Patents Examined by Sneh Varma
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Patent number: 6260353Abstract: A NOx reduction system includes a NOx catalytic converter mounted in an exhaust passage of an engine, such as a diesel engine, and an air supply passage that communicates with a portion of the exhaust passage located upstream of the NOx catalytic converter. The air supply passage supplies the exhaust passage with a mixture of air and cracked gas obtained by spraying fuel into the air and heating it up to 350-450° C. for partial oxidation thereof. With the mixture added to the exhaust gas, NOx contained in the exhaust gas can be effectively removed due to the NOx reducing capability of the cracked gas.Type: GrantFiled: July 8, 1999Date of Patent: July 17, 2001Assignee: Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Yoshinori Takahashi
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Patent number: 6253548Abstract: This invention relates to an exhaust system with a catalytic converter for the exhaust gases of an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle. The system comprises at least one heat exchanger having a cooling fluid therein, selector means for selectively directing the exhaust gases, wholly or partly, into the heat exchanger in order to cool them, and means for using the heat of the heat exchanger cooling fluid to heat the passenger compartment of the vehicle. The heat exchanger may be located upstream or downstream of the catalytic converter. The invention provides depollution of the exhaust gases and heating of the passenger compartment.Type: GrantFiled: October 9, 1998Date of Patent: July 3, 2001Assignee: Valeo Thermique MoteurInventors: Ngy Srun Ap, Denis Perset
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Patent number: 6244042Abstract: A method is provided for monitoring the regulation of smooth running of a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine. The smooth running is regulated using at least one manipulated variable, which can be controlled by a control device, to influence the smooth running behaviour, and in which the measurement signals which correspond to temperatures on the catalytic converter are obtained.Type: GrantFiled: October 7, 1998Date of Patent: June 12, 2001Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Guido Dickers, Patrick Phlips, Klemens Grieser, Johann Himmelsbach
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Patent number: 6245178Abstract: An automated process and apparatus for installation of a handgrip on a golf club shaft is disclosed herein. The handgrip is installed on the golf club shaft in a dry state. The present invention does not utilize solvents, lubricants or the like for the installation of the handgrip onto the golf club shaft. The apparatus has a taping mechanism for automatically wrapping a double-sided tape onto the butt end of the golf club shaft. The apparatus also has a gripping mechanism for preparing a grip for automated installation on a shaft while in a dry state. The apparatus also has a shaft shuttle mechanism for transferring the golf club shaft from the taping mechanism to the gripping mechanism. The gripping mechanism has means for expanding the handgrip prior to placement on the butt end of the golf club shaft.Type: GrantFiled: July 20, 1999Date of Patent: June 12, 2001Assignee: Callaway Golf CompanyInventors: Konrad Lenhof, Jerry V. Blanke
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Patent number: 6244975Abstract: A moisture resistant shock absorbing grip for the handle of a golf club, tennis racquet, racquetball racquet, baseball parts or other impact departing devices such as hammers, having a strip formed of a polyurethane layer bonded to a felt layer. The exterior of the strip is coated with a waterproof material while the side edges are formed with recessed reinforcement side edges and skived side edges which are overlapped to form a water retarding joint between the side edges of the strip.Type: GrantFiled: March 25, 1999Date of Patent: June 12, 2001Inventor: Ben Huang
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Patent number: 6240723Abstract: A compression ignition type engine, wherein a first combustion where the amount of the inert gas in the combustion chamber is larger than the amount of inert gas where the amount of production of soot peaks and almost no soot is produced and a second combustion where the amount of inert gas in the combustion chamber is smaller than the amount of inert gas where the amount of production of soot peaks are selectively switched between. The second combustion is performed after the engine operation is started until a catalyst arranged in the engine exhaust passage has become activated and, the first combustion is performed after the catalyst has become activated.Type: GrantFiled: October 15, 1998Date of Patent: June 5, 2001Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Takekazu Ito, Shizuo Sasaki, Satoshi Iguchi, Tsukasa Abe
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Patent number: 6237327Abstract: An engine control system for controlling combustion of an internal combustion engine equipped with an exhaust gas purifying catalyst. The system controls fuel combustion on the basis of control parameters including air/fuel ratio, ignition timing and intake air flow so as to cause a rise in exhaust gas temperature while an exhaust gas purifying catalyst installed in an exhaust line of the engine is insufficiently warmed or inactive. When a fluctuation of engine speed is detected, the system controls the air/fuel ratio to reach a target value close to a stoichiometric value, for example, a value between 13 and 17, and controls a control parameter other than air/fuel ratio so as to bring the fluctuation of engine speed within limits of stable combustion while the exhaust gas purifying catalyst is insufficiently warmed. The air/fuel ratio feedback control may be commenced immediately after an engine start.Type: GrantFiled: August 5, 1998Date of Patent: May 29, 2001Assignee: Mazda Motor CorporationInventors: Hirofumi Nishimura, Junichi Taga, Takahisa Ishihara, Eiji Nishimura
