CN112774452A - Preservation method of ultrafiltration membrane component - Google Patents
Preservation method of ultrafiltration membrane component Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- CN112774452A CN112774452A CN202011503942.3A CN202011503942A CN112774452A CN 112774452 A CN112774452 A CN 112774452A CN 202011503942 A CN202011503942 A CN 202011503942A CN 112774452 A CN112774452 A CN 112774452A
- Authority
- CN
- China
- Prior art keywords
- ultrafiltration membrane
- membrane component
- oil
- component
- preservation method
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Granted
Links
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
- B01D—SEPARATION
- B01D67/00—Processes specially adapted for manufacturing semi-permeable membranes for separation processes or apparatus
- B01D67/0081—After-treatment of organic or inorganic membranes
- B01D67/0097—Storing or preservation
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
- B01D—SEPARATION
- B01D65/00—Accessories or auxiliary operations, in general, for separation processes or apparatus using semi-permeable membranes
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
- B01D—SEPARATION
- B01D65/00—Accessories or auxiliary operations, in general, for separation processes or apparatus using semi-permeable membranes
- B01D65/02—Membrane cleaning or sterilisation ; Membrane regeneration
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
- B01D—SEPARATION
- B01D65/00—Accessories or auxiliary operations, in general, for separation processes or apparatus using semi-permeable membranes
- B01D65/02—Membrane cleaning or sterilisation ; Membrane regeneration
- B01D65/022—Membrane sterilisation
Landscapes
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
- Inorganic Chemistry (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
- Agricultural Chemicals And Associated Chemicals (AREA)
- Separation Using Semi-Permeable Membranes (AREA)
Abstract
The invention provides a preservation method of an ultrafiltration membrane component, which comprises the steps of soaking the ultrafiltration membrane component in a bactericide for treatment, soaking the sterilized ultrafiltration membrane component in a pore-protecting agent aqueous solution for treatment, then centrifugally drying to remove excessive moisture, then fumigating by steam to achieve the purposes of secondary sterilization and weight reduction, and finally packaging in a vacuum sealing manner to facilitate preservation of the membrane component. The method for preserving the membrane component can effectively reduce the weight of the membrane component, simultaneously improve the storage performance and the appearance smell of the membrane component, and has good application prospect.
Description
Technical Field
The invention relates to the technical field of hollow fiber membranes, in particular to a preservation method of an ultrafiltration membrane component.
Background
The ultrafiltration membrane is a working structure for medium separation by utilizing pressure difference and aperture difference, and is mainly used in water treatment, biopharmaceutical industry and food industry, and the working performance of the ultrafiltration membrane is determined by membrane pores on the surface of the ultrafiltration membrane and membrane materials.
In the existing preservation technology, a mode of adding a humectant is mostly adopted to properly reduce moisture, but the conventional humectant is organic matter, bacteria are easily bred in the organic matter in a humid environment, the reduction of the moisture is still small, and the weight of a membrane component is heavier.
Disclosure of Invention
In view of the above, the invention provides a preservation method of an ultrafiltration membrane module, which is long in time and simple in method.
The technical scheme of the invention is realized as follows: the invention provides a preservation method of an ultrafiltration membrane component, which comprises the following steps:
soaking an ultrafiltration membrane component in a bactericide for 2-6h to obtain a disinfected ultrafiltration membrane component;
soaking the sterilized ultrafiltration membrane component in a pore-protecting agent aqueous solution for 2-6h to obtain a pore-protecting ultrafiltration membrane component;
fixing the ultrafiltration membrane component subjected to the hole retention treatment on a centrifuge for centrifugal drying treatment, and stopping the centrifugation until no obvious liquid flows out to obtain a dried ultrafiltration membrane component;
placing the spin-dried ultrafiltration membrane component in a closed container, fumigating with steam at the temperature of 100-;
and step five, carrying out vacuum packaging and storage on the ultrafiltration membrane component subjected to secondary disinfection.
