TREA

Methods of minimising the effect of integrity loss in hollow fibre membrane modules

Follow

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 8182687
  • Patent Number
    8,182,687
  • Date Filed
    Wednesday, January 30, 2008
    17 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, May 22, 2012
    12 years ago
Information
Abstract
A method and apparatus for reducing the effect of integrity loss in a hollow fiber membrane module, said module including a plurality of hollow fiber membranes (5), at least one end of the fiber membranes (5) being supported in a pot (6), the method including the step of increasing flow resistance of the liquid through the lumen (8) of the fiber membrane (5) in the region of the pot (6).
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to membrane filtration systems and in particular to system using a plurality of porous hollow fibre membranes wherein loss of membrane integrity can lead to degradation of filtration performance.


BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Consider a typical hollow fibre membrane module as shown in FIG. 1. The module consists of plurality of hollow fibre membranes 5 potted at least at one end into a pot 6 having a length L. In order to calculate the flow from individual fibres the TMP (Transmembrane pressure P1-P2) is considered as acting across a total module resistance R to give a flow Q:

TMP/RαQ (at constant temperature)

Now in this typical model we can break the resistance down into:

R=Rm+Rpot
and QiαTMP/(Rm+Rpot)

where Qi is the flow emerging from the top of the intact fibre, Rm is the module resistance and Rpot is the resistance across the pot.


We can assume Rm is constant—a sort of average—though it will vary down the length of the fibre.


Now taking the case where a fibre is broken at the top pot (a worst case for filtrate bypass). In this case:

Rm=0
and QbαTMP/Rpot

where Qb is the flow of filtrate emerging from the top of the broken fibre.


The ratio of the flow down a broken fibre to the flow down an intact fibre is calculated as follows:






 




=



Q
b

/

Q
i


=

⁢


(


R
m

+

R
pot


)

/

R
pot









=

⁢

1
+


R
m

/

R
pot











In the normal case Rm>>Rpot—typically 20. Thus it can be seen a broken fibre allows a significant amount of feed to contaminate the filtrate and thus degrade filtration performance. Additionally, increasing the internal diameter of the fibre makes the problem massively worse as typically RpotαL/d4, where d is the diameter of the lumen and L is the length of the pot.


Accordingly, it is desirable to reduce the flow of filtrate from a broken fibre. Take the case where we increase Rpot (for instance by increasing L or reducing d). The limit of Qb/Qi tends to 1. This is a highly desirable result. But increasing the length of the pot is undesirable in other ways—it increases the length of the module and the expense of the module and process. The other option is to reducing the internal diameter of the fibre in the pot.


SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to overcome or at least ameliorate the problems of the prior art associated with integrity loss in hollow fibre membrane filtration systems or at least provide a useful alternative.


According to one aspect, the present invention provides a method of reducing the effect of integrity loss in a hollow fibre membrane module, said module including a plurality of hollow fibre membranes, at least one end of said fibre membranes being supported in a pot, the method including the step of increasing flow resistance of the liquid through the lumen of the fibre membrane in the region of the pot.


Preferably, the step of increasing the flow resistance is produced by reducing the inner cross-sectional area of the fibre lumen in the region of the pot. For preference, the step of increasing the flow resistance is produced by placing a porous layer in the flow path of the fibre lumen in the region of the pot.


According to a second aspect, the present invention provides a hollow fibre membrane module including a plurality of hollow fibre membranes supported at least at one end in a pot and having flow restriction means in the lumens of said fibre membranes in the region of said pot.


Preferably, the flow restriction means comprise means for reducing the inner cross-sectional area of the fibre lumen in the region of the pot.





BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:



FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional elevation of a typical hollow fibre membrane module with an intact and broken fibre;



FIG. 2 is a similar view to FIG. 1 with the addition of a porous layer to the pot surface;



FIGS. 3A to 3K show enlarged schematic cross-sectional elevations of various embodiments of the invention; and



FIG. 4 shows the results of a test performed on two modules to illustrate the operation of the invention.





DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIG. 2 of the drawings, one preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated. A sinter or porous layer 10 is placed on top of the pot 6 to provide a further series resistance Rpot2 to the pot i.e.

Rpot=Rpot1+Rpot2


An appropriate sinter 10 may have openings of microns in dimension and only be a few millimeters thick. This method may reduce the Qb/Qi by a factor of 10.


