Patents Examined by Robin O. Evans
  • Patent number: 6995339
    Abstract: An automotive transparency having a heatable wiper rest area includes a first glass sheet and a second glass sheet secured together by an interlayer material. An opaque band is positioned on the inner surface of the outer glass sheet along a portion of an edge of the outer sheet at an expected wiper rest areas; and an electrically conductive member is positioned on a major surface of the second glass sheet and extends along an edge portion of the second sheet at the wiper rest area. A plurality of bus bars positioned in electrical contact along the conductive member divides the conductive member into a plurality of heatable areas with a first lead electrically interconnecting selected ones of the bus bars and a second lead electrically interconnecting other selected ones of the bus bars with overlying portions of the first and second leads electrically isolated from each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2006
    Assignee: PPG Industries Ohio, Inc.
    Inventors: James H. Schwartz, Allen R. Hawk
  • Patent number: 6996334
    Abstract: A boilerless steamer apparatus is provided having a steamer cavity formed of a steam generating space and a cooking space, wherein the steam generating space is separated from the cooking space by a removable steam lid. The present boilerless steamer apparatus can provide between 7 to 10 lbs./hour (per pan) of steam. Additionally, various means are disclosed to reduce the amount of condensate reaching the drainage system. Various methods to easily clean the boilerless steamer apparatus are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2006
    Assignee: Delaware Capital Formation, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Gibson Parsons, Roger R. Moore, Jr., Pedro Hilarion Lopez
  • Patent number: 6992271
    Abstract: A heating element composed of at least one mica sheet and a heating ribbon, or strip, mounted on the sheet, a support device holding the mica sheet and constituting a first reflector, and a plate secured to the support device and constituting a second reflector. An electric toaster composed of a base, a case having an upper end, a toasting chamber disposed in the case and having an opening in the form of a slot at the upper end for the introduction and removal of bread, a movable bread support rack in the chamber, and at least one substantially vertical heating element as described above.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2006
    Assignee: SEB S.A.
    Inventors: Lionel Reyes, Michel Klinger, Jean-Marie Balandier, Guy Mauffrey
  • Patent number: 6985672
    Abstract: A method of controlled heating of a micro channel reactor structure (46, 48, 50) comprises providing a structure (b1, b2, B1, B2) defining a desired temperature profile. A preferred embodiment of a heating element structure comprises a pattern of areas of a material capable of providing heat when energized, disposed over said micro channel reactor structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2006
    Assignee: Gyros AB
    Inventors: Gunnar Kylberg, Owe Salven, Per Andersson
  • Patent number: 6982400
    Abstract: A self retaining crankcase heater (10) has a tubular casing (12) of relatively flexible, thermally conductive material in which is received a PTC element (16), sandwiched by semi-cylindrical terminal blocks (14). Spring contacts (18a) are received in grooves (14c) of the terminal blocks and the assembly is potted with heat conductive material (20) and sealed with sealant (22). Locking projections (12d) are formed at open end (12c) of the casing which are lockingly received in an annular recess (24a; 26d) of a well (24; 26) in a compressor housing wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2006
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: Bunratthanna Nguon
  • Patent number: 6979806
    Abstract: A flexible body has a conductive resistance pathway which includes conductive resistance flexible strands of material connected in series between two supply bus flexible strands of material, and a temperature dependent variable resistance pathway with temperature dependent variable resistance flexible strands of material electrically connected in series by connection bus flexible strands of material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2005
    Assignee: Milliken & Company
    Inventors: Alfred R. DeAngelis, David Bruce Wilson
  • Patent number: 6979801
    Abstract: A glow plug includes a cylindrical housing having an inward protrusion extending radially inwardly, a threaded portion for screwing the glow plug in an engine plug hole and a sealing portion in a front side of the male threaded portion for airtightly engaging the housing with a given portion of the plug hole, a sheath having a rear sheath end portion airtightly fixed in the housing, a heater disposed in the sheath, a center electrode disposed in the housing and having a front electrode end portion electronically connected with the heater and mechanically connected with the sheath and an outward protrusion protruding radially outwardly, and a combustion pressure sensor having a pressure-sensitive element arranged between a front surface of the inward protrusion and a rear surface of the outward protrusion to generate an electrical signal in response to variations in stress applied thereto.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2005
    Assignee: NGK Spark Plug Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Koji Okazaki, Mitsuru Kondo, Tomohiro Fuma, Takahiro Suzuki