On the basis of the above technical scheme, preferably, in the step one, the bactericide is a sodium hypochlorite solution prepared from purified water and having 50-100ppm of available chlorine.
On the basis of the above technical scheme, preferably, in the second step, the pore-protecting agent is one or a mixture of more of sodium gluconate, sorbitol and xylitol.
On the basis of the above technical solution, preferably, in the second step, the mass concentration of the pore-protecting agent aqueous solution is 10-50%.
Still more preferably, in the fourth step, the steam is water vapor.
On the basis of the above technical scheme, preferably, in the fourth step, the steam is essential oil steam.
On the basis of the technical scheme, preferably, the essential oil is one or a mixture of more of litsea cubeba oil, rosemary oil, oregano oil, clove oil, sweet orange oil and ginger oil.
On the basis of the technical scheme, preferably, the essential oil further comprises a bacteriostatic component, wherein the bacteriostatic component is as follows: the mass ratio of the essential oil is 1: (10-20).
On the basis of the technical scheme, preferably, the antibacterial component is one or a mixture of more of thymol, cinnamaldehyde, anethole and citral.
On the basis of the above technical scheme, preferably, in the fifth step, the vacuum packaging method includes wrapping the ultrafiltration membrane module with a double-layer PE bag, performing vacuum-pumping sealing storage, and when the membrane module is a self-sealing membrane module, directly performing vacuum-pumping sealing treatment in a membrane shell of the membrane module.
Compared with the prior art, the preservation method of the ultrafiltration membrane component has the following beneficial effects:
(1) according to the preservation method of the ultrafiltration membrane component, after sterilization and hole and moisture preservation treatment are carried out, a fumigation mode is adopted for treatment, so that the weight is effectively reduced, and meanwhile, the sterilization and disinfection effects can be further enhanced;
(2) according to the invention, specific components such as essential oil and bacteriostatic components are added into the fumigation steam, so that the bacteriostatic and moisturizing effect of the membrane component is better, and the membrane component has good smell and good application prospect.
Detailed Description
The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the embodiments of the present invention, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be obtained by a person skilled in the art without any inventive step based on the embodiments of the present invention, are within the scope of the present invention.
The following examples are all performed on the same polyethersulfone ultrafiltration membrane module, which is an immersed ultrafiltration membrane module.
Example 1
Immersing an ultrafiltration membrane component in a sodium hypochlorite solution with 50ppm of available chlorine for 2 hours, then immersing the ultrafiltration membrane component in a sodium gluconate solution with the mass concentration of 10%, obtaining an ultrafiltration membrane component subjected to hole protection treatment after 2 hours of immersion treatment, fixing the ultrafiltration membrane component subjected to hole protection treatment on a centrifuge for centrifugal drying treatment, stopping centrifugation when no obvious liquid flows out through centrifugal drying, obtaining a dried ultrafiltration membrane component, placing the dried ultrafiltration membrane component in a closed container, carrying out fumigation treatment by using water vapor with the temperature of 100 ℃, fumigating for 10 minutes, taking out the ultrafiltration membrane component, cooling, vacuumizing by adopting a double-layer PE packaging bag, and sealing for storage.
Example 2
Immersing an ultrafiltration membrane component in a sodium hypochlorite solution containing 60ppm of available chlorine, soaking for 3 hours, then soaking the ultrafiltration membrane component in a sorbitol solution with the mass concentration of 20%, soaking for 3 hours to obtain an ultrafiltration membrane component subjected to hole preservation, fixing the ultrafiltration membrane component subjected to hole preservation on a centrifuge, carrying out centrifugal drying treatment, stopping centrifugation until no obvious liquid flows out after centrifugal drying, obtaining a dried ultrafiltration membrane component, placing the dried ultrafiltration membrane component in a closed container, carrying out fumigation treatment by using water vapor at 120 ℃, fumigating for 20min, taking out the ultrafiltration membrane component, cooling, vacuumizing by using a double-layer PE packaging bag, and sealing for storage.
