Patents Examined by Charles J. Myhre
  • Patent number: 4791899
    Abstract: The piston of an internal combustion engine has an odd number of sockets formed in the top surface thereof. With the piston in its top dead center position, a thin slit is formed between the cylinder head and the top of the piston. The sockets form acoustical chambers for detonation waves which may be generated in the cylinder such that with the piston in its top dead center position, these detonation waves travel in random fashion between the acoustical chambers formed by the sockets thereby attenuating such waves and minimizing the effects of detonation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 1987
    Date of Patent: December 20, 1988
    Inventor: Albert G. Bodine
  • Patent number: 4791892
    Abstract: A two stroke engine including a single piston housing, a transfer port, an inlet port in the housing, an exhaust port in the housing, a piston located in the housing, a connecting rod integral with or otherwise rigidly secured to the piston, a crankcase located adjacent to the piston, a crankshaft in the crankcase, pivotal connection means between the crankshaft and connection rod to facilitate rotation of the crankshaft in the crankcase, and electronic ignition means located within the crankcase. Preferably the crankshaft is provided with a magnet for passage by the electronic ignition means to effect firing of the engine. The ignition means is movable within the crankcase to achieve a position in advance or retard of top dead center. Preferably there is further provided a decompression valve in a top part of the piston to achieve easier starting of the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 1987
    Date of Patent: December 20, 1988
    Inventor: Roger M. Hall
  • Patent number: 4791894
    Abstract: This invention relates to improvements in engines of the reciprocating piston type, especially reciprocating piston internal combustion engines suitable for stationary and non-stationary uses. The pistons of the engine are operatively connected to the drive shaft of the engine via an elongated gear-roller gear pinion mechanism. In association with a cylinder-piston unit of the engine there is provided a roller gear pinion, engaged with the drive shaft such that rotation thereof rotates the drive shaft. An elongated roller gear is pivotally connected via an end to a piston, and the opposite open end of said elongated roller gear is meshed with the roller gear pinion. The elongated roller gear is guided through a path via appropriate mechanism which maintains continuous contact between said gears such that reciprocation of the piston within a cylinder produces rotation of the drive shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 1986
    Date of Patent: December 20, 1988
    Inventor: Ambrose White
  • Patent number: 4791898
    Abstract: A V-engine is provided with a scotch yoke and connecting rods attaching plural pistons to the yoke such that the power stroke of both pistons is substantially simultaneous and the return strokes are substantially silmultaneous. Piston dwell is introduced by virtue of the lateral and angular displacement of the pistons in their respective angularly disposed cylinders and, in addition, dwell is introduced by virtue of the scotch yoke configuration wherein the slot retaining a sliding block connecting the yoke to the throw of a crankshaft may be of various configurations, rectilinear, curvilinear and offset arcuate in configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 1986
    Date of Patent: December 20, 1988
    Assignee: R P & M Engines, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael E. Jayne
  • Patent number: 4791537
    Abstract: A vehicle accessory assembly is disclosed for mounting on an interior panel, such as on a visor, for example, and includes an accessory devce, such as a vanity mirror assembly, interconnected with the visor or other vehicle panel at a generally fixed location thereon. A preferred laterally sliding accessory door is interconnected with the visor or other interior panel for selective lateral movement between a closed position wherein the accessory device is substantially covered and an open position wherein the accessory device is substantially exposed. Preferably, a switch is provided for electrically energizing a light or other electrical component in response to movement of the accessory door from its closed to its open position, and a manually operable override feature is also preferably provided in the event that the user wishes to disable the switch and prevent such energization in response to the opening movement of the door.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 1987
    Date of Patent: December 13, 1988
    Assignee: Irvin Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert C. Fisher, Mark Lobanoff, Michael P. Brennan
  • Patent number: 4790270
    Abstract: In a two-stroke spark ignition engine, fuel is injected through the cylinder wall at a location opposite to and above the level of the exhaust port (120). The fuel is delivered in the form of a number of streams such as, for example, streams (60), (61), (62). One of the streams (60) is directed upwardly across the cylinder to deliver fuel towards the combustion chamber cavity (122). This stream (60) is arranged not to impinge on the spark plug (123) but is caused to create a fuel rich cloud within the cavity (122). Streams (62) are directed downwardly and outwardly from the injection location and an optional stream (61) may be directed across the cylinder towards the exhaust port side of the cylinder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 1987