Such an arrangement provides added benefits when used for membrane filter systems in a bio-reactor. The high solids feed in bio reactors leads to the sludge actually plugging the filter and self sealing the broken fibre totally.


The may be extended to the general case by replacing the sinter with a membrane with the same pore size as the hollow fibre membrane and enabling achievement of this self plugging capability even with low solids feeds.


It will be apparent the extra resistance of the sinter or membrane 10 will require an extra pressure to maintain the module filtrate flow, however, this is only an operating cost not a membrane process operating efficiency as it is operating over the pot assembly, not across the compressible dirt layer on the membrane.


Fouling of this membrane sinter can be reduced by a regular chemical cleaning backwash with chlorine or other suitable cleaners.


The membrane/sinter 10 is desirably in intimate contact with the pot 6 to prevent sideways flow of filtrate/feed bypass. This may also be achieved with a replaceable sinter/membrane element.


A highly asymmetric membrane 10 with the large pore side contacting the pot 6 (so in normal filtrate flow the filtrate flows in the direction of reducing pore size) is desirable.


As shown in FIGS. 3B-3K a variety of methods may be used to increase the pot flow resistance.


Referring to FIG. 3A a normal pot 6 without modification is shown. FIG. 3B shows an increased length pot 6 which, while increasing pot flow resistance, has other disadvantages.



FIG. 3C illustrates providing the fibre 5 with a non porous coating 7 adjacent the interface 8 between the fibre 5 and the pot 6. This serves to increase pot flow resistance while also moving the fibre failure point away from the fibre-pot interface.



FIGS. 3D and 3E show a further method of reducing flow by reducing the inner diameter of the fibre lumen 8 using a layer of material 9 applied to part or whole of the inner surface 11 of the fibre lumen 8 in the region encompassed by the pot 6.


One method of providing such a layer 9 is to coat the inside of the lumen 8 near the end of the pot 6 with a thin layer of material that effectively reduces the diameter of the fibre lumen 8 at this point. This can be achieved by drawing up a material such as epoxy into the end of the fibre lumen 8 and then allowing it to run out again before it has time to set, leaving behind a thin coating 9 on the inner fibre lumen wall 12 that can then set over time.


The embodiment shown in FIG. 3F illustrates smearing the surface of the pot with a suitable grout material 13 to reduce the diameter of the fibre lumen 8 adjacent its opening 14 from the pot 6.



FIG. 3G shows the insertion of hollow annulus 15, for example, a hollow pin, into the end of the fibre lumen 8 in the region of the pot 6 to reduce the cross-sectional area of the lumen 8 in the region of the pot 6.



FIG. 3H shows the use of a porous layer of material 10 across the lumen opening 14 as also shown in the embodiment of FIG. 2.



FIG. 3I shows an embodiment where a porous material is forced into the lumen opening 14 to form a plug 16. This can be achieved by smearing a porous grout across and into the fibre lumen opening 14. Again this serves to reduce the flow resistance of the fibre lumen in the region of the pot 6.



FIG. 3J illustrates an embodiment of the invention where the fibre lumen 8 is narrowed within the region of the pot 6 by causing the potting material to swell or constricting the end of the fibre.



FIG. 3K shows an embodiment where the fibre lumen end is narrowed prior to potting.



FIG. 4 shows the results of a test performed on two modules to illustrate the operation of the invention. Two modules A and B were used in the test. For each module one hollow fibre membrane was potted. The end of the fibre which was not in the pot, was sealed. A stainless steel mesh was glued on the top of one of the pots in a way that prevented sideways flow of feed bypass during filtration in a similar manner to the embodiments shown in FIGS. 2 and 3H. The mesh had openings of 51 microns and was 56 microns thick. The characteristics of both of the modules are shown in Table 1.









TABLE 1







Characteristics of the modules











Length of the pot Lp
Length of the



Name
(mm)
fibre Lf (mm)
Other characteristics





Module A
56
202
none


Module B
53
205
Mesh glued on the pot









Firstly, feed water was filtered through module A for 35 minutes. During this filtration, the transmembrane pressure (TMP) was measured. Then the fibre of module A was cut as close to the pot as possible and module A filtered the same feed water for a further 35 minutes. During this filtration, the transmembrane pressure (TMP) was measured. The same test was repeated with the module B using the same feed water.


