Patents Examined by Howard R. Richman
  • Patent number: 5406798
    Abstract: A main flow divider valve for a main stage of a multi-stage combustor includes a cooling loop for flowing pilot fuel therethrough to remove heat from the main flow divider valve. Various construction details are disclosed which provide cooling of the main flow divider valve during pilot only operation of the multi-stage combustor. In a particular embodiment, the main flow divider valve includes a cooling loop disposed about a housing of the main flow divider valve. The cooling loop has an inlet in fluid communication with a first port of a relief valve and an outlet in fluid communication with the pilot fuel lines. The cooling loop receives a flow of pilot fuel during all operational conditions of the gas turbine engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 1993
    Date of Patent: April 18, 1995
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventor: Charles E. Wiesner, Jr.
  • Patent number: 5407294
    Abstract: An encoder mounting device is used for mounting an encoder to the shaft of an apparatus so that the encoder can sense and monitor the rotation of the shaft. The device includes a collar and a plastic ring arranged and designed to prevent metal contact between the encoder and the apparatus. In this manner the mounting device prevents electrical and thermal conduction therebetween.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 1993
    Date of Patent: April 18, 1995
    Assignee: Daido Corporation
    Inventor: Phillip Giannini
  • Patent number: 5407293
    Abstract: A coupling apparatus for a medical instrument includes an insertion member having a protruding portion; a receiving member sized to receive the protruding portion of the insertion member; an engaging structure having a ridge member and a groove member for coupling the insertion member with the receiving member, one of the ridge member and the groove member being disposed on the insertion member, and the other being disposed on the receiving member, the ridge member having a ridge portion and the groove member having a groove portion, rotatable relative to one another between an engaged position wherein the ridge portion and the groove portion are engaged against longitudinal separation, and a disengaged position wherein the groove portion can be longitudinally separated from the ridge portion; and a locking member for retaining the ridge portion and the groove portion in the engaged position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 1993
    Date of Patent: April 18, 1995
    Inventor: Lawrence Crainich
  • Patent number: 5404715
    Abstract: The rocket engine is fitted with an injection device comprising a single injection plate having a central portion that defines the end of the burn zone of the combustion chamber and that contains first propellant injectors having a high mixing ratio adapted to the conditions under which hot gases are produced in the burn zone, and a peripheral portion in the form of a ring that defines the end of an annular cavity of a gas generator and that contain second propellant injectors having a low mixing ratio and adapted to the conditions under which hot gases are produced in the gas generator. The gas generator is thus integral with the combustion chamber and the annular cavity of the gas generator is separated from the burn zone of the combustion chamber by a cylindrical wall that extends axially perpendicularly to the injection plate and that is fixed thereto in sealed manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 1993
    Date of Patent: April 11, 1995
    Assignee: Societe Europeenne De Propulsion
    Inventors: Didier Vuillamy, Pierre Desclos, Andre Beaurain, Jean-Paul Dumont, Pierre-Andre Baudart
  • Patent number: 5401002
    Abstract: A barbed tape includes a central supporting portion and a plurality of barb clusters disposed at spaced apart locations along the central supporting portion, each barb cluster having first and second pairs of oppositely extending substantially planar barbs disposed on opposite edges of the central supporting portion and connected thereto, the barbs having a cross section which is at least partially arcuate, whereby the barbs are substantially stiffened against bending.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 1993
    Date of Patent: March 28, 1995
    Inventor: Daniel W. Major
  • Patent number: 5401139
    Abstract: To draw samples from a source of liquid, a pumping system measures the amount of liquid being pumped by detecting pump cycles and calculating the pumped liquid from this measurement and stored data including conduit size, pressure head and statistical data to correlate detected pump cycles with volume of liquid pumped. Pressure pulses caused by a peristaltic pump are sensed by a piezoelectric film positioned on an inlet conduit connecting the pump to the source of water and, when the liquid reaches a predetermined point determined by the nature of the pulses, the pulses are counted to determine the number of pump cycles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 1991
    Date of Patent: March 28, 1995
    Assignee: Isco, Inc.