    Date of Patent: December 13, 1988
    Assignee: Orbital Engine Company Proprietary Limited
    Inventors: Michael L. McKay, Steven R. Ahern
  • Patent number: 4788945
    Abstract: Method and device for controlling an exhaust gas circuit of a rotary distribution engine, enabling to empty the dead volumes of burnt gases at the top dead center at the end of the exhaust and at the beginning of the intake, through a secondary exhaust conduit maintained under depression conditions or by pressure difference if the engine is fitted with a compressor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 1987
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1988
    Inventor: Guy Negre
  • Patent number: 4788944
    Abstract: An internal combustion engine includes a housing having a first cylinder chamber and a second cylinder chamber, wherein the cylinder chambers are perpendicular to each other. Each cylinder chamber includes a reciprocating piston assembly having a compression piston head and a combustion piston head connected by a hollow tube. A crankshaft is rotatably connected to each piston assembly and to a power transfer assembly. The power transfer assembly transfers rotary motion of the crankshaft to an output shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 1987
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1988
    Inventor: Anthony J. Rascov
  • Patent number: 4787341
    Abstract: A controlled pressure combustion chamber for a reciprocating engine. The engine includes a main cylinder and a main reciprocating piston. In the cyliner head is a second cylinder which opens to the first cylinder. A free piston in the second cylinder in shiftable in the second cylinder to absorb energy upon displacement of the main piston in the main cylinder due to compression and combustion. A pneumatic cushion is defined behind the free piston in its second cylinder and pressure in the pneumatic cushion adjusts displacement of the free piston. The free piston includes a projection which abuts an abutment in the second cylinder and motion of the free piston is damped. Valves in the second cylinder maintain the desired pressure in the pneumatic cushion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 1986
    Date of Patent: November 29, 1988
    Inventor: Eleuterio E. Chivato
  • Patent number: 4788629
    Abstract: An instrument panel member comprising a multiple-ply back sheet of fiberglas reinforced material impregnated with a polyester resin, a multiple-ply front sheet of the same material and one or more electroluminescent (EL) lamp elements positioned therebetween. The overall structure is cured at a temperature and pressure selected to provide adequate curing without damage to the EL lamp elements and so as to minimize warpage of the final structure. The thickness of the back sheet is selected to accommodate the dimensions of the EL lamps and any electrical connectors used therewith while the thickness of the front sheet is normally much less and need only be such as to permit light from the EL lamps to be seen therethrough.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 1986
    Date of Patent: November 29, 1988
    Assignee: Loctite Luminescent Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Charles R. Handy, Dwight H. Brattain, David L. Sousa
  • Patent number: 4785774
    Abstract: A piston for an internal combustion engine including a crown, a skirt and bosses. The skirt has a circumferentially extending faucet rib in a lower portion of the skirt and reinforcing ribs which extend in a thrust and thrust-opposing direction of the piston from the bosses straight to the faucet rib. Reinforcing ribs increase the rigidity of piston in the thrust and thrust-opposing direction and suppress parmanent deformation of the skirt in the thrust and thrust-opposing direction, resulting in decreasing slapping sounds in a piston and cylinder structure without sticking of a piston with a cylinder bore.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 1986
    Date of Patent: November 22, 1988
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Noriyuki Tokoro
  • Patent number: 4785770
    Abstract: A two-cycle engine having upper and lower cylindrical gas chambers controlled by an inter-chamber passageway. The lower gas chamber acts as the combustion chamber. The upper gas chamber is divided into two parts by a piston wherein the lower portion of the upper chamber acts as a compression chamber for fuel and air introduced therein. The combustion products are expelled from the lower chamber via an exhaust port in a bottom part of the lower gas chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 1986
    Date of Patent: November 22, 1988
    Inventor: Tai-Her Yang
  • Patent number: 4785385
    Abstract: A lens (16) suitable for use with traffic lights has a body portion (20) that is a segment of a sphere and a mounting or sealing ring (21) at the periphery of the body portion. An array of lenticular elements (22) is formed on the concave inner surface of the body portion (20) and is arranged in rows extending substantially horizontally across the concave inner surface of the body portion of the lens. Between each adjacent lenticular element there is a recess (25) to modify the reflection pattern of the lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 1987
