Patents Examined by Daniel Edelbrock
  • Patent number: 8561657
    Abstract: A ullage system for a marine fuel tank that maintains an exact ullage space in all marine refueling situations including refueling in moving or pitching and rolling situations. The invention includes two ball valve assemblies that are inserted into a fuel tank at approximately the same level. The two assemblies typically are at opposite ends of the tank. One of the ball valves is smaller than the other in diameter. The smaller valve is coupled to an air vent; the larger valve is coupled to the filler tube. An important feature of the present invention is that it can typically be made to fit any marine fuel tank simply by changing the length of a vent tube to reach the correct ullage level for the tank at hand. The components of the present invention can be made from standard fuel valve materials.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2013
    Assignee: Bluskies International, LLC
    Inventors: Christopher Brown, Marvin Peplow
  • Patent number: 8555920
    Abstract: A flow rate ratio variable type fluid supply apparatus includes a flow rate control system supplying gas of flow rate Q that is diverted to first flow diverting pipe passage and second flow diverting pipe passage with prescribed flow rates Q1/Q0 so gas is supplied to a chamber, and a first orifice having opening area S1 is installed on the first flow diverting passage, and the second flow diverting passage is connected to a plurality of branch pipe passages connected in parallel, orifices having opening area installed on the branch passages, and open/close valves installed on all, or some of, the branch passages so gas is diverted to flow diverting passages with flow rate ratio Q1/Q0 equivalent to the ratio of the first orifice and the total opening area S2o of flow passable orifices of the second flow diverting passage by regulating total opening area of the flow passable orifices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: Fujikin Incorporated
    Inventors: Kaoru Hirata, Yohei Sawada, Ryousuke Dohi, Kouji Nishino, Nobukazu Ikeda
  • Patent number: 8464751
    Abstract: An oxygen content adjustment apparatus includes an oxygen content detector, a number of keys, a controller, an oxygen source, a first nozzle, a first valve, a flame retardant gas source, a second nozzle, and a second valve. The controller is connected to the oxygen content detector and the keys. A first terminal of the first valve is connected to the controller. A second terminal of the first valve is connected to the oxygen source. A third terminal of the first valve is connected to the first nozzle. A first terminal of the second valve is connected to the controller. A second terminal of the second valve is connected to the flame retardant gas source. A third terminal of the second valve is connected to the second nozzle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2013
    Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tsung-Han Su, Chun-Ming Chen
  • Patent number: 8464744
    Abstract: A water sensor and activation assembly including a paper element to sense the presence of water leaks from appliances such as clothes washing machines, refrigerator ice makers and the like, and to cause an associated water shutoff valve to turn off the source of water leakage. The water sensor, in conjunction with the shutoff valve, operates without any electrical power requirement. The design allows the water sensor to operate in a high humidity environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2013
    Inventor: Robert C. Franklin
  • Patent number: 8459609
    Abstract: A butterfly valve assembly includes a unitary flow body and a unitary valve element. The unitary valve element is rotationally mounted within the flow body and includes a rotationally mounted shaft and a butterfly plate that is formed integral to the shaft. The butterfly valve assembly can withstand the maximum drive torque supplied from an associated actuator, while at the same time meeting a desired level of flow performance, and allows the unitary valve element to be installed up through the pilot bore.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: Larry Robert Casillas, Ed Kesner, Joel LaBenz, Mitch McGinty
  • Patent number: 8434507
    Abstract: A safety valve device has a safety valve body and is configured to open at a temperature of or over a preset reference temperature. The safety valve device also includes a gas flow path arranged to make a flow of hydrogen flowing out of a hydrogen tank via the safety valve body in a valve open position, and a discharge pipe configured to have a hydrogen discharge opening and arranged to discharge the hydrogen flowing through the gas flow path to the outside. The hydrogen discharge opening of the discharge pipe is formed to discharge the hydrogen in an oblique direction relative to a direction of an axial center of the gas flow path. The discharge pipe also has a groove formed to apply an input rotational force to the discharge pipe and thereby rotate the discharge pipe around the axial center of the gas flow path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2013
    Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha, Fujikin Incorporated
    Inventors: Yasuyuki Iida, Yasuhiro Yamamoto, Yutaka Tano, Kunihiko Daido
  • Patent number: 8430128
    Abstract: A tube clamp includes (i) a tube holding portion; (ii) a first arm extending from a first end of the tube holding portion; (iii) a second arm extending from a second end of the tube holding portion, the second armed curved so that a first catch located at a distal end of the second arm can be snap-fitted to the first arm to occlude a first tube extending through the tube holding portion; and (iv) wherein the first arm includes a locking feature configured such that when a second tube clamp is mated with the tube clamp, the locking feature interacts with a second catch of the second tube clamp so that the second tube clamp is prevented from occluding a second tube.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2013
    Assignees: Baxter International Inc., Baxter Healthcare S.A.
    Inventor: Patrick Balteau
  • Patent number: 8402993
    Abstract: A system for providing a constant flow of cooled hydraulic fluid to a dual clutch assembly of a transmission of a motor vehicle includes a hydraulic fluid cooler, a pressure control valve and a logic valve. The system is also capable of providing additional hydraulic fluid to the dual clutch assembly. The hydraulic fluid cooler provides hydraulic fluid to each clutch of a dual clutch assembly and to a logic valve. The logic valve is operable to divert additional fluid flow to either of the clutches of the dual clutch assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Philip C. Lundberg, Bret M. Olson
  • Patent number: 8375984
    Abstract: A pressure relief valve having a plurality of selectable, preset relief pressure settings for use in connection with hydraulic equipment. The pressure relief valve includes a manifold and a barrel fastened to the manifold. The manifold includes a chamber that houses a relief valve cartridge assembly, which includes a poppet valve. The barrel includes, a plurality of chambers, each of which houses a separate and distinct relief pressure load adjustment assembly, which includes a spring-loaded ball that engages the poppet valve. Each of the assemblies may be independently adjusted and preset to a desirable relief pressure load setting, which may be different from one another. The barrel is rotated relative to the manifold until the chamber housing the assembly that has the desired preset relief pressure load aligns with the chamber of the manifold, and, in turn, with the poppet valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: Alcoa Inc.
    Inventor: Robert B. Wilcox
  • Patent number: 8375979
    Abstract: On a valve body of a selector valve mounted on a base member, a bolt insertion hole extending across a valve hole within a width of the valve body is formed, a mounting bolt is inserted into the bolt insertion hole so as to cross the valve hole and a valve member. A distal end of the mounting bolt is screwed into a screw hole of the base member so as to fix the selector valve to the base member, while on the valve member, in order to avoid contact between the valve member and the mounting bolt, a hole-shaped or recess-shaped escape portion extending longer in an operating direction of the valve member is formed, and the mounting bolt is inserted through the escape portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: SMC Corporation
    Inventor: Shinichi Yoshimura