Patents Examined by Bryan Lettman
  • Patent number: 9932971
    Abstract: A piston pump for a high-pressure cleaning appliance is provided, which includes a plurality of pistons that are movable back and forth and each of which enters a pump chamber and is displaceably held at a piston guiding part. The piston guiding part has a supporting wall on which a plurality of guiding elements, each of which guides a piston, are disposed. In order to be able to produce the piston pump in a more cost-effective manner, it is proposed according to the invention that the supporting wall is curved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2018
    Assignee: Alfred Kärcher GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Thomas Hofer
  • Patent number: 9926922
    Abstract: A barrel assembly for a pumping mechanism includes a first end, a second end opposite the first end, and a plunger bore configured to receive a plunger for sliding within the plunger bore. The barrel assembly also includes at least one inlet passage including at least one inlet extending through the first end and fluidly connected to the plunger bore to communicate fluid from the at least one inlet passage to the plunger bore. The barrel assembly further includes an outlet passage fluidly connected to the plunger bore and configured to receive fluid from the plunger bore, the plunger bore and the outlet passage forming separate openings in the second end of the barrel assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2018
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Sunil Jefferey Bean, Joshua Wayne Steffen, Dana Ray Coldren, Robert Michael Campion
  • Patent number: 9920773
    Abstract: An electrical submersible pump assembly has pump, motor and pressure equalizer modules. A first adapter, which secures to the first module, has an external set of first adapter threads. A second adapter, which secures to the second module, has an external set of second adapter threads. A collar has an internal set of collar first threads that engage the first adapter threads, and an internal set of collar second threads that engage the second adapter threads. The collar first and second threads differ from each other, such that rotation of the collar relative to the first and second modules pulls the first and second modules toward each other. The pitches of the collar first and second threads may differ. Or, the collar first and second threads may turn in opposite directions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Assignee: Baker Hughes, a GE Company, LLC
    Inventors: Brown Lyle Wilson, Donn J. Brown
  • Patent number: 9915252
    Abstract: A compressor includes a swash plate rotated with a drive shaft in a swash plate chamber, a link mechanism that changes an inclination angle of the swash plate, an actuator rotated integrally with the drive shaft, and an actuator control mechanism. The actuator includes a partitioning body fitted to the drive shaft in the swash plate chamber, a movable body that is coupled to the swash plate and moved relative to the partitioning body along the axis of the drive shaft, and a control pressure chamber, the pressure of which moves the movable body. The control mechanism changes the pressure of the control pressure chamber to move the movable body. The swash plate includes a fulcrum point, coupled to the link mechanism, and an action point, coupled to the movable body. The fulcrum point and the action point are located at opposite sides of the drive shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2018
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOYOTA JIDOSHOKKI
    Inventors: Shinya Yamamoto, Takahiro Suzuki, Kazunari Honda, Kei Nishii, Yusuke Yamazaki, Masaki Ota
  • Patent number: 9909581
    Abstract: A compressor includes: a cylinder crankcase defining a cylinder closed by a valve plate provided with at least one discharge orifice; a cylinder cap seated against the valve plate and in the interior of which is defined a discharge chamber. A hollow body defines at least one plenum mounted internal to the cylinder cap, maintaining a gap with the latter. The hollow body is seated against the valve plate, preventing the direct contact thereof with the inner volume of the hollow body, the latter being provided with an inlet nozzle communicating the plenum with the discharge orifice of the valve plate, and with an outlet nozzle communicating the plenum with a gas outlet of the cylinder cap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: Whirlpool S.A.
    Inventor: Dietmar Erich Bernhard Lilie
  • Patent number: 9897091
    Abstract: In a compressor of the present invention, an intermediate pressure port through which a first discharge chamber and a motor chamber communicate with each other is formed in a front housing. A refrigerant having an intermediate pressure is discharged to the first discharge chamber. Consequently, it is possible to guide the refrigerant having the intermediate pressure in the first discharge chamber to the motor chamber, and cool an electric motor, which generates heat during actuation, with the refrigerant having the intermediate pressure. In the compressor, a first impeller and a second impeller are disposed such that large diameter portions of the first impeller and the second impeller face each other. The second impeller is smaller in diameter than the first impeller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2018
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOYOTA JIDOSHOKKI
    Inventors: Nobuaki Hoshino, Toshiro Fujii, Ryo Umeyama, Satoru Egawa, Hironao Yokoi, Takahito Kunieda
  • Patent number: 9897080
    Abstract: A liquid pumping system includes at least two water cylinders that are each controlled by a hydraulic piston. A rotary valve controls the hydraulic pistons. The rotary valve has an inner unit that rotates within an outer unit. Slots provided between the inner and outer units control the duration, rate and direction of hydraulic fluid supply to the hydraulic piston. A liquid pumping process comprises distributing an initial flow of pressurized hydraulic fluid between the hydraulic cylinders. The hydraulic cylinders move through a cycle in a phased relationship to provide a constant sum of flow rates from the liquid pumps. In a water treating process, feed water is pumped through the membrane unit. Brine from the membrane unit is returned to each liquid pump while that liquid pump is feeding water to the membrane unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2018
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventor: Dean David Marschke
  • Patent number: 9890775
    Abstract: A linear compressor may include a shell, a cylinder provided in the shell to define a compression space for a refrigerant, a frame to fix the cylinder to the shell, a piston reciprocated within the cylinder, a discharge valve disposed on or at one side of the cylinder, a discharge cover coupled to the frame and having at least one chamber to reduce pulsation of the refrigerant discharged through the discharge valve, and a valve spring disposed on the discharge cover to provide a restoring force to the discharge valve. The discharge cover may include a cover body having a discharge hole, through which the refrigerant discharged through the discharge valve may be discharged outside of the discharge cover, and a guide passage defined in the cover body to guide at least a portion of the refrigerant discharged through the discharge valve into the at least one chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Junghae Kim, Kyoungkyu Lee, Kiwon Noh
