are forced out of the membrane pores by pressurised gas, liquid or both into the feed tank or cell. Impurities may also be removed from the membrane surfaces by scouring with gas bubbles. The liquid containing impurities and deposits from the membranes is then drained or flushed from the tank.
The waste liquid displaced from the tank needs to be disposed of or reprocessed, usually in an environmentally safe manner, so any reduction in the volume of such waste liquid is seen as advantageous in terms of environmental impact and cost.
The draining or flushing of the tank, particularly when large arrays of membranes are used also requires time which results in down time of the filtration cycle. In order to reduce this down time large pumping systems are required to quickly drain and refill the tank. Where tanks or cells are arranged in banks and feed is used to refill the tank, a lowering in levels in other cells may be produced during the refill process. This again impinges on operating efficiency of the filtration system.
Further, in filtration systems employing gas bubble scouring of the membranes it has been found advantageous to confine the bubbles as much as possible in the region of the membranes to assist with the scouring process.
Reduction in backwash volume also reduces the volume of chemical cleaning agents required in some systems. This has the two-fold advantage of reducing cost in terms of chemical requirements while also reducing waste disposal problems.
Minimising the footprint of filtration systems is also desirable in terms of space eventually occupied by the filtration plant. Compact systems have lesser impact on the environment and are more acceptable to the market.
The distribution of gas across large membrane module arrays often leads to complex distribution systems and thus it is desirable to reduce the complexity of such systems where possible.
It has been found advantageous to reduce the volume of feed liquid in the filtration cell as well as confine scouring bubbles as much as possible in order to ameliorate the above problems and provide at least some of the advantages outlined above.
The present invention seeks to overcome one or more of the abovementioned problems of the prior art, provide one or more of the advantages outlined above or at least provide a useful alternative.
According to one aspect, the present invention provides a filtration arrangement including one or more membrane modules positioned vertically within a feed tank, each membrane module having one or more membranes positioned therein, an aeration hood having an upper wall and one or more downwardly extending side walls configured to at least partially shroud said membrane modules within said tank, said aeration hood including a number of open-ended tubes, each extending downwardly from said upper wall and forming a respective opening therein, each tube adapted to have at least one of said modules mounted therein and extending through said respective openings in the upper wall so as to at least partially surround an outer periphery of an associated module or modules, one or more aeration openings being provided in each tube at a location spaced from a proximal end of said tube, said aeration hood side wall or walls extending to below the location of said aeration openings in said tubes, and gas providing means for feeding gas into said hood.
In one preferred form, one or more of said aeration hood side walls are formed by side walls of the feed tank with the upper wall being sealingly attached to the side wall so formed.
For preference, the aeration openings are provided at or adjacent the distal end of each tube and the aeration hood side wall or walls extend to or below the downward extent of a distal end of said tubes.
Preferably, each membrane module has an associated tube surrounding an outer periphery thereof. For preference, the openings comprise a number of through holes located around the periphery of each tube and spaced from the distal end of said tube. In one form, the gas providing means may comprise an aeration header located below the aeration hood.
In one preferred form, the at least one module includes a sleeve surrounding the outer periphery to prevent flow of gas therethrough. The sleeve extends part way along the length of the module to define an open region at or adjacent the lower end of the module to allow flow of gas into the module through said open region, and the hood is positioned to shroud the module at the location of the open region such that gas passing through the aeration openings may pass through the open region into the module membranes.
Desirably openings or an open region are also provided at the top of the module to allow escape of the gas from the module and entry of liquid into the module.
According to another aspect, the present invention provides a method of cleaning membrane modules in arrangement according to the above aspect including the steps of:
A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
Referring to the
The aeration and cleaning process according to this embodiment may be described as follows. The filtration process is suspended and backwash commenced with backwash gas, typically air, being supplied from aeration lines 18 under the aeration hood 10 so as to bubble up into the void space between the tubes 14. It will be appreciated that gas could also be fed directly into the aeration hood 10 through a pipe or the like. The gas that bubbles up from the aeration lines 18 displaces feed liquid from within the aeration hood 10. The liquid level in the aeration hood 10 drops until it is below the row of aeration holes 17 near the distal end 16 of the tubes 14. The gas then flows through the holes 17 and into the sides of the module 5 suspended inside the tubes 14. This gas then provides a scrubbing action to scour the membranes within the module 5, whilst the tubes 14 serve to contain the gas within the module 5 thus promoting more effective cleaning.
The distal end 16 of the tube typically extends about 50 to 100 mm below the aeration holes 17 in the tube 14, though it will be appreciated that the aeration holes may be located at any desired location along the length of the tube 14 and several rows of holes may be provided. The pressure drop across the aeration holes 17 is selected to ensure that a liquid seal is maintained between the holes 17 and the end 16 of the tubes 14. A gap 19 may also be provided between the end 16 of the tube 14 and the bottom 20 of the module 5 to allow solids to exit from the bottom 20 of the modules.
A further embodiment of hood arrangement is shown in
While the invention has been described in relation in relation to a feed tank open to atmosphere, it will be appreciated that the invention is equally applicable to a closed, pressurized filtration system.