The graph shown in FIG. 4 compares the TMP of the modules A and B during the two filtrations before and after the fibre was cut. The first part of the graph shows that the two curves are very similar. In particular, it shows that TMP of both modules increased at the same rate. Fibres of the modules were fouled at a similar rate. The small difference in TMP between the two modules is due to the mesh on module B which adds a small extra resistance to flow. The second part of the graph after the fibre of modules was cut shows that TMP of module A and B developed in a highly different way. The TMP of module A remained low and level whereas the TMP of module B increased sharply showing that the mesh was blocked by the feed contaminants.


This test clearly shows the efficiency of a mesh as far as reduction of integrity loss is concerned. Due to the addition of the mesh to the module, the cut fibre quickly sealed itself, preventing the feed from contaminating the filtrate.


It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that a wide variety and number of techniques can be used to reduce the flow within the fibre lumen in the region of the pot and that such techniques fall within the scope of the invention described. It will also be appreciated that further embodiments and exemplifications of the invention are possible without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention described.

Claims
  • 1. A method of reducing an effect of integrity loss in a hollow fiber membrane module upon breakage of at least one membrane during filtration, the method comprising: supporting at least one end of a plurality of hollow fiber membranes, each comprising a lumen, in a membrane pot to form the hollow fiber membrane module; andinserting a hollow pin into the lumen of each hollow fiber membrane at a potted segment of each membrane lumen to provide an inner cross-sectional area of the potted segment of each membrane lumen that is smaller than an inner cross-sectional area of a remaining segment of each membrane lumen.
  • 2. A hollow fiber membrane module, comprising: a plurality of hollow fiber membranes each comprising a lumen and each having at least one end supported in a pot; anda hollow pin inserted into the lumen of each one of the plurality of hollow fiber membranes in a region of the pot.
  • 3. A filtration system, comprising: a hollow fiber membrane module, comprising: a plurality of hollow fiber membranes, each hollow fiber membrane comprising a lumen, wherein at least one end of each of the hollow fiber membranes is supported in a pot; anda hollow pin inserted into the lumen of each one of the plurality of hollow fiber membranes in a region of the pot to increase a flow resistance through the lumen of each of the hollow fiber membranes in the region of the pot; anda source of feed water fluidly connected to an inlet of the hollow fiber membrane module.
  • 4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a sensor configured to monitor a transmembrane pressure level in the filtration system during filtration of the feed water.
Priority Claims (1)
Number Date Country Kind
PS3006 Jun 2002 AU national
RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/496,378, filed on Jul. 31, 2006, entitled METHODS OF MINIMISING THE EFFECT OF INTEGRITY LOSS IN HOLLOW FIBRE MEMBRANE MODULES, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,344,645, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/015,655, filed Dec. 16, 2004, entitled METHODS OF MINIMISING THE EFFECT OF INTEGRITY LOSS IN HOLLOW FIBRE MEMBRANE MODULES, which is now U.S. Pat. No. 7,160,463, which is a continuation of International Patent Application No. PCT/AU03/00755, filed on Jun. 17, 2003, under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), which was published by the International Bureau in English on Dec. 24, 2003, which designates the United States and which claims the benefit of Australian Provisional Patent Application No. PS 3006, filed Jun. 18, 2002.

