Patents by Inventor Thomas Thoensen

Thomas Thoensen 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).

  • Passive cooling system for a vehicle
    Patent number: 6964294
    Abstract: A passive cooling system for a vehicle (114) transfers heat from an overheated internal component, for example, an instrument panel (100), to an external portion (116) of the vehicle (114), for example, a side body panel (126). The passive cooling system includes one or more heat pipes (112) having an evaporator section (118) embedded in the overheated internal component and a condenser section (120) at the external portion (116) of the vehicle (114). The evaporator (118) and condenser (120) sections are in fluid communication. The passive cooling system may also include a thermally conductive film (140) for thermally connecting the evaporator sections (118) of the heat pipes (112) to each other and to the instrument panel (100).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2005
    Assignee: Midwest Research Institute
    Inventors: Terry Joseph Hendricks, Thomas Thoensen
  • Passive cooling system for a vehicle
    Publication number: 20050061484
    Abstract: A passive cooling system for a vehicle (114) transfers heat from an overheated internal component, for example, an instrument panel (100), to an external portion (116) of the vehicle (114), for example, a side body panel (126). The passive cooling system includes one or more heat pipes (112) having an evaporator section (118) embedded in the overheated internal component and a condenser section (120) at the external portion (116) of the vehicle (114). The evaporator (118) and condenser (120) sections are in fluid communication. The passive cooling system may also include a thermally conductive film (140) for thermally connecting the evaporator sections (118) of the heat pipes (112) to each other and to the instrument panel (100).
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 24, 2003
    Publication date: March 24, 2005
    Inventors: Terry Hendricks, Thomas Thoensen