Patents Examined by Alissa Tompkins
  • Patent number: 9714774
    Abstract: A high efficiency downfired gas water heater is provided which has a tank for storing water to be heated, a combustion chamber extending downwardly through a top end of the tank, and a gas burner operative to create hot combustion products within the combustion chamber. At the bottom end of the tank is a transfer chamber coupled to an external discharge conduit and to a single pass heat exchanger, in the form of multiple flue tubes. extending vertically through the tank and connected to the combustion chamber. In one embodiment of the water heater the burner is a power burner which forces the combustion products sequentially through the combustion chamber, heat exchanger, transfer chamber and discharge conduit. In another embodiment of the water heater a draft inducer fan is used to draw the combustion products through this path from the combustion chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2017
    Assignee: RHEEM MANUFACTURING COMPANY
    Inventors: Jozef Boros, Qian Zhang, Yoshiki Semba, Subbramanian Thenappan
  • Patent number: 9714602
    Abstract: A vehicle engine compartment airflow directing member for use with an airflow introducing and directing system includes a base portion and a bottom breather airflow directing portion. The base portion is configured to be secured to support rods provided in the vehicle engine compartment and to enclose a space disposed immediately rearward of the vehicle bumper beam. The bottom breather airflow directing portion extends from the base portion and narrows a bottom breather airflow path within the vehicle engine compartment while also preventing bottom breather airflow from recirculating to a position underneath the vehicle bumper beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2017
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Michael W. Maurer, Michael R. Missig, Jason A. Widmer, Sukwon Kim, Karl Forster
  • Patent number: 9707826
    Abstract: An airflow outlet is provided. The airflow outlet may include an adjustable vane component, a backplate, and a vane housing. The adjustable vane component has a vane nexus and a connection feature extending rearwardly from the vane nexus. The adjustable vane component further includes a plurality of vanes extending outwardly form the vane nexus. The backplate has a support tube defining a bore therethrough configured to receive the connection feature of the adjustable vane component and a plurality of backplate extensions extending outwardly form the support tube. The adjustable vane component and backplate may be fitted within a vane housing. The adjustable vane component is rotatable about a central axis between a first position and a second position, such that the positioning of the adjustable vane component and the selective alignment of the vanes relative to the backplate extensions defines the amount of airflow through an airflow outlet opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventor: Gerard Alan Brinas
  • Patent number: 9711808
    Abstract: A heating system for optimizing execution of heating tasks in a fuel cell vehicle is disclosed, the system including a stack coolant loop with a fuel cell stack, a primary pump, and a radiator module. A bypass coolant loop is disposed parallel with and is connected to the stack coolant loop between the fuel cell stack and the radiator module. The bypass loop including a cabin heat exchanger and a coolant heater, along with a secondary pump for pumping coolant through the heaters when desired.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Sebastian Lienkamp, Remy Fontaine
  • Patent number: 9702567
    Abstract: A heater having a combustion chamber. The heater includes a hopper and a chute extending from an outlet of the hopper to the combustion chamber. The heater includes a chute extending from the hopper to the combustion chamber, a screw extending through the chute into the hopper, and a drive connected to the screw for turning the screw in a direction in which the flight would, but for downward forces, lift the fuel. The heater has a vane rotatably attached to the screw that rotates downward along the screw in absence of upward forces counteracting gravity. The vane is cambered to produce upward forces when turning with the screw beneath an upper surface of the fuel. The vane is biased toward the upper surface of the fuel to level the upper surface of the fuel and prevent the fuel from rat holing and arching.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Inventor: William D. Owen
  • Patent number: 9702591
    Abstract: An operation plan correction unit is included which, after start of operation based on an operation plan, predicts a subsequent hot water supply load at a predetermined day on the basis of a hot water supply load result at the predetermined day, and changes a subsequent operation plan at the predetermined day generated by an operation plan generation unit, on the basis of the hot water supply load predicted again and a remaining amount of stored hot water in a hot water storage tank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Takaya Yamamoto, Motohiko Kawagishi
  • Patent number: 9702583
    Abstract: A self-contained portable heating system to heat a stored liquid in a storage tank to a desired temperature is provided. The system can comprise operatively connected components such as a generator to power a burner that can transfer energy from a combustion product, from for example, a fuel supplied by an attached fuel tank, to a heat transfer fluid through the use of a boiler. The heat transfer fluid can transfer heat from the boiler to a heat exchanger which can then transfer heat to the stored liquid in the tank. The tank can also comprise a circulating pump that can circulate the heat transfer fluid and an expansion tank that can receive the heat transfer fluid when it expands as a result of being heated. In some embodiments, the heating components can be supplied separately from storage tank so that they can be retrofit onto an existing tank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignee: Pityu Controls Inc.
