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Introduction A Hypothetical Scenario: Suppose that your company's research department has developed a new device which represents a significant innovation. You would like to begin selling it as soon as possible. The new device has not been publicly disclosed. You're not sure about what type of intellectual property protection you should be seeking, or when you should be seeking it. As discussed below, assuming that the costs are worth it, a patent application probably should be filed before any public disclosure is made. In general, if you do not file a patent application prior to a public disclosure, you will lose rights. Major Types of Intellectual Property In this paper, intellectual property protection is broadly discussed. Practical steps which can be taken to minimize the possibility of losing intellectual property rights (and maximizing the possibility of benefiting from your company's intellectual property) are outlined at the end of this paper. The issues discussed in this paper are somewhat complex, because a number of outcomes are possible, depending on the facts. It is strongly recommended that you seek legal advice in your jurisdiction in connection with any particular circumstances relating to intellectual property rights. "Intellectual property" refers to a number of different types of rights. The major types of intellectual property are: (i) patents; (ii) trademarks; and (iii) copyright. Trade secrets are also usually considered to be a type of intellectual property, and they are also discussed in this paper because of their importance. In general, each of these types of intellectual property protects different subject matter, although there can be some overlap. Intellectual property rights are generally territorial in nature. The scope of protection of a type of intellectual property in a country (e.g., patent protection) depends on whether the specific national requirements for protection have been met.

Feb 1, 2008

By R. S. Krarner

Fly ash, a by-product of coal burning power plants, poses a major problem for the utility industry since most fly ash must be landfilled. These quantities may represent as much as 20% of the total material going into landfills. A major problem with fly ash utilization is that although the ash consists of useable components, ash composition can vary depending on the types of coal burned and plant operating conditions. Ash is first characterized using SEM, image analysis, and chemical methods. Processing techniques were developed to separate ash into various components including cenospheres, magnetic spheres, carbon, and clean ash. These products are again evaluated for various utilizations before being used to produce valuable products such as mullite, activated carbon, fillers in plastics, and concrete.

Jan 1, 1994

By T Atchison

In-pit crushing and conveying (IPCC) systems have come under growing scrutiny as a perceived mitigation to fuel and equipment price fluctuations, labour shortages and the need to move everincreasing volumes of material. Individual vendors and delivery organisations are now offering a sometimes confusing array of systems, particularly for the dig and dump side operations.One system does not suit all operations. This paper seeks to document the factors that should be considered in assessing the suitability of different IPCC systems, with a focus on dig side equipment layouts in particular. These factors include the productivity of the systems, interactions with the drill/blast and bench operation sequence, the ease of relocation, flexibility to changes in the reserve, scalability and compatibility with other elements of the system.

Jul 11, 2011

By G Pitkin, D Sorley

The purpose of any consultancy is to provide a superior service for their client. Organisational structure is a key element in providing this service and differentiating between consultants.In an organic organisation the emphasis is on effectiveness, problem solving, responsiveness, flexibility, adaptability, creativity and innovation. Such an organisation is able to respond in a timely manner to change because employees are empowered to be creative, to experiment and to suggest new ideas. The process of innovation is triggered by employees throughout the organisation in a collaborative manner.Problem solving becomes a core competence of the consultancy. A multidisciplined approach arrives at superior solutions that are rigorous, holistic, achievable and often novel. It allows the mining consultancy to extract the most from a very talented and experienced team.This paper highlights the advantages of an organic structure for a mining consultancy and how to implement such a structure. It draws on examples of innovative problem solving from feasibility and strategic studies carried out in Australia and Africa.CITATION:Pitkin, G and Sorley, D, 2016. Organic management structure – its advantages in a mining consultancy, in Proceedings International Mine Management Conference, pp 155-162 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jun 22, 2016

