Patents Examined by Vivek Shirsat
  • Patent number: 9829216
    Abstract: A solar collector has an opaque cover heated by solar energy. Heat flows from the opaque cover by conduction, convection, and infrared emittance across a gap within an at least substantially airtight enclosure to an absorber containing a working fluid. The exterior surface of the opaque cover has high solar energy absorptance and the interior surface has high infrared emittance. The exterior surface preferably has low infrared emittance. In one embodiment, fully wetted surface geometry permits direct and reflected infrared absorption by the absorber. The opaque cover eliminates the weight, cost and other shortcomings of glass. A hollow continuous side wall with rounded corners provides an embodiment that is robust yet economical, that is easy to manufacture and seal, that permits a reduced thickness of the opaque cover and mitigates the destructive potential of severe winds, and that can withstand the compressive forces experienced by an evacuated solar collector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Inventors: Jeffrey D. Prutsman, John D. Prutsman
  • Patent number: 9821351
    Abstract: A fume extraction hood is designed to be positioned above a welding, cutting, or other metal-working location and to remove hot gases, smoke and fumes produced during these processes. The hood forms a box-like structure with an extractor rail structure disposed in an internal volume of the hood. The extractor rail structure comprises panels that force sharp turns in the gases, causing particulate matter to drop out of the gases both outside and inside the extractor rail. A primary path for gases accelerates and re-directs the gases entering into the extractor rail, and within the rail. The rail may form a dropout tray that can be removed for cleanout of collected particulate. The side and end rails of the hood may create a secondary path for gas not directly intaken into the extractor rail. This secondary path is re-directed towards the extractor rail, where gas is collected and particulate is forced to drop out as it joins the primary path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: ILLINOIS TOOL WORKS INC.
    Inventor: Brian J. Hammers
  • Patent number: 9826660
    Abstract: A rack system for mounting at least one data processing unit includes a shelf operable for moving from a position internally of the rack system to a position externally of the rack system. The shelf has an aperture and a fluid mover for moving fluid through the aperture in the shelf when the shelf is located in its external position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Jean-Michel Rodriguez, Emmanuel Tong-Viet
  • Patent number: 9816717
    Abstract: Apparatus, systems and methods of 80/90 CFM ventilation exhaust fans for bathrooms with telescoping side extension brackets and side by side electric driven motor and blower wheel, and being used with or without lights. The exhaust fans can include a single main housing, that allows for a blower housing to support the motor and a blower wheel in a side by side arrangement. The exhaust fans can further include an outside wiring box that is externally located to the main housing. The wiring box can have support male plugs and female receptacles for supplying an electrical power supply to the electric motor and light. The side extension brackets can include telescoping members that allow the exhaust fans to be easily attached to structural members inside of a ceiling so that the exhaust fan has a vent cover attached to the ceiling. Inside of the exhaust fans can be light box with closed sides and bottom which prevents incoming air from passing directly onto the lights.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: Chien Luen Industries Co., Ltd., Inc.
    Inventor: Tom Lawrence
  • Patent number: 9808116
    Abstract: A stove that has tiered wings allowing for different sized cooking pots, and that is fully collapsible based on tab-in-slot construction, allowing for completely flat storage and easy replacement of panels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2017
    Inventor: Marc Stanley Mummert
  • Patent number: 9808119
    Abstract: A grill apparatus that raises and lowers a coal grate to and away from a food grill. The grill apparatus includes an oven having a bottom oven portion in the shape of an upright bowl, a top oven portion in the shape of an inverted bowl, and a middle portion in the shape of a cylinder. A cranking of a handle outside of the oven rotates a shaft running through the oven. The shaft spools up and spools out a tether engaged to the coal grate to draw a heat source on the coal grate to and away from food items on the food grill.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2017
    Inventor: Andrew D. Hough
  • Patent number: 9791147
    Abstract: The present document describes a multistages combustion furnace system for thermal expansion of mineral particles which comprises: a furnace having an expansion chamber for receiving the mineral particles; a burner head to be connected at a distance for an atmospheric coupling of the furnace and for operating the multistages combustion furnace system; a furnace device to be connected at a distance for an atmospheric coupling of the burner head to offset the quenching effect of ambient air normally drawn in the furnace; and a tuyere for thermal expansion of mineral particles to be connected between the expansion chamber and the furnace device; wherein the multistage combustion furnace system is to be connected with an inlet of preheated air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: TERAJOULE INC.