US Referenced Citations (589)
Number Name Date Kind
256008 Leak Apr 1882 A
285321 Tams Sep 1883 A
511995 Buckley Jan 1894 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
3191674 Richardson Jun 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 Kollsman Aug 1969 A
3472765 Budd et al. Oct 1969 A
3492698 Geary et al. Feb 1970 A
3501798 Carraro 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
3679052 Asper Jul 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 Hill 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'Amaddio et al. Aug 1978 A
4105731 Yamazaki Aug 1978 A
4107043 McKinney Aug 1978 A
4138460 Tigner Feb 1979 A
4157899 Wheaton Jun 1979 A
4183890 Bollinger Jan 1980 A
4188817 Steigelmann Feb 1980 A
4190411 Fujimoto Feb 1980 A
4190419 Bauer 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
4323453 Zampini Apr 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
4367140 Wilson 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
4467001 Coplan et al. Aug 1984 A
4476015 Schmitt et al. Oct 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
4539940 Young Sep 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
4623460 Kuzumoto et al. Nov 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
4800019 Bikson 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
4952317 Culkin Aug 1990 A
4963304 Im et al. Oct 1990 A
4966699 Sasaki 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
5002666 Matsumoto et al. 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
5203405 Gentry et al. Apr 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
5269919 von Medlin Dec 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
5425415 Master et al. Jun 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
5629084 Moya May 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
D396046 Scheel et al. Jul 1998 S
5783083 Henshaw et al. Jul 1998 A
D396726 Sadr et al. Aug 1998 S
D400890 Gambardella Nov 1998 S
5843069 Butler et al. Dec 1998 A
5846424 Khudenko Dec 1998 A
5871823 Anders et al. Feb 1999 A
5888401 Nguyen Mar 1999 A
5895521 Otsuka et al. Apr 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 et al. Dec 1999 A
6007712 Tanaka et al. Dec 1999 A
6017451 Kopf Jan 2000 A
6024872 Mahendran et al. 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 Cöté 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
6071404 Tsui Jun 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
6324898 Cote et al. Dec 2001 B1
6325928 Pedersen et al. Dec 2001 B1
6325938 Miyashita et al. Dec 2001 B1
6331248 Taniguchi 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
6471869 Yanou 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 et al. 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
6706185 Goel 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
6755970 Knappe 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
7122121 Ji Oct 2006 B1
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 Apr 2008 B2
7378024 Bartels et al. May 2008 B2
7387723 Jordan Jun 2008 B2
7404896 Muller Jul 2008 B2
7455765 Elefritz et al. Nov 2008 B2
7481933 Barnes Jan 2009 B2
7510655 Barnes Mar 2009 B2
7531042 Murkute et al. May 2009 B2
7563363 Kuzma Jul 2009 B2
7591950 Zha et al. Sep 2009 B2
7632439 Mullette et al. Dec 2009 B2
7662212 Mullette et al. Feb 2010 B2
7708887 Johnson et al. May 2010 B2
7713413 Barnes May 2010 B2
7718057 Jordan et al. May 2010 B2
