Oil Shale Competence Center

Patent retrieval is necessary for

• novelty determination of a technical solution,
• technology development,
• industrial property legal protection,
• sectoral development activities,
• obtaining an overview of the objects of industrial property in the field, their descriptions and new scientific achievements in their narrow production sphere.

Patent information is a more valuable but hard-to-find piece of scientific and technical information.

Skillful modifying of a well-known technical solutions by using the latest  scientifc knowledge already known today,  can often give economic effect. For that reason information about patented industrial property previously known can not be considered as worthless. All the more, patent information is unique and is published only in patent bulletins and in patent information databases. Over 80% of efficient technical solutions have been issued just in patent information publications.

Monitoring of technology is a complex survey conducted by a customer  and performed on the basis of contract.  The object of the investigation is the newest information in the field of industrial property.  

Monitoring of technology is carried out within the matter specified by the customer (taking into account the states,  international organisations, firms, key words relevant to the matter and International Patent Classification (IPC) indeces, presented in the order). Monitoring of technology can be ordered for a certain period of time (monthly, quarterly, yearly – as it was agreed with a customer).

As a result of the survey, a monitoring report is presented, that includes new information on the given theme added into databases for a certain period of time, fixed in the order.

An inquiry is previously agreed in cooperation with a customer and an order is drawn up on-site according to the order form.

Via firm search  it is possible to get an overview about activities of the competitive firms in the field of innovation and industrial property law enforcement.

It is recommended to proceed from the high engineering level in the field and with leading positions of countries, where possible, have the potential to export or develop their products in the nearest future and to develop collaboration.  

It is possible to order firm search for the protected IP, owned by the firm or for the objects of IP of the firms operating in this field of engineering you are interested in.

Additional investigation of patent information of the companies is carried out in the process of monitoring of competitors, to be constantly well-informed about product development and IP  protection of the certain competitors.

Monitoring of competitors is performed on the basis of patent information or another IP  databases, using a variety of search options.

Monitoring overview allows:

• to be aware of competitors' new product solutions and the strategy for the protection of IP objects,
• to use this information to develop their new technical solutions and for general development activities,
• to find new markets for realization of production as well as to monitor the strengths and weaknesses of competitors.

Patent information search is the selection of additional industrial property information according to the topics and keywords presented in the order.

This is a small-scale and operational extract from IP information databases or from other patent information sources. The result of the search is presented as a survey of the information found in patent documents.

Know-how survey is a special complex solutions, taking into account requests of a customer.

Know-how surveys include information about national product and technology development, R&D activities, inventions and design solutions, company research surveys and competitors´ products and technologies development.

In addition to patent publications, further research is being used to identify additional research, scientific investigations, research projects, doctoral theses and other scientific information in this area.

The proposed service is necessary

• in the early stages of developing new solutions to avoid unnecessary costs associated with applying for protection documents,
• to make clear what technological solutions have been developed in this area elsewhere in the world,
• to get confidence whether your idea or developed new solution is a new one and to be sure, that this has not been previously protected by someone else.

Why to order industrial property law enforcement service?

• To be competitive and protect your products and technology from competitors.
• To know benefits from the applied technology and developed new technological solutions.
• To be informed about the fast-moving new developments in today´s changing world.

Oil Shale Competence Center offers following IP consultations:

• the legal protection of inventions,
• applying for the protection of inventions and drafting of applications (in Estonia),
• payment of fees for IP protection and keeping IP protection in force (in Estonia),
• using of patent information databases,
• requesting IP protection documents through Patent Attorneys,
• IP management in the company, IP-activities audit.

Kompetentsikeskuse uuringud ettevõtetes innovatsiooni puudutavates küsimustes:

1. Millised olid Ida-Virumaa ettevõtete põhiseisukohad 2015. aastal innovatsioonivaldkonnas loe lähemalt uuringu lühikokkuvõttest "Innovatsiooni protsess ettevõttes. Miks on innovatsioon ettevõttele nii oluline?".
2. Kokkuvõte „Intellektuaalomandi hindamine ettevõttes“, detsember 2013

The Oil Shale Competence Center of TalTech Virumaa College submitted a patent application "Method for obtaining 2,4-dihydroxy-3-methylbenzoic acid" (no. 0012/23PV) to the Estonian Patent Office on 19.05.23. The application is pending. The authors are employees of the Research and Test Laboratory of Fuel Technology: Larissa Grigorieva, Olga Pihl, Nadežda Merkulova and Allan Niidu.