  • Patent number: 9885360
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide battery backup sump pump (BBU) systems and methods. The BBU systems and methods can be used with a battery and an alternating current power source to charge the battery. The BBU systems and methods can be adapted to be a portable power source for AC and DC external devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2018
    Assignee: Pentair Flow Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Thomas G. Boese, Michael B. Bishop, Jeffrey C. Ambrose, John Emerson, David E. Paton, Joseph J. Mazza
  • Patent number: 9885132
    Abstract: A compressed air supplying device of a sewing machine includes an air pump unit including a piston; a piston driving spring applying biasing force to the piston in an exhaust air direction which is a direction in which the air pump unit exhausts air for driving the piston in the exhaust air direction by the biasing force; a lever making the air pump unit perform intake air movements; and an operating force transmitting mechanism transmitting operating force of the lever to the piston for actuating the piston only in an intake air direction which is a direction in which the air pump unit intakes air against the biasing force of the piston driving spring by the operating force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2018
    Assignee: Janome Sewing Machine Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Eiichi Shomura, Ushio Yokoyama, Shintaro Haraguchi
  • Patent number: 9885348
    Abstract: A reciprocation pump has a supply liquid-side sub-pumping chamber arranged adjacent to the supply liquid-side pumping chamber at an external side. A waste liquid-side sub-pumping chamber is arranged adjacent to the waste liquid-side pumping chamber at an external side. A rod extends through the supply liquid-side sub-pumping chamber, the supply liquid-side pumping chamber, the waste liquid-side pumping chamber and the waste liquid-side sub-pumping chamber. The rod is connected to the reciprocation mechanism and the driving source to transmit a driving force of the driving source to the reciprocation mechanism. Sealing members are arranged, respectively, in walls through which the rod extends to partition the supply liquid-side pumping chamber and the supply liquid-side sub-pumping chamber as well as the waste liquid-side pumping chamber and the waste liquid-side sub-pumping chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2018
    Assignee: Nikkiso Company Limited
    Inventor: Hiroaki Suzuki
  • Patent number: 9885357
    Abstract: A hermetic compressor includes a hermetic container having a bottom portion in which lubricating oil is stored and an electric motor including a stator and a rotator. The hermetic compressor further includes a drive shaft attached to the rotator and a compression mechanism for compressing refrigerant by using rotation of the drive shaft. The hermetic compressor also includes a rotary pressure increasing mechanism for increasing a pressure of refrigerant gas, the rotary pressure increasing mechanism being arranged on the rotator, and a cylindrical lateral wall for partitioning a space above the electric motor into an outer space and an inner space in a manner that the a cylindrical lateral wall surrounds the rotary pressure increasing mechanism. Finally, the hermetic compressor includes a discharge pipe for allowing the refrigerant to flow out from the inner space into an external circuit that is external to the hermetic container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2018
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuhide Yokoyama, Teruhiko Nishiki, Shogo Moroe, Taro Kato, Keisuke Shingu, Shin Sekiya, Toshihide Koda
  • Patent number: 9879540
    Abstract: Compressor stators (22) for gas turbine engines (10) are disclosed. An exemplary compressor stator (22) comprises a circumferential array of stator vanes (28) and a shroud (24, 26) for supporting the stator vanes (28). The shroud (24, 26) has a circumferentially extending inner endwall (30, 32) exposed to an annular gas path (20) of the compressor (14). The endwall (30, 32) has a circumferentially uniform axial cross-sectional profile (42). The axial cross-sectional profile (42) comprises at least one deviation (48, 50) from a nominal axial cross-sectional profile (44) defining an overall shape of the annular gas path (20). The at least one deviation comprises a concave deviation (48) and a convex deviation (50).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventors: Yau-Wai Li, Karan Anand, Peter Townsend
  • Patent number: 9879660
    Abstract: A pump moves fluid by a piston reciprocating inside a cylinder. Fluid enters the cylinder through an inlet valve that passes through the cylinder head, and has an enlarged surface inside the cylinder, which seals against the cylinder head. This valve is normally held closed by a spring. As the piston advances, fluid is forced out of the cylinder through a passage in the cylinder head and a check valve. A rod is affixed to the piston and passes through the inlet valve. As the piston retracts, the rod slides through the inlet valve, until a stop, affixed to the rod, encounters the stem of the inlet valve. The spring holding the valve closed is overcome and the valve opens as the piston and rod move farther, until the piston is in its fully retracted position. Fluid enters the cylinder until the piston again begins to advance. The stop ceases to push the inlet valve open, and the spring again holds it closed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: Springboard Biodiesel, LLC
    Inventor: Galen Michael Bowen
  • Patent number: 9874206
    Abstract: A fluid pump includes a pump body enclosing a first cavity and a second cavity, a first flexible member disposed within the first cavity, a second flexible member disposed within the second cavity, and a drive shaft extending between and attached to each of the first flexible member and the second flexible member. The drive shaft is configured to slide back and forth within the pump body. The pump also includes a first shift valve and a second shift valve disposed between the first flexible member and the second flexible member, operatively coupled to deliver a drive fluid to drive fluid chambers in alternating sequence. Some fluid pumps disclosed herein include a housing defining a modular-receiving cavity and a modular insert secured within the modular-receiving cavity by an interference fit. Methods of manufacturing and using fluid pumps are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2018
    Assignee: White Knight Fluid Handling Inc.