7718065 Jordan May 2010 B2
7722769 Jordan et al. May 2010 B2
7761826 Thanvantri et al. Jul 2010 B1
7819956 Muller Oct 2010 B2
7850851 Zha et al. Dec 2010 B2
7862719 McMahon et al. Jan 2011 B2
7931463 Cox et al. Apr 2011 B2
7938966 Johnson May 2011 B2
20010047962 Zha et al. Dec 2001 A1
20010052494 Cote et al. Dec 2001 A1
20020070157 Yamada Jun 2002 A1
20020117444 Mikkelson et al. Aug 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
20020195390 Zha et al. Dec 2002 A1
20030038080 Vriens et al. Feb 2003 A1
20030042199 Smith Mar 2003 A1
20030056919 Beck Mar 2003 A1
20030057155 Husain et al. Mar 2003 A1
20030075495 Dannstrom et al. Apr 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
20030196955 Hughes Oct 2003 A1
20030226797 Phelps Dec 2003 A1
20030234221 Johnson et al. Dec 2003 A1
20040007525 Rabie et al. Jan 2004 A1
20040035770 Edwards et al. Feb 2004 A1
20040045893 Watanabe et al. Mar 2004 A1
20040050791 Herczeg Mar 2004 A1
20040055974 Del Vecchio et al. Mar 2004 A1
20040084369 Zha et al. May 2004 A1
20040112831 Rabie et al. Jun 2004 A1
20040139992 Murkute et al. Jul 2004 A1
20040145076 Zha et al. Jul 2004 A1
20040154671 Martins et al. Aug 2004 A1
20040168978 Gray Sep 2004 A1
20040168979 Zha et al. Sep 2004 A1
20040173525 Hunniford et al. Sep 2004 A1
20040178154 Zha et al. Sep 2004 A1
20040188341 Zha et al. Sep 2004 A1
20040211726 Baig et al. Oct 2004 A1
20040217053 Zha et al. Nov 2004 A1
20040222158 Husain et al. Nov 2004 A1
20040232076 Zha et al. Nov 2004 A1
20040245174 Takayama et al. Dec 2004 A1
20050006308 Cote et al. Jan 2005 A1
20050023219 Kirker et al. Feb 2005 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
20050077227 Kirker et al. Apr 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
20050126963 Phagoo et al. Jun 2005 A1
20050139538 Lazaredes Jun 2005 A1
20050184008 Schacht et al. Aug 2005 A1
20050194310 Liu et al. Sep 2005 A1
20050194315 Adams et al. Sep 2005 A1
20050258098 Vincent et al. Nov 2005 A1
20060000775 Zha et al. Jan 2006 A1
20060021929 Mannheim et al. Feb 2006 A1
20060065596 Kent et al. Mar 2006 A1
20060081533 Khudenko Apr 2006 A1
20060131234 Zha et al. Jun 2006 A1
20060201876 Jordan Sep 2006 A1
20060201879 Den Boestert et al. 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
20070039888 Ginzburg et al. Feb 2007 A1
20070045183 Murphy Mar 2007 A1
20070051679 Adams et al. Mar 2007 A1
20070056904 Hogt et al. 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
20070181496 Zuback Aug 2007 A1
20070227973 Zha et al. Oct 2007 A1
20080053923 Beck et al. Mar 2008 A1
20080093297 Gock et al. Apr 2008 A1
20080156745 Zha et al. Jul 2008 A1
20080190846 Cox et al. Aug 2008 A1
20080203017 Zha et al. Aug 2008 A1
20080257822 Johnson Oct 2008 A1
20080277340 Hong et al. Nov 2008 A1
20090001018 Zha et al. Jan 2009 A1
20090223895 Zha et al. Sep 2009 A1
20090255873 Biltoft et al. Oct 2009 A1
20100000941 Muller Jan 2010 A1
20100025320 Johnson Feb 2010 A1
20100051545 Johnson et al. Mar 2010 A1
20100170847 Zha et al. Jul 2010 A1
20100300968 Liu et al. Dec 2010 A1
20110056522 Zauner et al. Mar 2011 A1
20110100907 Zha et al. May 2011 A1
20110114557 Johnson et al. May 2011 A2
20110127209 Rogers et al. Jun 2011 A1
20110132826 Muller et al. Jun 2011 A1
20110139715 Zha et al. Jun 2011 A1
20110192783 Cox et al. Aug 2011 A1
Foreign Referenced Citations (347)
Number Date Country
3440084 Sep 1983 AU
5584786 Mar 1985 AU