By Patrick E. Durnal

The Richmond-San Rafael Bridge was built in the early 50s' and was first opened to traffic on August 31, 1956. Among California's longest steel bridges, it spans more than 21,000 feet across the northern portion of San Francisco Bay. It is one of six toll bridges currently undergoing seismic retrofit in the Bay area. Current retrofit criteria require the structure not to collapse in a Magnitude 8.3 earthquake lasting 45 seconds on the San Andreas Fault. The earthquake epicenter is 10 miles to the west of the Bridge, near the mouth of San Francisco Bay. Another major fault is the Hayward Fault, with a potential of a 7.5 magnitude earthquake. It is only 4 miles east of the eastern end of the bridge. The retrofit criterion is that the structure survives these earthquakes without collapse or loss of life, and that they are capable of repair within a period of one year. Therefore an energy absorbing, ductility and nominal resistance based approach to the retrofit design have been adopted for the retrofit of this bridge. Foundation Retrofit The foundation retrofits were designed to satisfy of drift criteria of 6 inches at the base of the footings, and to keep the existing H-piles from experiencing unacceptable levels of permanent soil displacement and /or structural rupture. Full-scale structural lateral load testing of BP14x89 piling, to rupture, has helped to determine the drift criteria. However recent non-linear analytical results, have led to a redesign, which may allow for 12 inches of drift. The as-built analysis of the Micropile piers determined that those piers would not exceed the 6-inch drift criteria so lateral resisting shear piles were not needed at those piers.

Jan 1, 1998

By P. D. I. Honeyman

Changing trends in concentration, involving regrinding with the subsequent production of a finely divided, high-grade flotation product, presents a real problem to the modern copper smelter. In the treatment of such a material, handling difficulties are numerous and potential possible losses may be very great. In many plants, of course, preliminary roasting of the furnace charge remains an economical necessity. Under such circumstances, the operator has no alternative except to follow orthodox roaster reverberatory practice, though taking all possible precautions to avoid excessive dust losses and bad working conditions. In other plants, roasting is not only unnecessary but would be highly undesirable, and at best the charge would be merely dried before entering the reverberatory furnace. In the latter case the possibilities of raw charging loom large. The Miami plant of the International Smelting Co. handles the entire output of concentrates of the several mining companies operating in the Globe-Miami district. All of these companies produce a flotation concentrate which, at the Miami Copper Co. particularly, is all reground and is high in grade. In addition, the Inspiration Copper Co. ships a substantial tonnage of high-grade cement copper to the smelter from its leaching plant. Following the flow sheet of the original plant, all such material received was bedded, dried in Wedge furnaces and smelted in reverberatory furnaces. At times during the history of the plant it has been necessary to carry the drying operation further, to a partial roast, before reverberatory smelting. Since the charge contained over 80 per cent flotation concentrates, the handling of which in a dried condition was at best a dusty job, unusual precautions were taken to cut down dust losses. The Wedge furnace plant was equipped with a Cottrell treater and all hoppers and calcine cars were carefully designed to cut down dust loss in transferring the so-called calcine from hoppers to car and from car to furnace. In the furnace itself the dusting problem was a severe one. Arch erosion was very rapid and flues and waste-heat boilers rapidly filled up with a partly smelted flue dust.

Jan 1, 1934

By M. Shamsi, M. Nehring

One of the most challenging aspects in semi-mobile in-pit crushing and conveying (SMIPCC) system design is determining the optimum depth at which to change from a purely truck-based haulage system to a conveyor-based haulage system. We used scenario analysis to determine the optimum transition depth between a truck and shovel (TS) system and a SMIPCC system. Traditional pit-limit algorithms were used to generate the final pit limit on a copper deposit, which was then divided into four pushbacks. The final operating pushbacks (phases) were designed for both TS and SMIPCC. The end depths for each phase are viewed as candidate transition points to switch from the TS to SMIPCC haulage system. Economic calculations were applied for five different scenarios, including adopting SMIPCC from the outset (pure SMIPCC), after the first, second, and third phases, and finally not using the SMIPCC system (pure TS) at all. The analysis indicates that the second scenario, at a depth of 335 m, results in the lowest cumulative discounted cost (CDC). In this case, the CDC is 17.6% lower than that for the pure TS scenario and 10.7% lower than for the pure SMIPCC system scenario.