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Patent number: 6231456Abstract: A vibration damping insert adapted to be positioned within the hollow tubular shaft of a golf club. The insert includes a central rod member sized to fit within the hollow shaft of the club and a plurality of circumferentially spaced fins extending radially outwardly from and substantially coextensive with the rod member, with the fins sized and configured to engage the inner tubular surface of the shaft. The fins form a part of an annular outer body separate from the central rod member and formed of a material having a durometer hardness less than the durometer hardness of the central rod member. The central rod member and annular outer body are preferably formed in a coextrusion process.Type: GrantFiled: April 5, 1999Date of Patent: May 15, 2001Inventors: Graham Rennie, William J. Sobkow
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Patent number: 6231457Abstract: A low center of gravity golf club shaft for attachment to a lightweight golf club head having a toe, heel, face, sole, and top made of titanium or similar density material comprising: a hollow tapered cone-like shaft with a smaller club end attached to the club head proximate the heel, and a handle end; the shaft made of graphite wrapped with uni-direction tape to form at least two nodes to selectively stiffen or allow the shaft to flex at pre-selected points along the shaft, and a handwrap tape of desired length wrapped around the handle end of the shaft to provide a handgrip.Type: GrantFiled: March 16, 1999Date of Patent: May 15, 2001Inventor: Ming T. Chen
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Patent number: 6226984Abstract: The invention relates to a marine wet exhaust system and a method for treating the exhaust from a marine engine. The system comprises a first conduit for receiving an exhaust flow including gaseous, liquid and particulate solid components, a separator for separating the liquid and particulate components from gaseous component, and a second conduit for expelling the gaseous component. A third conduit is provided for receiving from the separator the liquid and particulate solid components, which then pass to a filter for separating the particulate solid component from the liquid component, and the liquid component is discharged via a fourth conduit.Type: GrantFiled: July 22, 1998Date of Patent: May 8, 2001Assignee: Centek Industries, Inc.Inventor: John R. Ford
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Patent number: 6220971Abstract: A golf club including a golf club head having a head body and a face member. The head body is formed with a cavity portion opening to a face on the front face, and a window opening cut out of a rear side inside the cavity portion. A face member formed from a plate-like metallic material is arranged at least partially in the cavity portion. A first connection recess is formed in the cavity portion and a second connection recess is formed in a portion of the face member facing the first connection recess. A fixing member is arranged between the first and second connection recesses, and the fixing member is plastically deformed and pressed into the first and second connection recesses. As a result, the face member can be reliably secured to the head body. When the window opening is “under cut”, a protrusion thus formed will not be susceptible to bending back away from the face member.Type: GrantFiled: August 4, 1999Date of Patent: April 24, 2001Assignee: K.K. Endo SeisakushoInventor: Hitoshi Takeda
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Patent number: 6210290Abstract: A golf club head having a defined internal cavity, and a golf club head containing a bi-material weight having a nonhomogeneous structure. A method to add the bi-material weight to the golf club entails heating, vibration and cooling to produce the nonhomogeneous structure.Type: GrantFiled: June 11, 1999Date of Patent: April 3, 2001Assignee: Callaway Golf CompanyInventors: Joel B. Erickson, John G. Guard, James F. Dooley, M. Grace Hohn Pimentel, Thomas J. DiMarco
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Patent number: 6206789Abstract: A golf club such as so-called metal wood, enabling a separate balance weight to be joined easily and firmly to a head body made of titanium or titanium alloy. A receiving base 22 made of titanium or titanium alloy is provided between a balance weight 21 and a body shell member 18 which forms the head body. The balance weight 21 is joined to the receiving base 22 by caulking, then the receiving base 22 is welded to the inside face of the body shell member 18. Thus, in welding the balance weight 21 to the body shell member 18, there is no longer any limitation to the material of the balance weight 21. In a preferred form of the invention, the balance weight 21 is caulked to the receiving body by pressing the balance weight 21 into a recess 24 formed in the receiving base 22, with a claw portion 25 formed in the receiving base 22 cutting into the balance weight 21.Type: GrantFiled: June 28, 1999Date of Patent: March 27, 2001Assignee: K.K. Endo SeisakushoInventor: Hitoshi Takeda