  • Patent number: 6980734
    Abstract: An improved support is provided for locating a lamp filament axially within a lamp sleeve. The illustrated support is a spiral coil that includes a small diameter center portion that makes contact with the filament. On either side of the filament-contacting portion, the coil opens up to larger diameters for contacting the inner wall of the quartz sleeve within which the filament is housed. The support thus appears H-shaped when viewed from the side. A lamp filament is also provided with expansion compensation sections at either end of a central section. The filament wire in the compensation sections is wound into coils having a greater diameter and also a greater spacing between windings, as compared to coil in the central section. The expansion compensation sections are preferably capable of compressing and thereby absorbing thermal expansion of the filament during operation, without shorting the filament across adjacent windings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2005
    Assignee: ASM America, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael W. Halpin
  • Patent number: 6979800
    Abstract: A heater including a plurality of first dielectric vanes and a plurality of second dielectric vanes arranged about a longitudinal axis, each first dielectric vane and second dielectric vane having a plurality of wire guiding grooves, a heater wire structure wound around the first and second dielectric vanes in wire guiding grooves, and wherein the heater wire structure substantially avoids contact with bottoms of the wire guiding grooves of the second dielectric vanes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2005
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Jeffrey R. Kohne, Barry D. Reeves
  • Patent number: 6974935
    Abstract: A device for connecting a source of electrical power to a coating or film incorporating carbon particles, an objective met by providing a coating of a nickel compound to the coating or film of carbon particles, and applying to the nickel coating a tin-copper tape coated with a silver-loaded conductive adhesive. What results is a uniform heating effect over a relatively wide area, substantially free from hot and cold spots or areas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2005
    Assignee: Inditherm PLC
    Inventor: Patrick James O'Grady
  • Patent number: 6969832
    Abstract: A radiant heating and cooling system clip for positioning a tube and construction support wire with one hand comprising an interior having a main channel for positioning a tube with a narrowing second channel within said main channel for positioning a wire.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2005
    Inventor: Timothy Douglas Daughtry, Sr.
  • Patent number: 6969831
    Abstract: A substrate for a heating pad, blanket or throw includes one or more heating elements and one or more securing loops disposed at a securing end of the substrate. Each of the securing loops is of sufficient diameter to encircle and secure the substrate in a scrolled configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2005
    Assignee: Sunbeam Products, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenneth R. Parker, Patricia A. Bassett
  • Patent number: 6968125
    Abstract: An electric heater for industrial liquids comprises a plastic flat box that contains a stainless steel pressure vessel holding a number of parallel electrical heating rods. These heating rods are interlaced with shorter “I” shaped Teflon rods which generates a tube-like space around the heating rods. Spiral grooves in the symmetrical concave faces of the Teflon rods promote a spiraling turbulent flow. The general liquid flow from the liquid inlet meanders around the parallel heating rods for optimal heat transfer. The heater can be mounted horizontally or vertically on the side of a lab bench or a vessel for floor space conservation. The flow speed of the liquid, its specific heat, the number of heating elements with their individual power rating determine the heating profile of liquid temperature versus cumulative length of the flow path which is important to prevent the liquid from reaching the boiling point. This arrangement allows for design flexibility and scalability in heating capacities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2005
    Inventor: Robert G. Garber
  • Patent number: 6967308
    Abstract: Information handling system peripherals that use a heating element are protected from catastrophic failure due to overheating by a thermal failsafe associated with the heating element that fails the heating element if excessive temperatures are reached. For instance, the failsafe releases the vacuum from a heating element bulb so that the application of power to the filament of the heating element bulb oxidizes the filament resulting in failure of the filament and ceasing of generation of heat. The failsafe includes a melting agent, such as wax or solder, which seals an opening in the bulb unless a thermal runaway temperature is reached in excess of a desired operating temperature. Alternatively, the failsafe includes an expanding agent, such as a ceramic or a liquid-filled bubble, which releases the vacuum by fracturing an opening in the bulb at the thermal runaway temperature. The thermal runaway temperature is selected to induce failure before catastrophic overheating of the peripheral.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2005
    Assignee: Dell Products L.P.
