Patents Examined by Alix Eggerding
  • Patent number: 9382620
    Abstract: An electrically conductive fluid distribution element for use in a fuel cell includes a conductive metal substrate and a layer of conductive non-metallic porous media. The conductive non-metallic porous media has an electrically conductive material deposited along a surface in one or more metallized regions and having an average thickness less than about 40 nm. The metallized regions improve electrical conductance at contact regions between the metal substrate and the fluid distribution media.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2016
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Gayatri Vyas Dadheech, Mahmoud H. Abd Elhamid, Youssef M. Mikhail
  • Patent number: 9368771
    Abstract: An electric storage module includes: a plurality of electric storage units; a casing that houses the plurality of electric storage units, and includes a pair of resin side plates that hold and support at least the plurality of electric storage units from opposite sides; a plurality of conductive members for electrically connecting the plurality of electric storage units; a metal cover member that covers the casing on an outside of each of the side plates; and a peripheral wall protruding from each of the side plates so as to surround each of the plurality of conductive members, wherein: a height of the peripheral wall from each of the side plates is higher than a height of the conductive members from each of the side plates, and smaller than a distance from each of the side plates to the cover member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2016
    Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Sadashi Seto, Tatsuo Sugawara
  • Patent number: 9359508
    Abstract: A water-based slurry composition contains (1) a water-based medium containing at least water as a polar solvent, (2) at least one polymer selected from cellulose derivatives, alginic acid derivatives, starch derivatives, chitin derivatives, chitosan derivatives, polyallylamine and polyvinylamine, (3) a hydrophobic filler, and (4) a polybasic acid or a derivative thereof. The composition has a water content of 30 mass % or higher. An electrode plate for an electricity storage device, and the electricity storage device are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2016
    Assignee: DAINICHISEIKA COLOR & CHEMICALS MFG. CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Nobuyuki Kobayashi, Takanori Sannan, Shinya Tsuchida, Yoshihiko Iijima
  • Patent number: 9356326
    Abstract: A top cover includes a cover plate covering a plurality of battery cells and having an opening in at least one portion thereof, and at least one temperature measuring member mounted in the opening so as to measure a temperature of one the battery cells, the temperature measuring member having a temperature measuring portion coming in contact with the battery cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2016
    Assignees: SAMSUNG SDI CO., LTD., ROBERT BOSCH GmbH
    Inventor: Myung-Chul Kim
  • Patent number: 9343716
    Abstract: Flexible battery packs for use in electronic devices are disclosed. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the flexible battery pack may include a plurality of cells, such as galvanic or photovoltaic cells. The battery pack also may include a plurality of laminate layers coupled to the cells that include a top laminate layer and a bottom laminate layer. An adhesive may be used to couple the top and bottom laminate layers together such that each of the plurality of cells is isolated from each other. This arrangement may allow the battery to be shaped to fit a form factor of the electronic device. This arrangement also may allow one or more of the cells to be selectively removed from the plurality, which may be desirable from a manufacturing perspective.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2016
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Fletcher Rothkopf, David A. Pakula, Daniel W. Jarvis, John Raff, Jeremy C. Franklin
  • Patent number: 9338914
    Abstract: An apparatus having an electronics unit and a battery unit for energy supply of the electronics unit, wherein the battery unit has a first formed part, and wherein the electronics unit has a second formed part. The first and second formed parts are connectable with one another, wherein, by orienting, especially by rotating, the first formed part, respectively the second formed part, the first formed part and the second formed part are connectable with one another in different installed positions, and wherein the energy supply of the electronics unit occurs from the battery unit as a function of the installed position, in which the first formed part is connected with the second formed part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2016
    Assignee: ENDRESS + HAUSER PROCESS SOLUTIONS AG
    Inventors: Christian Seiler, Marc Fiedler, Stefan Probst, Uwe Mannbar, Werner Thoren
  • Patent number: 9325025
