Patents Examined by Christopher Atkinson
  • Patent number: 6510894
    Abstract: The invention provides an improved heat exchanger and/or fluid mixing means which comprises a bonded stack of plates, the stack comprising at least one group of main perforated plates (10, P, R), wherein at least two adjacent plates (P, R) of the group of main perforated plates have their perforations (11) aligned in rows with continuous ribs (13) between adjacent rows, and the adjacent plates (P, R) are aligned whereby the rows of perforations (11) in one plate (P) overlap in the direction of the rows with the rows of perforations (11) of an adjacent plate (R) and the ribs (13) of adjacent plates lie in correspondence with each other to provide discrete fluid channels (30) extending across the plates, a channel (30) corresponding to each row of perforations (11), the channels together forming one or more fluid passageways (61, 67) across the plates and the passageway(s) (61) in the group of main perforated plates being separated from passageway(s) (67) in any adjacent group of perforated plates by an interve
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2003
    Assignee: Chart Heat Exchangers Limited
    Inventors: Brian Keith Watton, Keith Thomas Symonds, Steven Paul Symonds
  • Patent number: 6505679
    Abstract: A sector plate for an air preheater including a seal plate having a sealing surface and an oppositely disposed mounting surface. Multiple tabs mount a portion of a rigid support structure to the mounting surface of the seal plate. Multiple support members mount the support structure to the air preheater.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2003
    Assignee: Alstom Power N.V.
    Inventors: James R. Larkin, Kevin J. O'Boyle, Michael Zakel
  • Patent number: 6499532
    Abstract: An electric motor cooling system including an electric motor with an air coolant inlet and an air coolant outlet, a first housing extending over and affixed to the electric motor with an air flow passageway therein, a first blower secured to the first housing having an outlet connected to the air coolant inlet of the electric motor, a second housing affixed to the first housing with an air flow passageway therein, a second blower affixed within the second housing so as to force air through the air flow passageway of the second housing, and a heat pipe array affixed within the air flow passageways of the first and second housings such that the heat pipe array has a bottom half within the air flow passageway of the first housing and a top half located in the air flow passageway of the second housing. The first blower is a centrifugal blower.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2002
    Inventor: Kevin R. Williams
  • Patent number: 6488076
    Abstract: A heating apparatus for heating supply of gaseous fluid 1 heats a relatively low temperature gaseous fluid and feeds a heated supply flow to a high temperature gaseous fluid introduction equipment. The heating apparatus has heat exchangers 11, 12 provided with fluid passages through which the low temperature fluid flow passes, a splitting area 15 for dividing a heated supply flow H of gaseous fluid, which is heated by the heat exchanger, into first and second heated gaseous streams H1, H2, and combustion areas 13, 14 in which a combustion reaction of combustible matter takes place in the existence of the first heated gaseous stream. The heated supply flow or the first stream is introduced into the combustion area and the combustible matter is fed thereto, and the combustion area causes the combustion reaction of combustible matter in the existence of the heated supply flow or the first stream. Hot gas produced by the combustion reaction is exhausted through the heat exchanger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2002
    Assignee: Nippon Furnace Kogyo Kaisha, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tsutomu Yasuda, Kunio Yoshikawa
  • Patent number: 6481491
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device for removing heat from an electronic component mounted on a circuit board. The device uses a working fluid circulated through cooling elements which are integrated into a metal matrix composite structure. The cooling elements are positioned and arranged within the structure to efficiently manage heat dissipation by evacuating the heat from the component in a multi-directional manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2002
    Assignee: Nokia Telecommunications Oy
    Inventors: Carl Kabrell, Reijo Lehtiniemi, Jukka Rantala, Timo Heikkilä, Tapio Tuamainen
  • Patent number: 6478079
    Abstract: A recess portion for setting an attachment position is formed in each plate fin at positions adjacent to both longitudinal ends of the plate fins on both upstream and downstream ends in an air flowing direction. Therefore, air passing through the plate fins is disturbed by a standing wall portion of the recess portion around the longitudinal ends of the plate fins. Thus, it can prevent a thermal boundary layer from being expanded in a heat exchanger having the plate fin, and heat-transmission efficiency can be improved in the heat exchanger. As a result, an entire area of the plate fin can be effectively used, thereby improving heat-exchanging capacity of the heat exchanger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2002
    Assignees: Denso Corporation, Hidaka Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Seiichi Kato, Hisashi Nakashima, Akio Ueda, Masakazu Hyodo, Fumio Moriyama
  • Patent number: 6474409
    Abstract: An electronic device has at least one component that is capable of generating a quantity of heat. The electronic device further has an air-moving device and an air duct. The air moving device is capable of creating a flow of air that removes a portion of the quantity of heat. The flow of air enters the air duct. The air duct has a restriction chamber that includes a venturi vent in which the flow of air into the duct and through the restriction chamber creates a new flow of air into the venturi vent. The new flow of air into the venturi vent does not pass over the at least one component in the electronic device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2002
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company
    Inventor: John R. Sterner
  • Patent number: 6460612
    Abstract: A heat pipe and method that utilizes a multi-layered shape memory alloy (SMA) as the wick structure. Each layer has a different transformation temperature. The inner layer of the SMA begins contracting first when heat is applied along the surface of the heat pipe. The contraction reduces the effective capillary radius rc of the wick, thereby maintaining or increasing the capillary pumping pressure and thus the ability to remove heat. As the temperature of the heat pipe continues to rise, the outer layer begins contracting to reduce the capillary radius further. As a result, the local pumping pressure is maintained or even increased to accommodate higher local heat flux and remove the heat to prevent “dry-out.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2002
    Assignee: Motorola, Inc.