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Patent number: 6199374Abstract: An exhaust gas purifying device for an engine comprises a catalyst arranged in the exhaust passage for purifying the exhaust gas, the catalyst having an oxidizing ability. An amount of sulfate adsorbed in the catalyst is obtained. When the adsorbed sulfate amount becomes larger than a predetermined amount, a reducing agent is fed to the catalyst temporarily to desorb the adsorbed sulfate from the catalyst and reduce the sulfate. At this time, the amount of the reducing agent is set to make the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas flowing into the catalyst rich.Type: GrantFiled: October 19, 1998Date of Patent: March 13, 2001Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Shinya Hirota, Toshiaki Tanaka
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Patent number: 6199372Abstract: The present invention is an apparatus and a method for regenerating an NOX catalyst for a diesel engine, which is capable of regenerating the NOX catalyst having a lower performance due to accumulated SOx.Type: GrantFiled: October 23, 1998Date of Patent: March 13, 2001Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.Inventor: Koutaro Wakamoto
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Patent number: 6195985Abstract: The method according to the invention is based on the discovery that the pollutant emissions in the first minutes of operation of an internal combustion engine also depend on the preceding operation and switching off procedure. It is suggested to subject the internal combustion engine and the catalytic converter to a cleaning or a scavenging phase before the standstill of the motor. With this cleaning or scavenging phase the movement of the internal combustion engine is still maintained for a certain time before standstill of the motor either by sparking or by an external drive and at least temporally in at least individual cylinders of the internal combustion engine the supply of fuel is interrupted and exclusively air is delivered. By way of this it is achieved that the remaining pollutants accumulated in the internal combustion engine are supplied to the catalytic converter which is still at the operating temperature and the catalytic converter is enriched with oxygen.Type: GrantFiled: October 19, 1998Date of Patent: March 6, 2001Assignee: The Swatch Group Management Services AGInventors: Luigi del Re, Robert Apter, Daniel Handschin
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Patent number: 6189316Abstract: A nitrous oxide trap temperature control system for desulfating the trap uses and engine with some cylinders operating with lean combustion and some cylinders operating with rich combustion. The lean and rich combustion gases are combined to form an mixture which is fed to the trap to provide an exothermic reaction. The desired lean and rich air/fuel ratios of the respective lean and rich cylinders are limited depending on trap temperature and incremental heat addition to prevent inadvertently decreasing trap temperature.Type: GrantFiled: May 19, 1999Date of Patent: February 20, 2001Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Gopichandra Surnilla, David George Farmer
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Patent number: 6178743Abstract: A catalyst is housed in a casing arranged in the exhaust passage of the engine. A pressure reducing valve, which is usually closed, is arranged in a bypass passage branching off from the exhaust passage upstream of the casing. The fuel injector usually injects fuel at the combustion stroke or the exhaust stroke to feed hydrocarbon, and NOX is reduced in the catalyst by the hydrocarbon. When the catalyst is judged to be poisoned, the timing of the secondary fuel injection is advanced with respect to the timing of the usual secondary fuel injection, and the pressure reducing valve is opened to reduce the pressure in the casing. In this way, the catalyst is reactivated.Type: GrantFiled: July 31, 1998Date of Patent: January 30, 2001Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Shinya Hirota, Toshiaki Tanaka
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Patent number: 6173568Abstract: A bypass leads away from the exhaust pipe and the bypass flow is set with an electrically actuable exhaust gas valve. Under certain operating states of the internal combustion engine, in particular when the load is increasing rapidly or during warmup, a portion or the entire exhaust gas flow is diverted through a combined hydrolysis/adsorption catalytic converter in the bypass line. The NOx contained in the exhaust gas is adsorbed in a particularly favorable manner.Type: GrantFiled: September 16, 1998Date of Patent: January 16, 2001Assignee: Siemens AktiengesellschaftInventors: J{umlaut over (u)}rgen Z{umlaut over (u)}rbig, Rainer Tost, Winfried Dölling, Reinhard Latsch
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Patent number: 6164064Abstract: By measuring the exhaust gas temperature with temperature sensors located immediately before and after an NOx reservoir in the exhaust gas line of an internal combustion engine, and by suitable control of rich-lean operation, an NOx reservoir catalyst can be heated above the desulfurization temperature. Immediately after desulfurization normal operation is restored in the case of a Diesel engine, whereas, in the case of an Otto engine, .lambda.=1 operation is carried out briefly before returning to normal rich-lean operation.Type: GrantFiled: July 20, 1998Date of Patent: December 26, 2000Assignee: Volkswagen AGInventor: Ekkehard Pott