    Inventor: Michael Spino
  • Patent number: 9788456
    Abstract: A rack system for mounting at least one data processing unit includes a shelf operable for moving from a position internally of the rack system to a position externally of the rack system. The shelf has an aperture and a fluid mover for moving fluid through the aperture in the shelf when the shelf is located in its external position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Jean-Michel Rodriquez, Emmanuel Tong-Viet
  • Patent number: 9759045
    Abstract: The system fulfills the requirements for safety with its active opening device and with its two levels of different independent mechanical protections against overpressure including a BD with block valves and the BPV without any block valves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2017
    Assignee: MAERSK OLIE OG GAS A/S
    Inventor: Jørgen Gross-Petersen
  • Patent number: 9750392
    Abstract: Dishwasher appliances and vents for dishwasher appliances are provided. The dishwasher appliance includes a chamber for the receipt of articles for cleaning, and a door for selectively opening and closing the dishwasher appliance, the door having an interior wall and a bottom. The dishwasher appliance further includes a conduit disposed within the door. The dishwasher appliance further includes a vent for controlling the egress of fluid from the chamber through the first end, the vent received into the door. The vent includes a generally planer body, and a plurality of aperture assemblies defined in the body. Each of the plurality of aperture assemblies extends generally radially within the plane. The vent further includes a plurality of ribs extending from the body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: HAIER US APPLIANCE SOLUTIONS, INC.
    Inventors: Wilbur Carl Bewley, Jr., Paul Edward Newsom, II, Aaron Daniel Mink
  • Patent number: 9751379
    Abstract: An air-guiding device (7) can be arranged in a wheel house of a motor vehicle and has a plurality of slats (12). Each slat (12) has at least one first region (11.1, 11.3) with a first profile and at least one second region (11.2, 11.4) with a second profile. The respective profile of the respective region (11) of the respective slat (12) is matched to the respective flow conditions present by a respective shaping and a respective angle of attack. Therefore an air stream approaching the slats (12) has to overcome a reduced aerodynamic drag when passing through the respective slats (12).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: DR. ING. H.C.F. PORSCHE AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Thomas Weiss, Jakob Weissert
  • Patent number: 9739486
    Abstract: A furnace assembly comprising a non-condensing furnace with a draft inducer. The draft inducer includes a permanent magnet electrically commutated motor and a draft inducer blower fan. The motor includes a stator, a rotor, a motor cooling fan, and a controller. The rotor being rotatable relative to the stator, the fan being operatively coupled to the rotor such that rotation of the rotor causes rotation of the fan, the controller being configured to selectively operate the motor in first and second different torque ranges of the rotor, with the first and second torque range operating within a fixed percentage and within a fixed percentage of each other. The controller being configured such during normal operation, the motor is not operable at any torques between the first torque range and the second torque range except during transitionary periods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: Regal Beloit America, Inc.
    Inventors: Bobby D. Garrison, Michael D. Smith, Jeffrey J. Long
  • Patent number: 9732971
    Abstract: There are provided an air-conditioning device that can easily perform fan setting to obtain a proper air volume in accordance with external static pressure, and a method of controlling the air-conditioning device. There is executed air volume setting processing (S3 to S14) for measuring an actual rotation number (r_MAX) when a fan motor for driving an air blowing fan is set to a maximum output, and setting the rotation number corresponding to a target air volume of the air blowing fan under normal operation of the built-in type air-conditioning device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2017
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shintaro Sugimoto, Norioki Fujimoto, Nobuhiro Idei, Jun Yamauchi, Seiichi Koga
  • Patent number: 9732970
    Abstract: A sleeping space air conditioner including a quiet low powered air conditioner 1, a sleeping space into which conditioned air is delivered, the sleeping space including an upper air pervious section 2 and a lower relatively air impervious section 3 surrounding a bed in the sleeping space, the impervious section 3 extending to a height above the sleeping surface of the bed sufficient to contain the conditioned air as it moves towards and returns from the opposite end or side of the sleeping space, the impervious section 3 extending to a sufficiently increased height above the sleeping surface at the opposite end or side to allow the direction of air flow to reverse towards said one end or side without substantial loss of conditioned air through the pervious section 2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2017
    Assignee: CLOSE COMFORT PTY LTD.