    Inventors: Maninder S. Sehmbey, James P. Chen
  • Patent number: 6460608
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a heat sink. More particularly, the present invention relates to a heat sink used for radiating heat from an integrated circuit package such as a micro-processor arranged in a portable type electronic apparatus such as a notebook type personal computer and also used for radiating heat from a hard disk unit used in an electronic apparatus. The heat sink comprises: a heat transmitting member for transmitting heat generated by a heating component; a holding section for holding the heat transmitting member; and a heat sink body having a space in which a cooling fan having at least blades and a drive motor is embedded, wherein a portion of the holding section for holding the heat transmitting member, the portion being located below the space, is cut out.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2002
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventor: Tadashi Katsui
  • Patent number: 6450249
    Abstract: A heat sink fastening device is constructed to include two clamping plates each having two triangular clamping arms adapted for clamping on a holder to hold down a heat sink on the holder, and two hook wires respectively mounted in respective retaining notches in the triangular clamping arms of the clamping plates to hold down the clamping plates, each hook wire having two smoothly arched supporting portions at the ends and two hooking tips respectively horizontally extended from the smoothly arched supporting portions and respectively hooked in respective through holes in the triangular clamping arms of the clamping plates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2002
    Inventor: Hung Tsi Liu
  • Patent number: 6446706
    Abstract: The invention is a very flexible heat pipe which is constructed of multiple layers of material laminated into the final structure. The center of the symmetrical structure is a coarse screen which creates a vapor space. The layers on either side of the screen are copper felt pads, and the outer casing is two layers of metal foil and a layer of polypropylene. The heat pipe constructed in this manner is so a flexible that when one outside surface is covered with adhesive, the heat pipe can essentially be used as tape or a stick-on heat transfer surface which conforms to a body being cooled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2002
    Assignee: Thermal Corp.
    Inventors: John H. Rosenfeld, Nelson J. Gernert, David B. Sarraf, Peter Wollen, Frank Surina, John Fale
  • Patent number: 6439297
    Abstract: A limiting feature in spacecraft such as communication satellites is becoming the amount of surface such as 5, 6 available for dissipating waste heat from the electrical equipment in the satellite. The invention provides a deployable radiator 11 which carries a number of capillary pumped loops consisting of an evaporator, an outward limb and a return limb. The panel 11 is rolled up to coil the elements prior to launch, and unrolled when in orbit. The outward and return lengths of tube act as condenser for the capillary pumped loop, transport the heat over the radiating panel 11 and also provide the spring force for the panel to unroll.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2002
    Assignee: Matra Marconi Space UK Limited
    Inventors: Neil William Dunbar, Philip David McGoldrick
  • Patent number: 6439298
    Abstract: A cylindrical heat radiator comprises a cylindrical main body having a tightly sealing cavity, the cavity being filled with air; an inner surface of the cylindrical main body being formed with two penetrating channels. The penetrating channels of the cylindrical main body are located with fin sets. The cylindrical main body is formed by an inner tube, an outer tube and sealing rings at two ends. The inner tube and outer tube are arranged non-coaxially. A wick structure is installed in the cavity. By a degassing process, a heat-pipe type heat transferring structure is formed in the cylindrical main body, or by a non-degassing step, a boiling type heat transferring structure is formed. A heat dissipating body being in contact with the cylindrical main body. Fluid in the cylindrical main body is heated to boil and vaporized so that the fluid in the cylindrical main body will flow circularly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2002
    Inventor: Jia Hao Li
  • Patent number: 6435267
    Abstract: An electronic device has at least one component that is capable of generating a quantity of heat. The electronic device further has an air-moving device and an air duct. The air moving device is capable of creating a flow of air that removes a portion of the quantity of heat. The flow of air enters the air duct. The air duct has a restriction chamber that includes a venturi vent in which the flow of air into the duct and through the restriction chamber creates a new flow of air into the venturi vent. The new flow of air into the venturi vent does not pass over the at least one component in the electronic device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2002
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company
    Inventor: John R. Sterner
  • Patent number: 6431262
    Abstract: A thermosyphon radiator comprising a sealed panel containing a reservoir of water in a lowermost part of the panel and a heating member, e.g. a hot water pipe, extending through the lowermost part of the panel, the member being at least partially immersed in the liquid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 1996
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2002
    Assignee: Lattice Intellectual Property Ltd.