    Abstract: The present invention relates to improved membrane electrode assemblies and fuel cells with long lifetime, comprising two electrochemically active electrodes separated by a polymer electrolyte membrane based on polyoxazoles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Assignee: BASF SE
    Inventors: Oliver Gronwald, Gunter Christ, Christoph Hartnig
  • Patent number: 9318745
    Abstract: To provide a conductive agent for a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery and the like, in which oxidative decomposition reaction of an electrolyte is sufficiently suppressed during charging and discharging under high-temperature, high-voltage conditions and thus the cycle characteristics under these conditions are improved. A conductive agent main body composed of carbon and a compound attached to a surface of the conductive agent main body are contained. The average particle size of primary particles or secondary particles of the conductive agent main body is larger than the average particle size of the compound and the compound contains at least one metal element selected from the group consisting of aluminum, zirconium, magnesium, and a rare earth element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2016
    Assignee: SANYO ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Matsumoto, Takeshi Ogasawara
  • Patent number: 9314915
    Abstract: A battery pack for an electric power tool has at least one cell arrangement with a plurality of individual battery cells that are arranged such in a predetermined total number of battery cells upright adjacent to one another for forming a cell container that cell axes of the battery cells are approximately perpendicular to a common reference plane. Cell connectors electrically conductingly connect cell ends of the battery cells. The battery cells of the cell container include a core cell and neighboring cells surrounding the core cell. Points of intersection of the cell axes of all of the neighboring cells with the reference plane are positioned on a closed, approximately elliptical curve. A number of neighboring cells is greater than one third of the total number of the battery cells of cell container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2016
    Assignee: Andreas Stihl AG & Co. KG
    Inventor: Volker Reber
  • Patent number: 9303818
    Abstract: A novel high-density hydrogen and other gas storage material has been fabricated and enhanced to provide the opportunity to use hydrogen as a predominant energy source by using hierarchical and ordered nanoporous materials to provide a solution to the shortcomings of current storage technologies. These materials consist of high aspect ratio porous templates with aligned and periodic nanocapillaries that have a tunable density, diameter, and wall thickness. Not only is the disclosed process low-cost and scalable, but catalytic fabrication of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) within the nanocapillaries is achieved, thereby yielding coaxial nanocapillary arrays for physical and adsorbed hydrogen storage with ultra-high gravimetric and volumetric hydrogen storage densities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: MAINSTREAM ENGINEERING CORPORATION
    Inventors: Justin J. Hill, Nicholas Schwartz, Gregory Chester
  • Patent number: 9293749
    Abstract: Provided is an ultrafine fibrous porous separator with heat resistance and high-strength and a manufacturing method thereof, which enables mass-production of a heat-resistant and high-strength ultrafine fibrous separator by using an air-electrospinning (AES) method, and to a secondary battery using the same. The method of manufacturing a heat-resistant and high-strength ultrafine fibrous porous separator includes the steps of: air-electrospinning a mixed solution of 50 to 70 wt % of a heat-resistant, polymer material and 30 to 50 wt % of a swelling polymer material, to thereby form a porous web of a heat-resistant ultrafine fiber in which the heat-resistant polymer material and the swelling polymer material are consolidated in an ultrafine fibrous form; performing drying to control a solvent and moisture that remain on the surface of the porous web; and performing thermal compression on the dried porous web at a temperature of between 170° C. and 210° C. so as to obtain the separator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignee: AMOGREENTECH CO., LTD.
    Inventors: In Yong Seo, Byung Gwang Jo, Yong Sik Jung, Yun Hye Kim
  • Patent number: 9293778
    Abstract: A proton exchange membrane fuel cell is described and which includes a proton exchange membrane having at least one gas diffusion layer which is juxtaposed relative thereto, and which is fabricated, at least in part, of a porous, electrically conductive, inorganic material which is selected from the group comprising metal diborides, metal disilicides, metal nitrides, metal carbides, and composites, laminates and solid solutions thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignee: Emergent Power Inc.
