Patents Examined by Denise L. Ferensic
  • Patent number: 6161507
    Abstract: A tube protector device includes a first cap member, the first cap member being configured to fit over and substantially seal a first end of a tube; a second cap member, the second cap member being configured to fit over and substantially seal a second end of the tube; and a fastening device adapted to resiliently bias the first cap member toward the second cap member. At least the first cap member includes a collar configured to surround a portion of an outer surface of the tube and an angled tube support member configured to fit within the internal diameter of the tube, the collar and the angled support being configured to receive the first end of the tube therebetween. The first cap member further includes a sealing member, a particle barrier and/or a shock absorber between the collar and the angled support member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2000
    Assignee: Cypress Semiconductor Corp.
    Inventor: Norman L. French, Jr.
  • Patent number: 6158144
    Abstract: This invention relates to a method and several exemplary apparatus for capillary dewatering of foam materials. The apparatus may include felt which is applied to an exposed face of the foam material, or a double felt arrangement applied to two opposed surfaces of the foam material. The apparatus may provide a temperature differential between the two exposed surfaces of the foam material. An alternative embodiment utilizes a roll having a capillary dewatering medium. The capillary dewatering medium may be maintained at a vacuum either above or below the breakthrough vacuum of the capillaries. The disclosed apparatus and method are particularly useful for dewatering foams having relatively fine open capillaries.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2000
    Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
    Inventors: Gerald Martin Weber, Osman Polat, Daniel Joseph Valerio, Jr., Kofi Aduwusu, Thomas Allen Desmarais
  • Patent number: 6159093
    Abstract: A powered exhaust fan for ventilating structures, especially well suited for roof ventilation, provides a motor driven fan assembly supported by a support assembly beneath an opening in a roof structure. The fan assembly further includes an air deflector assembly housing an impeller driven by the motor. The air deflector assembly also includes an intake portion and an exhaust portion. The fan assembly is positioned so that rising warm air is drawn into the intake portion by the rotating impeller and is directed into the inner surface of the air deflector assembly, out of the exhaust portion and then out through the roof opening. The positioning of the exhaust fan below the roof minimizes the negative aesthetic impact of the exhaust fan and allows it to be installed with existing passive ventilation systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2000
    Inventor: Louis Mihalko, III
  • Patent number: 6159003
    Abstract: Combustion process in a furnace comprising a floor on which a charge to be heated is placed, and a roof lying above the charge, in which process the combustible fluid and the oxidizer fluid are injected separately between the surface of the charge and the roof, characterized in that the oxidizer and the fuel are injected at two different levels and in that the ratio of the impulsive forces (m.sub.2.v.sub.2 /m.sub.1.v.sub.1) of the combustible and oxidizer fluids is greater than or equal to approximately 1/3, m.sub.1 being the mass flow rate of the top fluid and v.sub.1, its velocity of injection into the furnace, m.sub.2 being the mass flow rate of the bottom fluid and v.sub.2 its velocity of injection into the furnace.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2000
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude
    Inventors: Thierry Duboudin, Bernard Labegorre
  • Patent number: 6158229
    Abstract: In order to seal in refrigerant in a heat exchanger as much quantity as possible till to reuse the refrigerant at a new place of the heat exchanger after transfer or till to recover the refrigerant at a refrigerant recovery site, even when electricity is suspended to the new place or when outside temperature is lower than a certain temperature at the place where the heat exchanger such as an air conditioner having a separated interior instrument and exterior instrument is being installed, two on-off valves are provided in the refrigerant piping of the interior instrument besides two on-off valves provided in the refrigerant piping of the exterior instrument, or on-off valves are provided in each connecting pipe connecting with the refrigerant piping of the interior instrument and the refrigerant piping of the exterior piping, and the refrigerant is sealed in by closing all the on-off valves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2000
    Inventor: Nikichi Aizawa
  • Patent number: 6155065
    Abstract: According to the present invention, apparatus is provided for mounting an evaporator coil within an indoor section of an air conditioner. The air conditioner includes an indoor section having a housing in which an evaporator coil having a top and vertically extending tube sheets is mounted. The evaporator is supported by a horizontally extending support surface formed at the front end of the housing for supporting the lower ends of the tube sheets. First and second vertically extending evaporator support structures are disposed at each end of the horizontally extending support surface. Each of the first and second support structures are adapted to receive one of the tube sheets therein as the evaporator is displaced downwardly into engagement therewith and towards engagement with the horizontally extending support surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2000
    Assignee: Carrier Corporation
    Inventor: Regis Batista da Silva
  • Patent number: 6155073
