Abstract: A small cooking appliance with a bottom housing, a top housing, and a ring assembly. An uppermost cooking cavity is defined in the top housing and may be used to cook or heat a top food layer. The uppermost cooking cavity includes a floor that forms an uppermost cooking surface. The uppermost cooking cavity may have an open top. The appliance may include a hinged or pivoting lid to selectively close off the open top of the uppermost cooking cavity. The uppermost cooking surface may be heated by one or more heating elements in the top housing. The appliance cooks a food item in an assembled manner save a top food layer of the food item needs to be manually removed from the uppermost cooking cavity and placed onto the other layers.

Abstract: A coffee bean packaging cartridge for holding and supplying multiple servings of coffee beans can be connected to a coffee beverage system. The cartridge includes a container having an outer wall defining an interior volume and an opening at one end thereof. A permanent, preferably non-removable closure member is fitted to the one end of the container and substantially covers the opening. An exit passage in the closure member, defines a coffee bean outlet, for transferring coffee beans from the interior volume. The closure member further has relatively movable closing means for selectively closing the exit passage to reduce exposure of the coffee bean contents to surrounding air. The cartridge further includes connecting means for connecting the cartridge to a coffee beverage system.

Abstract: An electronic cigarette having a function for detecting the operating voltage and current of an atomiser. A microcontroller (102) detects the operating voltage or/and the operating current of an atomiser, and when the operating voltage or/and the operating current exceeds a threshold value, a switch circuit (103) is disconnected, so that a battery rod ceases to supply power to the atomiser, and a power supply circuit (101) of the battery rod and the atomiser is disconnected, thereby having the effect of protecting the atomiser. In addition, power supply voltage and current mismatching between the atomiser and the battery rod is prevented, said mismatching causing operational irregularities such as the amount of vapor atomised by the atomiser being unstable, and burning. The switch circuit (103) has a simple and clever structure, costs are low, and reliability is high.

Abstract: Described herein is an automotive sheet heater. The automotive sheet heater includes a stacked structure of a far-infrared radiating layer, a metal layer, and a metal wire-containing carbon nanotube heating layer. The carbon nanotube heating layer includes 1 wt % to 50 wt % of metal wires.

Abstract: A method of operating an electric oven includes generating a door-open signal if an oven door is in an open position. An electric broiling element is activated to perform an open-door broil operation in response to generation of the door-open signal. The temperature within a cooking chamber is determined during the open-door broil operation and the electric broiling element is deactivated if the temperature within the cooking chamber exceeds a first shutoff temperature. The method also includes generating a door-closed signal if the oven door is in a closed position. The electric broiling element is activated to perform a closed-door broil operation in response to generation of the door-closed signal. The temperature within the cooking chamber of the electric oven is determined during the closed-door broil operation and the electric broiling element is deactivated if the temperature within the cooking chamber exceeds a second shutoff temperature.

Abstract: A heat exchanger having at least one electrical resistance heating element, two conductors connected electrically to the electrical resistance heating element to conduct electric current through the electrical resistance heating element and thereby to heat the electrical resistance heating element, a heat-conducting element for transferring heat from the electrical resistance heating element to a fluid to be heated, an electrical insulating element insulating electrically the two conductors and the at least one electrical resistance heating element, and at least one tube. The two conductors, the electrical insulating element, and the electrical resistance heating element are arranged within a cavity bounded by the tube. The heat exchanger has an adapter plate and a tube opening, each being arranged at an opening of the adapter plate, and the at least one tube being connected fluid-tight to the adapter plate, which is connected fluid-tight to an electronics housing and/or an HVAC system housing.

Abstract: A broiler reflector is provided between an upper wall of a cooking cavity of a residential oven and a broiler heating element. The broiler reflector helps to direct radiant heat energy emitted upward from the broiler heating element downward towards food items located beneath the broiler heating element. The shape of the broiler reflector helps to ensure that a sufficient amount of the radiant energy is directed to the front and rear portions of an underlying rack to ensure even cooking and even browning. The broiler reflector can include a front reflecting portion and a rear reflecting portion, each of which include first and second reflectors.

Abstract: In a wire electric discharge machine, time from application of a voltage to a machining gap between a workpiece and a wire electrode until occurrence of electric discharge is measured as a discharge delay time, and the measured discharge delay time is integrated over a predetermined measurement period to calculate a discharge delay integrated time. Further, the number of times of the voltage application in the measurement period is counted. An average discharge delay time per voltage application in the measurement period is calculated from the discharge delay integrated time and the number of times of voltage application. The movement of the wire electrode with respect to the workpiece is controlled on the basis of the average discharge delay time.

Abstract: A beverage machine that heats up water in the upper water chamber(s) is provided. The water has direct contact with an electric heating system and the heated water flows by gravity and being distributed by a pour over system into an underlying filter basket. The hot water chamber has a sensor for water temperature. Once the water reaches an optimal temperature, a motor and gear system would drive a valve open and allow the heated water to flow into the underlying filter basket. A specific amount of water can be heated up in individual batch, thereby making it easy to manage water temperature in every batch.

Abstract: An electrical heating evaporator for evaporating active substances such as perfumes and/or insecticides, in which the evaporation rate regulator includes an electrical heater resistor for which the power supplied is regulated through a potentiometer constructed on a printed circuit board. The evaporation rate can be adjusted for a wide variety of types of chemical substances, without the need of substantially modifying the design of the device.

