Patents by Inventor Mark Howie

Mark Howie 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: 6777844
    Abstract: A vacuum cleaner assembly includes a motor having a rotor and a stator for providing motive power to the assembly. The rotor and stator each include armatures having tips. In one aspect, the widths of the rotor and stator tips are different. In another aspect, the rotor armatures have a non-constant width. Another aspect discloses the motor being a two-phase brushless motor having an even number (N) of stator armatures and N+2 rotor armatures. In another aspect, a rotor armature includes an aperture. In another aspect, each rotor armature includes a plurality of layers laminated together, with one layer being dimensionally different than the other layers. In another embodiment of the present invention, a control circuit energizes the windings of the stator so as to toggle the rotor in a first direction before alternately energizing the windings to drive the rotor in a second direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2004
    Assignee: Rexair, Inc.
    Inventors: Steven Selewski, Mark Howie, George H. Holling
  • Publication number: 20040068826
    Abstract: A vacuum cleaner assembly comprising a body, a motor disposed within the body and having an output shaft for rotating about axis, a fan coupled to the output shaft for generating a vacuum airflow through an air intake port in the body, and a separator coupled to the output shaft. The separator includes a cup shaped body and a flange extending radially from the open top to an outer periphery. The separator includes a spider, integrated therewithin, having a hub portion surrounding the shaft, and a plurality of helical blades integral with and extending radially from the hub portion to the vanes and integral with the wall. The separator is one piece molded component that may provide for better turbulence characteristics during suction of the air, increase the centrifugal forces to separate the dust and debris from the air flow.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 12, 2003
    Publication date: April 15, 2004
    Inventors: Mark Howie, Eric Lee Gustafason
  • Publication number: 20030034699
    Abstract: A vacuum cleaner assembly includes a motor having a rotor and a stator for providing motive power to the assembly. The rotor and stator each include armatures having tips. In one aspect, the widths of the rotor and stator tips are different. In another aspect, the rotor armatures have a non-constant width. Another aspect discloses the motor being a two-phase brushless motor having an even number (N) of stator armatures and N+2 rotor armatures. In another aspect, a rotor armature includes an aperture. In another aspect, each rotor armature includes a plurality of layers laminated together, with one layer being dimensionally different than the other layers. In another embodiment of the present invention, a control circuit energizes the windings of the stator so as to toggle the rotor in a first direction before alternately energizing the windings to drive the rotor in a second direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 24, 2001
    Publication date: February 20, 2003
    Inventors: Steven Selewski, Mark Howie, George H. Holling