Patents Examined by Cheryl J. Tyler
  • Patent number: 8935939
    Abstract: Provided is a chilling device or cooling apparatus that quickly chills a beverage. The chilling device or cooling apparatus may be provided to a refrigerator or a refrigerating storage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2015
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Yeonwoo Cho, Yanggyu Kim, Younseok Lee
  • Patent number: 8936070
    Abstract: A device for cooling a gas flow of an internal combustion engine includes a housing, an inlet and an outlet for a gas of the internal combustion engine, which is to be cooled, an inlet and an outlet for a liquid coolant, a heat exchanger for heat transfer between the gas and the coolant, a first wall section of the housing, wherein the first wall section is arranged between the coolant and the gas flow, and a second wall section of the housing, wherein the second wall section is arranged between the coolant and the atmosphere, wherein the first wall section and the second wall section are integrally formed in one piece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2015
    Assignee: Behr GmbH & Co.KG
    Inventors: Peter Geskes, Bernd Grünenwald, Wolfgang Knödler
  • Patent number: 8931293
    Abstract: A temperature controlled food serving having at least one channel of thermally conductive material for receiving at least one food-holding pan. The at least one channel defines an elongate pan receiving cavity for placement of the at least one food-holding pan at any desired location along the cavity. A temperature control system comprises at least one heating element for heating the at least one channel to maintain food products held in the food-holding pans at a food holding temperature. The at least one channel has at least two different temperature zones along a length of the channel so that food products in different temperature zones can be held at different food holding temperatures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2015
    Assignee: Duke Manufacturing Co.
    Inventors: Steven M. Shei, Dennis Headberg
  • Patent number: 8932478
    Abstract: To absorb a volatile substance from a gas phase in a liquid absorbent, the gas phase is brought into contact with a film of an absorbent which comprises an ionic liquid and a wetting-promoting additive. The process can be used in absorption refrigerating machines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2015
    Assignee: Evonik Degussa GmbH
    Inventors: Matthias Seiler, Bernd Glöckler, Peter Schwab, Stefan Kempka
  • Patent number: 8925346
    Abstract: A high performance freezer includes a deck and a cabinet supported above the deck and having a cabinet housing defining a generally cylindrical shape. The freezer includes a door supported by the cabinet housing that moves between open and closed positions by sliding or pivoting generally along the side wall of the cabinet. The freezer further includes a refrigeration system mounted at least partially within the deck and partially within the cabinet to refrigerate an inner chamber of the freezer. The cylindrical shape of the cabinet enables rotation of shelves within the inner chamber and a maximized storage space with a minimal floor space required.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2015
    Assignee: Thermo Fisher Scientific (Asheville) LLC
    Inventors: Mahesh Natarajan, Tushar Ingle, Rajendra Khadatkar
  • Patent number: 8925340
    Abstract: An ice bank of a refrigerator is provided. The ice bank includes an ice accommodation chamber storing ice pieces made by an ice maker, and an ice pressing unit circulating the ice pieces by pressing the ice pieces for preventing sticking of the ice pieces in the ice accommodation chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2015
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Sung Hoon Chung, Eui Yeop Chung, Nam Gi Lee, Wook Yong Lee
  • Patent number: 8919144
    Abstract: A tower heat pump system equipped with a solar energy secondary heat source comprises a cold-heat source tower, a low heat source rotational flow heat pump, a condensate water separator, a supplementary device and a rear end loading system. The tower heating pump system can achieves negative pressure evaporation, cooling and refrigeration in a high-temperature high-humidity condition and efficiently absorb and improve low-temperature-level heat energy from the solar energy secondary heat source in a low-temperature low-humidity condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2014
    Inventors: Qiuke Liu, Zhiqi Liu, Zhiyao Liu
  • Patent number: 8919148
    Abstract: A process for the recovery of ethane, ethylene, propane, propylene, and heavier hydrocarbon components from a hydrocarbon gas stream is disclosed. The stream is cooled and divided into first and second streams. The first stream is further cooled to condense substantially all of it and is thereafter expanded to the fractionation tower pressure and supplied to the fractionation tower at a first mid-column feed position. The second stream is expanded to the tower pressure and is then supplied to the column at a second mid-column feed position. A vapor distillation stream is withdrawn from the column above the feed point of the second stream and is then directed into heat exchange relation with the tower overhead vapor stream to cool the vapor distillation stream and condense at least a part of it, forming a condensed stream. At least a portion of the condensed stream is directed to the fractionation tower as its top feed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2014
    Assignee: Ortloff Engineers, Ltd.