    Inventors: Nkole Enock Tayali, Alan Reginald Shiret
  • Patent number: 6427765
    Abstract: A heat pipe having a woven-wired wick according to the present invention is for improving a capillary force and permeability and simplifying the manufacturing process thereof. The heat pipe uses a wick in order to increase permeability. The heat pipe comprises a pipe body; and a wick having a larger diameter than that of the pipe body before being inserted into the pipe body and a smaller diameter than that of the pipe body after being inserted into the pipe body. The wick includes a plurality of groups of wires which are spirally woven to form a cylindrical wick and each wire is made of a material having an elasticity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2002
    Inventors: Jae Sup Han, Young Soo Lee, Kwang Soo Kim
  • Patent number: 6427767
    Abstract: The present invention provides an improved heat transfer surface. The improved heat transfer comprises: a surface covered with fin convolutions. The fin convolutions have fin tips extending from the surface. The fin tips have a first plurality of notches and a second plurality of notches wherein the first notches and the second notches are of different sizes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2002
    Assignee: American Standard International Inc.
    Inventor: Louis J. Mougin
  • Patent number: 6412549
    Abstract: To provide a high heat transfer performance with a heat transfer pipe used to a condenser and an evaporator in a refrigerating cycle using a refrigerant mixture, the heat transfer pipe includes main grooves and auxiliary grooves each formed on the inner surface of the heat transfer pipe with the main grooves intersecting the auxiliary grooves, wherein the main grooves are separate by ridges, and the ridges are divided into ribs by the auxiliary grooves, and wherein a length of the ribs formed along the direction of the main grooves is made longer than the length of the ridges, a width of the auxiliary grooves is made smaller than the length of the ribs and further the auxiliary grooves are formed in a direction where a pressure gradient in the heat transfer pipe is reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2002
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Cable, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masaaki Itoh, Mari Uchida, Mitsuo Kudoh, Tadao Otani
  • Patent number: 6412546
    Abstract: A heat dissipation device includes a heat sink (80) and an assembling device for securing the heat sink to a, chip (90) mounted on a printed circuit board (100). The heat sink has a pair of ears (82) each defining an aperture (84) therein. The assembling device includes a clip (70), a pair of sleeves (50) each defining a cavity (62) therethrough, and a pair of springs (60). Each sleeve extends through the aperture of a corresponding ear of the heat sink, and the springs are disposed respectively between the ears and an end of the sleeves. The clip has a pair of posts (66) for extending through the printed circuit board to engage with the corresponding cavities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2002
    Assignee: Foxconn Precision Components Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yeu-Lih Lin, Chao-Yang Lee, Chung-Yung Sun, Chao Kun Tseng
  • Patent number: 6408932
    Abstract: A regenerator energy exchange device comprises an energy recovery wheel having interchangeable segments of a heat and moisture exchange matrix material. Each segment may include one or more desiccants having different moisture adsorption characteristics deposited thereon. Alternatively, the energy recovery wheel may contain a matrix which is uniformly coated with at least two different desiccants. In still another embodiment, the wheel may have zones of different desiccants or desiccant combinations which are arranged in series in the direction of air flow through the matrix to provide different moisture adsorption characteristics along the air flow path. The zone closest to a highly humid airstream may contain, for example, a type 5 desiccant, while the zone closest to a conditioned exhaust airstream may contain a type 3 desiccant. All configurations are designed to increase the effectiveness of the energy recovery device over the middle to high range of relative humidities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2002
    Assignee: Airxchange, Inc.
    Inventors: Donald F. Steele, Lawrence C. Hoagland