Gulf Research & Development Company

University of Pittsburgh

Ppg Industries, Inc.

Millmaster Onyx Group, Inc.

Ppg Industries Ohio, Inc.

Kewanee Industries

Snf Sa

Chevron Research Company

The B. F. Goodrich Company

Gulf Research & Development

Ronco Laboratories, Inc.

Harold E Swift

Roger F Vogel

Ajay M Madgavkar

Christopher C Capelli

Marlin H Mickle

Robert A Innes

Ching-Yong Wu

Charles Edward Greene

Harold Beuther

John J Stanulonis

Thaddeus P Kobylinski

John E Bozik

Thomas G Krivak

Minhong Mi

Richard W Lunden

Elizabeth H Reynolds

Anatoli Onopchenko

George Marcelin

Laurence E Jones

Leonid Matts

Eric John Beckman

Pallavoor R Lakshmanan

Edward T Sabourin

Angelo A Montagna

Phillip Adams

Cedrick Favero

Donald C Cronauer

Bruce R Mitchell

Stephen S Hupp

Ching Yong Wu

Joseph P Giannetti

Edgar R Black

Leonid Mats

Joel D McKinney

William L Kehl

James L Boyer

William Eamon Carroll

Kirk J Metzger

Mario L Occelli

Toby Chapman

Barrett L Cupples

James T Dew

Allen Evarts Somers

Shantilal Mohnot

Brian W Taylor

Shantilal M Mohnot

Robert C Wang

Paul G Bercik

Maurice S Baseman

Shailesh D Patkar

William B Scott

Laura M Randall

Robert H Fear

Tody M Chapman

Ronald W Plesko

An energy harvesting circuit has an active automatic tuning circuit to search for broadcast frequencies in a band of interest and selecting only those broadcast signals received with sufficient RF strength to be used in energy harvesting. This circuit would provide power storage devices with a circuit that has a means to select the ambient RF that can maximize or enhance the performance of an RFID circuit by increasing the amount of energy for harvesting. This automatic tuning would enable a power storage devices charger circuit to move from location to location without manual tuning of the circuit and increase the effective range of an RFID circuit.

Recharging apparatus

The present invention provides apparatus and an associated method for remotely energizing power storage devices. Energization may preferably be effected through the use of RF energy from a base station, ambient energy or ultra-wide band energy. The remote station preferably has at least one antenna having an effective area greater than its physical area. The system may have an antenna and associated circuitry provided on an electronic chip such as a monolithic chip or on a printed circuit with a suitable substrate.

Recharging method and apparatus

The present invention provides apparatus and an associated method for remotely energizing power storage devices. Energization may preferably be effected through the use of RF energy within frequencies of the wireless fidelity standards. The remote station preferably has at least one antenna having an effective area greater than its physical area. The invention may advantageously be used on wireless fidelity products which are energized by the power storage device.

Recharging method and associated apparatus

A method of identifying an article of interest includes providing one of a plurality of RF antennas each having a non-linear element which may be a rectifying diode and being resident at a different frequency on the article of interest. One RF antenna is interrogated with RF energy of a first frequency and converts the interrogated RF energy into a reflected energy of a different frequency. The reflected energy is sensed and on the basis of the different frequency determining if a specific antenna is present. The non-linear element may be a diode and is preferably a variable non-linear element. In another embodiment, the reflected RF energy is responsive to a change in ambient physical conditions such as pressure or temperature. Corresponding apparatus is provided.

RFID radio frequency identification or property monitoring method and associated apparatus

A silica-based particulate material that may contain less than 5 wt. % of a multivalent cation and a method of preparing such a silica-based particulate material. The silica-based particulate material may be characterized as having a median particle size of at least 20 &#x3bc;m, a BET surface area of at least 90 m/g, and a pH of at least 9.5; or as having a median particle size of up to 20 &#x3bc;m and a pH of at least 10. The silica-based particulate material may be used to make hydrophobic silica-based particulates, which may be characterized as having a pH of at least 10.5.