    Inventor: Stevan Dobi
  • Patent number: 9702587
    Abstract: A coil support member is attached to a coil inside a water storage vessel and includes multiple openings, insertion portions and a non-insertion portion. The openings are arranged in a lengthwise direction, and together with surrounding sites prevent contact between mutually adjacent loops of the tube of the coil and suppress contact between an inner surface of the water storage vessel and an outer surface of the coil. The insertion portions are formed between the openings and are inserted into an intra-coil space located radially inward of the outer surface of the coil. The non-insertion portion is positioned in an extra-coil space located radially outward of the outer surface of the coil. The insertion portions have insertion body portions preventing contact between mutually adjacent loops of the tube, and engagement portions contacting the tube from the intra-coil space and maintaining an inserted state of the insertion body portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignees: Daikin Industries, Ltd., Daikin Europe N.V.
    Inventors: Yuuichi Kita, Teruo Nishida, Mathieu Ghesquiere
  • Patent number: 9694652
    Abstract: Rear console duct air flow of an air conditioner for a vehicle is provided. An inlet of the rear console duct which is in fluid communication with a rear console register is located at a position where conditioned-air which passes through an evaporator and a heater core flows. The inlet of the rear console is always opened such that the conditioned-air is always introduced into the rear console duct when the air conditioner is operated. A guide member, which guides the conditioned-air to the rear console register through the rear console duct, is disposed between the rear console duct inlet and a face duct inlet that is in fluid communication with a face register. An end of a face door selectively contacts the guide member selectively contacts the guide member when the face door makes a turning movement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2017
    Assignee: DOOWON CLIMATE CONTROL CO., LTD
    Inventors: Byung Guk An, Joon Hong Choi
  • Patent number: 9694648
    Abstract: A motor vehicle has lower and upper air duct sections (4, 8) arranged within the motor vehicle in series in a throughflow direction, with a vent for conveying and discharging air for air conditioning the vehicle interior space. The lower air duct section (4) is arranged in the region of an inner floor of the vehicle and is fixed to the bodyshell. The upper air duct section (8) is part of a lining (9) for the B pillar (2).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2017
    Assignee: Dr. Ing, h.c.F. Porsche Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Gerhard Reder
  • Patent number: 9696027
    Abstract: A fluid recirculation system includes an arrangement of a flow control valve located to receive a flow of fluid from an inlet. The system further comprises an economizer inlet mixing device located to receive the flow of hotter fluid from the arrangement of the flow control valve and from a cooler feedwater stream. An economizer inlet mixing device located upstream of an economizer in a supercritical pressure boiler includes a sparger assembly through which a flow of fluid from the waterwall outlet is received, an inlet through which a flow of fluid from a feed stream is received, and a wave breaker assembly through which an outlet stream from the economizer inlet mixing device is directed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2017
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC TECHNOLOGY GMBH
    Inventors: Michael J. Hargrove, Gary J. Navitsky, Jason J. Wailgum, Bernard H. Walsh
  • Patent number: 9689613
    Abstract: A continuous heating furnace includes one or a plurality of closed type gas heaters each having a combustion chamber, a guide section that guides an exhaust gas, an exhaust hole that discharges the exhaust gas and a first radiation surface that extends in a direction perpendicular to a baking object conveyance direction wherein the first radiation surface is heated by combustion in the combustion chamber and heat from the guide section and transfers radiant heat to the baking object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignee: IHI CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kimiyoshi Satoh, Kazuo Miyoshi, Takahiro Tanaka
  • Patent number: 9683756
    Abstract: A modular thermal panel can include a heat exchanger having connected top and bottom plates with channels formed there between for receiving a heat exchange fluid. An architectural tile (e.g., a paver, stone, acoustic tile, or any other architectural element) can rest on the top of the modular thermal panel, while an insulator panel is positioned below the modular thermal panel. The heat exchanger can transfer heat between the architectural tile and the heat exchange fluid to either cool or heat the architectural panel. Additional implementations include heat transfer systems including such modular thermal panels, and methods of collecting and utilizing thermal energy using such modular thermal panels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2017
    Assignee: THERMA-HEXX, Corporation
    Inventor: Robert P. Barmore
  • Patent number: 9683733