It will be appreciated that further embodiments and exemplifications of the invention are possible without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention described.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
2002951974 | Oct 2002 | AU | national |
2002952048 | Oct 2002 | AU | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
PCT/AU03/01338 | 10/10/2003 | WO | 00 | 4/11/2005 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
WO2004/033078 | 4/22/2004 | WO | A |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
256008 | Leak | Apr 1882 | A |
285321 | Tams | Sep 1883 | A |
1997074 | Novotny | Apr 1935 | A |
2080783 | Petersen | May 1937 | A |
2105700 | Ramage | Jan 1938 | A |
2843038 | Manspeaker | Jul 1958 | A |
2926086 | Chenicek et al. | Feb 1960 | A |
3139401 | Hach | Jun 1964 | A |
3183191 | Hach | May 1965 | A |
3198636 | Bouthilet | Aug 1965 | A |
3228876 | Mahon | Jan 1966 | A |
3275554 | Wagenaar | Sep 1966 | A |
3442002 | Geary et al. | May 1969 | A |
3462362 | Killsman | Aug 1969 | A |
3472765 | Okey et al. | Oct 1969 | A |
3492698 | Geary et al. | Feb 1970 | A |
3501798 | Bray | Mar 1970 | A |
3505215 | Bray | Apr 1970 | A |
3556305 | Shorr | Jan 1971 | A |
3591010 | Pall et al. | Jul 1971 | A |
3625827 | Wildi et al. | Dec 1971 | A |
3654147 | Levin et al. | Apr 1972 | A |
3693406 | Tobin, III | Sep 1972 | A |
3700561 | Ziffer | Oct 1972 | A |
3700591 | Higley | Oct 1972 | A |
3708071 | Crowley | Jan 1973 | A |
3728256 | Cooper | Apr 1973 | A |
3763055 | White et al. | Oct 1973 | A |
3791631 | Meyer | Feb 1974 | A |
3795609 | Hall et al. | Mar 1974 | A |
3804258 | Okuniewski et al. | Apr 1974 | A |
3843809 | Luck | Oct 1974 | A |
3876738 | Marinaccio et al. | Apr 1975 | A |
3955998 | Clampitt et al. | May 1976 | A |
3968192 | Hoffman, III et al. | Jul 1976 | A |
3992301 | Shippey et al. | Nov 1976 | A |
3993816 | Baudet et al. | Nov 1976 | A |
4049765 | Yamazaki | Sep 1977 | A |
4076656 | White et al. | Feb 1978 | A |
4082683 | Galesloot | Apr 1978 | A |
4105556 | O'Ammadio et al. | Aug 1978 | A |
4105731 | Yamazaki | Aug 1978 | A |
4107043 | McKinney | Aug 1978 | A |
4138460 | Tigner | Feb 1979 | A |
4183890 | Bollinger | Jan 1980 | A |
4188817 | Steigelmann | Feb 1980 | A |
4190411 | Fujimoto | Feb 1980 | A |
4192750 | Elfes et al. | Mar 1980 | A |
4193780 | Cotton, Jr. et al. | Mar 1980 | A |
4203848 | Grandine, II | May 1980 | A |
4204961 | Cusato, Jr. | May 1980 | A |
4218324 | Hartmann et al. | Aug 1980 | A |
4226921 | Tsang | Oct 1980 | A |
4227295 | Bodnar et al. | Oct 1980 | A |
4230583 | Chiolle et al. | Oct 1980 | A |
4243525 | Greenberg | Jan 1981 | A |
4247498 | Castro | Jan 1981 | A |
4248648 | Kopp | Feb 1981 | A |
4253936 | Leysen et al. | Mar 1981 | A |
4271026 | Chen et al. | Jun 1981 | A |
4302336 | Kawaguchi et al. | Nov 1981 | A |
4315819 | King et al. | Feb 1982 | A |
4340479 | Pall | Jul 1982 | A |
4350592 | Kronsbein | Sep 1982 | A |
4353802 | Hara et al. | Oct 1982 | A |
4359359 | Gerlach et al. | Nov 1982 | A |
4367139 | Graham | Jan 1983 | A |
4369605 | Opersteny et al. | Jan 1983 | A |
4384474 | Kowalski | May 1983 | A |
4385150 | Miyake et al. | May 1983 | A |
4388189 | Kawaguchi et al. | Jun 1983 | A |
4389363 | Molthop | Jun 1983 | A |
4405688 | Lowery et al. | Sep 1983 | A |
4407975 | Yamaguchi | Oct 1983 | A |
4414113 | LaTerra | Nov 1983 | A |
4414172 | Leason | Nov 1983 | A |
4415452 | Heil et al. | Nov 1983 | A |
4431545 | Pall et al. | Feb 1984 | A |
4451369 | Sekino et al. | May 1984 | A |
4462855 | Yankowsky et al. | Jul 1984 | A |
4476112 | Aversano | Oct 1984 | A |
4491522 | Ishida et al. | Jan 1985 | A |
4496470 | Kapiloff et al. | Jan 1985 | A |
4511471 | Müller | Apr 1985 | A |
4519909 | Castro | May 1985 | A |
4540490 | Shibata et al. | Sep 1985 | A |
4547289 | Okano et al. | Oct 1985 | A |
4609465 | Miller | Sep 1986 | A |
4610789 | Barch | Sep 1986 | A |
4614109 | Hofmann | Sep 1986 | A |