    Inventors: Scott A. Spink, David R. Lott, Matthew M. Wright, Dinesh S. Yemul, William A. Fuglevand, Shiblihanna I. Bayuuk, Runrun Duan, Lijun Bai
  • Patent number: 9287535
    Abstract: A secondary battery, which has no raw material injection spot and a burr on a lower surface of the insulating member. The sidewalls are formed on the opposite side to the side on which bending stress is applied, and the sidewalls act as a structural resistor, which result in preventing the plate from bending. The insulating member inserted into the container has an inversely stepped part to keep the insulating member from escaping from the container. A fabrication method of the secondary battery whereby an insulating member is prepared by inserting a raw material from the side on which the sidewall is to be formed into a mold and solidifying the inserted raw material, the insulating member is positioned over the electrode assembly inserted into a container, and a cap is coupled to an opening of the container with the insulating member positioned over the electrode assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2016
    Assignee: Samsung SDI Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hwa-Il Uh
  • Patent number: 9246146
    Abstract: A battery pack including a plurality of battery cells; a housing accommodating the plurality of battery cells; a connector coupled to the housing, at least a portion of the connector being exposed outside of the housing; and a sealing member coupled to the connector, the sealing member surrounding the exposed portion of the connector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2016
    Assignees: SAMSUNG SDI CO., LTD., ROBERT BOSCH GmbH
    Inventors: Myeongcheol Kim, Taeyong Kim, Hyunye Lee, Kangsik Jung, Shidong Park
  • Patent number: 9240610
    Abstract: In use in a battery, a first spiral-wound battery element and associated wiring generates a first magnetic field and a second spiral-wound battery element and associated wiring generates a second magnetic field. The first element, the second element and the wiring may be arranged within a casing so that the first magnetic field is proximate to the second magnetic field and oriented in an opposite polarity. Conveniently, it may be shown that the total magnetic field generated by the battery has significantly lower magnitude than the total magnetic field generated by a conventional battery for the same current drain and same wiring structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2016
    Assignee: BlackBerry Limited
    Inventors: Jens Kristian Poulsen, Larry Edward Hawker, George Soliman Mankaruse
  • Patent number: 9236619
    Abstract: A solid oxide fuel cell having a coupling structure, the solid oxide fuel cell including a plurality of cells, each cell having a cell cap at an end thereof; and the coupling structure, the coupling structure connecting the plurality of cells, wherein the coupling structure includes a connector, the connector including an insulating portion at a center thereof, and coupling portions adjacent to the insulating portion at respective sides of the insulating portion and coupled to the cell caps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2016
    Assignee: SAMSUNG SDI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Duk-Hyoung Yoon, Shunsuke Taniguchi
  • Patent number: 9212745
    Abstract: Sealing frame (1) for utilization in a battery, encompassing a base body (2) whereby the base body (2) encompasses an opening (3), whereby the base body (2) features a first sealing surface (4) and a facing second sealing surface (5) and whereby the first sealing surface (4) and/or the second sealing surface (5) are implemented elastically compressible. During normal operation, the frame provides an optimal operating temperature and a reliable leak tightness, in the event of failure however the frame permits the electrolyte to escape, effortlessly and directed, characterized by cooling passages (22) that are integrated in the base body (2) and/or a heating device (23) which interfuse the base body (2) at least partially along the lengthwise expansion of the sealing surfaces (4, 5).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2015
    Assignee: Carl Freudenberg KG
    Inventor: Peter Kritzer
  • Patent number: 9214682
    Abstract: A fuel cell is formed by sandwiching a membrane electrode assembly between a first separator and a second separator. A fuel gas flow field is formed in the second separator. An inlet buffer is connected to the inlet of the fuel gas flow field, and an outlet buffer is connected to an outlet of the fuel gas flow field. The inlet buffer is deeper than the outlet buffer. Therefore, the pressure loss in the inlet buffer is smaller than the pressure loss in the outlet buffer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2015
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Seiji Sugiura, Yasuhiro Watanabe
  • Patent number: 9214683
    Abstract: A power generator includes a chemical hydride multilayer fuel cell stack. A flow path extends through the fuel cell stack to provide oxygen containing air to the fuel cell stack and to cool the fuel cell stack. A hydrogen generator is coupled to the flow path to receive water vapor from ambient air introduced into the flow path and water vapor generated by the fuel cell stack and to provide hydrogen to the fuel cell stack. A controller separately controls airflow past the fuel cell stack and water vapor provided to the hydrogen generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2015
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: Steven J. Eickhoff, Yue Liu, Fouad A. Nusseibeh
  • Patent number: 9209492
    Abstract: A battery pack includes a bare cell that includes an electrode assembly, a case for accommodating the electrode assembly, and a cap plate arranged at one side of the case, a protection circuit board assembly for controlling charge/discharge of the bare cell, a battery protection device electrically connected to the protection circuit board assembly, and a first adhesive member. At least a part of the first adhesive member is disposed on the case. The first adhesive member crosses the battery protection device in a lengthwise direction of the battery protection device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignee: SAMSUNG SDI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Woon-Seong Baek, Dae-Geun Kim, Heui-Sang Yoon, Sang-Joo Lee