    Inventors: Frederick A. Nabity, Paul G. Wright, Raymond Hulinsky, Douglas T. Carson
  • Patent number: 5399045
    Abstract: A waterproof connector comprises a male connector housing and an outer hood circumferentially provided on the male connector housing with an annular space therebetween, which contains a seal ring and into which is inserted a hood portion of a mating female connector to be brought into contact with the seal ring. A resilient locking arm of a double support structure is provided inside an outwardly bulged portion of the outer hood such that it is rearwardly supported on the part of the male connector housing and forwardly supported on the part of the outwardly bulged portion. This allows a male connector housing to be locked to a mating connector with an increased force, while making it possible to protect the resilient locking arm from external forces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 1993
    Date of Patent: March 21, 1995
    Assignees: Yazaki Corporation, Nissan Motor Company Limited
    Inventors: Takahiro Yoneda, Kimihiro Abe, Seiji Koumatsu
  • Patent number: 5398437
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a warning device for vehicles that are stopped whereby there may be danger of collision with another moving vehicle and danger of personal injury of such a moving vehicle. The present invention relates to a safety banner device for use in combination with a vehicle or the elements of nature. The safety banner device according to this invention would contain:a) foldable material;b) at least one magnet embedded in the light weight material thereby allowing the material to be affixed to a metal surface;c) at least one warning symbol made of a reflective material whereby being visible to people when lights would shine on the banner, and whereind) the banner is capable of being folded up several times or rolled up whereby it is capable of being stored into a small container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 1993
    Date of Patent: March 21, 1995
    Inventors: Elmer R. Bump, Jr., Gregory J. Bump, Beverly A. Stahlberger, Joseph W. Biggs
  • Patent number: 5397196
    Abstract: A connector system comprises a socket having at least one locking pin and a plug comprising a plug body and a locking ring having at least one slot along which the pin can move and an elastic member disposed at one end of the slot defining a first area in which the slot tapers and a second area in which the pin is selectively lodged. The aforementioned one end of the slot terminates at an abutment. The second area is wider than the pin and the first area so that the elastic member is retracted elastically when the pin enters the first area and returns to its initial position without being compressed by the pin when the pin is in the second area near the abutment. The elastic member of the connector system is a cantilever beam having a notch at its free end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 1993
    Date of Patent: March 14, 1995
    Assignee: Framatome Connectors International
    Inventors: Gerard Boiret, Thierry Quillet
  • Patent number: 5396762
    Abstract: The invention relates to thrust reversers with doors for a jet engine. The upstream edge of the reverser doors is equipped with a deflecting structure consisting of a rigid frame (10, 12, 13) fixed to the door and delimiting a space (14) capped by a stiffener (15). In the space (14) are housed vanes (16) with aerodynamic profile in the form of a wing which is inclined by an angle a with respect to the plane of the frame (10, 12, 13) in order to orient laterally the flow of the gases which is diverted by the reverser. This arrangement makes it possible to reduce, or even to prevent, re-ingestion by the engine of the diverted gases, or interference of the latter with the wing structure of the aircraft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 1993
    Date of Patent: March 14, 1995
    Assignee: Societe de Construction des Avions Hurel-Dubois
    Inventor: Robert R. Standish
  • Patent number: 5397218
    Abstract: A swash plate type compressor is disclosed. A swash plate mounted on a rotary shaft reciprocally drives a double headed piston in cylinder bores. The rotary shaft is supported by valve plates, via a pair of tapered roller bearings. Outer races of the bearings are slidably fitted into sleeves, respectively. A disc spring disposed between protrusions for holding a front housing and the outer race is resiliently deformed for applying a preload to the rotary shaft. Protrusions for holding a rear housing abut against the outer race. Cylinder blocks, valve plates and housings are tightly connected one to another by a plurality of through bolts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 1993
    Date of Patent: March 14, 1995
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toyoda Jidoshokki Seisakusho
    Inventors: Toshiro Fujii, Koichi Ito, Kazuaki Iwama, Hitoshi Inukai
  • Patent number: 5394690
    Abstract: A pressure controlled pintle is employed in combination with a throttling quid, gel, or hybrid engine to provide a constant pressure and variable thrust from a single operating engine. As the propellants are throttled back and the chamber pressure drops, the pintle moves and closes the gap between the pintle and nozzle throat, thereby lowering the throat area and re-establishing the design chamber pressure related to pintle spring tension. By retaining the design pressure over a wide thrust range, the engine efficiency remains at the design value. This eliminates the drop of Isp due to pressure and keeps the cost of the system reasonable because only one engine is required. When a higher thrust is desired, a throttling valve in an injector increases the propellant flow rate, which causes a higher pressure in the combustion chamber. The constant pressure actuator moves the pintle to open the nozzle throat, which reduces the pressure to the design value. The design value may not be optimum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 1993
    Date of Patent: March 7, 1995
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventors: Jerrold H. Arszman, William M. Chew, Barry D. Allan
  • Patent number: 5395176
    Abstract: A ball joint has a joint pin with a spherical head received by a bearing shell arranged in the joint housing. Notwithstanding bearing-shell wear which occurs, the radial guidance of the spherical head in the bearing shell remains largely constant over the lifetime of the ball joint. For that purpose, the bearing shell, through which passes a slot extending transversely relative to the circumferential direction, bears with a cylindrical part of its circumferential surface against a cylindrical wall portion of the joint housing and is radially prestressed relative to the axis of the cylindrical wall portion between the joint housing and the equatorial diameter of the spherical head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 1993
    Date of Patent: March 7, 1995
    Assignee: Mercedes-Benz AG
    Inventor: Milorad Zivkovic
  • Patent number: 5394687
    Abstract: A cooling system for stationary vanes in the turbine section of a gas ture. Combustors for the turbine are disposed in a chamber that receives compressed air from a compressor section. This compressed air forms both combustion air and cooling air. The cooling air portion of the compressed air is recirculated through the vanes by bleeding it from the chamber and further pressurizing it, after which it flows through a cooling air flow path in the vanes, thereby resulting in the cooling of the vanes and the heating of the air. The heated air is then returned to the chamber where it mixes with the incoming combustion air, thereby giving up a portion of the heat transferred from the vane to the combustion air. As a result, the temperature of the combustion air is increased, thereby increasing the thermodynamic efficiency of the gas turbine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 1993
    Date of Patent: March 7, 1995
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Department of Energy
    Inventors: Allen G. Chen, Gerard G. McQuiggan
  • Patent number: 5394686
    Abstract: Mechanical and electrical power are produced along with synthesis or fuel gas by the partial oxidation process with integrated combustion and steam turbines. By-product vaporized liquefied natural gas for feed to a pipeline for gas consumers is obtained by heat exchange with heat containing streams from the partial oxidation gasification and gas cleaning and purification zone; and optionally from heat containing streams from combustion and/or steam turbine zones which are integrated with the partial oxidation process. Heat from the combustion turbine exhaust gas is used as follows: (1) superheat steam for use in a steam turbine; (2) preheat water saturated clean sulfur-free synthesis or fuel gas with or without supplemental methane enrichment; (3) preheat oxygen gas for the partial oxidation zone; and (4) vaporize LNG. Pre, inter, and after stages of an air compressor are cooled by indirect heat exchange with LNG which is thereby warmed or vaporized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 1993
    Date of Patent: March 7, 1995
    Assignee: Texaco Inc.