4623670 | Mutoh et al. | Nov 1986 | A |
4629563 | Wrasidlo | Dec 1986 | A |
4632745 | Giuffrida et al. | Dec 1986 | A |
4636296 | Kunz | Jan 1987 | A |
4642182 | Drori | Feb 1987 | A |
4647377 | Miura | Mar 1987 | A |
4650586 | Ellis, III | Mar 1987 | A |
4650596 | Schlueter et al. | Mar 1987 | A |
4656865 | Callan | Apr 1987 | A |
4660411 | Reid | Apr 1987 | A |
4666543 | Kawano | May 1987 | A |
4670145 | Edwards | Jun 1987 | A |
4673507 | Brown | Jun 1987 | A |
4687561 | Kunz | Aug 1987 | A |
4687578 | Stookey | Aug 1987 | A |
4688511 | Gerlach et al. | Aug 1987 | A |
4689191 | Beck et al. | Aug 1987 | A |
4702836 | Mutoh et al. | Oct 1987 | A |
4702840 | Degen et al. | Oct 1987 | A |
4707266 | Degen et al. | Nov 1987 | A |
4708799 | Gerlach et al. | Nov 1987 | A |
4718270 | Storr | Jan 1988 | A |
4744240 | Reichelt | May 1988 | A |
4749487 | Lefebvre | Jun 1988 | A |
4756875 | Tajima et al. | Jul 1988 | A |
4763612 | Iwanami | Aug 1988 | A |
4767539 | Ford | Aug 1988 | A |
4774132 | Joffee et al. | Sep 1988 | A |
4775471 | Nagai et al. | Oct 1988 | A |
4779448 | Gogins | Oct 1988 | A |
4781831 | Goldsmith | Nov 1988 | A |
4784771 | Wathen et al. | Nov 1988 | A |
4793932 | Ford et al. | Dec 1988 | A |
4797187 | Davis et al. | Jan 1989 | A |
4797211 | Ehrfeld et al. | Jan 1989 | A |
4810384 | Fabre | Mar 1989 | A |
4812235 | Seleman et al. | Mar 1989 | A |
4816160 | Ford et al. | Mar 1989 | A |
4824563 | Iwahori et al. | Apr 1989 | A |
4834998 | Shrikhande | May 1989 | A |
4839048 | Reed et al. | Jun 1989 | A |
4840227 | Schmidt | Jun 1989 | A |
4846970 | Bertelsen et al. | Jul 1989 | A |
4867883 | Daigger et al. | Sep 1989 | A |
4876006 | Ohkubo et al. | Oct 1989 | A |
4876012 | Kopp et al. | Oct 1989 | A |
4886601 | Iwatsuka et al. | Dec 1989 | A |
4888115 | Marinaccio et al. | Dec 1989 | A |
4904426 | Lundgard et al. | Feb 1990 | A |
4919815 | Copa et al. | Apr 1990 | A |
4921610 | Ford et al. | May 1990 | A |
4931186 | Ford et al. | Jun 1990 | A |
4933084 | Bandel et al. | Jun 1990 | A |
4935143 | Kopp et al. | Jun 1990 | A |
4963304 | Im et al. | Oct 1990 | A |
4968430 | Hildenbrand et al. | Nov 1990 | A |
4968733 | Muller et al. | Nov 1990 | A |
4969997 | Klüver et al. | Nov 1990 | A |
4988444 | Applegate et al. | Jan 1991 | A |
4999038 | Lundberg | Mar 1991 | A |
5005430 | Kibler et al. | Apr 1991 | A |
5015275 | Beck et al. | May 1991 | A |
5024762 | Ford et al. | Jun 1991 | A |
5034125 | Karbachsch et al. | Jul 1991 | A |
5043113 | Kafchinski et al. | Aug 1991 | A |
5059317 | Marius et al. | Oct 1991 | A |
5066375 | Parsi et al. | Nov 1991 | A |
5066401 | Müller et al. | Nov 1991 | A |
5066402 | Anselme et al. | Nov 1991 | A |
5069065 | Sprunt et al. | Dec 1991 | A |
5069353 | Espenan | Dec 1991 | A |
5075065 | Effenberger et al. | Dec 1991 | A |
5076925 | Roesink et al. | Dec 1991 | A |
5079272 | Allegrezza et al. | Jan 1992 | A |
5094750 | Kopp et al. | Mar 1992 | A |
5094867 | Detering et al. | Mar 1992 | A |
5098567 | Nishiguchi | Mar 1992 | A |
5104535 | Cote et al. | Apr 1992 | A |
5104546 | Filson et al. | Apr 1992 | A |
H1045 | Wilson | May 1992 | H |
5135663 | Newberth, III et al. | Aug 1992 | A |
5137631 | Eckman et al. | Aug 1992 | A |
5138870 | Lyssy | Aug 1992 | A |
5147553 | Waite | Sep 1992 | A |
5151191 | Sunaoka et al. | Sep 1992 | A |
5151193 | Grobe et al. | Sep 1992 | A |
5158721 | Allegrezza, Jr. et al. | Oct 1992 | A |
5169528 | Karbachsch et al. | Dec 1992 | A |
5169530 | Schucker et al. | Dec 1992 | A |
5182019 | Cote et al. | Jan 1993 | A |
5186821 | Murphy | Feb 1993 | A |
5192442 | Piccirillo et al. | Mar 1993 | A |
5192456 | Ishida et al. | Mar 1993 | A |
5192478 | Caskey | Mar 1993 | A |
5194149 | Selbie et al. | Mar 1993 | A |
5198116 | Comstock et al. | Mar 1993 | A |
5198162 | Park et al. | Mar 1993 | A |
5209852 | Sunaoka et al. | May 1993 | A |
5211823 | Giuffrida et al. | May 1993 | A |
5221478 | Dhingra et al. | Jun 1993 | A |