    Inventor: James Trevelyan
  • Patent number: 9729102
    Abstract: A solar energy collection system comprises a frame for mounting the system on a suitable substrate and a plurality of solar panels disposed adjacent to one another on the frame. A first set of the solar panels are movable relative to a second set of the solar panels, for tracking movement of the sun during the day. Solar panels of the first set are arranged in alternating fashion with solar panels of the second set. In some embodiments of the invention, the panels in the second set of solar panels are stationary. The second set of solar panels, in some embodiments, are disposed substantially flat, relative to the frame and the substrate on which the frame is mounted. In some embodiments, differing from those in which the second set of solar panels are stationary, the second set of solar panels may be arranged to be movable relative to the first set of solar panels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2017
    Inventors: Guy A. Pizzarello, Lance S. Noller
  • Patent number: 9709266
    Abstract: A stack is provided for combustion of low pressure hydrocarbon vapors from various equipment, the combustion being discrete from periodic flaring of high pressure vapors from a top of the stack. A primary burner is positioned adjacent a base of the stack and a flare is positioned in the stack's bore adjacent a top thereof. Combustion air is naturally aspirated through the stack through inlets in the stack below the primary burners, providing both primary air and secondary air for the primary burners and first combustion air for the flare. The flare aspirates further combustion air from about the top of the stack. The combustion air optimizes clean burning at the primary burner and for reducing smoke production from the flare. A controller provides an auto re-light igniters at the primary burner and a continuous igniter at the flare.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Inventor: Chris Aldrich
  • Patent number: 9698037
    Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes a holder configured to hold a substrate and carry the substrate into a process chamber, a waiting station located outside the process chamber in which the holder waits prior to carrying the substrate into the process chamber, a circulation path configured to circulate a gas throughout the waiting station, and an exhaust path formed in the circulation path and configured to exhaust the gas from the waiting station.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2017
    Assignee: HITACHI KOKUSAI ELECTRIC INC.
    Inventors: Seiyo Nakashima, Yuichi Matsuda, Takashi Nogami, Shinobu Sugiura, Tomoyuki Yamada
  • Patent number: 9683737
    Abstract: A chemical looping combustion apparatus for solid fuels using different oxygen carriers is provided. The chemical looping combustion apparatus includes: a solid fuel chemical looping combustor configured to receive solid fuels and to produce carbon dioxide and steam by combustion of the solid fuels; a gaseous fuel chemical looping combustor configured to receive gaseous fuels and to produce carbon dioxide and steam by combustion of the gaseous fuels; and a devolatilization reactor configured to produce solids and gases by devolatilizing the solid fuels, and the solid fuels received by the solid fuel chemical looping combustor and the gaseous fuels received by the gaseous fuel chemical looping combustor are the solids and the gases produced by the devolatilization reactor, respectively. Accordingly, a reaction rate and an amount of oxygen transfer can increase, and necessity for low-priced oxygen carriers and a make-up cost of low-priced oxygen carriers can be reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2017
    Assignee: KOREA INSTITUTE OF ENERGY RESEARCH
    Inventors: Ho-jung Ryu, Gyoung-tae Jin, Chang-keun Yi, Do-won Shun, Jae-hyeon Park, Dal-hee Bae, Sung-ho Jo, Seung-yong Lee, YoungCheol Park, Jong-ho Moon, Dong-ho Lee, Ji-bong Joo
  • Patent number: 9675199
    Abstract: A method of boil and boil-dry detection for cooking appliances. The method includes the steps: detecting vibrations that correspond to cookware situated on a burner assembly; generating a vibration signal based on the vibrations; and performing signal processing on the vibration signal. The method also includes the steps: collecting vibration data related to the vibration signal; and detecting boiling and boil-dry conditions for a liquid contained within the cookware based at least in part on an evaluation of the vibration data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
    Inventors: Ali R. Buendia Garcia, Farhad Ashrafzadeh, Moeed Mukhtar
  • Patent number: 9677769
    Abstract: Disclosed is a cooking device having a flexible sequence control for automatic cleaning of an oven cavity. A customizing aspect allows for the inputting of values for a combination of parameters of a cleaning system. These parameters may include degree of soiling, cleaning time, energy consumption, water consumption, cleaner consumption, rinse agent consumption, and/or overall cost of cleaning. The sets of parameters can be entered, saved and recalled, or deleted. While setting values of the parameters, any undefined parameter(s) are automatically changed accordingly to achieve an optimal result. Unreasonable or impossible combinations of parameters are blocked. The parameters may be visualized as user friendly touch-activated bars. Selection can be made from several optimizing options, such as cost optimization, time optimization, resource optimization, and ecological optimization that reduce the consumption of resources.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: CONVOTHERM ELEKTROGERAETE GMBH
    Inventor: Hannes Laessig