Patents Assigned to Owen, Wickersham & Erickson
  • Patent number: 4541367
    Abstract: A controlled amount of a fluid (steam or water or a solution of water plus additives) is injected into an internal combustion engine to improve combustion, efficiency, and to reduce emissions. The amount of the fluid injected is controlled in response to engine need. The steam is generated by the heat produced by the engine. Combustion gas temperature is used to control the amount of steam produced by varying the fluid flow through one or more fixed or variable orifice control valves. The steam is injected in a piston engine to cool peak temperatures, to prevent detonation and pre-ignition, to smooth out hot spots, to prevent auto-ignition or dieseling, and to use the vapor energy in the expansion cycle to increase low speed torque and acceleration. The steam is used to cause full retard of the vacuum spark advance during acceleration at full load from low speed, and a large amount of steam is injected at this point in the cycle to prevent pre-ignition and detonation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 1983
    Date of Patent: September 17, 1985
    Assignee: Owen, Wickersham & Erickson, P.C.
    Inventor: John E. Lindberg
  • Patent number: 4516553
    Abstract: An inverter apparatus for producing an increasing vacuum effect in response to a decreasing vacuum field. A piston is axially movable within a cylindrical bore. The piston has a first surface exposed to atmospheric pressure. A spring biases the piston in a direction opposed to the direction of movement which would be produced by atmospheric pressure on the second surface. A fluid inlet passageway extends through the cylinder and opens into the cylindrical bore, the piston having an axially extending side wall facing the cylindrical bore. An orifice formed in that side wall and an outlet passageway located at one end of the orifice connect that end with the chamber having the vacuum acting on the first surface of the piston. The axially extending orifice is so located in the side wall of the piston as to provide a decreasing restriction to flow of fluid from the first passageway through the orifice to the outlet with decreasing vacuum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 1983
    Date of Patent: May 14, 1985
    Assignee: Owen, Wickersham & Erickson
    Inventor: John E. Lindberg
  • Patent number: 4476817
    Abstract: A controlled amount of a fluid (steam or water or a solution of water plus additives) is injected into an internal combustion engine to improve combustion, efficiency, and to reduce emissions. The amount of the fluid injected is controlled in response to engine need. The steam is generated by the heat produced by the engine. Combustion gas temperature is used to control the amount of steam produced by varying the fluid flow through one or more fixed or variable orifice control valves. The steam is injected in a piston engine to cool peak temperatures, to prevent detonation and pre-ignition, to smooth out hot spots, to prevent auto-ignition or dieseling, and to use the vapor energy in the expansion cycle to increase low speed torque and acceleration. The steam is used to cause full retard of the vacuum spark advance during acceleration at full load from low speed, and a large amount of steam is injected at this point in the cycle to prevent pre-ignition and detonation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 1983
    Date of Patent: October 16, 1984
    Assignee: Owen, Wickersham & Erickson, P.C.
    Inventor: John E. Lindberg
  • Patent number: 4465095
    Abstract: A pressure-actuated flow control valve. A valve housing has an inlet and an outlet with first and second spaced-apart seats between them and a permanent magnet on the inlet side of the first seat, which is closed to the inlet. A ferromagnetic ball in between the seats is urged by said magnet toward the first seat to check backflow. The valve responds to pressure differential to move the ball away from the first seat and toward the second seat. Between the seats, the passage widens toward the second seat. There may be a needle valve on the outlet side of the valve enabling controlling the flow therethrough.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 1982
    Date of Patent: August 14, 1984
    Assignee: Owen, Wickersham & Erickson
    Inventor: John E. Lindberg
  • Patent number: 4414932
    Abstract: Exhaust emissions are reduced, fuel consumption is improved for internal-combustion engines, and the number of cold starts reduced by storing heat energy from the operation of the engine in a heat-storage reservoir filled with a change-of-state heat-storage material. Absorbed heat energy is released back to the engine's intake manifold to maintain elevated engine temperature between uses and starting up of the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 1981
    Date of Patent: November 15, 1983
    Assignee: Owen, Wickersham & Erickson
    Inventor: John E. Lindberg
  • Patent number: 4409931
    Abstract: A controlled amount of a fluid (steam or water or a solution of water plus additives) is injected into an internal combustion engine to improve combustion, efficiency, and to reduce emissions. The amount of the fluid injected is controlled in response to engine need. The steam is generated by the heat produced by the engine. Combustion gas temperature is used to control the amount of steam produced by varying the fluid flow through one or more fixed or variable orifice control valves. The steam is injected in a piston engine to cool peak temperatures, to prevent detonation and pre-ignition, to smooth out hot spots, to prevent auto-ignition or dieseling, and to use the vapor energy in the expansion cycle to increase low speed torque and acceleration. The steam is used to cause full retard of the vacuum spark advance during acceleration at full load from low speed, and a large amount of steam is injected at this point in the cycle to prevent pre-ignition and detonation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 1980
    Date of Patent: October 18, 1983
    Assignee: Owen, Wickersham & Erickson
    Inventor: John E. Lindberg
  • Patent number: 4393817
