Patents Examined by Biniam B Asmelash
  • Patent number: 10561275
    Abstract: A cooking device includes a lower heating plate unit, an upper housing member, and at least one positioning mechanism that includes a lower coupling unit fixed to the lower heating plate unit, an upper coupling member fixed to the upper housing member, an actuating member disposed on the upper coupling member, and a pin connected to the upper coupling member. The cooking device further includes an upper heating plate coupled to the upper housing member. Removal of the upper heating plate results in the actuating member being pushed resiliently to have a positioning portion thereof engaging a guiding hole of the lower coupling unit, so that the upper housing member is limited to move to be parallel to and spaced apart from the lower heating plate unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2020
    Assignee: TSANN KUEN (ZHANGZHOU) ENTERPRISE CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Chunyu Wu, Jiankun Wu
  • Patent number: 10549385
    Abstract: A component is produced in layers by laser melting. A molten pool is created in a bed of powder by a working laser beam. Further auxiliary laser beams are set to a power density that merely slows down the cooling of the material in one zone, but do not cause any renewed melting. In this way, the cooling rate of the microstructure can be set so that an advantageous structural formation develops. This allows for example the mechanical properties of the component produced to be advantageously improved without downstream heat treatments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2020
    Assignee: SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Ursus Krüger, Olaf Rehme, Daniel Reznik, Martin Schäfer
  • Patent number: 10537136
    Abstract: An exemplary heating device for a cigarette includes a housing, a heating chamber, and a power supply. The heating chamber is arranged at a first end of the housing, and is configured for receiving at least one part of the cigarette. The heating chamber defines an air inlet and an opening. The opening is configured for receiving an end of the cigarette. The heating chamber includes a plurality of heating pieces arranged on two opposite inner walls. Each heating piece includes a heating surface facing an interior space of the heating chamber. The power supply is arranged at an opposite second end of the housing, and is configured for feeding the heating pieces power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2020
    Assignee: SHENZHEN FIRST UNION TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yonghai Li, Zhongli Xu
  • Patent number: 10524505
    Abstract: An electronic vaping device includes a cartomizer and a battery section. The cartomizer includes a housing, a liquid supply reservoir in the housing, a vaporizer connected to the liquid supply reservoir, a channel adjacent to the liquid supply reservoir. The liquid supply reservoir being is to store vapor precursor. The vaporizer includes a fluid-transport structure that is configured to transport the vapor precursor from the liquid supply reservoir to the channel. The battery section is configured to provide power to the vaporizer. The battery section includes a control circuit that is configured to determine a saturation level of the vapor precursor on the fluid-transport structure based on an electrical resistance of the fluid-transport structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2020
    Assignee: Altria Client Services LLC.
    Inventor: Jarrett Keen
  • Patent number: 10531523
    Abstract: A microwave heating apparatus includes: a body defining a microwave heating chamber therein; a drawer door moveably mounted on the body to open or close the microwave heating chamber; a door switch button disposed on the body or the drawer door and configured to control the drawer door to be opened or closed; a speed adjusting button disposed on the body or the drawer door and configured to control a moving speed of the drawer door; a driving device with a controllable operating speed mounted on one of the body and the drawer door, connected with the other of the body and the drawer door in a transmission way, and configured to drive the drawer door to move; a controller communicated with the door switch button, the speed adjusting button and the driving device respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2020
    Assignees: GUANGDONG MIDEA KITCHEN APPLIANCES MANUFACTURING CO., LTD., MIDEA GROUP CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Jianyi Zhou
  • Patent number: 10520202
    Abstract: Provided is an electric apparatus for cooking and/or reheating food, including: a housing having a cooking tray arranged such as to receive the food to be cooked and/or reheated, a circuit for heating by ventilation, including a ventilation sleeve having an outlet arranged such as to direct an air flow onto the food to be cooked and/or reheated, and the heating means arranged in the ventilation sleeve such as to heat the air flow by radiation and by convection, wherein at least a portion of the heating means is arranged relative to the outlet of the ventilation sleeve, whereby the heat radiation produced by said portion of the heating means directly heats the food to be cooked and/or reheated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: SEB S.A.
