Patents Assigned to Mira Limited
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Patent number: 8939175Abstract: A fluid delivery system has an inner pipe (10) and an outer pipe (12). The inner pipe (10) is fixed and the outer pipe (12) is slidable relative to the inner pipe (10) in an axial direction lengthwise of the inner pipe (10). The inner pipe (10) has an inlet (2) and an outlet (4). The outer pipe (12) has two outlets (6 and 8). The inlet (2) is connectable to a fluid source and the outlets are connectable to appliances such as a shower, bath or washbasin. The outer pipe (12) is slidable along the inner pipe (10) to connect selectively the inlet (2) to one or more of the outlets (4, 6, 8) individually or in combination.Type: GrantFiled: July 30, 2010Date of Patent: January 27, 2015Assignee: Kohler Mira LimitedInventors: Benjamin Lea, Nigel Paul Sansum
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Patent number: 8876023Abstract: A showerhead (20) has a spray head (32) having a plurality of spray outlets (36, 38,42,44) on different faces is mounted for manual rotation about a single pivot axis both to select a spray outlet and to adjust the direction of the spray for the selected spray outlet. The showerhead can be configured so that flow of water is uninterrupted during changeover between spray modes. Alternative versions of the showerhead are disclosed in which the spray head is mounted for powered rotation, for example by a motor, allowing remote operation of the showerhead.Type: GrantFiled: August 11, 2008Date of Patent: November 4, 2014Assignee: Kohler Mira LimitedInventors: Kevin Taylor Peel, Jennifer Ellen Barnard, Simon Westgate, Alexander Fagg, Craig Edwin Baker, Peter Thomas Green
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Publication number: 20140261694Abstract: A power operated valve for controlling fluid flow is provided with a fail-safe device responsive to failure of the power supply to the valve to shut-off fluid flow. A valve member is coupled to linear actuator for movement towards and away from a closed position for controlling fluid flow through the valve. The linear actuator is held in a control position by the fail-safe device for normal operation of the valve with the power supply on. The fail-safe device responds to failure of the power supply to release the linear actuator. When the linear actuator is released, energy stored n a spring while the linear actuator was held in the control position is released and biases the linear actuator away from the control position causing the valve member to move to the closed position to shut-off fluid flow.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 13, 2013Publication date: September 18, 2014Applicant: KOHLER MIRA LIMITEDInventors: Kevin T. Peel, Sean P. Conway
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Publication number: 20130340863Abstract: A plumbing fixture includes a touchscreen user interface on a surface of a plumbing fixture. The touchscreen user interface is configured to allow a user to control at least one of the temperature or flow rate of a fluid exiting the plumbing fixture by controlling a mixing valve located within a body of the plumbing fixture.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 14, 2013Publication date: December 26, 2013Applicant: KOHLER MIRA LIMITEDInventor: Kevin T. Peel
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Patent number: 8585009Abstract: A flow control valve including a linear electric actuator for controlling flow through the valve, and a closure device operable to close the valve independently of the linear electric actuator if the linear actuator is disabled when the valve is open.Type: GrantFiled: December 8, 2008Date of Patent: November 19, 2013Assignee: Kohler Mira LimitedInventors: Xiangzhen Zhu, Richard Timothy Hopson
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Publication number: 20130263933Abstract: Apparatus and method for attaching a tap to a mounting surface (13) has a clamping assembly inserted through an aperture (11) in the mounting surface (13) and tightened from above the mounting surface (13). The clamping assembly has a pair of clamping arms (25, 27) that are mounted for pivotal movement from a collapsed position for passage through the aperture (11) to an operative position below the mounting surface (11). The clamping arms (25, 27) are operable on tightening the clamping assembly to engage in a first stage an underside of the mounting surface (13) remote from the fluid delivery device and to engage in a second stage a sidewall of the aperture (11) when continuing tightening. Thus a step change in an operating force is required that provides feedback to an installer that a required clamping force has been achieved.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 26, 2011Publication date: October 10, 2013Applicant: KOHLER MIRA LIMITEDInventors: Nigel P. Sansum, Paul A. Gostling