Abstract: A resistance welding method for welding a stack of three or more workpieces. The method includes the steps of holding a first welding tip in abutment against a first outermost workpiece, holding a second welding tip in abutment against a second outermost workpiece, and holding a pressing member in abutment against the first outermost workpiece. The method also includes the steps of gripping the stacked assembly with the first welding tip, the second welding tip, and the pressing member and passing an electric current between the first welding electrode and the second welding electrode.

Abstract: A unit for supplying a gas from the upstream side of a reaction chamber, a unit for heating the gas in the upstream side of the reaction chamber, a unit for holding a substrate to be processed in the downstream side of the reaction chamber, and a unit for circulating the gas from the downstream side of the reaction chamber to the upstream side are prepared. The amount of electric power used in heating the gas can be economized by circulating the gas used to heat the substrate to be processed. A portion of the circulating gas may be expelled, and can be utilized as a heat source in order to preheat a newly introduced gas.

Abstract: A modular welding system which can switch between right-handed and left-handed wire feeders by use of the modular design and without having a duplicative dual feed system is disclosed. This aspect is applicable to robotic welding as well as boom-mounted welding operations.

Abstract: Griddle with adjustable space between upper and lower pans, including an upper shell, a lower shell, rear sides of the upper and lower pans connected through adjustable hinges, the bottom of the upper hinge seat extending downwardly and the top of the lower hinge seat extending upwardly to form upper and lower joint arms, a groove extending along the side of the lower joint arm, the top of the groove extending forward, a protrusion mounted at the side of the lower joint arm and in front of the groove; the bottom of the upper joint arm extending to one side to form a pintle which can move in the groove, and a supporting portion formed at the bottom of the upper joint arm and in front of the pintle, to keep a space between the upper pan and the lower pan by abutting against the protrusion.

Abstract: A machine for preparing liquid products via cartridges comprises a delivery assembly that includes at least: one injector device, to introduce into a cartridge water and/or steam under pressure; an infusion chamber, facing the injector device and designed to receive the cartridge; an actuation system, designed to cause relative displacements between the injector device and the infusion chamber, between a spaced position and a closed position; a loading arrangement that includes an inlet duct and retention means, which can be switched between a retention condition, where the cartridge is kept in a position substantially coaxial to the infusion chamber and to the injector device, and a release condition, where the cartridge is free to fall towards an outlet passage of the delivery assembly.

Abstract: An electric vaporizer heating chamber that provides a user with two options for heating various smoke forming substances has a first heating compartment and a second heating compartment. The first heating compartment and second heating compartment are enclosed by a chamber casing and are positioned in between a lower heat insulator and an upper heat insulator. The first heating compartment is supported by a heater seat which also insulates the chamber casing. A heating coil is positioned within the first heating compartment and allows substances placed in the first heating compartment to be combusted. The second heating compartment can be placed within the first heating compartment overtop of the heating coil in order to vaporize substances placed in the second heating compartment. A battery connector is also housed within the chamber casing and provides electrical connections for supplying current to the heating coil in order to heat the heating coil.

Abstract: A hole expanding device includes an electric heating device, a moving device, an rotating device, and a carrying device. The electric heating device includes a transition portion and a hole expanding rod fixed onto the transition portion. The electric heating device heats the hole expanding rod to a predetermined temperature. The rotating device is fixed onto the moving device. The moving device drives the rotating device to move along a direction parallel to the hole expanding rod. The carrying device is fixed onto the rotating device and includes a receiving groove for receiving and fixing a workpiece. The rotating device rotates the carrying device to make two opposite surfaces of the workpiece face the hole expanding rod.

Abstract: A laser irradiation apparatus which is provided with: an environment isolation container, which houses a laser oscillator and is disposed in water; a laser irradiation head, which collects laser beams and irradiates a part to be machined with the laser beams; a light guide section which transmits the laser beams from the laser oscillator to the laser irradiation head; a power supply apparatus which supplies the laser oscillator with power; a cooling water supplying apparatus, which supplies the laser oscillator with cooling water through a cooling water supplying path; and a temperature sensor which measures the temperature inside of the environment isolation container. The temperature and/or the flow quantity of the cooling water to be supplied from the cooling water supplying apparatus is controlled on the basis of the measurement results obtained from the temperature sensor.

Abstract: A resistance welding electrode includes a shaft-shaped holder and an electrode part in the form of an electrode cap or a pin electrode which are non-positively connected via tapered surfaces. Furthermore, cooling bores are also present. In such a resistance welding electrode the tapered cone angle is in a region of about 1 degree to 3 degrees and the holder and the electrode part are connected such that the holder and the electrode part are further in axial contact with each other via a radial surface contact, and the edge of the electrode part facing the holder is restrained in an associated reception recess on the holder side by means of reduction.

Abstract: Provided is a brewing device for an espresso maker having a brewing chamber for receiving grounds, a pressing ram mounted movably on a path of travel extending between a top position and a bottom compaction position in which it penetrates into said brewing chamber to form a cake of compacted grounds, a hydraulic drive mechanism for the pressing ram having a hydraulic pump and means for measuring the volume of hydraulic fluid injected into the drive mechanism. The brewing device has a control circuit that determines the height of the cake of compacted grounds from signals delivered by the volume measurement means during the travel of the pressing ram.