5227063 | Langerak et al. | Jul 1993 | A |
5248424 | Cote et al. | Sep 1993 | A |
5262054 | Wheeler | Nov 1993 | A |
5271830 | Faivre et al. | Dec 1993 | A |
5275766 | Gadkaree et al. | Jan 1994 | A |
5286324 | Kawai et al. | Feb 1994 | A |
5290451 | Koster et al. | Mar 1994 | A |
5290457 | Karbachsch et al. | Mar 1994 | A |
5297420 | Gilliland et al. | Mar 1994 | A |
5316671 | Murphy | May 1994 | A |
5320760 | Freund et al. | Jun 1994 | A |
5353630 | Soda et al. | Oct 1994 | A |
5354470 | Seita et al. | Oct 1994 | A |
5358732 | Seifter et al. | Oct 1994 | A |
5361625 | Ylvisaker | Nov 1994 | A |
5364527 | Zimmermann et al. | Nov 1994 | A |
5364529 | Morin et al. | Nov 1994 | A |
5374353 | Murphy | Dec 1994 | A |
5389260 | Hemp et al. | Feb 1995 | A |
5393433 | Espenan et al. | Feb 1995 | A |
5396019 | Sartori et al. | Mar 1995 | A |
5401401 | Hickok et al. | Mar 1995 | A |
5401405 | Loker | Mar 1995 | A |
5403479 | Smith et al. | Apr 1995 | A |
5405528 | Selbie et al. | Apr 1995 | A |
5411663 | Johnson | May 1995 | A |
5417101 | Weich | May 1995 | A |
5419816 | Sampson et al. | May 1995 | A |
5451317 | Ishida et al. | Sep 1995 | A |
5458779 | Odegaard | Oct 1995 | A |
5468397 | Barboza et al. | Nov 1995 | A |
5470469 | Eckman | Nov 1995 | A |
5477731 | Mouton | Dec 1995 | A |
5479590 | Lin | Dec 1995 | A |
5480553 | Yamamori et al. | Jan 1996 | A |
5482625 | Shimizu et al. | Jan 1996 | A |
5484528 | Yagi et al. | Jan 1996 | A |
5490939 | Gerigk et al. | Feb 1996 | A |
5491023 | Tsai et al. | Feb 1996 | A |
5501798 | Al-Samadi et al. | Mar 1996 | A |
5525220 | Yagi et al. | Jun 1996 | A |
5531848 | Brinda et al. | Jul 1996 | A |
5531900 | Raghavan et al. | Jul 1996 | A |
5543002 | Brinda et al. | Aug 1996 | A |
5552047 | Oshida et al. | Sep 1996 | A |
5554283 | Brinda et al. | Sep 1996 | A |
5556591 | Jallerat et al. | Sep 1996 | A |
5575963 | Soffer et al. | Nov 1996 | A |
5597732 | Bryan-Brown | Jan 1997 | A |
5607593 | Cote et al. | Mar 1997 | A |
5633163 | Cameron | May 1997 | A |
5639373 | Mahendran et al. | Jun 1997 | A |
5643455 | Kopp et al. | Jul 1997 | A |
5647988 | Kawanishi et al. | Jul 1997 | A |
5670053 | Collentro et al. | Sep 1997 | A |
5677360 | Yamamori et al. | Oct 1997 | A |
5688460 | Ruschke | Nov 1997 | A |
5733456 | Okey et al. | Mar 1998 | A |
5744037 | Fujimura et al. | Apr 1998 | A |
5747605 | Breant et al. | May 1998 | A |
5766479 | Collentro et al. | Jun 1998 | A |
5783083 | Henshaw et al. | Jul 1998 | A |
5843069 | Butler et al. | Dec 1998 | A |
5846424 | Khudenko | Dec 1998 | A |
5871823 | Anders et al. | Feb 1999 | A |
5888401 | Nguyen | Mar 1999 | A |
5895570 | Liang | Apr 1999 | A |
5906739 | Osterland et al. | May 1999 | A |
5906742 | Wang et al. | May 1999 | A |
5910250 | Mahendran et al. | Jun 1999 | A |
5914039 | Mahendran et al. | Jun 1999 | A |
5918264 | Drummond et al. | Jun 1999 | A |
5942113 | Morimura | Aug 1999 | A |
5944997 | Pedersen et al. | Aug 1999 | A |
5951878 | Astrom | Sep 1999 | A |
5958243 | Lawrence et al. | Sep 1999 | A |
5961830 | Barnett | Oct 1999 | A |
5968357 | Doelle et al. | Oct 1999 | A |
5988400 | Karachevtcev et al. | Nov 1999 | A |
5989428 | Goronszy | Nov 1999 | A |
5997745 | Tonelli et al. | Dec 1999 | A |
6001254 | Espenan | Dec 1999 | A |
6007712 | Tanaka et al. | Dec 1999 | A |
6017451 | Kopf | Jan 2000 | A |
6024872 | Mahendran | Feb 2000 | A |
6036030 | Stone et al. | Mar 2000 | A |
6039872 | Wu et al. | Mar 2000 | A |
6042677 | Mahendran et al. | Mar 2000 | A |
6045698 | Cote et al. | Apr 2000 | A |
6045899 | Wang et al. | Apr 2000 | A |
6048454 | Jenkins | Apr 2000 | A |
6048455 | Janik | Apr 2000 | A |
6066401 | Stilburn | May 2000 | A |
6074718 | Puglia et al. | Jun 2000 | A |
6077435 | Beck et al. | Jun 2000 | A |
6083393 | Wu et al. | Jul 2000 | A |
6096213 | Radovanovic et al. | Aug 2000 | A |
6113782 | Leonard | Sep 2000 | A |
6120688 | Daly et al. | Sep 2000 | A |
6126819 | Heine et al. | Oct 2000 | A |