    Abstract: In a heat pump, e.g. comprising two adsorbers (1, 2), the adsorbers are monoliths having a multiplicity of open cells capable of flow-through of gas or vapor, and having a coating of an adsorbent, e.g. zeolite, for a fluid such as water vapor. Waste heat, e.g. from a vehicle engine, is supplied to heater (3), which heats up a heat transfer fluid pumped around the system by a reversible pump (11). Heat is lost to the ambient air by a cooler (4), and air from ambient, or recirculated air, is cooled by passing over an evaporator (6) for adsorbate fluid such as water, before entering a vehicle passenger compartment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2000
    Assignee: Johnson Matthey Public Limited Company
    Inventor: Peter Geoffrey Gray
  • Patent number: 6154978
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for confirming the initial conditions of a clothes dryer prior to the start of the drying cycle is provided. The clothes dryer comprises a drying chamber with air inlet and outlet ports. A blower powered by a first motor is arranged in the outlet port to draw air into the drying chamber through the inlet port. A burner for heating the air before it enters the drying chamber is arranged in the inlet port. Also arranged at the inlet port is an air proving device for measuring the air flow through the drying chamber. A second motor is provided for the drive system which creates the tumbling action in the drying chamber. The air flow proving device must be enabled before the second motor is started.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2000
    Assignee: American Dryer Corporation
    Inventor: Dennis Slutsky
  • Patent number: 6155209
    Abstract: A sector plate static sealing arrangement for a rotary regenerative air preheater employs a single rib attached to and extending along the center line of the sector plate toward the air preheater casing. The rib cooperates with a static seal attached to the casing to provide both the sealing and positioning functions. Braces for the rib provide support and form a sloped surface which reduces ash accumulation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2000
    Assignee: ABB Air Preheater, Inc.
    Inventor: Harlan E. Finnemore
  • Patent number: 6155822
    Abstract: A forced convection furnace (20) and method for heating glass sheets includes a forced convection heater (42) having lower hot gas distributors (44) located below alternate conveyor rolls (38) to provide upward gas flow both upstream and downstream thereof along a direction of conveyance to provide heating from below of the glass sheets being conveyed within a heating chamber (32) of a housing (22) of the furnace. The forced convection heater (42) also includes upper hot gas distributors (52) for providing heating from above of the glass sheets being conveyed within the heating chamber (32).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2000
    Assignee: Glasstech, Inc.
    Inventor: Troy R. Lewandowski
  • Patent number: 6152087
    Abstract: A boiler tube protector having a cylindrical or semi-cylindrical shape and adapted to be attached around an outer peripheral face of a boiler tube with mortar, which boiler tube protector includes a plurality of ceramic bodies closely arranged along their parting planes, wherein the parting planes includes a restraining portion for restraining slippage of each of the ceramic bodies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2000
    Assignee: NGK Insulators, Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshio Shibata, Shigeo Ito, Kazuhiro Mizuno, Yasuhiro Terashima, Yuji Nakagawa, Keita Inoue, Norihiko Orita, Tetsuo Takahashi, Kazuo Yamamura
  • Patent number: 6152085
    Abstract: The invention concerns a boiler comprising at least a first heat exchanger (10) with its inlet connected to a water supplying duct (18) and its outlet connected, through a first regulating valve (30) to a steam turbine, either directly, or through a second heat exchanger (12). During the starting phase the regulating valve (30) is closed and as long as the fluid at the first heat exchanger (10) outlet is a mixture of water and steam, all the water is transformed into steam by condensation and the regulating valve (30) is opened only when the fluid at the first evaporator outlet is pure steam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2000
    Assignee: Cockerill Mechanical Industries S.A.
    Inventors: Alfred Dethier, Pierre Grandjean
  • Patent number: 6152084
    Abstract: A viscous fluid type supplementary heat generator having a housing assembly defining a fluid containing chamber including a hermetically sealed heat generating chamber in which a viscous fluid is filled to generate heat when the viscous fluid is subjected to shearing action applied by the rotation of a rotor element rotatably arranged in the heat generating chamber. The fluid containing chamber has a predetermined substantial volume with respect to which the volume of the viscous fluid filled in the fluid containing chamber is set at a value between 50% through 70%, i.e., the filling rate of the viscous fluid relative to the substantial volume of the fluid containing chamber of the viscous fluid type heat generator is determined to be a value between 0.5 through 0.7. The determination of the filling rate of the viscous fluid is made so as to protect an oil sealing device sealing the heat generating chamber from being damaged or broken by an excessive pressure prevailing in the heat generating chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2000
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toyoda Jidoshokki Seisakusho
    Inventors: Takashi Ban, Hidefumi Mori, Kiyoshi Yagi, Tatsuya Hirose
  • Patent number: 6152729
    Abstract: A discharge assembly for removing material from a hearth in a rotary hearth furnace including a discharge auger and a coolant spray. The discharge auger is positioned above the hearth of the rotary hearth furnace and includes a central shaft having at least one helical flight affixed to the exterior of the central shaft and the hood is disposed above the discharge auger. The coolant spray cools the discharge auger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2000
    Assignee: Maumee Research & Engineering, Inc.