Example 3
Immersing an ultrafiltration membrane component in sodium hypochlorite solution with 70ppm of available chlorine for 4 hours, then immersing the ultrafiltration membrane component in xylitol solution with the mass concentration of 30%, obtaining an ultrafiltration membrane component subjected to hole preservation treatment after 4 hours of immersion treatment, fixing the ultrafiltration membrane component subjected to hole preservation treatment on a centrifugal machine for centrifugal drying treatment, stopping centrifugation until no obvious liquid flows out after centrifugal drying, obtaining a dried ultrafiltration membrane component, placing the dried ultrafiltration membrane component in a closed container, carrying out fumigation treatment by litsea cubeba oil steam with the temperature of 140 ℃, fumigating for 10min, taking out the ultrafiltration membrane component, cooling, vacuumizing by adopting a double-layer PE packaging bag, and sealing and storing.
Example 4
Immersing an ultrafiltration membrane component in a sodium hypochlorite solution with 80ppm of available chlorine, soaking for 3 hours, then immersing the ultrafiltration membrane component in a solution with the mass concentration of 20% and the solute of xylitol and sorbitol mixture, soaking for 3 hours to obtain an ultrafiltration membrane component subjected to hole-preserving treatment, fixing the ultrafiltration membrane component subjected to hole-preserving treatment on a centrifuge for centrifugal drying, stopping centrifugation when no obvious liquid flows out through centrifugal drying to obtain a dried ultrafiltration membrane component, placing the dried ultrafiltration membrane component in a closed container, fumigating with mixed oil steam of rosemary oil and origanum oil at 160 ℃, fumigating for 20 minutes, taking out the ultrafiltration membrane component, cooling, vacuumizing by adopting a double-layer PE packaging bag, and sealing and storing.
Example 5
Immersing an ultrafiltration membrane component in a sodium hypochlorite solution with 90ppm of available chlorine for 3 hours, then immersing the ultrafiltration membrane component in a solution with the mass concentration of 20% and the solute of xylitol and sorbitol mixture for 3 hours to obtain an ultrafiltration membrane component subjected to hole-preserving treatment, fixing the ultrafiltration membrane component subjected to hole-preserving treatment on a centrifuge for centrifugal drying, stopping centrifugation when no obvious liquid flows out through centrifugal drying to obtain a dried ultrafiltration membrane component, placing the dried ultrafiltration membrane component in a closed container, carrying out fumigation treatment by using mixed oil steam of orange oil and ginger oil at 180 ℃, wherein the mixed oil also comprises thymol with the mass fraction of 10%, fumigating for 20 minutes, taking out the ultrafiltration membrane component, cooling, vacuumizing by adopting a double-layer PE packaging bag, and sealing and storing.
Example 6
Immersing an ultrafiltration membrane component in a sodium hypochlorite solution with 100ppm of available chlorine for 3 hours, then immersing the ultrafiltration membrane component in a solution with the mass concentration of 20% and the solute of xylitol and sorbitol mixture for 3 hours to obtain an ultrafiltration membrane component subjected to hole-preserving treatment, fixing the ultrafiltration membrane component subjected to hole-preserving treatment on a centrifuge for centrifugal drying, stopping centrifugation when no obvious liquid flows out through centrifugal drying to obtain a dried ultrafiltration membrane component, placing the dried ultrafiltration membrane component in a closed container, carrying out fumigation treatment by using mixed oil steam of orange oil and ginger oil at 200 ℃, wherein the mixed oil also comprises a mixture of cinnamaldehyde, anethole and citral with the mass fraction of 5%, fumigating for 20 minutes, taking out the ultrafiltration membrane component, cooling, vacuumizing by adopting a double-layer packaging bag PE, and sealing and storing.
Comparative example
Soaking the ultrafiltration membrane component in a sodium hypochlorite solution with 100ppm of available chlorine for 3 hours, centrifuging and drying by a centrifuge, vacuumizing by adopting a double-layer PE packaging bag, and sealing and storing.