6146747 | Wang et al. | Nov 2000 | A |
6149817 | Peterson et al. | Nov 2000 | A |
6156200 | Zha et al. | Dec 2000 | A |
6159373 | Beck et al. | Dec 2000 | A |
6193890 | Pedersen et al. | Feb 2001 | B1 |
6202475 | Selbie et al. | Mar 2001 | B1 |
6214231 | Cote et al. | Apr 2001 | B1 |
6214232 | Baurmeister et al. | Apr 2001 | B1 |
6221247 | Nemser et al. | Apr 2001 | B1 |
6245239 | Cote et al. | Jun 2001 | B1 |
6254773 | Biltoft | Jul 2001 | B1 |
6264839 | Mohr et al. | Jul 2001 | B1 |
6277512 | Hamrock et al. | Aug 2001 | B1 |
6280626 | Miyashita et al. | Aug 2001 | B1 |
6284135 | Ookata | Sep 2001 | B1 |
6290756 | Macheras et al. | Sep 2001 | B1 |
6294039 | Mahendran et al. | Sep 2001 | B1 |
6299773 | Takamura et al. | Oct 2001 | B1 |
6303026 | Lindbo | Oct 2001 | B1 |
6303035 | Cote et al. | Oct 2001 | B1 |
6315895 | Summerton et al. | Nov 2001 | B1 |
6319411 | Cote | Nov 2001 | B1 |
6322703 | Taniguchi et al. | Nov 2001 | B1 |
6325928 | Pedersen et al. | Dec 2001 | B1 |
6325938 | Miyashita et al. | Dec 2001 | B1 |
6337018 | Mickols | Jan 2002 | B1 |
RE37549 | Mahendran et al. | Feb 2002 | E |
6349835 | Saux et al. | Feb 2002 | B1 |
6354444 | Mahendran | Mar 2002 | B1 |
6361695 | Husain et al. | Mar 2002 | B1 |
6368819 | Gaddy et al. | Apr 2002 | B1 |
6372138 | Cho et al. | Apr 2002 | B1 |
6375848 | Cote et al. | Apr 2002 | B1 |
6383369 | Elston | May 2002 | B2 |
6387189 | Gröschl et al. | May 2002 | B1 |
6402955 | Ookata | Jun 2002 | B2 |
6406629 | Husain et al. | Jun 2002 | B1 |
6423214 | Lindbo | Jul 2002 | B1 |
6423784 | Hamrock et al. | Jul 2002 | B1 |
6432310 | Andou et al. | Aug 2002 | B1 |
6440303 | Spriegel | Aug 2002 | B2 |
D462699 | Johnson et al. | Sep 2002 | S |
6444124 | Onyeche et al. | Sep 2002 | B1 |
6468430 | Kimura et al. | Oct 2002 | B1 |
6485645 | Husain et al. | Nov 2002 | B1 |
6495041 | Taniguchi et al. | Dec 2002 | B2 |
6517723 | Daigger et al. | Feb 2003 | B1 |
6524481 | Zha et al. | Feb 2003 | B2 |
6524733 | Nonobe | Feb 2003 | B1 |
6550747 | Rabie et al. | Apr 2003 | B2 |
6555005 | Zha et al. | Apr 2003 | B1 |
6562237 | Olaopa | May 2003 | B1 |
6576136 | De Moel et al. | Jun 2003 | B1 |
6592762 | Smith | Jul 2003 | B2 |
D478913 | Johnson et al. | Aug 2003 | S |
6613222 | Mikkelson et al. | Sep 2003 | B2 |
6620319 | Behmann et al. | Sep 2003 | B2 |
6627082 | Del Vecchio | Sep 2003 | B2 |
6632358 | Suga et al. | Oct 2003 | B1 |
6635179 | Summerton et al. | Oct 2003 | B1 |
6641733 | Zha et al. | Nov 2003 | B2 |
6645374 | Cote et al. | Nov 2003 | B2 |
6656356 | Gungerich et al. | Dec 2003 | B2 |
6682652 | Mahendran et al. | Jan 2004 | B2 |
6685832 | Mahendran et al. | Feb 2004 | B2 |
6696465 | Dellaria et al. | Feb 2004 | B2 |
6702561 | Stillig et al. | Mar 2004 | B2 |
6706189 | Rabie et al. | Mar 2004 | B2 |
6708957 | Cote et al. | Mar 2004 | B2 |
6712970 | Trivedi | Mar 2004 | B1 |
6721529 | Chen et al. | Apr 2004 | B2 |
6723758 | Stone et al. | Apr 2004 | B2 |
6727305 | Pavez Aranguiz | Apr 2004 | B1 |
6743362 | Porteous et al. | Jun 2004 | B1 |
6758972 | Vriens et al. | Jul 2004 | B2 |
6770202 | Kidd et al. | Aug 2004 | B1 |
6780466 | Grangeon et al. | Aug 2004 | B2 |
6783008 | Zha et al. | Aug 2004 | B2 |
6790912 | Blong | Sep 2004 | B2 |
6805806 | Arnaud | Oct 2004 | B2 |
6808629 | Wouters-Wasiak et al. | Oct 2004 | B2 |
6811696 | Wang et al. | Nov 2004 | B2 |
6814861 | Husain et al. | Nov 2004 | B2 |
6821420 | Zha et al. | Nov 2004 | B2 |
6830782 | Kanazawa | Dec 2004 | B2 |
6841070 | Zha et al. | Jan 2005 | B2 |
6861466 | Dadalas et al. | Mar 2005 | B2 |
6863817 | Liu et al. | Mar 2005 | B2 |
6863818 | Daigger et al. | Mar 2005 | B2 |
6863823 | Côté | Mar 2005 | B2 |
6869534 | McDowell et al. | Mar 2005 | B2 |
6872305 | Johnson et al. | Mar 2005 | B2 |
6881343 | Rabie et al. | Apr 2005 | B2 |
6884350 | Muller | Apr 2005 | B2 |
6884375 | Wang et al. | Apr 2005 | B2 |
6890435 | Ji et al. | May 2005 | B2 |
