Patents Examined by Barbara Lee Gilliam
  • Patent number: 10090542
    Abstract: An electrode element and fuel cell and a new method of manufacturing a fuel cell, particularly for use in a breath alcohol detector. This new element includes a reservoir for extra electrolyte that can allow near perfect capillary action to keep the electrode substrate full of electrolyte for long periods of time, increasing its useful life, especially under harsh conditions. Further, the capillary action need not work through a layer of electrode and can be integrally formed with the electrode element to eliminate or reduce loss due to connective surfaces. Wire connections and arrangements are generally of no concern in this design as the reservoirs for electrolyte connect directly to the substrate and electrolyte does not need to pass through an electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: Alcotek, Inc.
    Inventors: Karl R. Wolf, Jr., Joe Fodor
  • Patent number: 10084210
    Abstract: Provided is an electrochemical cell module in which a plurality of electrochemical cell modules may be used in a combined state. In an electrochemical cell module 1 where both ends of six cylindrical electrochemical cells (lithium ion battery cells 3) electrically connected to one another and arranged juxtaposedly are respectively held by a pair of cell holders 5 and 7, and a control circuit holder 9 is attached to an outside of the cell holder 5, which is one of the pair of the cell holders 5 and 7. The control circuit holder 9 receives a control circuit 41 operable to control voltages of the six lithium ion battery cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2018
    Assignee: Hitachi Chemical Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuichiro Mishiro, Masahiko Amano, Masanori Niida
  • Patent number: 10074870
    Abstract: Examples disclosed herein relate to a continuous separator having perforations to help reduce or prevent wrinkling of the separator when producing curved electrode stacks. One example provides a battery comprising a plurality of discontinuous electrode layers, and a continuous separator separating the discontinuous electrode layers, the continuous separator having perforations extending at least partially through a depth of the continuous separator in a folded region of the continuous separator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC
    Inventors: Dongli Zeng, Tzu-Yuan Lin, John Christopher Collins, Vijayasekaran Boovaragavan, Michael Nikkhoo
  • Patent number: 10074830
    Abstract: A battery housing structure for housing a battery body that includes a positive electrode layer, a solid electrolyte layer, and a negative electrode layer. A housing member houses the battery body and includes conductors connected to the positive electrode layer and the negative electrode layer, respectively. An interposition member is interposed between the battery body and the housing member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Satoshi Shigematsu, Kazuhiro Yamada, Masanori Endo
  • Patent number: 10074844
    Abstract: To connect a bus bar plate to a battery module, a plurality of recess portions provided on a plurality of holders so as to be spaced in the stacking direction are engaged with a plurality of projection portions provided on the bus bar plate to be spaced in the stacking direction. Since the lengths “a” of the plurality of projection portions are the same, and the plurality of recess portions are formed from a first recess portion having a length “a” and a second recess portion having a length “b” larger than the length “a,” the precision of positioning of the bus bar plate can be ensured by engagement between the projecting portion and the first recess portion, and even if the gap between the projecting portions or the recess portions is nonuniform, it is possible to assemble the bus bar plate onto the holder with high precision.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shinji Wada, Arihisa Kimura, Koichi Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 10074859
    Abstract: Systems and methods for shunt current and mechanical loss mitigation in electrochemical systems include a conduit providing at least a portion of an electrically conductive pathway between the first and second electrochemical cells, wherein the conduit includes at least one shunt current suppression device configured as a loop, and/or a connector assembly for maintaining first and second connecting portions in adjacent positioning.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: UniEnergy Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Bradley Kell, Jon Horner, Rick Winter
  • Patent number: 10074879
    Abstract: An electrochemical device (such as a battery) includes at least one electrode having a fluid surface and one or more sensors configured to detect an operating condition of the device. Fluid-directing structures may modulate flow or retain fluid in response to the sensors. An electrolyte within the device may also include an ion-transport fluid, for example infiltrated into a porous solid support.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: Deep Science, LLC
    Inventors: Geoffrey F. Deane, Bran Ferren, William Gates, W. Daniel Hillis, Roderick A. Hyde, Muriel Y. Ishikawa, Edward K. Y. Jung, Jordin T. Kare, Nathan P. Myhrvold, Clarence T. Tegreene, David B. Tuckerman, Thomas Allan Weaver, Charles Whitmer, Lowell L. Wood, Victoria Y. H. Wood
  • Patent number: 10069124
    Abstract: A rechargeable battery includes an electrode assembly including a positive electrode and a negative electrode, a case for accommodating the electrode assembly, a cap plate combined to the case, a vent plate disposed under the cap plate and formed with a notch, a middle plate disposed under the vent plate, and a heat-resistant insulating layer disposed between the vent plate and the middle plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: Samsung SDI Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Dae-Kyu Kim, Takao Abe
  • Patent number: 10056595
    Abstract: A battery separator includes a porous membrane A including a polyolefin resin, and a porous membrane B laminated thereon including a fluororesin and inorganic particles or cross-linked polymer particles, wherein the particles are contained in an amount of 80 wt % to 97 wt % of the porous membrane B and have an average diameter being not less than 1.5 times and less than 50 times the average pore size of the porous membrane A, and a specific expression 1 and a specific expression 2 are satisfied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: Toray Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Naoki Mizuno, Michihiko Irie, Ken Shimizu
  • Patent number: 10050279
    Abstract: A fuel cell has a membrane electrode assembly including an electrolyte membrane, catalyst layers disposed on both sides of the electrolyte membrane, and three or more layers of porous bodies disposed on a front surface side of the catalyst layer, a frame body surrounding an outer periphery of the electrolyte membrane, and a separator that partitions and forms a gas passage between the membrane electrode assembly and the separator. Extended portions are provided at an outer edge of a first porous body adjacent to the separator among the three layers of the porous bodies, and at an outer edge of a second porous body adjacent to the first porous body, respectively, so as to extend to be superimposed over the frame body. The extended portions of the first and second porous bodies intervene between the frame body and the separator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2018
    Assignee: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Toshikazu Kotaka, Motoki Yaginuma