Patents Assigned to Mira Limited
  • Patent number: 8939175
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2015
    Assignee: Kohler Mira Limited
    Inventors: Benjamin Lea, Nigel Paul Sansum
  • Patent number: 8876023
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Assignee: Kohler Mira Limited
    Inventors: Kevin Taylor Peel, Jennifer Ellen Barnard, Simon Westgate, Alexander Fagg, Craig Edwin Baker, Peter Thomas Green
  • Publication number: 20140261694
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: KOHLER MIRA LIMITED
    Inventors: Kevin T. Peel, Sean P. Conway
  • Publication number: 20130340863
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Publication date: December 26, 2013
    Applicant: KOHLER MIRA LIMITED
    Inventor: Kevin T. Peel
  • Patent number: 8585009
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2013
    Assignee: Kohler Mira Limited
    Inventors: Xiangzhen Zhu, Richard Timothy Hopson
  • Publication number: 20130263933
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: October 26, 2011
    Publication date: October 10, 2013
    Applicant: KOHLER MIRA LIMITED
    Inventors: Nigel P. Sansum, Paul A. Gostling
  • Patent number: 8517282
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2013
    Assignee: Kohler Mira Limited
    Inventors: Nigel Paul Sansum, Richard Timothy Hopson
  • Patent number: 8167215
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Kohler Mira Limited
    Inventors: Nigel Paul Sansum, Richard Timothy Hopson
  • Patent number: 8043556
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2011
    Assignee: Kohler Mira Limited
    Inventors: Kevin Peel, Timothy James Shepherd, Geoffrey Hawke Whale, Paul Vigars, Nicholas John Beck
  • Publication number: 20100219255
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2010
    Publication date: September 2, 2010
    Applicant: Kohler Mira Limited
    Inventors: Nigel Paul Sansum, Richard Timothy Hopson
  • Publication number: 20100123013
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: January 14, 2010
    Publication date: May 20, 2010
    Applicant: Kohler Mira Limited
    Inventors: Nicholas John Beck, Sean Patrick Conway, Bruce Lewin John Hayward, Kevin Taylor Peel
  • Patent number: 7694983
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2010
    Assignees: Mira Limited
    Inventor: Adrian Michael Griffiths
  • Patent number: 7669776
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2010
    Assignee: Kohler Mira Limited
    Inventors: Nicholas John Beck, Sean Patrick Conway, Bruce Lewin John Hayward, Kevin Taylor Peel
  • Publication number: 20080191441
    Abstract: 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 intermedia
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 24, 2006
    Publication date: August 14, 2008
    Applicants: MIRA LIMITED
    Inventor: Adrian Michael Griffiths
  • Publication number: 20070198873
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: December 1, 2006
    Publication date: August 23, 2007
    Applicants: MIRA LIMITED, LOUGHBOROUGH UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: David Ward, James Flint, Vassilios Chouliaras, Emmanuel Touloupis
  • Patent number: 7240850
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2007
    Assignee: Kohler Mira Limited
    Inventors: Nicholas John Beck, Sean Patrick Conway, Bruce Lewin John Hayward, Kevin Taylor Peel
  • Patent number: D629868
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2010
    Assignee: Kohler Mira Limited
    Inventor: Jennifer Ellen Barnard
  • Patent number: D689987
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2013
    Assignee: Kohler Mira Limited
    Inventors: Gary John Kington, Simon Mark Browning, Norman Edwards
  • Patent number: D692535
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2013
    Assignee: Kohler Mira Limited
    Inventors: Gary John Kington, Simon Mark Browning, Norman Edwards
  • Patent number: D708302
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2014
    Assignee: Kohler Mira Limited
    Inventors: David Antony Pixton, Christopher Ian Thompson, Simon Mark Browning