6890645 | Disse et al. | May 2005 | B2 |
6893568 | Janson et al. | May 2005 | B1 |
6899812 | Cote et al. | May 2005 | B2 |
6946073 | Daigger et al. | Sep 2005 | B2 |
6952258 | Ebert et al. | Oct 2005 | B2 |
6955762 | Gallagher et al. | Oct 2005 | B2 |
6962258 | Zha et al. | Nov 2005 | B2 |
6964741 | Mahendran et al. | Nov 2005 | B2 |
6969465 | Zha et al. | Nov 2005 | B2 |
6974554 | Cox et al. | Dec 2005 | B2 |
6994867 | Hossainy et al. | Feb 2006 | B1 |
7005100 | Lowel | Feb 2006 | B2 |
7014763 | Johnson et al. | Mar 2006 | B2 |
7018530 | Pollock | Mar 2006 | B2 |
7018533 | Johnson et al. | Mar 2006 | B2 |
7022233 | Chen | Apr 2006 | B2 |
7041728 | Zipplies et al. | May 2006 | B2 |
7052610 | Janson et al. | May 2006 | B2 |
7083733 | Freydina et al. | Aug 2006 | B2 |
7087173 | Cote et al. | Aug 2006 | B2 |
7147777 | Porteous | Dec 2006 | B1 |
7147778 | DiMassimo et al. | Dec 2006 | B1 |
7160455 | Taniguchi et al. | Jan 2007 | B2 |
7160463 | Beck et al. | Jan 2007 | B2 |
7160464 | Lee et al. | Jan 2007 | B2 |
7172699 | Trivedi et al. | Feb 2007 | B1 |
7172701 | Gaid et al. | Feb 2007 | B2 |
7186344 | Hughes | Mar 2007 | B2 |
7208091 | Pind et al. | Apr 2007 | B2 |
7223340 | Zha et al. | May 2007 | B2 |
7226541 | Muller et al. | Jun 2007 | B2 |
7247238 | Mullette et al. | Jul 2007 | B2 |
7264716 | Johnson et al. | Sep 2007 | B2 |
7279100 | Devine | Oct 2007 | B2 |
7300022 | Muller | Nov 2007 | B2 |
7314563 | Cho et al. | Jan 2008 | B2 |
7329344 | Jordan et al. | Feb 2008 | B2 |
7344645 | Beck et al. | Mar 2008 | B2 |
7361274 | Lazaredes et al. | Apr 2008 | B2 |
7378024 | Bartels et al. | May 2008 | B2 |
7387723 | Jordan | Jun 2008 | B2 |
7404896 | Muller et al. | Jul 2008 | B2 |
7455765 | Elefritz et al. | Nov 2008 | B2 |
7481933 | Barnes | Jan 2009 | B2 |
7510655 | Barnes | Mar 2009 | B2 |
7563363 | Kuzma | Jul 2009 | B2 |
7591950 | Zha | Sep 2009 | B2 |
7632439 | Mullette et al. | Dec 2009 | B2 |
7713413 | Barnes | May 2010 | B2 |
7718057 | Jordan | May 2010 | B2 |
7718065 | Jordan | May 2010 | B2 |
7722769 | Jordan | May 2010 | B2 |
20010047962 | Zha et al. | Dec 2001 | A1 |
20010052494 | Cote et al. | Dec 2001 | A1 |
20020070157 | Yamada | Jun 2002 | A1 |
20020148767 | Johnson et al. | Oct 2002 | A1 |
20020153313 | Cote | Oct 2002 | A1 |
20020185435 | Husain et al. | Dec 2002 | A1 |
20020189999 | Espenan et al. | Dec 2002 | A1 |
20030038080 | Vriens et al. | Feb 2003 | A1 |
20030042199 | Smith | Mar 2003 | A1 |
20030057155 | Husain et al. | Mar 2003 | A1 |
20030121855 | Kopp | Jul 2003 | A1 |
20030127388 | Ando et al. | Jul 2003 | A1 |
20030146153 | Cote et al. | Aug 2003 | A1 |
20030150807 | Bartels et al. | Aug 2003 | A1 |
20030159988 | Daigger et al. | Aug 2003 | A1 |
20030178365 | Zha et al. | Sep 2003 | A1 |
20030226797 | Phelps | Dec 2003 | A1 |
20040007525 | Rabie et al. | Jan 2004 | A1 |
20040035770 | Edwards et al. | Feb 2004 | A1 |
20040084369 | Zha et al. | May 2004 | A1 |
20040145076 | Zha et al. | Jul 2004 | A1 |
20040168979 | Zha et al. | Sep 2004 | A1 |
20040173525 | Hunniford et al. | Sep 2004 | A1 |
20040178154 | Zha et al. | Sep 2004 | A1 |
20040217053 | Zha et al. | Nov 2004 | A1 |
20040232076 | Zha et al. | Nov 2004 | A1 |
20040245174 | Takayama et al. | Dec 2004 | A1 |
20050029185 | Muller | Feb 2005 | A1 |
20050029186 | Muller | Feb 2005 | A1 |
20050032982 | Muller et al. | Feb 2005 | A1 |
20050045557 | Daigger et al. | Mar 2005 | A1 |
20050061725 | Liu et al. | Mar 2005 | A1 |
20050098494 | Mullette et al. | May 2005 | A1 |
20050103722 | Freydina et al. | May 2005 | A1 |
20050109692 | Zha et al. | May 2005 | A1 |
20050115880 | Pollock | Jun 2005 | A1 |
20050115899 | Liu et al. | Jun 2005 | A1 |
20050139538 | Lazaredes | Jun 2005 | A1 |
20050194310 | Yamamoto et al. | Sep 2005 | A1 |
20050194315 | Adams et al. | Sep 2005 | A1 |
20060000775 | Zha et al. | Jan 2006 | A1 |
20060081533 | Khudenko | Apr 2006 | A1 |
20060131234 | Zha et al. | Jun 2006 | A1 |
