Posts Tagged: "oil"

CAFC Vacates PTAB Obviousness Decision, Nonobviousness Nexus Established by Patent Owner

The Federal Circuit recently issued a non-precedential decision in LiquidPower Specialty Products v. Baker Hughes, vacating and remanding a final written decision from the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), which had invalidated claims of a LiquidPower patent in an inter partes review (IPR) proceeding. In a nutshell, the Federal Circuit found there to be substantial evidence supporting PTAB determinations relating to specifically what the prior art taught, and what the prior art motivated those of skill in the art to do vis-a-vis motivation to combine. However, the panel, made up of Chief Judge Sharon Prost and Circuit Judges Todd Hughes and Kimberly Moore, determined that substantial evidence did not support the PTAB’s finding that the patent owner failed to establish a nexus between the claimed invention and objective evidence of nonobviousness, or secondary considerations as they are sometimes called. The case is now remanded to the PTAB for proper consideration of the objective evidence of nonobviousness presented by the patent owner.

Gene Quinn & Steve Brachmann

October 24, 2018

Five years later, the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill inspires advances in oil spill cleanup tech

Nanotechnologies are proving to have a major impact on oil spill cleanup innovation in recent years. Researchers at Ohio State University have pioneered a type of mesh coated with a fluorosurfactant, a material which attracts water but repels oil. The mesh has many nanoparticle bumps sandwiched between layers of polymer, which increase the mesh’s surface area and its ability to repel oil. The idea is to pump contaminated water through the mesh to more easily separate oil from the water. Microorganisms have also shown effectiveness in consuming large amounts of oil and oil-eating bacteria like Thalassolituus oleivorans and members of the genus Oleispira have been thriving in the Gulf.

Steve Brachmann

July 15, 2015

Shell Oil provides surprising developments in renewable energy along with oil and gas tech

Shell maintains a significant investment into research and development within its own corporation. The company’s 2014 fourth quarter earnings report showed that Shell invested $428 million into R&D during that quarter, increasing their expenditures over 2013’s fourth quarter R&D costs of $363 million. During the entire 2014 fiscal year, Shell spent $1.2 billion on R&D. Decades-long investment into natural-gas-to-liquids (GTL) technologies on behalf of Shell has recently resulted in the development of a clear base oil derived from natural gas, a cleaner burning fossil fuel. Shell has also committed millions of dollars in just the past few months on educational initiatives and academic research, such as the $3.5 million it contributed to the University of Houston last October for energy and engineering education programs.

Steve Brachmann

March 6, 2015

Chevron develops energy system innovations from hydrofracking to biomass

Chevron pioneers many innovations in energy systems and related fields and in recent years has focused on ocean bottom sensing tech for deepwater fields, waterflood surveillance data tools for oilfields as well as heavy-duty engine oils. The company also supports technology developments pursued by open innovation initiatives like the Cleantech Open, a clean technology innovation and small-business development organization of which Chevron is a global member. In 2013, the corporation posted expenditures of $685 million on other exploration expenses, which includes R&D spending.

Steve Brachmann

February 13, 2015

Obama Press Conference Address Oil and Renewable Energy

Little impacts cascading together can have a large impact, but for the time being we need to realize that the technology is not where it needs to be to leverage alternative and renewable energy in an impactful way. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try, but it does mean we need to be perfectly honest with ourselves and realize that a silver-bullet green technology is unlikely. In the meantime as we incentivize innovators we need an all-of-the-above series of solutions.

Gene Quinn

March 11, 2011