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Patent number: 8517282Abstract: A thermostatic mixing valve has an enhanced response to temperature change by arranging one of the hot water and cold water flows into a series of jets that intersect the other flow such that the proportions of hot water and cold water mixing at the surface of the thermostat is made to respond to the inlet water pressure to augment the temperature change normally experienced at the surface of the thermostat.Type: GrantFiled: March 5, 2010Date of Patent: August 27, 2013Assignee: Kohler Mira LimitedInventors: Nigel Paul Sansum, Richard Timothy Hopson
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Patent number: 8167215Abstract: A thermostatic mixing valve for hot and cold water has a valve member for controlling the relative proportions of hot and cold water admitted to a mixing chamber according to user selection of a desired water temperature and a thermostat responsive to the mixed water temperature to adjust the position of the valve member to maintain constant the selected water temperature. The valve member is biased by a return spring in the form of a wave spring having a plurality of turns with transverse waves configured such that adjacent turns sit peak to peak. The wave spring is strong in compression and weak in torsion allowing the ends of the spring to move laterally to accommodate any misalignment in the components of the valve.Type: GrantFiled: December 15, 2005Date of Patent: May 1, 2012Assignee: Kohler Mira LimitedInventors: Nigel Paul Sansum, Richard Timothy Hopson
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Patent number: 8043556Abstract: An ablutionary installation including a mixing valve having respective inlets for hot and cold water and an outlet for temperature controlled water, a temperature sensor for monitoring outlet water temperature and providing a signal representative of the outlet water temperature to an electronic controller, a user interface permitting selection of outlet water temperature up to a pre-determined temperature, the electronic controller being operable to compare the selected and sensed outlet water temperatures for controlling the mixing valve to adjust the ratio of hot and cold water delivered to the outlet according to the selected outlet water temperature, and apparatus for initiating a disinfection cycle to deliver water to the outlet at a temperature higher than the pre-determined temperature, wherein the initiating apparatus includes an operating sequence with at least two inputs.Type: GrantFiled: January 18, 2006Date of Patent: October 25, 2011Assignee: Kohler Mira LimitedInventors: Kevin Peel, Timothy James Shepherd, Geoffrey Hawke Whale, Paul Vigars, Nicholas John Beck
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Publication number: 20100219255Abstract: A thermostatic mixing valve has an enhanced response to temperature change by arranging one of the hot water and cold water flows into a series of jets that intersect the other flow such that the proportions of hot water and cold water mixing at the surface of the thermostat is made to respond to the inlet water pressure to augment the temperature change normally experienced at the surface of the thermostat.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 5, 2010Publication date: September 2, 2010Applicant: Kohler Mira LimitedInventors: Nigel Paul Sansum, Richard Timothy Hopson
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Publication number: 20100123013Abstract: A thermostatic mixing valve having a hot water inlet for connection to a supply of hot water, a cold water inlet for connection to a supply of cold water, an outlet for temperature controlled water and a valve device for controlling the relative proportions of hot and cold water admitted to a mixing chamber. The outlet communicates with the mixing chamber to receive temperature controlled water having a desired temperature. A temperature control adjusts the valve device in accordance with the desired temperature of the temperature controlled water where the valve device and the mixing chamber form flow passages for the incoming streams of hot and cold water and are configured such that the velocity of the incoming water streams is maintained and the incoming water streams are turned to flow in the same direction so that flow of one stream can entrain and assist flow of the other stream.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 14, 2010Publication date: May 20, 2010Applicant: Kohler Mira LimitedInventors: Nicholas John Beck, Sean Patrick Conway, Bruce Lewin John Hayward, Kevin Taylor Peel