Sep 1, 2021

Power plants that utilize conventional wet flue-gas desulfurization methods produce enormous amounts of flue-gas scrubber sludge. A typical 400 MW power station that burns a high sulfur coal produces 170,000 tons of wet flue-gas scrubber sludge per year. This scrubber sludge is currently landfilled at an enormous cost to utility companies. This material could be used as a raw material for industries that use gypsum, such as the wallboard and plaster industries. However, before it can be used as feedstock for these industries, some of the impurities such as unreacted limestone and silicates must be removed from the scrubber sludge. Froth flotation has tremendous potential for separating these impurities from scrubber sludge. In order to select an optimum flotation process, it is necessary to characterize the surface properties of the major components in the scrubber sludge, which consist of calcium sulfite, calcium sulfate, calcium carbonate (limestone), and silica. In this study zeta potential measurements were used to determine the surface charge of the components in scrubber sludge, with the goal of optimizing a froth flotation process to produce a marketable gypsum product for the wallboard and plaster industries.

Jan 1, 1996

By L. P. Davidson

THE new electrolytic zinc plant of the American Zinc Company of Illinois commenced operation in April 1941. The simple flowsheet using the standard current density and the economic reasons that dictated it are given herewith. The Evans-Wallower Zinc Co. built an electrolytic zinc plant at Monsanto, Ill., in 1929 and .operated it for about two years. The plant stood idle from 1932 and was purchased by the American Zinc Co. in 1940. Because of the condition of the equipment, excepting the motor generator set, a complete rebuilding was necessary. The Fairmont City plant of the American Zinc Co. could treat the leach residues, the purification cake and the skimmings from the melting furnace in its various plants. This possibility permitted a simple flowsheet with good economic results. The flowsheet is shown in Fig. I. The calcined concentrates are leached in mechanically agitated tanks with spent electrolyte and such ferric iron solution as necessary. When the acid has been neutralized and the iron coagulated, the fluid is discharged to settling tanks. The underflow from these thickeners is filtered on a Moore filter; the filter cake leaves the plant for retreatment and the filtrate joins the thickener overflow. Zinc dust is added to this solution until the copper and cadmium are precipitated. The pulp is filtered through Shriver presses, which deliver the purified solution to storage tanks, and the copper-cadmium-zinc cake is shipped for retreatment and recovery of these three metals. The purified solution is electrolyzed; the regenerated acid is returned for use in the leaching plant and the cathode zinc, after stripping, goes to the melting furnace, from which it is cast in slabs. The skimmings from the melting furnace are shipped to the Fairmont City plant for reduction to metal in. the retort furnaces. The choice of this simple flowsheet was made possible only because of the facilities of the Fairmont City plant. The long leaching period, with high acid content and high temperature which characterize the high-density process, gives a higher zinc extraction but also dissolves more impurities, which must be removed. The same is true to a lesser degree of the multi-step leaching of the western low-density plants. By the sacrifice of some initial extraction, solutions can be obtained that are relatively easy to purify and give good ampere efficiency. This loss in initial extraction is made up in the retreatment of the residues in the Waelz plant. The impurities that accompany the zinc thus extracted are inconsequential when the Waelz product is treated in a distillation plant. It was recognized that this flowsheet would require a somewhat greater amount of sulphuric acid-either as acid or as sulphate sulphur in the calcine-because of poorer washing. The sulphuric acid plant at Fairmont City could deliver 60° Be. acid to compensate for the sulphate loss and the cost would be less than the cost of more intensive washing.