7706687 Jul 1986 AU
762091 Jun 2003 AU
1050770 Jan 1995 CN
2204898 Aug 1995 CN
2236049 Sep 1996 CN
1159769 Sep 1997 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
19503060 Aug 1996 DE
29804927 Jun 1998 DE
29906389 Jun 1999 DE
10209170 Aug 2003 DE
012557 Feb 1983 EP
126714 Nov 1984 EP
050447 Oct 1985 EP
194735 Sep 1986 EP
250337 Dec 1987 EP
327025 Aug 1989 EP
344633 Dec 1989 EP
090383 May 1990 EP
407900 Jan 1991 EP
463627 Jan 1992 EP
0464321 Jan 1992 EP
492942 Jul 1992 EP
518250 Dec 1992 EP
547575 Jun 1993 EP
280052 Jul 1994 EP
395133 Feb 1995 EP
662341 Jul 1995 EP
492446 Nov 1995 EP
430082 Jun 1996 EP
734758 Oct 1996 EP
763758 Mar 1997 EP
824956 Feb 1998 EP
848194 Jun 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
1445240 Aug 2004 EP
1659171 May 2006 EP
1420874 Jan 2011 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
57190697 Nov 1982 JP
58-088007 May 1983 JP
60-019002 Jan 1985 JP
60-206412 Oct 1985 JP
60260628 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
62068828 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
62-250908 Oct 1987 JP
62237908 Oct 1987 JP
62187606 Nov 1987 JP
62262710 Nov 1987 JP
63-097634 Apr 1988 JP
63099246 Apr 1988 JP
63-143905 Jun 1988 JP
63-171607 Jul 1988 JP
63-180254 Jul 1988 JP
S63-38884 Oct 1988 JP
64-075542 Mar 1989 JP
1-501046 Apr 1989 JP
01-151906 Jun 1989 JP
01-307409 Dec 1989 JP
02-017925 Jan 1990 JP
02-026625 Jan 1990 JP
02017924 Jan 1990 JP
02-031200 Feb 1990 JP
02040296 Feb 1990 JP
02-107318 Apr 1990 JP
02-126922 May 1990 JP
02-144132 Jun 1990 JP
02-164423 Jun 1990 JP
02174918 Jul 1990 JP
02241523 Sep 1990 JP
02-277528 Nov 1990 JP
02-284035 Nov 1990 JP
03-018373 Jan 1991 JP
03-028797 Feb 1991 JP
03-086529 Apr 1991 JP
03-110445 May 1991 JP
04108518 Apr 1992 JP
04110023 Apr 1992 JP
04-187224 Jul 1992 JP
4-190889 Jul 1992 JP
04-250898 Sep 1992 JP
04-256424 Sep 1992 JP
4-256425 Sep 1992 JP
04-265128 Sep 1992 JP
04-293527 Oct 1992 JP
04-310223 Nov 1992 JP
04317793 Nov 1992 JP
04334530 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
05161831 Jun 1993 JP
05279447 Oct 1993 JP
05-285348 Nov 1993 JP
05305221 Nov 1993 JP
06-027215 Feb 1994 JP
06-071120 Mar 1994 JP
06-114240 Apr 1994 JP
06170364 Jun 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
07047247 Feb 1995 JP
07-068139 Mar 1995 JP
07-136470 May 1995 JP
07-136471 May 1995 JP
07-155758 Jun 1995 JP
07155564 Jun 1995 JP
7-39921 Jul 1995 JP
07-178323 Jul 1995 JP
07-185268 Jul 1995 JP
07-185271 Jul 1995 JP
07185270 Jul 1995 JP
07185272 Jul 1995 JP
07-236819 Sep 1995 JP
07-251043 Oct 1995 JP
07-256253 Oct 1995 JP
07-275665 Oct 1995 JP
07-289860 Nov 1995 JP
07-303895 Nov 1995 JP
07313973 Dec 1995 JP
08-010585 Jan 1996 JP
08323161 Dec 1996 JP
08332357 Dec 1996 JP
09000890 Jan 1997 JP
09038470 Feb 1997 JP
09072993 Mar 1997 JP
09-099227 Apr 1997 JP
09-141063 Jun 1997 JP
09155345 Jun 1997 JP
09-187628 Jul 1997 JP
09192458 Jul 1997 JP
09-220569 Aug 1997 JP
09-271641 Oct 1997 JP
09-324067 Dec 1997 JP
10024222 Jan 1998 JP
10-033955 Feb 1998 JP
10-048466 Feb 1998 JP
10076144 Mar 1998 JP
10076264 Mar 1998 JP
10-085565 Apr 1998 JP
10085562 Apr 1998 JP
10-156149 Jun 1998 JP
10180048 Jul 1998 JP
10225685 Aug 1998 JP
10235168 Sep 1998 JP
10286441 Oct 1998 JP
10328538 Dec 1998 JP
11005023 Jan 1999 JP
11-028467 Feb 1999 JP
11033367 Feb 1999 JP
11076769 Mar 1999 JP
11-156166 Jun 1999 JP
11-165200 Jun 1999 JP
11156360 Jun 1999 JP