    Inventors: Wayne Iltis, Donald Guthan
  • Patent number: 6965731
    Abstract: A conventional radial electric warmer includes an upper and a lower support base, plural heaters, a protective net, and an upper, a front and a rear cover. The upper and the lower support base respectively have a fixing frame for the heaters, and plural holes for hot air to flow out. The heaters respectively consist of plural heating pieces secured at the outside of the upper and the lower support base with the fixing frames with bolts. The protective net is secured at the front side of the heaters, secured stably by the upper and the lower support base. The upper, the front and the rear cover are respectively secured at the upper side, the front side and the rear side of the upper and the lower support base. Further, two foot frames are fixed under the lower support base to keep the warmer standing on the ground. Then the warmer is very safe to use and highly effective.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2005
    Inventors: Chuan-Pan Huang, Chen-Lung Huang
  • Patent number: 6963049
    Abstract: A snow removal system for melting snow from the body of a vehicle is disclosed. The snow removal system includes a control assembly being designed for operationally coupling to a power supply of the vehicle. A plurality of conducting strips are operationally coupled to the control assembly. The conducting strips are designed for being coupled to the body of the vehicle. The control assembly distributes power through the conducting strips whereby the conducting strips generate heat when power is passed through the conducting strips for warming the body of the vehicle to melt snow on the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2005
    Inventors: Jamarell M. Martin, Ella M. Martin
  • Patent number: 6963053
    Abstract: A sheathed electrical resistance heater is provided with a metal corrugated resistance heating element located internally within a surrounding metal sheath and separated from the sheath by a compacted insulating material such as magnesium oxide. The preferred corrugated resistance element is a flat strip of metal that has been corrugated such as by passing the strip through the nip of a pair of gears. The corrugated strip resistance element is thicker than a foil and may be used to provide sheathed, electrical resistance heaters where it is too difficult to wind large diameter wires, which are desired for a low resistance ohm of 0.12 ohm/inch or less, on a small arbor to form a coiled wire resistance element. A heater may be formed with a resistance of 0.05 ohm/inch using the corrugated metal ribbon and may be 200 inches in length and have a finned sheath. Preferably, the sheath is compressed in a die to reduce the cross-sectional area of the heater without a substantial elongation of the sheath.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2005
    Assignee: CCI Thermal Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Timothy P. Lutz
  • Patent number: 6963050
    Abstract: A paver having a paving screed and at least one working component which is heated by at least one electric heating element and a smoothing plate, with the heating element being secured in heat tampering condition at a heating area of the working component. The heating element is a planar heating element with at least one heating coil being a heating conductor which is wound in a spiral around a planar carrier, and the peripheral form of the carrier material and/or the winding density or the winding course of the heating conductor is adapted to produce a predetermined heating picture in the heating area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2005
    Assignee: Joseph Voegle AG
    Inventor: Michael Heindtel
  • Patent number: 6960741
    Abstract: A large area heater used, for example, in a laser printer belt fuser or as cooking surface, has an alumina substrate in which two bowed parts of alumina ceramic having opposed concave regions are formed together as a laminate. Electrical resistors are deposited on the laminate. The alumina laminate provides excellent resistance to uneven heating or other thermal stress. Alumina ceramic is readily shaped during manufacture and manufacturing costs and yield are good. A wide variety of large area heaters can usefully employ the laminate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2005
    Assignee: Lexmark International, Inc.
    Inventors: Douglas Campbell Hamilton, Jerry Wayne Smith, Larry Earl Stahlman, Kiyoshi Mizushima, Hisakazu Hujimoto, Makoto Aoki
  • Patent number: 6958463
    Abstract: An electrical heater utilizes negative temperature coefficient material (NTC) and current imbalance between live and neutral ends of the heater to simultaneously protect the heater from the hot spot and mechanical intrusion into the heating cable. The NTC layer, separating the heating wire and current leakage conductor, becomes electrically conductive at the temperatures above 60° C., thus “leaking” the current to earth. The hot spot is detected by measuring the current imbalance between line and neutral connections of the heating cable. The mechanical intrusion into the heater, such as cable or insulation damage, water or sharp metal object penetration, is also simultaneously measured by the same current imbalance measuring system such as Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI). The optional return conductor and metal foil/mesh hot spot detection shields cancel electromagnetic field. The heater may contain positive temperature coefficient (PTC) continuous sensor to control the temperature in the heater.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2005
    Assignee: Thermosoft International Corporation
    Inventors: Eric Kochman, Grahame Gerrard, Dmitry Kochman