    Abstract: A controlled amount of a fluid (steam or water or a solution of water plus additives) is injected into an internal combustion engine to improve combustion, efficiency, and to reduce emissions. The amount of the fluid injected is controlled in response to engine need. The steam is generated by the heat produced by the engine. Combustion gas temperature is used to control the amount of steam produced by varying the fluid flow through one or more fixed or variable orifice control valves. The steam is injected in a piston engine to cool peak temperatures, to prevent detonation and pre-ignition, to smooth out hot spots, to prevent auto-ignition or dieseling, and to use the vapor energy in the expansion cycle to increase low speed torque and acceleration. The steam is used to cause full retard of the vacuum spark advance during acceleration at full load from low speed, and a large amount of steam is injected at this point in the cycle to prevent pre-ignition and detonation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 1980
    Date of Patent: July 19, 1983
    Assignee: Owen, Wickersham & Erickson
    Inventor: John E. Lindberg
  • Patent number: 4172437
    Abstract: A fluid flow regulator controls the amount of fluid flow or pressure of the fluid flowing through the regulator by producing an impedance to flow through the regulator which varies in relationship to the pressure differential across the regulator and which also varies in relationship to an acceleration in the fluid flowing through the regulator. The regulator has a shape which produces an acceleration in the fluid flowing through the regulator to cause the flow itself to vary the impedance to flow through the regulator. In a specific embodiment the fluid flow regulator is a vortex chamber and can be used as a replacement for existing, mechanical PCV valves for internal combustion engines. The flow regulator of the present invention provides a variable orifice valve function without any moving parts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 1977
    Date of Patent: October 30, 1979
    Assignee: Owen, Wickersham & Erickson
    Inventor: John E. Lindberg
  • Patent number: 4140090
    Abstract: A gaseous fuel is used in a precombustion chamber for igniting lean fuel-oxidant mixtures in a main combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine.The precombustion chamber preferably utilizes a highly combustible gaseous fuel which burns clean with little or no deposits and produces no pollutants.The combustion gas products from the precombustion chamber are injected into the main combustion chamber at high temperature and at high velocity to produce highly efficient turbulent mixing of a lean fuel-oxidant mixture in the main combustion chamber and to produce effective ignition and efficient burning of the fuel at the lean fuel-oxidant ratios in the main combustion chamber for increased engine efficiency and lowered emissions as compared to existing engine systems using conventional spark ignition.The precombustion chamber mechanism incorporates injection structure for producing standing waves in the main combustion chamber to provide a plurality of highly effective ignition points.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 1975
    Date of Patent: February 20, 1979
    Assignee: Owen, Wickersham & Erickson
    Inventor: John E. Lindberg
  • Patent number: 4132247
    Abstract: A fluid mixing apparatus introduces a controlled amount of gas into a liquid flowing through a conduit.The fluid mixing apparatus incorporates a flow control device which is constructed to produce a variable impedance to fluid flow through the control device. The impedance varies in a pre-planned relationship to the pressure differential across the flow control device and to an acceleration of the flow within the control device.The control device has an outlet connected to the interior of the liquid carrying conduit and has a gas inlet for supplying the gas to the interior of the control device.In a specific embodiment, the flow control device is a vortex chamber which produces rotation of the gas flowing through the gas inlet. This rotation produces a self-choking effect on the gas flowing from the inlet to the outlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 1977
    Date of Patent: January 2, 1979
    Assignee: Owen, Wickersham & Erickson
    Inventor: John E. Lindberg
  • Patent number: 4131134
    Abstract: A fluid flow regulator controls the amount of fluid flow or pressure of the fluid flowing through the regulator by producing an impedance to flow through the regulator which varies in relationship to the pressure differential across the regulator and which also varies in relationship to an acceleration in the fluid flowing through the regulator. The regulator has a shape which produces an acceleration in the fluid flowing through the regulator to cause the flow itself to vary the impedance to flow through the regulator.In a specific embodiment the fluid flow regulator is a vortex chamber and can be used as a replacement for existing, mechanical PCV valves for internal combustion engines. The flow regulator of the present invention provides a variable orifice valve function without any moving parts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 1977
    Date of Patent: December 26, 1978
    Assignee: Owen, Wickersham & Erickson
    Inventor: John E. Lindberg
  • Patent number: 4112892
    Abstract: A combustion control system adds fluid to the air fuel mixture of the induction system of an internal combustion engine in response to the engine's need for the added fluid to improve combustion, to increase power, to improve efficiency, and to reduce emissions.The combustion control system includes a variable impedance, fluidic control mechanism which produces an impedance to flow through the mechanism which varies in relationship to the pressure differential applied across and to an acceleration of flow through the control mechanism. In one embodiment, the variable impedance flow control mechanism is a vortex chamber, and in another embodiment it is a Venturi. Both embodiments have an outlet which is connected to the induction system above the butterfly valve of the engine.A second variable impedance fluidic control mechanism controls the mixing of air with PCV gases in response to suction in the induction system of the engine; this second control has an outlet which is connected below the butterfly valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 1977
    Date of Patent: September 12, 1978
    Assignee: Owen, Wickersham & Erickson
    Inventor: John E. Lindberg