11-333265 Jul 1999 JP
11-033365 Sep 1999 JP
11-319507 Nov 1999 JP
11302438 Nov 1999 JP
11319501 Nov 1999 JP
2000000439 Jan 2000 JP
2000051669 Feb 2000 JP
2000061466 Feb 2000 JP
2000-070684 Mar 2000 JP
200079390 Mar 2000 JP
2000-093758 Apr 2000 JP
2000-185220 Apr 2000 JP
2000-157845 Jun 2000 JP
2000-157850 Jun 2000 JP
2000189958 Jul 2000 JP
2000233020 Aug 2000 JP
2000237548 Sep 2000 JP
2000300968 Oct 2000 JP
2000-317276 Nov 2000 JP
2001-009246 Jan 2001 JP
2001-070967 Mar 2001 JP
2001-079367 Mar 2001 JP
2001079366 Mar 2001 JP
2001-104760 Apr 2001 JP
2001120963 May 2001 JP
2001-190937 Jul 2001 JP
2001-190938 Jul 2001 JP
2001-205055 Jul 2001 JP
2001-510396 Jul 2001 JP
2001179059 Jul 2001 JP
2001179060 Jul 2001 JP
2001-269546 Oct 2001 JP
2002177746 Jun 2002 JP
3302992 Jul 2002 JP
2002-527229 Aug 2002 JP
2002525197 Aug 2002 JP
2002263407 Sep 2002 JP
2002-336663 Nov 2002 JP
2000-342932 Dec 2002 JP
2003024751 Jan 2003 JP
2003-047830 Feb 2003 JP
2003053160 Feb 2003 JP
2003-062436 Mar 2003 JP
200371254 Mar 2003 JP
2003-135935 May 2003 JP
2003190976 Jul 2003 JP
2003-265597 Sep 2003 JP
2003-275548 Sep 2003 JP
2003266072 Sep 2003 JP
2003275759 Sep 2003 JP
2003340250 Dec 2003 JP
2004-008981 Jan 2004 JP
2004-230287 Aug 2004 JP
2004230280 Aug 2004 JP
2004337730 Dec 2004 JP
2005144291 Jun 2005 JP
2005154551 Jun 2005 JP
2005279447 Oct 2005 JP
2006-116495 May 2006 JP
2007-547083 Aug 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
510394 May 2003 NZ
537874 Feb 2007 NZ
347343 Dec 1998 TW
8800494 Jan 1988 WO
8801529 Mar 1988 WO
8801895 Mar 1988 WO
WO 88-06200 Aug 1988 WO
WO 89-00880 Feb 1989 WO
WO 90-00434 Jan 1990 WO
WO 91-04783 Apr 1991 WO
WO 91-16124 Oct 1991 WO
WO 93-02779 Feb 1993 WO
WO 93-15827 Aug 1993 WO
WO 93-23152 Nov 1993 WO
WO 94-11094 May 1994 WO
WO 95-34424 Dec 1995 WO
9603202 Feb 1996 WO
WO 96-07470 Mar 1996 WO
WO 96-28236 Sep 1996 WO
WO 96-41676 Dec 1996 WO
WO 1997-06880 Feb 1997 WO
WO 98-22204 May 1998 WO
WO 98-25694 Jun 1998 WO
WO 98-28066 Jul 1998 WO
WO 98-53902 Dec 1998 WO
WO 99-01207 Jan 1999 WO
99-55448 Nov 1999 WO
WO 99-59707 Nov 1999 WO
WO 00-18498 Apr 2000 WO
WO 00-30742 Jun 2000 WO
0105715 Jan 2001 WO
WO 01-00307 Jan 2001 WO
0108790 Feb 2001 WO
0119414 Mar 2001 WO
WO 01-32299 May 2001 WO
WO 01-36075 May 2001 WO
WO 01-45829 Jun 2001 WO
0226363 Apr 2002 WO
0230550 Apr 2002 WO
WO 02-40140 May 2002 WO
0247800 Jun 2002 WO
WO 2003-000389 Jan 2003 WO
WO 2003-013706 Feb 2003 WO
03024575 Mar 2003 WO
03053552 Jul 2003 WO
03057632 Jul 2003 WO
03059495 Jul 2003 WO
03068374 Aug 2003 WO
03095078 Nov 2003 WO
2004018084 Mar 2004 WO
2004024304 Mar 2004 WO
2004033078 Apr 2004 WO
2004050221 Jun 2004 WO
2004056458 Jul 2004 WO
2004078327 Sep 2004 WO
WO 2004-101120 Nov 2004 WO
2005005028 Jan 2005 WO
2005028085 Mar 2005 WO
2005028086 Mar 2005 WO
WO 2005-021140 Mar 2005 WO
WO 2005-037414 Apr 2005 WO
2005046849 May 2005 WO
WO 2005-077499 Aug 2005 WO
2005082498 Sep 2005 WO
2005107929 Nov 2005 WO
2006026814 Mar 2006 WO
2006029465 Mar 2006 WO
WO 2006-029456 Mar 2006 WO
2006047814 May 2006 WO
2007053528 May 2007 WO
2007135087 Nov 2007 WO
2008034570 Mar 2008 WO
2008153818 Dec 2008 WO
2009030405 Mar 2009 WO
Related Publications (1)
Number Date Country
20080179249 A1 Jul 2008 US
Continuations (3)
Number Date Country
Parent 11496378 Jul 2006 US
Child 12022940 US
Parent 11015655 Dec 2004 US
Child 11496378 US
Parent PCT/AU03/00755 Jun 2003 US
Child 11015655 US