Silica-based particulates

A station having a means for receipt of ambient energy from the environment and energizing power storage devices of objects of interest comprising one or more antennae and circuitry for converting said ambient energy into DC power for energizing said power storage devices. The circuitry for converting the ambient energy into DC power may include a rectifier/charge pump. The antenna of the station is tuned to maximize DC energy at the output of the rectifier/charge pump. The station can be used to energize power storage devices including capacitors and batteries that are used in electronic devices, such as cell phones, cameras, PDAs. Various antenna constructions may be employed.

Energy harvesting circuit

A wireless untethered device which may be an integrated circuit chip or printed circuit board having at least one integrated antenna and circuitry operatively associated with the antenna for receipt of energy harvested from space by the antenna. The antenna has an effective area greater than its physical area. A system which receives power from the harvested energy after the energy is processed by the circuitry may also be provided with mismatched impedance between the antenna and a circuit resistance.

Antenna on a wireless untethered device such as a chip or printed circuit board for harvesting energy from space

A process to produce N-vinylformamide includes the steps of: reacting hydroxyethyl formamide with a reactant comprising at least one cyclic anhydride group to form an ester, and dissociating the ester via heat in a thin film evaporation to synthesize N-vinylformamide and a compound comprising at least one diacid group, the N-vinylformamide separating from the diacid during the thin film evaporation. The reactant including at least one cyclic anhydride group can, for example, be succinic anhydride, maleic anhydride, phthalic anhydride, (2-docecen-1-yl)succinic anhydride, exo-3,6-epoxy-1,2,3,6-tetrahydrophthalic anhydride or a polymer including at least one cyclic anhydride group. A process to produce N-vinylformamide comprises the steps of: mixing acetaldehyde, formamide and a source of anhydride in a single reaction vessel, reacting the acetaldehyde, formamide and the source of anhydride in the reaction vessel under pressure, dissociating an ester formed by a reaction between the source of anhydride and hydroxyethyl formamide formed in the reaction vessel to synthesize N-vinylformamide and a compound comprising at least one diacid group.

Synthesis of N-vinylformamide

A process to produce N-vinylformamide includes the steps of: reacting hydroxyethyl formamide with a reactant including at least one cyclic anhydride group to form an ester, and dissociating (or cracking) the ester to synthesize N-vinylformamide and a compound including at least one diacid group. The ester can be dissociated using heat. The reactant including at least one cyclic anhydride group can, for example, be succinic anhydride, maleic anhydride, phthalic anhydride, a polymer including at least one cyclic anhydride group, or a solid support to which at least one cyclic anhydride group is covalently tethered. Preferably, the cyclic anhydride is regenerated from the diacid formed in the synthesis of the ester by heating the diacid to dehydrate the diacid. The temperature required to dehydrate diacid groups is preferably higher than the temperature use to dissociate the ester.

Synthesis of N-vinyl formamide

An inherently tuned antenna has a circuit for harvesting energy transmitted in space and includes portions that are structured to provide regenerative feedback into the antenna to produce an inherently tuned antenna which has an effective area substantially greater than its physical area. The inherently tuned antenna includes inherent distributive inductive, inherent distributive capacitive and inherent distributive resistive elements which cause the antenna to resonate responsive to receipt of energy at a particular frequency and to provide feedback to regenerate the antenna. The circuit may be provided on an integrated circuit chip. An associated method is provided.

Energy harvesting circuits and associated methods

Describes a free flowing particulate composition comprising, in combination, particulate amorphous precipitated silica, e.g., in the form of granules, hydrocarbon process oil, e.g., an aromatic process oil, and organic carboxylic acid having from 2 to 30 carbon atoms, e.g., stearic acid. The hydrocarbon process oil and organic carboxylic acid are sorbed on the silica and are present in amounts sufficient to measurably improve the dispersibility of the particulate amorphous precipitated silica into an elastomer as measured by percent white area. Optionally, an organosilane coupling agent may also be present in said composition. The free flowing particulate composition of the present invention is useful in reinforcing elastomers, e.g., rubbers used in vehicle tires and the soles of athletic foot wear.

Dispersible free flowing particulate silica composition

Growing community of inventors

Gibsonia, PA, United States of America

Harold E Swift