The ultrafiltration membrane modules obtained in examples 1 to 6 and the comparative example, which were hermetically stored, were stored for half a year, and then taken out for comparison in weight, appearance, odor and performance tests, including membrane flux and oil stain rejection, with the following results:
the results show that the preservation method can effectively inhibit bacteria breeding in the ultrafiltration membrane component, the preserved membrane component has good smell and membrane performance, and the corresponding membrane component is lighter in weight and convenient to transport and store.
The above description is only for the purpose of illustrating the preferred embodiments of the present invention and is not to be construed as limiting the invention, and any modifications, equivalents, improvements and the like that fall within the spirit and principle of the present invention are intended to be included therein.
Claims (9)
1. A preservation method of an ultrafiltration membrane component is characterized by comprising the following steps:
soaking an ultrafiltration membrane component in a bactericide for 2-6h to obtain a sterilized ultrafiltration membrane component;
soaking the sterilized ultrafiltration membrane component in a pore-protecting agent aqueous solution for 2-6h to obtain a pore-protecting ultrafiltration membrane component;
fixing the ultrafiltration membrane component subjected to the hole retention treatment on a centrifuge for centrifugal drying treatment, and stopping the centrifugation until no obvious liquid flows out to obtain a dried ultrafiltration membrane component;
placing the spin-dried ultrafiltration membrane component in a closed container, fumigating with steam at the temperature of 100-;
and step five, carrying out vacuum packaging and storage on the ultrafiltration membrane component subjected to secondary disinfection.
2. The method for preserving an ultrafiltration membrane module of claim 1, wherein in the first step, the bactericide is a sodium hypochlorite solution prepared from purified water and 50 to 100ppm of available chlorine.
3. The preservation method of the ultrafiltration membrane component according to claim 1, wherein in the second step, the pore-protecting agent is one or a mixture of more of sodium gluconate, sorbitol and xylitol.
4. The preservation method of the ultrafiltration membrane assembly according to claim 1, wherein in the second step, the mass concentration of the pore-protecting agent aqueous solution is 10-50%.
5. The method for preserving an ultrafiltration membrane module of claim 1, wherein in step four, the steam is water vapor.
6. The method for preserving an ultrafiltration membrane module of claim 1, wherein in step four, the vapor is an essential oil vapor.
7. The preservation method of the ultrafiltration membrane component according to claim 6, wherein the essential oil is one or a mixture of more of litsea cubeba oil, rosemary oil, oregano oil, clove oil, sweet orange oil and ginger oil.
8. The preservation method of an ultrafiltration membrane assembly according to claim 6, wherein the essential oil further comprises a bacteriostatic component, wherein the bacteriostatic component: the mass ratio of the essential oil is 1: (10-20).
9. The method for preserving an ultrafiltration membrane module of claim 8, wherein the bacteriostatic component is one or a mixture of thymol, cinnamaldehyde, anethole and citral.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CN202011503942.3A CN112774452B (en) | 2020-12-18 | 2020-12-18 | Preservation method of ultrafiltration membrane component |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CN202011503942.3A CN112774452B (en) | 2020-12-18 | 2020-12-18 | Preservation method of ultrafiltration membrane component |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CN112774452A true CN112774452A (en) | 2021-05-11 |
