Patents by Inventor James E. Maness

James E. Maness has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 5595067
    Abstract: A rotary vane/expansion device having a housing, a rotor with a shaft having an axis, a plurality of telescoping vanes extending radially outwardly from the axis to rotationally contact the inner wall of the housing. There is a movable housing which rests on a track. There are two sets of drive pistons. One drives the piston (and housing) in one direction which is in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the shaft. The second drive piston drives the housing along the track in the opposite direction so that the amount of compression can be controlled. The outer edges of the vanes are provided with pin rollers to reduce wear. Telescoping vanes are also disclosed. The cross-section of the housing in a plane perpendicular to the axis has an ovoidal shape. This can also be used to obtain fresh water from salt water. Salt water is placed in a tank with heating coils in it. The tank has an overhead dome with a trough to catch condensed water.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 1994
    Date of Patent: January 21, 1997
    Inventor: James E. Maness
  • Patent number: 5394908
    Abstract: A storage container (12) is filled with a combustible mixture of gases including a flammable gas and a primary gas which contains an oxidizer gas. A fill head (50) has a continuous annular ridge (130) which extends around a gas outlet (132) from the fill head. The ridge (130) indents the material of the storage container (12) around an opening (152) in the storage container through which a flow of gas is directed during filling of a chamber in the storage container to provide a gas tight seal between the ridge and the container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 1993
    Date of Patent: March 7, 1995
    Assignee: TRW Vehicle Safety Systems Inc.
    Inventor: James E. Maness