The invention belongs to the field of organic chemistry and deals with the technology of chemical production, more precisely the method of synthesis of 2,4-dihydroxy-3-methylbenzoic acid. The description of the invention discloses the nature of the method for the preparation of 2,4-dihydroxy-3-methylbenzoic acid, which involves heating deionized water, 2-MR and potassium (sodium) bicarbonate in an ultrasonic bath at atmospheric pressure. The raw material for the synthesis is 2-methylresorcinol (2-MR) of natural origin, which is separated by crystallization from the phenolic fraction of oil shale oil. In Estonia, it is possible to industrially produce 2-methylresorcinol (2-MR) in the chemical industry. The invention can be most effectively used in the production of aerogels, in the production of high adhesion

Oil shale competence center of TalTech Virumaa College submitted a utility model application "A method for producing synthesis gas by pyrolysis of organic raw materials by solid heat carrier" to the Estonian Patent Office (no. 0038/23UV) on 15.12.2023. The application is pending. The authors of the invention are the employees of the Oil Shale Competence Centre, Research and Testing Laboratory of Fuel Technology, TalTech Virumaa College: Vladimir Khaskhachikh, Olga Pihl, Dmitri Suštšik, Aleksandr Nossov and Eduard Pihl.

The invention concerns the field of thermal processing of organic raw materials and includes pyrolysis of raw materials by solid heat carrier, followed by cracking volatile products into synthesis gas. The pyrolysis of organic raw materials is carried out by heating with a solid heat carrier without access to oxygen in a non-oxidizing environment to a temperature of 650 °C with the formation of volatile products and a solid residue (semi-coke). Volatile pyrolysis products are sent to the cracking reactor, where, passing through a high-temperature sealing layer, they are thermally decomposed in a non-oxidizing environment with the formation of synthesis gas and the deposition of carbon on the surface of the filling layer. The filling of the cracking reactor is heated in the furnace to a temperature of 1200°C. If necessary, part of the generated synthesis gas can be burned in the combustion device in order to maintain the heat balance of the unit. The main part of the synthesis gas is directed to cooling and purification in order to use this syngas as a chemical substance in various industrial processes, such as ammonia and methanol production, Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, as well as hydrogen recovery.

Method for reduction of sulphur in shale oil and its fractions (EE 05858 B1)

The invention has patent protection. The authors of the invention are the employees of the Oil Shale Competence Centre of Research and Testing Laboratory of Fuel Technology, TalTech Virumaa College: Olga Pihl, Mihhail Fomitšov, Dmitri Suštšik.

Reducing the sulfur content of fuels is a topical issue for all fuels. One feature is to use adsorptive reduction. Several Ca containing adsorbents can be used for this purpose, including bentonite and fly ash. However, the problem is to separate the adsorbent from the treated oil so that no adsorbent solids particles remain in the oil. The invention belongs to the field of oil shale oil industry and deals with a method for reducing sulfur in oil shale oil, obtained by thermal decomposition of oil shale. The invention involves pumping oil shale oil through a reactor containing an Ca containing adsorbent and an active metal (Fe, Mg, Al, Zn) powder at normal pressure or overpressure up to 5 atmospheres and at a temperature of 200-400 ° C, where the processed shale oil is removed from the adsorbent as a vapor gas mixture. During the process, in addition to the binding sulfur to the adsorbent particles and metal powder, the physicochemical properties of the shale oil as viscosity and density, are also improved.

A method for determining the calorific value of oil shale using a statistical distribution graph of digital image elements (EE 01604 U1)

The invention protected as a utility model. The authors of the invention are the employees of the Virumaa Digital and Green Technologies Innovation Center VIDRIK of TalTech Virumaa College: Mihhail Derbnev, Avar Pentel, Alexander Varushchenkov, Karle Nutonen, Sergei Pavlov.

In industry, it is necessary to determine the calorific value of oil shale in real time in order to choose the right processing method based on the quality of the oil shale. This invention is based on the fact that the calorific value is positively influenced by the content of the organic component - kerogen. The distribution of combustible and non-combustible components in oil shale is uneven, the human eye cannot distinguish the difference in color of oil shale samples with different calorific values. But these slight differences in color are sufficient for a maschine learning model to determine the calorific value from a digital photo. These models were trained on samples of 8 calorific value classes. In the implementation of the invention, 5 main stages are distinguished: taking a digital photo on the production line; converting a photo into a number vector; attribute engineering, which consist the pixel counting of each color channel in specific intensity ranges and normalizing the results; feeding attributes of machine learning models; classifying the sample into one of eight calorific value classes.

Method for determination of shale oil group composition (EE 01474 U1)

The invention protected as a utility model. The authors of the invention are the employees of the Oil Shale Competence Centre of Research and Testing Laboratory of Fuel Technology, TalTech Virumaa College: Olga Pihl, Julia Kapralova, Maria Tšepelevitš ja Hella Riisalu.

The invention „Method for determination of shale oil group composition" relates to the chemical industry, more closely to the field of fuels chemistry and production, dealing with the determination of group composition of shale oil and its fractions. To determine the quality of shale oil and to optimize its applications, it is necessary to know the composition of shale oil and its group fractions, that is, the distribution between paraffins and olefins, aromatic hydrocarbons, light oxygen compounds and heavy oxygen compounds (incl. asphaltenes and maltenes). However, it has also been observed that asphaltenes and maltenes do not emit during solvent eluating, but remain at the top of the starting point of column and can't be determined in the mixture. Authors of the invention carried out studies to find a new column chromatographic method which, under specially developed conditions, allows the use of column chromatographic adsorption method to separate crude shale oil from boiling point 170-600 °C into paraffins and olefins, aromatic hydrocarbons, light oxygen compounds and heavy oxygen compounds (incl. asphaltenes and maltenes) and to determine the complete group composition. This method prevents the secondary reactions occurring during rectification of crude oil. In addition, it will save time and cost of analyses, as a single analysis of crude oil is sufficient instead of multi-fraction analysis.