    Inventors: Olivier Delrue, Cedric Mugnier, Olivier Le Grand, Erwann Govin
  • Patent number: 10518298
    Abstract: A method of cleaning a superplastic-forming or a hot-forming die includes exposing a surface of the die having a lubricant thereon to electromagnetic energy. The electromagnetic energy removes the lubricant without removing an oxide layer between the die surface and the lubricant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Marc James Petersen, Larry Dean Hefti, Gregory L. Ramsey
  • Patent number: 10493556
    Abstract: An all-in-one jigless projection loading system for a vehicle is adapted to load and assemble a body component to a vehicle body. The all-in-one jigless projection loading system may include: a fixing bracket fixed to an arm of a robot; a position adjusting member rotatably mounted to the fixing bracket; a gripper mounted to the fixing bracket to be movable backward and forward, and gripping the body component; an array unit mounted to the position adjusting member, and arraying the body component; and a welding unit mounted to the fixing bracket, and projection-welding the body component to a vehicle body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company
    Inventor: Sung Phil Ryu
  • Patent number: 10470602
    Abstract: A pump coffee brewer and related methods of use for brewing individual servings of coffee. The pump coffee brewer can include a pump assembly, brew chamber assembly and filtration assembly, whereby user manipulation of the pump assembly directs heated water through ground coffee to form freshly brewed coffee. The pump coffee brewer can physically interface with a coffee mug for receiving the freshly brewed coffee while in some alternative embodiments, a discharge assembly can be incorporated for filling the coffee mug. The pump coffee brewer all provide a coffee consumer the ability to generate individual servings of freshly brewed coffee on demand.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2019
    Assignee: National Presto Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Richard L. Geissler
  • Patent number: 10470256
    Abstract: A materials processing system comprises a thermal processing chamber and a broadband microwave power source. The power source includes an ovenized small-signal RF circuit, a high power microwave amplifier, and forward and reflected power detectors separated from one another by an isolator. The power detectors are also preferably ovenized. A control system provides control signals to the thermally stabilized VCO and VCA in the small-signal circuit to control output power based on detected forward power compared to demanded forward power. The system may be run in either open-loop or closed-loop modes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2019
    Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Clayton R. DeCamillis, Joseph M. Wander, Richard C. Hazelhurst, Michael L. Hampton
  • Patent number: 10462857
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a microwave heating device, including: an oven body provided with a door opening detection switch and a door closing detection switch; a drawer door provided with a door opening touch configuration and a door closing touch configuration, installed on the oven body and movable between an open position and a closed position, wherein when the drawer door is in the open position, the door opening touch configuration touches the door opening detection switch, the door closing touch configuration releases the door closing detection switch; when the drawer door is in the closed position, the door closing touch configuration touches the door closing detection switch, the door opening touch configuration releases the door opening detection switch; a driving device configured to drive the drawer door; a controller configured to communicate with the door opening detection switch, the door closing detection switch and the driving device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2019
    Assignees: GUANGDONG MIDEA KITCHEN APPLIANCES MANUFACTURING CO., LTD., MIDEA GROUP CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Jianyi Zhou, Yongzhong Zhang, Jian Long, Bi Zhou
  • Patent number: 10455862
    Abstract: An electronic cigarette includes a cigarette housing, a cartridge received in the cigarette housing, a vaporizer, and an intelligent battery module. The intelligent battery module includes a battery casing, a battery supporting tray for accommodating at least one battery, a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) supported in the battery casing and is electrically connected to the battery supporting tray, a Main Control Unit (MCU) implemented on the PCB, and a resistance detection circuitry implemented on the PCB for detecting a resistance of the heating element. When the resistance of the heating element reaches a predetermined upper threshold, the MCU is configured to lower or cut off a voltage supplied to the heating element. When the resistance of the heating element reaches a predetermined lower threshold, the MCU is configured to supply a normal voltage to the heating element of the vaporizer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2019
    Assignee: SHENZHEN CHUANGYUANTENG TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Ruifang Zeng, Yufei Wang
  • Patent number: 10441106
    Abstract: An improved bacon cooking system and method of use is presented which includes a container that houses a rack having a pair of sidewalls with a curved member that extends between the sidewalls. The curved member includes a plurality of vanes and a plurality of perforations. A plurality of inserts are sized and shaped to be placed over the curved member in overlapping stacked relation to one another. Bacon slices are placed over the curved member and in-between the inserts. When the system is placed in an oven or a microwave oven, the bacon is generally held in place by the curved member and the inserts thereby producing crispy, generally flat and straight bacon without the mess or inconvenience of cooking bacon conventionally in a pan.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2019
    Inventors: Heath Paulsen, Blair Paulsen, Mark Paulsen
  • Patent number: 10427314