    Inventors: John D. Wilkinson, Joe T. Lynch, Hank M. Hudson, Kyle T. Cuellar, Tony L. Martinez
  • Patent number: 8899063
    Abstract: A machine for producing products such as ice cream, frozen beverages or granita. An example of the machine comprises a tank with a tap for dispensing a product. A cylinder with a substantially horizontal axis projects from a rear wall inside the tank. The cylinder forms the evaporator of a refrigerating circuit. A mixer element around the cylinder rotates coaxially with the cylinder axis. A motor unit is connected to the mixer element via a drive shaft passing along the axis of the cylinder. The drive shaft connects to the mixer element at one end of the cylinder opposite the rear wall. The motor unit comprises a final reduction stage in alignment with the cylinder axis, a motor arranged at an angle with respect to the cylinder axis and substantially parallel to the rear wall, and an angular drive between the final reduction stage and the motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2014
    Assignee: Ugolini SpA
    Inventor: Marco Corrado Ugolini
  • Patent number: 8899073
    Abstract: A refrigerant storage device that arranges two end plates to form a cavity and includes a turbulator plate within the cavity. The turbulator plate is arranged within the cavity to reinforce the cavity by providing a plurality of reinforcement portions between the end plates. The cavity is sized and the turbulator plate is configured so a liquid portion of refrigerant flowing through the cavity collects onto the turbulator plate. The device has a rectangular shape that simplifies vehicle packaging and allows the device to be readily integrated into a plate-type refrigerant-to-liquid coolant heat exchanger. The device is formed by a stacking arrangement of parts that provides for a readily scalable design.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2014
    Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Gary Scott Vreeland, Frederick Vincent Oddi
  • Patent number: 8899052
    Abstract: Apparatus and method are provided for facilitating cooling of an electronic component of varying heat load. The apparatus includes a refrigerant evaporator coupled in thermal communication with the electronic component, a refrigerant loop coupled in fluid communication with the refrigerant evaporator for facilitating flow of refrigerant through the evaporator, and a thermoelectric array disposed in thermal communication with the evaporator. The thermoelectric array includes one or more thermoelectric elements, and is powered by a voltage and by a current of switchable polarity, which are controlled to maintain heat load on refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant evaporator within a steady state range, notwithstanding varying of the heat load applied to the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant by the at least one electronic component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Levi A. Campbell, Richard C. Chu, Michael J. Ellsworth, Jr., Madhusudan K. Iyengar, Robert E. Simons
  • Patent number: 8899065
    Abstract: A refrigerator includes a main body that includes a refrigerating chamber and a freezing chamber, a door that selectively shields the refrigerating chamber, and an ice making unit that produces ice. An ice storage unit is provided at the door and stores ice produced in the ice making unit. The ice storage unit includes a housing, a storage basket that is removably coupled to the housing and that stores ice removed from the ice making unit to the ice storage unit, and a sensing apparatus that is provided at the housing and senses attachment or detachment of the storage basket. A controller controls transfer of ice produced by the ice making unit to the storage basket based on output from the sensing apparatus that indicates attachment or detachment of the storage basket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2014
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventor: Wook Yong Lee
  • Patent number: 8899060
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for choosing an energy-efficient coolant temperature for electronics by considering the temperature dependence of the electronics' power dissipation. This dependence is explicitly considered in selecting the coolant temperature T0 that is sent to the equipment. To minimize power consumption PTotal for the entire system, where PTotal=P0+PCool is the sum of the electronic equipment's power consumption P0 plus the cooling equipment's power consumption PCool, PTotal is obtained experimentally, by measuring P0 and PCool, as a function of three parameters: coolant temperature T0; weather-related temperature T3 that affects the performance of free-cooling equipment; and computational state C of the electronic equipment, which affects the temperature dependence of its power consumption. This experiment provides, for each possible combination of T3 and C, the value T0* of T0 that minimizes PTotal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Shawn Anthony Hall, Gerard Vincent Kopcsay
  • Patent number: 8899062
    Abstract: A plate-type heat exchanger having a first heat exchanger portion configured to receive a refrigerant flow and a hot side coolant flow having a lower temperature than the refrigerant flow, a second heat exchanger portion configured to receive the refrigerant flow exiting from the first heat exchanger portion and a cold side coolant flow having a higher temperature than the refrigerant flow exiting from the first heat exchanger portion, and an internal heat exchanger portion sandwiched between the first heat exchanger portion and the second heat exchanger portion. The refrigerant flow through the plate type heat exchanger is in non-contact thermal communication with the hot side coolant flow and the cold side coolant flow. The cold side coolant flow transfers heat energy to the refrigerant, which in turn transfer that heat energy to the hot side coolant flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2014
    Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Prasad Shripad Kadle, Gary Scott Vreeland, Frederick Vincent Oddi
  • Patent number: 8875534
    Abstract: An electronic apparatus includes a housing and an airflow regulating device. The housing defines an accommodating space therein, and an air inlet that places the accommodating space in fluid communication with the external environment. The airflow regulating device includes a cover panel for covering and uncovering the air inlet, and an actuating mechanism coupled to the cover panel and driving movement of the cover panel to adjust the degree of opening of the air inlet in response to a change in temperature in the accommodating space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Assignee: Wistron Corporation
    Inventors: Wen-Chin Wu, Chi-Sung Chang, Ming-Chih Chen, Sung-Yu Hsieh
  • Patent number: 8875524
    Abstract: Air conditioning charging hose assembly and method allows for quick, safe and reliable air conditioning system testing and charging. The assembly includes a shut-off valve positioned proximate the supply fitting to allow a technician to quickly shut-off the refrigerant gas supply. The method also allows the technician to test the vehicle air conditioning system pressure when charging as the hose assembly is connected to the air conditioning system and when disconnected from the air conditioning system, allows the technician to determine the refrigerant gas canister pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Assignee: FJC, Inc
    Inventor: E. Lynn Parnell
  • Patent number: 8869541
    Abstract: A heat generator (1) having at least one thermal module (10) that has N adjacent magnetocaloric elements (2) arranged in a circle around a central axis (A) and is subjected to a varying magnetic field caused by magnetic devices (3). The magnetocaloric elements (2) are associated with N pistons (40) subjected to a reciprocating translation movement by an actuating cam (70) to circulate the heat transfer fluid, contained in the thermal module (10), in two opposite directions, at the same time, so that a first fraction of the heat transfer fluid circulates towards a hot exchange chamber (5), through the magnetocaloric elements (2) and is subjected to a heating cycle, and a second fraction of the heat transfer fluid circulates towards a cold exchange chamber (6), through the magnetocaloric elements (2), and is subjected to a cooling cycle, and inversely. The exchange chambers (5, 6) are coupled with external circuits that use calories and frigories for heating, air-conditioning, tempering systems, etc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: Cooltech Applications Societe par actions simplifiee
    Inventors: Jean-Claude Heitzler, Christian Muller
  • Patent number: 8869545
    Abstract: Heat pumps with improved defrost cycles and methods of defrosting heat exchangers, for example, having microchannel outdoor heat exchangers. A heat exchanger has three types of connection points that are used during a defrost cycle. Two connection points are used to deliver hot refrigerant gas to the heat exchanger and one connection point is where refrigerant exits the heat exchanger. Two of the connection points are at the same header and during at least part of the defrost cycle, at least part of the hot refrigerant gas is passed through that header without passing through any cross tubes of the heat exchanger. A defrost valve in a refrigerant conduit opens during the defrost cycle to deliver hot refrigerant gas to the connection point on the header. In a number of embodiments, the defrost valve is open only during a portion of the defrost cycle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: Nordyne LLC
    Inventors: Jie Chen, Jacob J. Rede, David L. Koesterer, Craig A. Thomas
  • Patent number: 8863543
    Abstract: A device for cooling a heat source of a motor vehicle is provided that includes a cooling body which has a plurality of feed flow channels and a plurality of return flow channels. At least a multiplicity of the feed flow channels and return flow channels are arranged adjacent to one another in an alternating fashion in the cooling body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignee: Behr GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Thomas Heckenberger, Stefan Hirsch, Heiko Neff, Tobias Isermeyer, Caroline Schmid, Jalal Mohamed-Ali, Hans-Georg Herrmann, Achim Wiebelt
  • Patent number: 8863821
    Abstract: Technologies are generally described for devices, methods, and programs for heat dissipating utilizing flow of refrigerant. An example heat dissipating device includes a conductive chamber to receive a fluid refrigerant, and the conductive chamber itself includes an evaporation portion having an interior layer and an exterior layer that is in contact with a heat generating unit, a condensation portion, and a rotatable brush that is configured inside of the conductive chamber to have an axis that is parallel to the interior layer of the evaporation portion and that is further configured to sweep across the interior layer of the evaporation portion to form a thin film of the fluid refrigerant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignee: Empire Technology Development LLC
    Inventor: Hao Wang