Clear Lake man receives patent for new chemical composition for plastic items

A new kind of chemical composition for a substance used in many everyday consumer items earned a U.S. patent last week for a Clear Lake man and other researchers. 

The patent acknowledges sample articles made from a new kind of polyolefin, which is an important part of common plastic goods. The team of inventors say its new composition has a lower glass transition temperature than existing versions, which should make it less brittle at low temperatures and give it other desirable properties. According to the patent, the new composition could be used in food containers, health care products, durable household and office goods, squeeze bottles, clear flexible film and sheet, automotive interior trim, wire, cable, pipe, toys and other products. 

The inventors listed by the patent are: Chon-Yie Lin of the Clear Lake area; Henry W. Yang of Pearland; Michael B. Kelly of Kingwood; Wen Li of Houston; Bryan R. Chapman of Annandale, New Jersey; Bruce R. Lundmark of Akron, Ohio; David J. Lohse of Bridgewater, New Jersey; and Sandra Denise Schregenberger of Hillsborough, New Jersey. The official patent number is 7,875,670. It was originally filed on Feb. 25, 2009. ExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc. is listed as the owner.

ExxonMobil is a major multinational oil and gas company and one of the world's largest publicly traded corporations. The offices of its chemical division are located in the Memorial area at 13501 Katy Freeway.