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Patent number: 7694983Abstract: A suspension system having an upper link, a lower wishbone, a vertical hub carrier and an interlinking wishbone. The upper link is coupled, via a first spherical joint, to a vehicle sub-frame and, via a second spherical joint, to the hub carrier, the lower link is coupled, via bushings, to the sub-frame and, via a third spherical joint, to the hub carrier. The interlinking wishbone is coupled, via a hinge joint, to the lower wishbone and, via a fourth spherical joint, to the upper link. The hinge joint and the fourth spherical joint are substantially equidistant between the respective joints of the upper link and lower wishbone coupling the sub-frame and the hub carrier. The fourth spherical joint is offset from a line joining the first and the second spherical joints. The distance between the first and the second spherical joints is substantially equal to the distance between the bushings and the third spherical joint.Type: GrantFiled: May 24, 2006Date of Patent: April 13, 2010Assignees: Mira LimitedInventor: Adrian Michael Griffiths
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Patent number: 7669776Abstract: A thermostatic mixing valve for hot and cold water has two-stage inlet chambers for the hot and cold water flows respectively. The inlet chambers distribute the flows uniformly with respect to porting for admitting the flows to the mixing chamber to reduce asymmetric flow patterns and promote thorough mixing of the flows within the mixing chamber.Type: GrantFiled: May 18, 2007Date of Patent: March 2, 2010Assignee: Kohler Mira LimitedInventors: Nicholas John Beck, Sean Patrick Conway, Bruce Lewin John Hayward, Kevin Taylor Peel
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Publication number: 20080191441Abstract: A suspension system has an upper link mounted at an inner end to a vehicle body or subframe by an inner spherical joint and connected at an outer end to an upper end of a vertically extending hub carrier, by an outer spherical joint; a lower wishbone, the lower wishbone being mounted at an inner end to a vehicle body or subframe for pivotal movement about a horizontal, longitudinally extending axis, by means of a pair of spaced compliant bushes and connected at an outer end to a lower end of the hub carrier by a lower spherical joint; and an interlinking wishbone, the interlinking wishbone being pivotally connected at a lower end to the lower wishbone, intermediate of the inner and outer ends thereof, by a hinge or revolute joint, the interlinking wishbone being connected at an upper end to the upper link by an intermediate spherical joint, the centre of rotation of the intermediate spherical joint being offset from a line joining the centres of rotation of the inner and outer spherical joints, the intermediaType: ApplicationFiled: May 24, 2006Publication date: August 14, 2008Applicants: MIRA LIMITEDInventor: Adrian Michael Griffiths
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Publication number: 20070198873Abstract: The invention relates to a microprocessor and a method of operation thereof. More particularly this invention relates to a microprocessor, having at least three pipeline execution units which operate in lockstep. In an embodiment, the method of operation of a microprocessor accounts for the occurrence of transient faults or Single Event Upsets in one of its pipeline execution units such that their occurrence is unlikely to result in failure of the microprocessor as a whole.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 1, 2006Publication date: August 23, 2007Applicants: MIRA LIMITED, LOUGHBOROUGH UNIVERSITYInventors: David Ward, James Flint, Vassilios Chouliaras, Emmanuel Touloupis
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Patent number: 7240850Abstract: A thermostatic mixing valve for hot and cold water has two-stage inlet chambers for the hot and cold water flows respectively. The inlet chambers distribute the flows uniformly with respect to porting for admitting the flows to the mixing chamber to reduce asymmetric flow patterns and promote thorough mixing of the flows within the mixing chamber.Type: GrantFiled: June 26, 2003Date of Patent: July 10, 2007Assignee: Kohler Mira LimitedInventors: Nicholas John Beck, Sean Patrick Conway, Bruce Lewin John Hayward, Kevin Taylor Peel
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Patent number: D629868Type: GrantFiled: April 22, 2010Date of Patent: December 28, 2010Assignee: Kohler Mira LimitedInventor: Jennifer Ellen Barnard
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Patent number: D689987Type: GrantFiled: June 21, 2012Date of Patent: September 17, 2013Assignee: Kohler Mira LimitedInventors: Gary John Kington, Simon Mark Browning, Norman Edwards
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Patent number: D692535Type: GrantFiled: June 21, 2012Date of Patent: October 29, 2013Assignee: Kohler Mira LimitedInventors: Gary John Kington, Simon Mark Browning, Norman Edwards
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Patent number: D708302Type: GrantFiled: July 27, 2012Date of Patent: July 1, 2014Assignee: Kohler Mira LimitedInventors: David Antony Pixton, Christopher Ian Thompson, Simon Mark Browning