Patents Represented by Law Firm Kinney and Lange
  • Patent number: 8350180
    Abstract: An apparatus for coating a work piece includes a process chamber, a coating material supply apparatus located at least partially within the process chamber for delivering a coating material to the work piece, a pre-heater assembly adjoining the process chamber, and a support for holding the work piece. The pre-heater assembly includes a housing that opens to the process chamber, a thermal hood positioned within the housing and configured to reflect thermal energy for reflecting thermal energy toward the work piece. The support is movable to selectively move the work piece between a first position within the housing of the pre-heater assembly and a second position within the process chamber and outside the housing of the pre-heater assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: James W. Neal, Kevin W. Schlichting, Peter F. Gero
  • Patent number: 8352064
    Abstract: A revert alloy is used in the manufacture of a target alloy having a different composition. The weight percent of the elemental constituents of this first alloy and a second or target alloy are obtained, and the ratio of the percentage by weight of each elemental constituent in the first alloy to the second alloy is determined. The lowest ratio is used to determine the amount of the first alloy that is melted and the necessary elemental constituents that are added to the melt to produce the desired composition of the target alloy. The melt is solidified to produce the target alloy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Dale A. Schenk, John J. Schirra
  • Patent number: 8348017
    Abstract: An assembly includes a reservoir for holding a fluid, and a scavenge passage connected to the reservoir at a reservoir inlet. The scavenge passage returns the fluid from a delivery location to the reservoir. A bleed passage is connected in fluid communication between the reservoir and the scavenge passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Paul A. Dickie, Larry W. Spires
  • Patent number: 8351780
    Abstract: An imaging system to collect image data relating to a conical liquid film and its hollow conical spray emanating from an injector with a central spray axis includes a light source for emitting light into the film and spray generated by the injector; and a detector array located downstream from the injector along the central spray axis for panoramically detecting instantaneously for the entire film and spray the emitted light which has interacted with the spray to produce the image data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation
    Inventor: Carsten Ralf Mehring
  • Patent number: 8349104
    Abstract: A method includes positioning a layer of adhesive between a first structural component and a second structural component, positioning a first evaluation film between the first structural component and the layer of adhesive, curing the adhesive at least partially, separating the first structural component and the first evaluation film by a relative movement therebetween, and inspecting bond line quality of the adhesive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventor: John H. Vontell, Sr.
  • Patent number: 8342908
    Abstract: An apparatus for thermal mechanical machining of composite materials includes a head, a drive, and a shaft. The head has an abrasive face. The drive is coupled to the apparatus to move the head to produce abrasion of the composite material by the abrasive face. The shaft includes a passageway that communicates a heated gas to an interface between the abrasive face and the composite material. The gas removes particles that result from the abrasion of the composite material by the abrasive face. The gas can be heated sufficiently to carbonize or vaporize organic constituents of the composite material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2013
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventor: John H. Vontell
  • Patent number: 8336885
    Abstract: A seal assembly for a gas turbine engine includes a first seal member having a first surface, a second seal member having a second surface, with the second surface configured to generally abut at least a part of the first surface. At least a portion of at least one of the first surface and the second surface includes a coating that includes about 30 to about 80 weight percent of a hard carbide material, and about 20 to about 70 weight percent of lubricating material incorporated with the hard carbide material. The coating defines overlapping lenticular particles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventor: Melvin Freling
  • Patent number: 8337989
    Abstract: A multilayer coating includes a bond coat layer and a first barrier layer applied on the bond coat layer. The first barrier layer has a compositional gradient comprising a majority of a first rare earth stabilized zirconia material proximate the bond coat layer to a majority of a second rare earth stabilized zirconia material away from the bond coat layer. The first and second rare earth stabilized zirconia materials are different.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Peter F. Gero, Kevin W. Schlichting, James W. Neal
  • Patent number: 8333678
    Abstract: A journal bearing includes a main body and a connection portion. The main body extends radially outward from a central cavity to an interface surface. The connection portion supports an end of the main body and extends radially around the central cavity. The connection portion has a dimension selected as a proportion of a reference dimension of the main body to achieve a desired spring rate for the journal bearing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2012
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventor: Michael E. McCune
  • Patent number: 8333210
    Abstract: A method for isolating a leak in a closed-volume liquid system comprises circulating a fluid through a plurality of isolatable zones and a non-isolatable zone in a closed-volume liquid system, detecting a leak in the closed-volume liquid system, isolating all of the isolatable zones from the non-isolatable zone, sequentially detecting if the leak is present in the non-isolatable zone and each of isolatable zones, and taking corrective action after the leak is detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2012
    Assignee: Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation
    Inventors: Karl P. Henkel, Kurt J. Doughty, Daniel Uttberg, Eric A. Rohrbach, Terrance R. Snider
  • Patent number: 8333949
    Abstract: In a method for producing high carbon content products from biomass, a biomass oil is added to a cracking reactor vessel. The biomass oil is heated to a temperature ranging from about 100° C. to about 800° C. at a pressure ranging from about vacuum conditions to about 20,700 kPa for a time sufficient to crack the biomass oil. Tar is separated from the cracked biomass oil. The tar is heated to a temperature ranging from about 200° C. to about 1500° C. at a pressure ranging from about vacuum conditions to about 20,700 kPa for a time sufficient to reduce the tar to a high carbon content product containing at least about 50% carbon by weight.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2012
    Assignee: University of North Dakota
    Inventors: Reginald Parker, Wayne Seames
  • Patent number: 8333265
    Abstract: A device (22) manages power source variations in an elevator system. The device includes a transformer (60) having a primary (62) and a secondary (64). An input of the elevator system is connected to the secondary (64). Tap switches (66a, 66b, 66c, 66d) are connected to the transformer (60) such that each tap switch is connected to a tap point (68a, 68b, 68c, 68d) on the transformer (60). A controller (54) operates the tap switches (66a, 66b, 66c, 66d) based on a sensed power source output to provide power on the secondary (64) within a tolerance band of the elevator system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2012
    Assignee: Otis Elevator Company
    Inventors: Pengju Kang, Mauro J. Atalla, Daryl J. Marvin, Vladimir Blasko, Robert K. Thornton, Stella M. Oggianu
  • Patent number: 8334486
    Abstract: A system includes a first heater located at the leading edge of a gas turbine structural member, a second heater located aft of the first heater, and a third heater located aft of the second heater. The first, second and third heaters are electrically-powered to prevent icing of the gas turbine structural member. Each of the heaters has a Watt density, and the Watt densities of the heaters differ from one another as a function of a magnitude of a cooling coefficient for airflow passing the vicinity of each heater.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2012
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventor: Isaac Jon Hogate
  • Patent number: 8333321
    Abstract: Systems and methods for off line/online access controlled environments to implement temporal applications in wireless devices via near field communications in closed group venues; e.g., concert halls, race horse betting, and university scheduling, are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2012
    Assignee: Fortress GB Ltd.