    Abstract: A method for operating a steam generator comprising a combustion chamber having a plurality of evaporator heating surfaces which are connected in parallel on the flow medium side is provided. An object is to provide a steam generator which has a particularly long service life and which is particularly reliable. For this purpose, a flow medium is introduced into an inlet of a first evaporator heating surface at a temperature which is lower than the temperature of the flow medium introduced into the inlet of a second evaporator heating surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2017
    Assignee: SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Joachim Brodeβer, Jan Brückner, Martin Effert
  • Patent number: 9671114
    Abstract: A household cooking appliance including a housing having an oven chamber accessible through an opening, the opening having a seal surrounding a perimeter of the opening, and a door covering the opening and moveable about a hinge between an open position and a closed position. The door includes a full glass inner panel having an inner surface that abuts the seal when the door is in a closed position and shock-absorbing means for absorbing and distributing a shock or an impact on the full glass inner panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignee: BSH Home Appliances Corporation
    Inventors: Ben Braden, Russell Dorsten, Donald Hendricks, Rose Marie Parker, Timothy Russell
  • Patent number: 9671183
    Abstract: A cleaning system and method for cleaning heat transfer surfaces in a boiler using a temperature measuring system for measuring and monitoring wall temperature of an annular wall of the tube of a lance of one or more sootblowers. Controlling a flow of steam or other fluid through the tube during the cooling portions of the strokes based on wall temperature measurements from the temperature measuring system. Infrared or thermocouple temperature measuring systems may be used. The steam or other fluid may be flowed at a default flowrate that may be substantially zero until the temperature measuring system indicates the wall temperature of the annular wall begins to exceed a predetermined temperature limit which may be the softening point of the annular wall. Then the steam or other fluid is flowed at a rate greater than the default flowrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignee: International Paper Company
    Inventor: Andrew K. Jones
  • Patent number: 9671116
    Abstract: A hot water supply system includes a hot water storage tank configured to store hot water, a plurality of temperature sensors that are installed in the height direction of the water storage tank and that detect temperatures at their installed positions, a main-unit-side hot water supply device that heats hot water in the hot water storage tank, a sub-unit-side hot water supply device, a main-unit-side control board equipped with control means that controls the corresponding hot water supply device, and a sub-unit-side control board. Signals sent from the temperature sensors are input in a distributed manner among the main-unit-side control board and the sub-unit-side control board, and each of the control boards are communicably connected to each other by a transmission line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Takeshi Sugimoto, Toshiro Abe, Tomoyoshi Obayashi
  • Patent number: 9664445
    Abstract: The invention relates to a tubular reactor with a rotating reactor chamber (9) for thermal treatment of biomass. It is characterized by the reactor chamber (9) being subdivided into zones by ring-shaped plates (10). These zones cause the particles to be retained in a particular area and thoroughly mixed there, i.e., the particles being treated are homogenized and the retention time also becomes more homogenous.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: Global Intelligent Fuel AB
    Inventors: Klaus Trattner, Heinrich Pauli, Wolfgang Plienegger, Wolfgang Janisch
  • Patent number: 9664387
    Abstract: The invention relates to a work apparatus for setting fastening elements in a substrate, with a fuel container and with a dosing device, through which the fuel is fed from the fuel container into a combustion chamber in which a flammable mixture is ignited, for setting a fastening element, and with a temperature sensor. In order to prevent undesired malfunctioning in the operation of the work apparatus or to reduce the incidence of such malfunctioning, the work apparatus comprises a container temperature sensor and a dosing temperature sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: Hilti Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Uwe Gerold, Thorsten Sauer, Norbert Welte
  • Patent number: 9664395
    Abstract: An exhaust hood includes a top wall extending in a horizontal direction, a convexly curved front wall extending in a vertical direction from the top wall. The hood also includes a filter support plate that holds a grease filter under the top wall and horizontally spaced from the front wall. The support plate is angled such that a bottom edge of the plate is farther in the horizontal direction from the front wall than a top edge of the plate proximal to the top wall. Surfaces of the top wall, the front wall, the filter support panel, and of a baffle under the support plate bound a chamber through which fumes flow to the grease filter. A free end of the front wall can be closer to the top wall than a portion of the front wall between the first end and the free end of the front wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: OY HALTON GROUP, LTD.
    Inventors: Andrey V. Livchak, Derek W. Schrock, Rick A. Bagwell, Darrin W. Beardslee