    Inventors: Edward T. Child, William L. Lafferty, Jr., Robert M. Suggitt, Frederick C. Jahnke
  • Patent number: 5388968
    Abstract: An electronically controlled gas compressor inlet valve includes a housing mounted on the compressor in fluid communication with an inlet of the compressor. A piston member is moveable linearly within the housing along a path of travel, into and out of occluding relation with the compressor inlet. A linear positioning device is connected to the piston member. The linear positioning device positions the piston member linearly, in a predetermined location, along the path of travel. A vent maintains a predetermined atmospheric pressure across the piston member. A sensor determines compressor inlet pressure, and generates a signal in response to a predetermined inlet pressure. A controller is operatively connected to the stepper motor for controlling actuation of the stepper motor in response to the signal generated by the sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 1994
    Date of Patent: February 14, 1995
    Assignee: Ingersoll-Rand Company
    Inventors: James A. Wood, Robert R. Ball
  • Patent number: 5386689
    Abstract: A method and a system for reducing the acoustic levels of internal and external sound fields generated by gas turbine engines has several actuators to generate sound, several sensors to measure the acoustic levels, and one or more controllers, The controllers are adaptive self-learning neural networks that control the actuators to generate sound in order to effect the reduction of the internal and external sound field as measured by the Sensors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 1992
    Date of Patent: February 7, 1995
    Assignee: Noises Off, Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel J. Bozich, Robert Wagenfeld
  • Patent number: 5383740
    Abstract: Disclosed is a combination hybrid splice sleeve which has a threaded end for making a mechanical joint with a male thread on a rebar end, and an opposite end open for receiving a second rebar, which need not be threaded, for making a grout joint between the sleeve and the second rebar. This sleeve has a tapering cross section between a wide end and a narrow end, with internal radial ridges of constant height spaced between the two opposite ends. A threaded cylindrical bore is axially aligned in the wide end for screwing to a first rebar. The narrow end is open for receiving a second rebar. Two grout ports open radially into the sleeve. The first grout port is near to the narrow end, and the second grout port is proximal to the threaded bore. The second grout port is of smaller aperture than the first grout port, for partially restricting out flow of grout injected through the first grout port, to encourage filling of the sleeve by building up some back pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 1993
    Date of Patent: January 24, 1995
    Assignee: Richmond Screw Anchor Company
    Inventor: Harry B. Lancelot, III
  • Patent number: 5383690
    Abstract: In an arrangement for fastening at least one fluid line to a body, in particular a fuel filter for an internal combustion engine wherein the body has a bore and the fluid line includes a cylindrical connecting piece received and locked in the bore, the connecting piece is configured as a plug-in unit provided with a stop collar bearing against the body when the connecting piece is fully inserted in the receiving bore and a mounting plate is detachably connected to the body and has a portion overlaying the stop collar for locking the connecting piece in the receiving bore when the mounting plate is connected to the body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 1993
    Date of Patent: January 24, 1995
    Assignee: Mercedes-Benz AG
    Inventors: Gerd Niemeier, Frank Schneider
  • Patent number: 5384607
    Abstract: A pair of telescopic spectacles includes a frame having a top bar and a bottom rim disposed to provide an aperture and a lens having a bore therein disposed in the aperture of the frame. The telescopic spectacles further include a telescope assembly disposed through the bore of the lens at a predetermined convergence and declination angle. The telescope assembly includes a first housing having a first aperture, a first region with a bore therein and a second region having a cavity therein, a second aperture and a first surface. The telescope assembly further includes a lens retainer disposed in the first aperture of the first housing, and an eyepiece assembly disposed in the first region of the first housing. The eyepiece assembly includes a lens housing having a first end with a first aperture and having a second opposing end with a second aperture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 1992
    Date of Patent: January 24, 1995
    Assignee: Luxtec Corporation
    Inventors: Frederick Morris, Bernard Clark