    Inventors: Carmi David Gressel, Ran Granot, James Philip Rosenthal, Gabriel Vago
  • Patent number: 8334205
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method for removing polymer after etching a gate stack structure of high-K gate dielectric/metal gate. The method mainly comprises the following steps: 1): forming a gate stack structure of interface Si2/high-K gate dielectric/metal gate/poly-silicon/hard mask in sequence on a silicon substrate with device isolations formed thereon; 2): forming a resist pattern by the lithography; 3): etching the gate stack structure; and 4): immersing the resultant structure of the step 3) in an etching solution to remove the polymer, wherein the etching solution consists of HF, HCl and water, the ratio of HF by volume is 0.2˜1% and the ratio of HCl by volume is 5˜15%.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2012
    Assignee: Institute of Microelectronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
    Inventors: Qiuxia Xu, Yongliang Li
  • Patent number: 8328505
    Abstract: A shroud suitable for use in combination with an adjacent rotor blade includes a leading portion comprising a first thickness, and a trailing portion adjacent to the leading portion and comprising a second thickness, wherein the second thickness is less than the first thickness so that stiffness in the leading portion is greater than in the trailing portion and radial expansion by thermal growth of the leading portion of the shroud is constrained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Jun Shi, Kevin E. Green, Shaoluo L. Butler, Gajawalli V. Srinivasan, Glenn N. Levasseur
  • Patent number: 8328945
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a work piece support for holding and selectively rotating a work piece, a coating delivery apparatus configured to apply a coating material to the work piece, a susceptor positioned adjacent to the work piece support, and a first electron gun configured to direct a first electron beam at the susceptor such that the susceptor radiates heat toward the work piece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Peter F. Gero, Kevin W. Schlichting, James W. Neal
  • Patent number: 8327651
    Abstract: A cooling system includes a compressor for compressing a refrigerant from a subcritical state to a supercritical state, a cooler for transferring heat from the refrigerant, an expander for expanding the refrigerant in the supercritical state, an expansion valve for expanding the refrigerant from the supercritical state to the subcritical state and an evaporator for transferring heat from a cooling fluid to the refrigerant in the subcritical state. Work extracted by the expander provides power to the compressor. A method for cooling a vehicle includes compressing a refrigerant from a subcritical state to a supercritical state, cooling the refrigerant, expanding the refrigerant in the supercritical state where work produced by expanding the refrigerant is used to compress the refrigerant, expanding the refrigerant from the supercritical state to the subcritical state, cooling a cooling fluid with the refrigerant in the subcritical state and cooling vehicle components with the cooling fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignee: Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation
    Inventors: Adam M. Finney, Young K. Park, Scott F. Kaslusky, Daniel R. Sabatino
  • Patent number: 8327839
    Abstract: An air quality instrumentation system for a concentrated solar power generation system using a fluid heat transfer medium includes a pipe, a window and a spectroscope. The pipe extends from the concentrated solar power generation system and contains system air from within the concentrated solar power generation system. The window is positioned within the pipe to permit light to pass through the pipe and the system air. The spectroscope is positioned adjacent the window to assess concentration of a constituent within the system air, the concentration of the constituent providing an indication of an operating condition of the concentrated solar power generation system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignee: Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew J. Zillmer, Joseph P. Carroll
  • Patent number: 8331449
    Abstract: Fast encoding method and system are provided which can transmit video data in real time using adaptive intra prediction in accordance with the H.264/AVC (Advanced Video Codec) standard so as to efficiently provide security-related images or multimedia images in various network environments with high quality. An intra prediction method of compressing and encoding an image includes the steps of: comparing an SAD value C calculated from macro block data of a present frame and a previous frame with a reference value K to determine a prediction method; and selectively performing on input macro block data a first method of determining a best mode and a block size by prediction in a plurality of prediction modes based on spatial directivity and generating prediction data and a second method of generating prediction data using the best mode and the block size used in the previous frame, depending on the determined prediction method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignee: Korea Polytechnic University Industry Academic Cooperation Foundation
    Inventors: Eung Tae Kim, Ki-Young Jang