| CN112774452B CN112774452B (en) | 2022-04-22 |
Family
ID=75751153
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CN202011503942.3A Active CN112774452B (en) | 2020-12-18 | 2020-12-18 | Preservation method of ultrafiltration membrane component |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CN (1) | CN112774452B (en) |
Citations (16)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JP2007063222A (en) * | 2005-09-01 | 2007-03-15 | Mitsubishi Rayon Eng Co Ltd | Preservation liquid for separation membrane, separation membrane module and method for preservation of separation membrane |
| JP2009214023A (en) * | 2008-03-11 | 2009-09-24 | Toray Ind Inc | Preservation method of solid-liquid separation membrane |
| CN102068909A (en) * | 2010-12-27 | 2011-05-25 | 沈阳师范大学 | Inorganic protective agent for ultrafiltration membrane component and application method thereof |
| CN102133505A (en) * | 2010-11-09 | 2011-07-27 | 浙江理工大学 | Enhanced cleaning method for reverse osmosis/nanofiltration membrane pollution |
| CN102489157A (en) * | 2011-12-23 | 2012-06-13 | 吉林市金赛科技开发有限公司 | Novel film pore protecting device |
| CN102698605A (en) * | 2012-06-06 | 2012-10-03 | 山东招金膜天有限责任公司 | Dry-state preservation method for ultra-filtration membrane component |
| CN102716674A (en) * | 2012-06-20 | 2012-10-10 | 中国石油天然气股份有限公司 | Cleaning agent for ceramic membrane for oilfield produced water and cleaning method thereof |
| WO2013146742A1 (en) * | 2012-03-26 | 2013-10-03 | 三菱レイヨン株式会社 | Porous film preservation solution |
| CN103463982A (en) * | 2013-10-12 | 2013-12-25 | 深圳市诚德来实业有限公司 | Preservation method of ultrafiltration membrane |
| CN103877859A (en) * | 2014-04-01 | 2014-06-25 | 武汉艾科滤膜技术有限公司 | Membrane component preservation method |
| CN107754609A (en) * | 2016-08-19 | 2018-03-06 | 上海键水科技发展有限公司 | A kind of composite nanometer filtering film and preparation method thereof |
| CN108607366A (en) * | 2016-12-09 | 2018-10-02 | 江苏保瑞工业水处理有限公司 | A kind of compound ultrafiltration membrane and its store method |
| CN108722196A (en) * | 2018-06-15 | 2018-11-02 | 天津工业大学 | A kind of magnetic high-intensity and high-tenacity hydrogel and application method for fouling membrane cleaning |
| CN109351194A (en) * | 2018-11-02 | 2019-02-19 | 苏州立升净水科技有限公司 | The method of the membrane flux of ultrafiltration membrane preservative agent and raising ultrafiltration membrane |
| CN111111453A (en) * | 2019-12-19 | 2020-05-08 | 自然资源部天津海水淡化与综合利用研究所 | Membrane assembly wet storage processing method and processing device |
| CN210905703U (en) * | 2019-09-06 | 2020-07-03 | 平武县颐生泉生物科技开发有限公司 | Membrane belt cleaning device |
-
2020
- 2020-12-18 CN CN202011503942.3A patent/CN112774452B/en active Active
Patent Citations (16)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JP2007063222A (en) * | 2005-09-01 | 2007-03-15 | Mitsubishi Rayon Eng Co Ltd | Preservation liquid for separation membrane, separation membrane module and method for preservation of separation membrane |
| JP2009214023A (en) * | 2008-03-11 | 2009-09-24 | Toray Ind Inc | Preservation method of solid-liquid separation membrane |
| CN102133505A (en) * | 2010-11-09 | 2011-07-27 | 浙江理工大学 | Enhanced cleaning method for reverse osmosis/nanofiltration membrane pollution |
| CN102068909A (en) * | 2010-12-27 | 2011-05-25 | 沈阳师范大学 | Inorganic protective agent for ultrafiltration membrane component and application method thereof |
| CN102489157A (en) * | 2011-12-23 | 2012-06-13 | 吉林市金赛科技开发有限公司 | Novel film pore protecting device |
| WO2013146742A1 (en) * | 2012-03-26 | 2013-10-03 | 三菱レイヨン株式会社 | Porous film preservation solution |
| CN102698605A (en) * | 2012-06-06 | 2012-10-03 | 山东招金膜天有限责任公司 | Dry-state preservation method for ultra-filtration membrane component |
| CN102716674A (en) * | 2012-06-20 | 2012-10-10 | 中国石油天然气股份有限公司 | Cleaning agent for ceramic membrane for oilfield produced water and cleaning method thereof |