Method of co-pyrolysis of plastic waste (EE 01468 U1)

The invention protected as a utility model. The authors of the invention are the employees of the Oil Shale Competence Centre, Research and Test Laboratory of Fuel Technology, TalTech Virumaa College: Hella Riisalu, Olga Pihl, Dmitri Suštšik, Julia Kapralova

The invention relates to the field of fuel production, chemical engineering and waste management, and deals with the method of co-pyrolysis of plastic waste, whereby plastic waste is co-pyrolyzed with inorganic material to increase the quality of oil, and the proportion of plastic waste accounts for up to 85% of the pyrolysis mixture. As a result of co-pyrolysis, gas, oil and solid residue are produced in different proportions. The purpose of the invention is to solve the problem of the quality of oil produced by the pyrolysis of plastic waste in order to prevent the re-condensation of the oil components and the formation of solid particulates in the oil. As an inorganic material, the co-pyrolysis process uses carbonate rock as a result of the extraction of oil shale, silicate sand, and inorganic residues (ashes) from oil shale industry. The co-pyrolysis of plastic waste can be directly applied to a small-scale production plant as batch process with simple structure of pyrolysis equipment consisting from a pyrolysis reactor, condensation system for a steam-gas mixture and a gas utilization unit.

Rotating billboard of advertising video (EE 01438 U1)

The invention protected as a utility model. The author Jevgeni Puškin (Overdiff OÜ).

The subject of the invention is a rotating Billboard consisting of three 360° radius rotating screens, non-rotating leg panel, rotating wiring panel and is specified the base of the wiring panel, where electric motor, rotation drive, electric commutator brushes and electric current conductive plate are situated, which in their turn set the Billboard in motion as a column for dynamic video transmission. Stereo videoplayer is used to reproduce advertisement. The unit can be used in big shopping centers, supermarkets, business centres, airports, cultural centres, cinemas etc, where it is neccesary to transmit information of appropriate timing. Sufficient rotation speed of the screens attracts attention and passing-by people notice the advertisement.

Bee-Therapy House (EE 01420 U1)

The invention protected as a utility model. The authors are: Julia Volkova, Andrei Volkov (HoneyWolf OÜ)

The objective of the present invention is to present a bee-therapy house with equipment. In order to achieve the objective of the invention a solid wood bee-therapy house has been constructed consisting of two sections: the undernearth section, where beehives are located, comprising an inseparable part of the construction, and upper section, where the bee-therapy room with appropriate equipment is located. The sidewalls of the house are covered with chevron hexagonal beeswax panels, which in turn liberates healthy enzymes into the room. For more efficient performance of bee-therapy, an inhaler equipped with an inhalation mask is attached to the sidewall of the deck-chairs. Such bee-therapy house conformable to invention with equipment, offers a complete solution and allows proper inspection to properly conduct bee-therapy sessions, creates comfortable conditions for visitors as well as normal natural conditions for beehive families without disturbing their working environment.

Press device for household waste containers (EE 01409 U1)

The invention protected as a utility model. The author is Pavel Rusinov (Waste Pro OÜ).

Press device for household waste is intended for better storing of domestic waste in the containers used by apartment house societies and enterprises. The aim is to offer a solution for domestic waste and garbage pressing just at the place of picking, but not at the area of garbage intake or its utilization. The solution makes it possible to store more voluminous amount of rubbish in the containers for a longer period of time as well as to reduce expenses relevant to the waste storing. The device is a press equipped with hydraulic or thread mechanism, which is fixed to the side of the frame. Working surface of the press is a metallic plate the dimensions of which are a bit smaller than those of the container's opening. To press the rubbish the container is pushed to the frame with concrete floor. The frame is a welded construction and has larger dimensions than those of the container. The target market of the device is wide, such devices are required for urban domestic waste exportation systems to save economical expenditures and to contribute to environment protection. Introduction of the given invention approximates the problems of waste transportation in big cities and improves ecological environment. The device helps indirectly to use secondary raw materials rationally.

Method of making wool soap pad (EE 01266 U1)

The invention protected as a utility model. The author is Ivan Teperik.

The invention discloses a method of making a personal cleansing article, more specifically a soap sponge consisting of a toilet soap and natural wool, the method comprising the following steps: covering a bar of soap with wool, fastening the wool on the surface of a soap with soap solution, wrapping the wool covered soap in the mesh fabric, putting prepared soap tightly in the knit fabric bag and felting it in the washing machine. Felted soap sponge is dried.