    Inventors: Tom M. Simmons, John M. Simmons, David M. Simmons, Bruce Johnson
  • Patent number: 9869307
    Abstract: An oil separation member has a partition member that partitions between a discharge chamber and a discharge passage. A circular ring portion is provided in the partition member in a manner extending toward the discharge passage. An introduction hole that communicates the discharge chamber and the discharge passage with each other is formed in the circular ring portion. The introduction hole extends in a tangential direction to the circular ring portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2018
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOYOTA JIDOSHOKKI
    Inventors: Naoki Koeda, Ai Saeki, Kazuhiro Kuroki, Ryo Matsubara, Tetsuhiko Fukanuma
  • Patent number: 9850885
    Abstract: A working vehicle provided with a fixed-capacity hydraulic pump driven by power from an engine and a working hydraulic actuator driven by working oil pumped from the fixed-capacity hydraulic pump is a rotary working vehicle which is provided with an electromagnetic relief valve for modifying the pressure of working oil from the fixed-capacity hydraulic pump, and the rotary working vehicle is such that if the actual number of revolutions (N) of the engine is reduced by a set number of revolutions (Ns) as the load on the engine increases, then the electromagnetic relief valve operates in accordance with the deviation (e) between the actual number of revolutions (N) of the engine and the specified number of revolutions (Ns), and the pressure of the working oil from the fixed-capacity hydraulic pump is modified.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: YANMAR CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Kunihiko Sakamoto
  • Patent number: 9850889
    Abstract: A hydraulic fluid control system for a hydraulic diaphragm pump including at least one hydraulic diaphragm containing a process fluid surrounded by at least one hydraulic fluid chamber containing a hydraulic fluid is provided. The system includes a differential pressure sensor operable to detect and measure a pressure difference between the process fluid contained in the at least one hydraulic diaphragm and the hydraulic fluid contained in the at least one hydraulic fluid chamber; a hydraulic fluid reservoir containing hydraulic fluid; and a hydraulic fluid pump fluidly connected to the hydraulic fluid reservoir and the at least one hydraulic fluid chamber, and operable to provide a volume of hydraulic fluid to the at least one hydraulic fluid chamber in response to the pressure difference measured by the differential pressure sensor. The system is optionally operable to withdraw a volume of hydraulic fluid from the hydraulic fluid chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: Dajustco IP Holdings Inc.
    Inventors: Peter Van De Velde, Gordon Esplin
  • Patent number: 9850906
    Abstract: This centrifugal blood pump apparatus includes an impeller (10) provided in a blood chamber (7), and a plurality of coils (20) provided in a motor chamber (8) for driving the impeller (10) to rotate with a dividing wall (6) interposed therebetween. A flexible substrate (23) in the shape of a strip is arranged to surround outer circumferences of the plurality of coils (20), and is connected to the plurality of coils (20) and a connector (24). A driving voltage (VU, VV, VW) is externally supplied to the plurality of coils (20) via the connector (24) and the flexible substrate (23). Thus, assembling workability, productivity and reliability are improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: TC1 LLC
    Inventors: Takayoshi Ozaki, Hiroyuki Yamada, Ken Sugiura, Takehisa Mori, Takeshi Tsubouchi
  • Patent number: 9845796
    Abstract: An apparatus that is capable of propelling a gas includes a first layer and a second layer arranged in a stack, mechanism for heating and/or cooling the first layer and the second layer to form a hot layer and a cold layer, and a through hole in the stack. A surface of both the hot layer and the cold layer is exposed in an interior of the through hole. The mechanism for heating and/or cooling the first and second layers controls the hot layer to be hotter than an ambient temperature of the gas, and the cold layer to be colder than the ambient temperature of the gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Assignee: GAME CHANGERS, LLC
    Inventors: Jason D. Sanchez, Piotr A. Garbuz, Andrew D. Zonenberg