| CN103463982A (en) * | 2013-10-12 | 2013-12-25 | 深圳市诚德来实业有限公司 | Preservation method of ultrafiltration membrane |
| CN103877859A (en) * | 2014-04-01 | 2014-06-25 | 武汉艾科滤膜技术有限公司 | Membrane component preservation method |
| CN107754609A (en) * | 2016-08-19 | 2018-03-06 | 上海键水科技发展有限公司 | A kind of composite nanometer filtering film and preparation method thereof |
| CN108607366A (en) * | 2016-12-09 | 2018-10-02 | 江苏保瑞工业水处理有限公司 | A kind of compound ultrafiltration membrane and its store method |
| CN108722196A (en) * | 2018-06-15 | 2018-11-02 | 天津工业大学 | A kind of magnetic high-intensity and high-tenacity hydrogel and application method for fouling membrane cleaning |
| CN109351194A (en) * | 2018-11-02 | 2019-02-19 | 苏州立升净水科技有限公司 | The method of the membrane flux of ultrafiltration membrane preservative agent and raising ultrafiltration membrane |
| CN210905703U (en) * | 2019-09-06 | 2020-07-03 | 平武县颐生泉生物科技开发有限公司 | Membrane belt cleaning device |
| CN111111453A (en) * | 2019-12-19 | 2020-05-08 | 自然资源部天津海水淡化与综合利用研究所 | Membrane assembly wet storage processing method and processing device |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| CN112774452B (en) | 2022-04-22 |
Similar Documents
| Publication | Publication Date | Title |
|---|---|---|
| CN101102802B (en) | Hemopurifier package and process for producing the same | |
| CN101072594B (en) | Method of hemopurifier sterilization and hemopurifier package | |
| JP2000157850A (en) | Separating membrane preservation liquid and separating membrane module | |
| CN102524245A (en) | Preparation method of plant unbleached impregnated specimen | |
| CN107802889B (en) | A kind of animal derived collagenous tissue material of dry state and preparation method thereof | |
| JPS6022946B2 (en) | Sterilization method for biological dialysis equipment | |
| US4727705A (en) | Package for membrane filters | |
| CN112774452B (en) | Preservation method of ultrafiltration membrane component | |
| CN102698605A (en) | Dry-state preservation method for ultra-filtration membrane component | |
| CN105148742B (en) | A kind of preparation method of dry type reverse osmosis composite membrane | |
| CN102068909A (en) | Inorganic protective agent for ultrafiltration membrane component and application method thereof | |
| TWI644720B (en) | Filter membrane module, manufacturing method thereof and method for setting filter membrane module | |
| JPS63248407A (en) | Preservation of membrane module | |
| JPH06245696A (en) | Method for preservation treatment of cut fruit/ vegetable | |
| CN106359552A (en) | Fresh keeping method for vegetables | |
| JP2008272352A (en) | Hollow fiber membrane type blood purifier | |
| JPH07328398A (en) | Treatment solution for atibacterial/antifungal separation membrane and separation membrane module filled with treatment solution | |
| JPS63111878A (en) | Sterilization of semipermeable membrane module | |
| WO2016072411A1 (en) | Method for producing packaged vegetable | |
| JP2018153115A (en) | Method for producing aged meat | |
| JP2002012501A (en) | Specimen of arthropod, method for making specimen and kit for making specimen | |
| JP2008173287A (en) | Radiation sterilization method for hollow fiber membrane type blood purifier and hollow fiber membrane type blood purifier | |
| BR112020013545A2 (en) | isotopic compositions ii | |
| CN108117133B (en) | Filtration membrane module, method for producing same, and method for installing filtration membrane module | |
| JPH0288074A (en) | Manufacture of blood treating device |
Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| PB01 | Publication | ||
| PB01 | Publication | ||
| SE01 | Entry into force of request for substantive examination | ||
| SE01 | Entry into force of request for substantive examination | ||
| GR01 | Patent grant | ||
| GR01 | Patent grant |