Jan 1, 1942

By L. P. Davidson

The new electrolytic zinc plant of the American Zinc Company of Illinois commenced operation in April 1941. The simple flowsheet using the standard current density and the economic reasons that dictated it are given herewith. The Evans-Wallower Zinc Co. built an electrolytic zinc plant at Monsanto, 111., in 1929 and operated it for about two years. The plant stood idle from 1932 and was purchased by the American Zinc Co. in 1940. Because of the condition of the , equipment, excepting the motor generator set, a complete rebuilding was necessary. The Fairmont City plant of the American Zinc Co. could treat the leach residues, the purification cake and the skimmings from the melting furnace in its various plants. This possibility permitted a simple flowsheet with good economic results. The flowsheet is shown in Fig. I. The calcined concentrates are leached in mechanically agitated tanks with spent electrolyte and such ferric iron solution as necessary. When the acid has been neutralized and the iron coagulated, the fluid is discharged to settling tanks. The underflow from these thickeners is filtered on a Moore filter; the filter cake leaves the plant for retreatment and the filtrate joins the thickener overflow. Zinc dust is added to this solution until the copper and cadmium are precipitated. The pulp is filtered through shriver presses, which deliver the purified solution to stor- age tanks, and the copper-cadmium-zinc cake is shipped for retreatment snd recovery of these three metals. The purified solution is electrolyzed; the regenerated acid is returned for use in the leaching plant and the cathode zinc, after stripping, goes to the melting furnace, from which it is cast in slabs. The skimmings from the melting furnace are shipped to the Fairmont City plant for reduction to metal in the retort furnaces. The choice of this simple flowsheet was made possible only because of the facilities of the Fairmont City plant. The long leaching period, with high acid content and high temperature which characterize the high-density process, gives a higher zinc extraction but also dissolves more impurities, which must be removed. The same is true to a lesser degree of the multi-step leaching of the western low-density plants. By the sacrifice of some initial extraction, solutid'ns can be obtained that are relatively easy to purify and give good ampere efficiency. This loss in initial extraction is made up in the retreatment of the residues in the Waelz plant. The impurities that accompany the zinc thus extracted are inconsequential when the Waelz product is treated in a distillation plant. It was recognized that this flowsheet would require a somewhat greater amount of sulphuric acid—either as acid or as sulphate sulphur in the calcine—because of poorer washing. The sulphuric acid plant at Fairmont City could deliver 60" BC. acid to compensate for the sulphate loss and the cost would be less than the cost of more intensive washing.

Jan 1, 1944

By C. F. Strydom

Paper written on project work carried out in partial fulfilment of B. Eng (Mining Engineering) degree The Self-directed work team concept is the product of relentless performance pressure on American industries during the late eighties and early nineties from other world industrial leaders like Japan. The concept proved to be a successful vehicle by which the Americans could increase their production and improve their safety statistics. The aim of this study is to evaluate the concept as a means to improve the overall performance on South African goldmines. he study is directed by a historical research section, answering questions like: ?Why do we need to change? ?What is a Self-directed work team? ?What are the principle advantages of the concept? ?What are the essential requirements for the concept to succeed? The study also includes an empirical research section that focuses on the current Self-directed work team situation in the South African gold mining industry. The empirical research section is limited to three case studies within Anglogold due to a study period of only six weeks. The mines chosen for the case studies have been labelled Mine 1, Mine 2 and Mine 3. The latter being the base mine allowing for a more in depth study. This includes a perception analysis towards Self-directed work teams within the mine. The study proves the truth of the Latin proverb ?Tempora mutantur, nos et mutamur in illis? meaning ?The times are changing, and we are changing with them?. The chief change catalysts identified are a dwindling gold price and a projected labour crisis. From the study it is evident that the Self-directed work team concept disposes of the critical parameters required for a dramatic improvement in performance. The study also indicates that for the concept to succeed, certain factors like top-level commitment and management-employee trust have to be in place. Sadly, the concluding part of the study proves that very few of the identified critical success parameters are present in the South African gold mining industry. This can serve to explain why the industry only has success with the concept when monetary gain is the chief motivator. The study only focuses on the reasons why the concept is not performing to its full potential and does not wander into explaining the reasons for the current unsupportive milieu in the industry. Self-directed work teams could well rescue the South Africangold mining industry but currently we are driving a square pin into a round hole! [Terminology SDWT?Self-directed work teams AEL?Adventure Experiential Learning ISW?In-stope worker POLC?Plan, organize, lead and control TEC?Total employee costed Silo?The confinement of departments preventing networking JCI?Johannesburg Consolidated Investment Co. Ltd]

Jan 1, 2002

By B. Erdem, N. Çelebi

An important problem associated with tandem dragline systems is that of matching the productive capability of individual draglines in the combination. In this paper, a dependence mechanism among draglines in a tandem system is described, and possible consequential problems in a poorly-matched system are defined. The rate of linear advance and the cost of stripping are determined as two major indications for an efficient operation. The proposed decision criteria and the underlying mechanism to select a synchronous couple are introduced and used in simulating tandem dragline systems. The developed model is tested on a hypothetical strip mine where pullback stripping is applied with a tandem dragline system.