    Inventors: Franklin G. Rinker, Deane A. Horne, Daniel A. Molnar, Thomas J. Sack
  • Patent number: 6151907
    Abstract: A misting system has a reservoir for containing water. Misting nozzles are in communication with the reservoir. Water is forced out of the reservoir and through the nozzles by compressed gas. The gas can be supplied in contact with the water by an external air cylinder. Alternatively, the gas can inflate a bladder or diaphragm located inside of the reservoir. The misting system is for use on vehicles of all types and can be located in the roof or ceiling of such vehicles. The misting nozzles can be located in the wall of the reservoir.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2000
    Inventor: Roger G. Hale
  • Patent number: 6148744
    Abstract: A method of operating a pulverized coal-firing furnace so as to achieve no more than a predetermined variation in the instantaneous vertical velocities of the flow exiting a combustion chamber of the furnace is provided. The method includes, in one variation thereof, providing a series of lower compartments for introducing therethrough one of air, fuel, and air and fuel into the combustion chamber. At least one upper compartment is disposed above the topmost compartment of the series of lower compartments at a relative disposition to the topmost compartment in a spacing range between a contiguous disposition to a more spaced disposition which is no more than twice the average spacing between any given compartment and an adjacent compartment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2000
    Assignee: ABB Alstom Power Inc.
    Inventors: Paul J. Chapman, John F. Drennen, Michael L. Kaplan, Majed A. Toqan
  • Patent number: 6149425
    Abstract: A furnace for the thermal decomposition of solids by thermal radiation having an inlet for admitting the solids at an upper part with the solids dropping by gravity in the furnace. There is at least one heated radiator body within the furnace below the inlet to produce radiant heat energy to decompose the solids dropping in the furnace and the gases produced by the decomposition rise in the furnace to preheat the solids admitted at the inlet. The furnace also includes a heat exchanger whose liquid is heated by the decomposed solids, and there are a plurality of radiator bodies each in the form of a closed chamber with a burner to heat a plate which radiates the heat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2000
    Assignee: Liquid Carbonic Industrias S.A.
    Inventors: Maury Saddy, Carlos Alberto Gusmao
  • Patent number: 6148538
    Abstract: Condensation device and suction element including a condensation device for machines for manufacturing and refining a fibrous material web. The condensation device includes at least one condensation element positioned in a region of at least one of steam formation and accumulation and a condensate receptacle. The suction element includes a hollow body coupled to a vacuum source. The hollow body is adapted to guide a transport belt carrying a moist and heated web. The suction element also includes at least one opening positioned to face the transport belt, at least one condensation element, and at least one condensate receptacle. The at least one condensation element and the at least one condensate receptacle are positioned within the hollow body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2000
    Assignee: Voith Sulzer Papiermaschinen GmbH
    Inventors: Karl Steiner, Markus Oechsle
  • Patent number: 6148860
    Abstract: A vacuum tank assembly has a low volume configuration so that it can be used in boats and recreational vehicles where space is at a premium. A stack of components, with a waste tank at the bottom, then a vacuum tank with directly connected vacuum pump, and one or more fresh water tanks, is located remote from a vacuum toilet, with a discharge from the toilet (below a vacuum-tight ball valve) connected to the vacuum tank, which is in turn connected to the vacuum pump, in turn connected to the waste tank. A submersible centrifugal pump may be provided mounted to a cap of the water tank, with an anti-siphon device associated with it. The vacuum tank is of high density polypropylene having flat walls, with no continuous flat surface more than 80 square inches. Lipless duckbill check valves are provided on opposite sides of the vacuum pump, the valves of elastomeric material having a ratio of the wall thickness to thickness of the sealing edges of about 1:1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2000
    Assignee: Sealand Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: James A. Sigler
  • Patent number: 6148848
    Abstract: The instant invention consists of an inner cannula of hosing amenable to transport of a liquid coupled with an outer cannula of hosing amenable to transport of a gas. As respects one embodiment, affixed to outer walling of the inner cannula and to inner walling of the outer cannula are rigid struts, typically three or four, at 120.degree. or right angles with respect to one another at various points along the respective lengths of the cannulae that serve to maintain separation of the cannulae from one another at times when the inner cannula is filled with a liquid and the outer cannula is filled with a gas under pressure. A second embodiment is strut free. Each cannula has an ingress end whereat a liquid is introduced into the inner cannula and whereat a gas is introduced into the outer cannula.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2000
    Inventor: John F. Freed