Patents Examined by Chris Liu
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Patent number: 10533291Abstract: The snow melting mat includes an elongate, substantially flat sheet of a desired length connected to a recirculation header at one end and a circulation header at the opposite end. The sheet includes a plurality of channels defined inside the sheet. The channels permit heated liquid to circulate along the length of the sheet. A heater-pump heats the liquid that maintains the temperature of the sheet at several degrees above freezing and pumps the liquid through the recirculation header, the sheet, and the circulation header. A plurality of transverse grooves is formed on the top of the sheet to provide a gripping, walking surface. The grooves taper in depth to permit melted snow and ice to run off the sides of the sheet. Couplers and joints permit multiple sheets to be joined together in any desired pattern.Type: GrantFiled: January 13, 2015Date of Patent: January 14, 2020Inventor: Craig A. Perkins
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Patent number: 10238235Abstract: A grilling device includes a housing includes a fixed lower heating plate and a rotatable swing arm disposed at a primary pivot positioned proximate a rear end of the housing. An operable upper heating plate is coupled to the swing arm such that an intermediate portion of the swing arm rotationally engages a central portion of the upper heating plate at a secondary pivot to define an adjacent face-up position, a stacked face-up position and a face-down position. A leveling mechanism maintains the upper heating plate in parallel with the lower heating plate as the swing arm operates about at least a portion of the primary pivot.Type: GrantFiled: December 28, 2015Date of Patent: March 26, 2019Assignee: Whirlpool CorporationInventors: Daniel A. Altenritter, Christopher L. Carpenter, Steven C. Drees, Yen-Hsi Lin
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Patent number: 10239144Abstract: The welding device of the present disclosure has a switching section, a setting section, an output detector, a controller, a frequency controller, and a driver. The switching section is formed of a switching element. The setting section determines setting output. The output detector detects welding output. The controller calculates an output-on period of the switching section according to the setting output and the welding output. The frequency controller determines an inverter frequency based on the output-on period. The driver controls on/off operation of a switching element of the switching section based on the inverter frequency and the output-on period. When the output-on period is calculated using a first ratio, the inverter frequency is determined to a first frequency, and when the output-on period is calculated using a second ratio smaller than the first ratio, the inverter frequency is determined to a second frequency higher than the first frequency.Type: GrantFiled: July 7, 2014Date of Patent: March 26, 2019Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.Inventors: Yoshiaki Tanaka, Yoshiyuki Tabata, Shinsuke Shimabayashi
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Patent number: 10188238Abstract: A beverage preparation machine for preparing single servings can include a lid assembly that can move between an open configuration and a closed configuration. The machine can also include a basket assembly having a chamber for receiving a cartridge containing a beverage precursor. Additionally, the machine can include a tamping assembly that can move between a latched state and a tamped state. The tamping assembly can include a tamping surface, a tamp spring element, a lid cam connected to the lid assembly, and a collar. The lid cam can include a cam path disposed along a sidewall of the lid cam, and the collar can have one or more cam teeth that can engage the cam path. In the tamped state, the tamping surface can be closer to the basket assembly than in the latched state.Type: GrantFiled: March 11, 2014Date of Patent: January 29, 2019Assignee: Starbucks CorporationInventors: Kurt Philip Dammermann, Adam Mekeel Mack, Matthew Thomas James, Philipe Roget Manoux
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Patent number: 10136474Abstract: A heat generating element for an electrical heating device of a motor vehicle, including at least one PTC element and two contact plates which are in contact with opposite sides of the PTC element and are provided on their outer side facing away from the PTC element with an insulating layer. Shielding is provided, comprising a first shell-like shielding plate and a second shell-like shielding plate which are each provided on the outer side of the insulating layer and are connected thereto in a thermally conductive manner. The longitudinal wall sections, directed towards one another, of the first and second shielding plate form an overlapping region. In order to reduce EMC problems, two shielding plates are sealed by way of an adhesive which is received in one of the two shielding plates and into which the end of a rim of the other shielding plate dips.Type: GrantFiled: July 10, 2013Date of Patent: November 20, 2018Assignee: Eberspacher catem GmbH & Co. KGInventors: Franz Bohlender, Holger Reiss, Michael Niederer, Christian Morgen
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Patent number: 10111556Abstract: A stepless height-adjustable grill, an inclined rail is disposed on one side of a base body, and a corresponding connecting rod is provided with a slidable height fixing slider which is positioned on the inclined rail. The inclined rail is provided with a lock-up edge, while the height fixing slider is provided with a lock; when the height fixing slider is positioned on the inclined rail, the lock is interlocked with the lock-up edge by means of the spring force of a spring to position the height fixing slider on the inclined rail. The lock is provided with a release portion which overcomes the spring force of the spring to release the interlocking between the lock and the lock-up edge. The interlocking between the lock and the lock-up edge can be released by operating the release portion, and the upper cover component can be freely lifted by a handle.Type: GrantFiled: September 20, 2016Date of Patent: October 30, 2018Assignee: NINGBO KAIBO GROUP CO., LTD.Inventor: Jiebo Yan
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Patent number: 10070486Abstract: An over-the-range microwave oven including a duct unit configured to direct air from the back of the oven to the front. The duct unit includes a first panel disposed between the housing and the cooking unit of the oven. The first panel forms a bottom wall of the duct unit. The duct unit further includes at least a pair of second panels disposed on both lateral sides of the first panel. The gap between the pair of second panels decreases from one side end toward the other side end.Type: GrantFiled: January 15, 2015Date of Patent: September 4, 2018Assignee: Dongbu Daewoo Electronics CorporationInventors: Jun Hyuk Imm, Jong Jin Lee
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Patent number: 9770132Abstract: An appliance for frying has a frying pot disposed within a housing for containing oil or fat and having a normally-closed valve disposed at a bottom thereof. An oil receiving tank is removably receivable within the housing below the frying pot, and has an oil receiving hole positionable below the valve such that when the draining valve is opened, the oil or fat may flow from the frying pot into the oil receiving tank. An actuation mechanism disposed entirely on the housing has a first condition wherein the activation mechanism allows removal of the oil receiving tank relative to the housing, a second condition wherein the activation mechanism prevents removal of the oil receiving tank relative to the housing while not opening the valve, and a third condition wherein the activation mechanism prevents removal of the oil receiving tank relative to the housing while opening the valve.Type: GrantFiled: February 27, 2017Date of Patent: September 26, 2017Inventors: Kaimong Man, Uri Murad