    Date of Patent: November 15, 1988
    Assignee: Awa Limited
    Inventor: Barrie J. Holst
  • Patent number: 4784090
    Abstract: An induction system for a two-cycle crankcase compression internal combustion engine of the type employed in an outboard motor. As such, the engine has vertically disposed crankcase chambers. Two barrel carburetors serve the crankcase chambers of the cylinder pairs through an intake manifold which has respective intake passages that each slope downwardly so as to avoid variations in mixture strength.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 1987
    Date of Patent: November 15, 1988
    Assignee: Sanshin Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masafumi Sougawa
  • Patent number: 4785383
    Abstract: A molded glass reflector member for a lamp unit employing a tungsten halogen lamp as the light source is disclosed wherein the engagement means for mounting said lamp unit replaceably in a socket member includes a particular configuration of the hollow cavity portion of the said reflector member to enable improved lamp focus and physical retention of said lamp unit in its socket. Specifically, said hollow cavity end protruding from the rear side of said reflector member includes both a recessed engagement surface for mounting said lamp in the socket member so as to position the illumination emerging from said reflector member more accurately along with additional molded depressions located on opposing exterior surfaces of said elongated cavity which cooperates with said recessed engagement surface to still more accurately position the lamp in said socket member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 1986
    Date of Patent: November 15, 1988
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Denes Tarnay
  • Patent number: 4782796
    Abstract: An unsymmetrical and balanced free piston engine of economical construction in which the engine cylinder requires no liner. A housing surrounding the cylinder is opened for cylinder machining and is adapted for space-saving vertical mounting. It has an open-sided base portion through which an engine piston may be installed and removed for servicing, which lowers the initial cost of manufacturing and the later cost of maintenance, as compared with earlier engines of the same engine type.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 1986
    Date of Patent: November 8, 1988
    Inventor: Anton Braun
  • Patent number: 4782797
    Abstract: An induction system for a multiple cylinder internal combustion engine that employs a pair of plenum chambers with a common air inlet. An exhaust gas recirculation system is provided for distributing exhaust gases equally to the chambers of the engine by re-introducing the exhaust gases to the common air inlet through an integrally formed conduit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 1986
    Date of Patent: November 8, 1988
    Assignee: Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Toshio Kurahashi
  • Patent number: 4782891
    Abstract: A filter device for an engine coolant includes a housing with an inlet for inflow of coolant and an outlet for outflow; a flow path extends between the inlet and outlet, a filter in the flow path filters the coolant; a dosage of corrosion inhibitor is disposed in the housing, corrosion inibitor being separated from the flow path by a separating means exposed to coolant in the flow path; the separating means disintegrates by corrosion when coolant in the flow path has a corrosiveness above a predetermined level thereby releasing the dosage of corrosion inhibitor into the coolant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 1987
    Date of Patent: November 8, 1988
    Assignee: Long Manufacturing Ltd.
    Inventors: Brian E. Cheadle, Richard J. Rusiniak
  • Patent number: 4782429
    Abstract: There is provided a luminaire primarily for use with exit signs and other emergency-type lighting comprising a series string of low-voltage, extremely long-life filaments positioned within a sealed enclosure for protection and electrically connected to a standard base whereby luminaires having lives of 10 to 30 years may replace standard bulbs without the requirement of retrofitting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 1987
    Date of Patent: November 1, 1988
    Inventors: John F. Walton, Al R. Roshdieh
  • Patent number: 4781155
    Abstract: In a regeneratively operating two-stroke reciprocating internal combustion engine with at least one working cylinder, a supercharger cylinder (2) is associated with the combustion cylinder (3), the supercharger cylinder being connected to the combustion cylinder (3) by way of a connecting line (4) wherein a regenerator (1) is provided. The pistons (6, 7) of the combustion cylinder (3) and of the supercharger cylinder (2) and, respectively, their crankshafts (14, 23, 24) operate in a phase shift with respect to each other by an angle of between 30.degree. and 90.degree., the piston (7) of the combustion cylinder (3) being the leading entity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 1987
    Date of Patent: November 1, 1988
    Inventor: Helmut G. Brucker