Jan 1, 1999

By BLAllEY STEVENS

(Canal Zone Meeting, November, 1910.) I. INTRODUCTION. TEH object of this paper is to show how igneous intrusion is governed by definite mechanical laws. A distinction is made between dikes and fissures, and the various characteristics of intrusions are explained on an exact scientific basis. The modification of rock-stresses by intrusion is then considered and extensive isostress regions are recognized. Finally, a complete classification of intrusions is constructed covering all pos-sible cases. The generalizations of observed data, taken from Geikie's Textbook of Geology, conform to the laws of intrusion herein stated, and the deductions based upon these laws. No authority, however, is quoted for the type which I have named a corrugated intrusion. Its existence is a necessary deduction from the laws of intrusion, and even the entire absence of examples in technical publications cannot disprove its reality. In all probability, corrugated fissures would have remained undiscovered, but for the working of mineral veins. As intrusions of tabular form are seldom worked for commercial purposes, it has been left for theory to anticipate the discovery of corrugated dikes. In the light of these laws of intrusion and the corresponding laws of fissures,1 there seems to be a remarkable uniformity of stress-distribution in rocks at moderate depths. This renders .possible the mathematical calculation which should help us to approximate exact science in this and kindred branches of applied geology.

Jan 1, 1911

By Jonathan K. Hrica, Brianna M. Eiter

The ability to identify hazards during a workplace examination is a critical skill for mineworkers to have in order to maintain a safe workplace. While research suggests that being able to successfully recognize hazards requires a complex set of competencies, it is unclear which competencies are most critical to adequately perform a workplace examination. This paper presents a hazard recognition competencies framework as an explanation of the competencies that affect mineworker hazard recognition. To better understand how the industry is selecting and preparing workplace examiners, researchers from the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) interviewed nine health and safety (H&S) professionals at surface stone, sand and gravel mine sites throughout the United States. These interviews verified that the competencies included in the hazard recognition competencies framework agree with perceptions of the interviewed H&S professionals, who also provided validity for the critical role these competencies play. Finally, the results of this study are presented within the context of current NIOSH research findings related to hazard recognition.

During the past 20 years, FKC-Lake Shore, located in southern Indiana, has been working with Contitech, the German conveyor company, to push vertical conveyor technology to new depths and open up additional opportunities for underground mine owners. Historically, the underground mining industry has largely been unable to realize the benefits of these efficient systems due to the design limitations in maximum depth and capacity. Until recently, only relatively shallow depth mines with low production rates have been a ?t for a vertical conveyor system. This, however, is changing with technical advancements in the Pocketlift system. With each milestone, a new vertical conveyor record is set for depth and capacity. For instance, in 2002, FKC-Lake Shore set one such record with the installation of a Pocketlift system at a mine in the Illinois coal basin with a lift height of 273 m (896 ft) and a production rate of 1.8 kt/h (2,000 stph). Although it was unthinkable at that time, today?s vertical conveyors are capable of reaching lift heights up to 700 m (2,300 ft) with an average production rate of 450 t/h (500 stph). These new lift heights and production rates are opening the technology to more potential mine owners and shifting the way people look at moving material in the future.

By A. B. Holland-Batt

Following a relatively static period in the 1960s and 1970s when incremental development rather than innovation was the norm for gravity separation, the last 15 years has seen a number of new developments in this area. The paper briefly reviews the traditional gravity separation techniques and then examines the newer developments such as centrifugal separators. Particular emphasis has been placed on novel devices or improvements that offer either better control or improved performance.