20060201876 | Jordan | Sep 2006 | A1 |
20060249448 | Fujishima et al. | Nov 2006 | A1 |
20060249449 | Nakhla et al. | Nov 2006 | A1 |
20060261007 | Zha et al. | Nov 2006 | A1 |
20060273007 | Zha et al. | Dec 2006 | A1 |
20060273038 | Syed et al. | Dec 2006 | A1 |
20070007205 | Johnson et al. | Jan 2007 | A1 |
20070007214 | Zha et al. | Jan 2007 | A1 |
20070045183 | Murphy | Mar 2007 | A1 |
20070056905 | Beck et al. | Mar 2007 | A1 |
20070075017 | Kuzma | Apr 2007 | A1 |
20070075021 | Johnson | Apr 2007 | A1 |
20070084791 | Jordan et al. | Apr 2007 | A1 |
20070084795 | Jordan | Apr 2007 | A1 |
20070108125 | Cho et al. | May 2007 | A1 |
20070138090 | Jordan et al. | Jun 2007 | A1 |
20070170112 | Elefritz et al. | Jul 2007 | A1 |
20070227973 | Zha et al. | Oct 2007 | A1 |
20080053923 | Beck et al. | Mar 2008 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
3440084 | Sep 1983 | AU |
5584786 | Mar 1985 | AU |
7706687 | Jul 1986 | AU |
762091 | Nov 2000 | AU |
1050770 | Jan 1995 | CN |
1249698 | Apr 2000 | CN |
1541757 | Nov 2004 | CN |
3904544 | Aug 1990 | DE |
4117281 | Jan 1992 | DE |
4113420 | Oct 1992 | DE |
4117422 | Nov 1992 | DE |
29804927 | Jun 1998 | DE |
29906389 | Jun 1999 | DE |
194735 | Sep 1876 | EP |
012577 | Feb 1983 | EP |
126714 | Nov 1984 | EP |
050447 | Oct 1985 | EP |
250337 | Dec 1987 | EP |
327025 | Aug 1989 | EP |
090383 | May 1990 | EP |
407900 | Jan 1991 | EP |
463627 | Jan 1992 | EP |
492942 | Jul 1992 | EP |
518250 | Dec 1992 | EP |
547575 | Jun 1993 | EP |
395133 | Feb 1995 | EP |
492446 | Nov 1995 | EP |
430082 | Jun 1996 | EP |
734758 | Oct 1996 | EP |
763758 | Mar 1997 | EP |
824956 | Feb 1998 | EP |
855214 | Jul 1998 | EP |
627255 | Jan 1999 | EP |
911073 | Apr 1999 | EP |
920904 | Jun 1999 | EP |
1034835 | Sep 2000 | EP |
1052012 | Nov 2000 | EP |
1349644 | Oct 2003 | EP |
1350555 | Oct 2003 | EP |
1236503 | Aug 2004 | EP |
1659171 | May 2006 | EP |
2620712 | Mar 1989 | FR |
2674448 | Oct 1992 | FR |
2699424 | Jun 1994 | FR |
2762834 | Nov 1998 | FR |
702911 | Jan 1954 | GB |
2253572 | Sep 1992 | GB |
54-162684 | Dec 1979 | JP |
55-129155 | Jun 1980 | JP |
55-099703 | Jul 1980 | JP |
55-129107 | Oct 1980 | JP |
56-021604 | Feb 1981 | JP |
56-118701 | Sep 1981 | JP |
56-121685 | Sep 1981 | JP |
57-190697 | Nov 1982 | JP |
58-088007 | May 1983 | JP |
60-019002 | Jan 1985 | JP |
60-206412 | Oct 1985 | JP |
60-260628 | Dec 1985 | JP |
61-097005 | May 1986 | JP |
61-097006 | May 1986 | JP |
61-107905 | May 1986 | JP |
61-167406 | Jul 1986 | JP |
61-167407 | Jul 1986 | JP |
61-171504 | Aug 1986 | JP |
61-192309 | Aug 1986 | JP |
61-222510 | Oct 1986 | JP |
61-242607 | Oct 1986 | JP |
61-249505 | Nov 1986 | JP |
61-257203 | Nov 1986 | JP |
61-263605 | Nov 1986 | JP |
61-291007 | Dec 1986 | JP |
61-293504 | Dec 1986 | JP |
62-004408 | Jan 1987 | JP |
62-068828 | Mar 1987 | JP |
62-114609 | May 1987 | JP |
62-140607 | Jun 1987 | JP |
62-144708 | Jun 1987 | JP |
62-163708 | Jul 1987 | JP |
62-179540 | Aug 1987 | JP |
62-237908 | Oct 1987 | JP |
62-250908 | Oct 1987 | JP |
62-262710 | Nov 1987 | JP |
63-097634 | Apr 1988 | JP |
63-099246 | Apr 1988 | JP |
63-143905 | Jun 1988 | JP |
63-171607 | Jul 1988 | JP |
63-180254 | Jul 1988 | JP |
S63-38884 | Oct 1988 | JP |
01-075542 | Mar 1989 | JP |
06-027215 | Mar 1989 | JP |
01-151906 | Jun 1989 | JP |
01-307409 | Dec 1989 | JP |
02-026625 | Jan 1990 | JP |
02-031200 | Feb 1990 | JP |
02-040296 | Feb 1990 | JP |
02-107318 | Apr 1990 | JP |
02-126922 | May 1990 | JP |
02-144132 | Jun 1990 | JP |
02-164423 | Jun 1990 | JP |
02-241523 | Sep 1990 | JP |
02-284035 | Nov 1990 | JP |
2277528 | Nov 1990 | JP |
02277528 | Nov 1990 | JP |
03-018373 | Jan 1991 | JP |
03-028797 | Feb 1991 | JP |
03-110445 | May 1991 | JP |
04-108518 | Apr 1992 | JP |
04-110023 | Apr 1992 | JP |
04-187224 | Jul 1992 | JP |
04-250898 | Sep 1992 | JP |
04-256424 | Sep 1992 | JP |
04-265128 | Sep 1992 | JP |
04-293527 | Oct 1992 | JP |
04-310223 | Nov 1992 | JP |