    Abstract: Apparatus for cutting products, comprising: a base; a cutting head with at least one cutting element along the circumference of the cutting head for cutting products fed into the cutting head, the cutting head being rotatably fitted to the base; an impeller adapted for rotating concentrically within the cutting head to urge products fed into the cutting head towards the circumference of the cutting head by means of centrifugal force; a first drive mechanism for driving the rotation of the impeller at a first rotational speed setting the centrifugal force; and a second drive mechanism for driving the rotation of the cutting head at a second rotational speed, determined such with respect to the first rotational speed that the product is cut by the at least one cutting element at a predetermined cutting velocity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2019
    Assignee: FAM
    Inventor: Brent L. Bucks
  • Patent number: 10412984
    Abstract: A popcorn popping machine which pops popcorn in batches/cycles. A sensor on a popcorn popping machine senses pops of popcorn in the kettle. A system computer controller monitors the rate of popping sensed by the sensor and uses the beginning of the decline in the rate of popping as a basis for controlling heat to the kettle during a given cycle/batch. Activation of the dump mechanism, which terminates the popping cycle/batch, is initiated when the computer controller detects a predetermined programmed minimum pop count rate after the heat has been turned OFF.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2019
    Inventors: Dale M. Cherney, Richard D. Sorenson
  • Patent number: 10405375
    Abstract: The embodiments described herein generally relate to a flexible standoff for use with a lamphead assembly in a thermal processing chamber. In one embodiment, the lamphead assembly can include a lamphead with one or more fixed lamphead positions, a lamp bulb, a lamp base with a standoff contact adaptor and a flexible standoff capable of attaching and positioning the lamp assembly. The flexible standoff can include a socket configured to receive a lamp base of a lamp assembly, a housing configured to position a lamp bulb of a lamp assembly in thermal connection with a processing chamber, a contact adaptor configured to electrically connect to a power supply and a conductive material to electrically connect the socket and the contact adaptor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Joseph M. Ranish, Oleg Serebryanov, Dongming Iu
  • Patent number: 10391570
    Abstract: A small-hole electric discharge machine (100) applying voltage between a small-hole machining-use electrode (116) attached to a spindle (112) and a workpiece (130) attached to a table (118) to drill a small hole in a workpiece by electric discharge energy, the small-hole electric discharge machine including an electrode guide (10) having a hollow part through which the electrode is passed and guiding the electrode at the front end of the hollow part in a parallel state with respect to an axis (Rz) of the spindle while shifted by a predetermined distance (S) from the axis and a W-axis chuck (144) holding an electrode guide to be able to measure and maintain a position of a front end of the electrode guide in direction of the axis of the spindle and an angular position about the axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: MAKINO MILLING MACHINE CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiromichi Kido, Tomohiro Nagase
  • Patent number: 10385298
    Abstract: A portable assembly for cooling the contents of a fermentation vessel is provided. In one embodiment, the assembly comprises an insulated, cylindrical enclosure having a fixed bottom and a removable lid. A flexible heat exchanger is cylindrically disposed within the enclosure and encircles the fermentation vessel. In one embodiment, the flexible heat exchanger is connected to a vessel containing thermally conductive fluid by flexible tubes that extend outside the enclosure. In one embodiment, a heating element is used to heat the fermentation vessel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Inventor: Steven Dee Wayne Webber
  • Patent number: 10351029
    Abstract: A method includes: establishing a dynamic target temperature range for a seat of a vehicle having a seat heating unit installed therein, the dynamic target temperature range defined by an adjustable minimum and maximum target temperature; activating a seat heating mode of multiple predefined seat heating modes based on an interior climate of the vehicle; defining the minimum target temperature and the maximum target temperature according to the activated seat heating mode; and controlling the seat heating unit such that a temperature of the seat continuously oscillates within the defined minimum target temperature and the defined maximum target temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2019
    Assignees: Hyundai America Technical Center, Inc., Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Scott Ziolek, Amanda Christiana
  • Patent number: 10342381
    Abstract: Automatic coffee machines have very low thermal efficiency because they have to heat a considerable thermal mass, constituted by the heater 3) appearing in FIG. 1, which has a weight generally ranging between 0.5 and 1 Kg of metal, typically consisting of aluminum. Said mass is used to stabilize the temperature of the water to be injected in the blend of coffee. In this configuration, 90% or more of the thermal energy is wasted. The energy saving coffee machine, the subject matter of the present invention, is instead constructed with a heater 3), appearing in FIG. 4, that has a thermal mass much lower than the mass of the liquid to be heated, and is typically constructed with metal tube 30), as shown in FIG. 4, weighing a few grams. The heating current 41) in FIG. 4 flows directly on said tube, heating it together with the water contained therein, while a very rapid temperature control circuit makes it possible to maintain a constant temperature of the water flowing through the heater 3) shown in FIG. 4.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2019
    Assignee: ILLYCAFFE' S.P.A.
    Inventors: Angelo Boni, Marco Mazzali