Jan 1, 1998

By A. K. Kelly

Potash was first discovered in Saskatchewan in 1943 but its continuous extraction did not begin until 1962. In the years since then, potash has played an important role in the economic and political life of the province. And, as is well-known, the most eventful time in the life of the industry occurred in 1975 when the Government of Saskatchewan decided to become a major participant in potash production. To understand that decision, however, requires an understanding of the economic development of Saskatchewan and of relations between the industry and the government prior to 1975. This year, Saskatchewan celebrates its 75th year as a province. For most of those years, we have been an agrarian economy and society, dependent on exports of cereal grains, mostly wheat, for a livelihood. Even today, agriculture accounts for about 25% of the province's Gross Domestic Product (Economic Review, 1979, p. 7) and difficulties in agriculture spread rapidly to the rest of the provincial economy. The difficulties and risks that go hand in hand with being a "one crop" economy were known as long ago as 1920 but were not fully appreciated until the combination of depression and drought in the 1930's turned the prairie grain- belt into a dustbowl. Some idea of the severity of the depression is revealed by the following data: in 1928, Saskatchewan produced 321 million bushels of wheat. By 1931, the total fell to 132 million bushels and, in 1937, to a mere 37 million bushels. The value of agricultural products sold off farms fell from $273,000,000 in 1928 to a meagre $51,000,000 in 1937. The impact of such a fall of agricultural incomes was catastrophic since about 70% of the population of some 921,000 persons lived in rural, agriculture-dependent areas (Britnel.1, 1939, p. 14).

Jan 1, 1980

By Chris M. Healey

"Abstract - Perhaps the single most significant variable in the evaluation of a mining project is the reserve estimate. Many parameters are considered when estimating reserves, among them geology. This paper examines the link between the quality of a reserve estimate and a good understanding of the geological controls for the deposit. A clear understanding of the geometry is essential to the accurate definition of the shape and size of the deposit. This includes the definition of any structural controls as well as the proper interpretation of the stratigraphy. Further when the distribution of grades is erratic and there is consequently a high nugget effect, there are significant problems in estimating the true grade of the deposit.Two Saskatchewan examples are presented, one with good knowledge of the controls and therefore good estimates of reserves, and the other with a poor understanding of the geology and resultant problems in deriving good estimates. In both cases the reserve estimates at various stages in the project development are compared to actual results from underground work. The first example is the Star Lake Mine where just about all the estimates were within 10% of the actual on both tonnage and grade. The Laurel Lake deposit is discussed to show how problems in interpreting the geological data make reserve estimation very difficult. Laurel Lake has the additional problem of erratic grade distribution."

Jan 1, 1992

By AIME

NEW YORK'S largest hotel, the Pennsylvania, will be filled with mining and oil men and metallurgists the third week of February when some 3000 AIME members, their wives, and guests will gather for the Institute's 1948 Annual Meeting-its 166th general meeting. Except for the usual Sunday afternoon and evening sessions of the Mineral Industry Education Division at the Columbia University Men's Faculty Club, the big assembly will be under one top and members will not this year have to consult compass and map to find their next session. Possibly enervated by the stupendous effort of the Anniversary Celebration last spring and the plethora of highly successful fall meetings, the various committees have been a trifle slow in arranging their social and technical programs, but in mid December as we go to press there is already much to report indicative of substantial fare and high interest. The definite timetable schedule will appear in the February M&M.

Jan 1, 1948

By Mowat D. M., Louis H., Smith W. Mackey W. M., Dron R. W., Ellison C. C., Winmill T. F., Kerr G. L., Haldane J. S., Ashworth J., Garforth W., O'Shea L. T.

Discussion of Winmill's paper, including various anecdotal examples, is presented together with the author's response; topics included: the need to distinguish cubic pyrites from the rapidly decomposing rhombic form known as marcasite; the effects of moisture content in the coal and air; the possible effect of pressure; the heat insulation resulting from heap/stack size; and the means of determining pyrite and moisture contents

Dec 1, 1916