04-334530 | Nov 1992 | JP |
04-348252 | Dec 1992 | JP |
05-023557 | Feb 1993 | JP |
05-096136 | Apr 1993 | JP |
05-137977 | Jun 1993 | JP |
05-157654 | Jun 1993 | JP |
05-161831 | Jun 1993 | JP |
05-285348 | Nov 1993 | JP |
06-071120 | Mar 1994 | JP |
06-114240 | Apr 1994 | JP |
06-218237 | Aug 1994 | JP |
06-277469 | Oct 1994 | JP |
06-285496 | Oct 1994 | JP |
06-343837 | Dec 1994 | JP |
07-000770 | Jan 1995 | JP |
07-024272 | Jan 1995 | JP |
07-047247 | Feb 1995 | JP |
07-068139 | Mar 1995 | JP |
07-136470 | May 1995 | JP |
07-136471 | May 1995 | JP |
07-155758 | Jun 1995 | JP |
07-178323 | Jul 1995 | JP |
07-185268 | Jul 1995 | JP |
07-185271 | Jul 1995 | JP |
07-236819 | Sep 1995 | JP |
07-251043 | Oct 1995 | JP |
07-275665 | Oct 1995 | JP |
07-289860 | Nov 1995 | JP |
07-303895 | Nov 1995 | JP |
08-010585 | Jan 1996 | JP |
09-072993 | Mar 1997 | JP |
09-099227 | Apr 1997 | JP |
09-141063 | Jun 1997 | JP |
09-155345 | Jun 1997 | JP |
09-187628 | Jul 1997 | JP |
09-220569 | Aug 1997 | JP |
09-271641 | Oct 1997 | JP |
09-324067 | Dec 1997 | JP |
10-024222 | Jan 1998 | JP |
10-033955 | Feb 1998 | JP |
10-048466 | Feb 1998 | JP |
10076264 | Mar 1998 | JP |
10-085565 | Apr 1998 | JP |
10-156149 | Jun 1998 | JP |
10-085562 | Jul 1998 | JP |
10-180048 | Jul 1998 | JP |
11-005023 | Jan 1999 | JP |
11-028467 | Feb 1999 | JP |
11-076769 | Mar 1999 | JP |
11-156166 | Jun 1999 | JP |
11-165200 | Jun 1999 | JP |
11-333265 | Jul 1999 | JP |
11-033365 | Sep 1999 | JP |
11-033367 | Sep 1999 | JP |
11-302438 | Nov 1999 | JP |
11-319501 | Nov 1999 | JP |
11-319507 | Nov 1999 | JP |
2000-000439 | Jan 2000 | JP |
2000070684 | Mar 2000 | JP |
2000-185220 | Apr 2000 | JP |
2000-157850 | Jun 2000 | JP |
2000-233020 | Aug 2000 | JP |
2000-237548 | Sep 2000 | JP |
2000-300968 | Oct 2000 | JP |
2000-317276 | Nov 2000 | JP |
2001-009246 | Jan 2001 | JP |
2001-070967 | Mar 2001 | JP |
2001-079366 | Mar 2001 | JP |
2001-079367 | Mar 2001 | JP |
2001-104760 | Apr 2001 | JP |
2001-179059 | Jul 2001 | JP |
2001-190937 | Jul 2001 | JP |
2001-190938 | Jul 2001 | JP |
2001-205055 | Jul 2001 | JP |
2000-342932 | Dec 2002 | JP |
2003-053160 | Feb 2003 | JP |
2003047830 | Feb 2003 | JP |
2003-062436 | Mar 2003 | JP |
2003-135935 | May 2003 | JP |
2004-230280 | Aug 2004 | JP |
05-279447 | Oct 2005 | JP |
2005-279447 | Oct 2005 | JP |
09-192458 | Jul 2007 | JP |
07-313973 | May 2010 | JP |
2002-0090967 | Dec 2002 | KR |
2003-033812 | May 2003 | KR |
2003-060625 | Jul 2003 | KR |
2005-063478 | Jun 2005 | KR |
1020491 | Oct 2003 | NL |
1021197 | Oct 2003 | NL |
88-00494 | Jan 1988 | WO |
88-06200 | Aug 1988 | WO |
89-00880 | Feb 1989 | WO |
90-00434 | Jan 1990 | WO |
91-04783 | Apr 1991 | WO |
91-16124 | Oct 1991 | WO |
93-02779 | Feb 1993 | WO |
93-15827 | Aug 1993 | WO |
93-23152 | Nov 1993 | WO |
94-11094 | May 1994 | WO |
95-34424 | Dec 1995 | WO |
96-07470 | Mar 1996 | WO |
96-28236 | Sep 1996 | WO |
96-41676 | Dec 1996 | WO |
97-06880 | Feb 1997 | WO |
98-22204 | May 1998 | WO |
98-25694 | Jun 1998 | WO |
98-28066 | Jul 1998 | WO |
98-53902 | Dec 1998 | WO |
99-01207 | Jan 1999 | WO |
99-59707 | Nov 1999 | WO |
00-18498 | Apr 2000 | WO |
00-30742 | Jun 2000 | WO |
WO0100307 | Jan 2001 | WO |
WO 0100307 | Jan 2001 | WO |
WO0100307 | Jan 2001 | WO |
01-19414 | Mar 2001 | WO |
01-32299 | May 2001 | WO |
01-36075 | May 2001 | WO |
WO 0132299 | May 2001 | WO |
01-45829 | Jun 2001 | WO |
02-40140 | May 2002 | WO |
03-000389 | Jan 2003 | WO |
03-013706 | Feb 2003 | WO |
03-057632 | Jul 2003 | WO |
03-059495 | Jul 2003 | WO |
03-068374 | Aug 2003 | WO |
2004-101120 | Nov 2004 | WO |
2005-005028 | Jan 2005 | WO |
2005-021140 | Mar 2005 | WO |
2005-028086 | Mar 2005 | WO |
2005-037414 | Apr 2005 | WO |
2005-077499 | Aug 2005 | WO |
2005-107929 | Nov 2005 | WO |
2006-029456 | Mar 2006 | WO |
WO2006047814 | May 2006 | WO |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20060000774 A1 | Jan 2006 | US |