Patents Examined by Edward K. Look
  • Patent number: 7364404
    Abstract: A turbomachine includes at least one rotor (6), at least one stator (7), and a casing (1), with the rotor (6) comprising several rotor blades (8) attached to a rotating shaft, and with the stator (7) being provided with stationary stator blades (9), the casing (1) being passed by a fluid flowing through the rotor (6) and stator (7). Provision is made for the removal of fluid on at least one blade (8, 9) of a blade row of the rotor (6) and/or the stator (7) on non-axially symmetrical, aerodynamically critical locations on blade tip and annulus surfaces (SRO).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2008
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG
    Inventor: Volker Guemmer
  • Patent number: 7364407
    Abstract: The invention relates to a wind turbine blade and a transitional shell blank for the manufacture of the shell of a wind turbine blade, the blade or the transitional shell blank being made of fibre-reinforced polymer including a first type of fibres (1, 3, 6) of a first stiffness and a first elongation at breakage, and a second type of fibres (2, 5, 7) of a different stiffness and a different elongation at breakage. According to the invention the two types of fibres are distributed in the polymer matrix. When seen in a sectional view perpendicular to longitudinal direction of the blade or the transitional shell blank, the quantitative ratio of the two types of fibres varies continuously in the longitudinal direction of the blade or of the transition shell blank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2008
    Assignee: LM Glasfiber A/S
    Inventors: Peter Grabau, Lars Fuglsang Andersen
  • Patent number: 7360990
    Abstract: A method enables a variable vane assembly for a gas turbine engine including a casing and an inner shroud to be assembled. The method comprises providing at least one variable vane including a radially inner spindle that has a substantially circular cross-sectional shape, and coupling the variable vane radially between the casing and the inner shroud such that the radially inner spindle is rotatably coupled within an opening extending through the inner shroud, wherein the opening has a non-circular cross-sectional profile.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2008
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Roger Owen Barbe, Mitchell Jay Headley, Scott Howard Pelletier, David N. Rosenow
  • Patent number: 7360992
    Abstract: A fan including a driving motor, a plurality of blades which are connected to the driving motor to rotate, and a housing having a housing main body to accommodate the driving motor and the blades, an air inhaler that is provided in the housing main body to inhale air toward the plurality of blades, an axial air discharger that is provided in a rotational axis direction of the plurality of blades and a radial air discharger that is provided in a radial direction substantially perpendicular to the rotational axis. The fan generates air flow both in the axial and radial directions, thereby increasing the number of directions in which air flows, reducing the number of fans to be used, minimizing an installation space required, and reducing noise generated by the fans.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2008
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Jin-hyun Cho
  • Patent number: 7360991
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus of fabricating a gas turbine engine component are provided. The method includes selecting a surface of a component to apply a wear-resistant material, applying a formed wear pad fabricated from a wear-resistant alloy and a braze material, and vacuum brazing the component and applied wear pad wherein the wear-resistant alloy is bonded to the component surface using the braze material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2008
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Gregory M. Ford, Eric Keith, Joshua Miller, David E. Budinger, Glenn H. Nichols
  • Patent number: 7360997
    Abstract: A coated fan rotor blade and method for coating a fan rotor blade. The coated fan rotor blade includes a fan rotor blade; and a coating disposed on said fan rotor blade. The coating comprises a binder; and a filler made up of a plurality of particles. The filler material is incorporated into the binder material, and the particles in the filler interact to produce vibrational damping. In particular, the coating includes small, dense, flattened particles or plates that are incorporated into a thin layer of visco-elastic material, such as rubber, silicone, fluoro-elastomer, or urethane and bonded to the surface of the rotor blade to provide damping of high frequency excitation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2008
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: William Kent Wagner, John Frederick Ackerman, Kenneth Lee Johnson
  • Patent number: 7360988
    Abstract: A method facilitates the assembly of a gas turbine engine. The method comprises providing a turbine nozzle including an inner band, an outer band, and at least one vane extending between the inner and outer bands, wherein the vane includes a first sidewall and a second sidewall connected together at a leading edge and a trailing edge and coupling the turbine nozzle to a combustor that includes a plurality of circumferentially-spaced cooling openings that are oriented with respect to the turbine nozzle such that cooling air discharged therefrom during engine operation is biased towards the vane leading edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2008
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ching-Pang Lee, Wenfeng Lu, Douglas Marti Fortuna, Jakub Roniewicz, Robert Andrzej Gniazdowski
  • Patent number: 7357619
    Abstract: A cris-cross pattern of flow channels serves to divide the flow of fluid and then cross the flow to cause an impact between the flow in each channel to impact against each other to reduce the decibels and noise level created by the flowing of the fluid. In a pneumatic surgical drill the spent air used to power the vane motor is diverted so that the flow of is divided in separate flow paths that cross to allow the air that flows from one of the divided channels impinges on the air flowing from the other of the divided channels. In one embodiment the divided channels or flow passageways is formed in the end cap of the housing of a pneumatic surgical drill and in another embodiment the flow diverter with the divided passageways or channels is formed in a plug the fits into the coaxial hose that connects to the housing of the pneumatic surgical drill.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2008
    Assignee: The Anspach Effort, Inc.
    Inventor: Eddy H. Del Rio
  • Patent number: 7357617
    Abstract: A fan including a plurality of spaced fan bodies that rotate in a substantially cylindrical cavity having inlet and outlet openings for tangential intake and discharge of the fluid, the fan bodies comprising substantially disc-shaped bodies that extend in a substantially radial direction from the shaft and are positioned on the shaft such that the shaft runs through the centre of the fan bodies and in such a manner that a void is formed between two neighbouring fan bodies, and wherein each fan body is connected to the shaft or to a spacer only, and wherein the fan bodies are provided with flow elements on both of their radially extending faces, the flow elements consisting of curved projections, the curved projections being curved forwardly as compared to the direction of rotation of the fan bodies and the curved projections extending between two imaginary circles on the fan bodies' radially extending faces having radii r1 and r2 respectively, wherein r1<r2, the radius r1 is larger than the outer radius of
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2008
    Inventors: Johan Haga, Nils Haga, Thomas Haga
  • Patent number: 7357618
    Abstract: A flow splitter directs inlet steam in axially opposite directions in a double flow steam turbine. The flow splitter includes a main ring having a radially outer apex with annular concave surfaces extending inwardly from and in opposite axial directions on opposite axial sides of the apex. A second ring is secured on one axial side of the main ring by welding to the main ring and has a concave outer surface portion which completes the concave surface of the flow splitter along the opposite axial side of the flow splitter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2008
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Steven Sebastian Burdgick, Thomas William Crall, Jr.
  • Patent number: 7357622
    Abstract: Turbine farm comprising at least a first turbine and at least a second turbine for energy extraction from a flowing fluid, wherein when the second turbine is on the lee side of the first turbine, under nominal power, the axial induction of the first turbine is lowered with respect to the second turbine, to reduce turbulence mainly at the location of the at least second turbine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2008
    Assignee: Stichting Energieonderzoek Centrum Nederland
    Inventors: Gustave Paul Corten, Pieter Schaak
  • Patent number: 7357620
    Abstract: A fan assembly that can be used as a cooling fan or an air circulator. The fan assembly can provide the cooling and air circulation functions simultaneously or separately. The intensity of the cooling and/or air circulation can be individually controlled and directed. The fan assembly includes a base unit, a mounting frame rotatably coupled to the base unit, and a plurality of blower housings, each enclosing a fan and coupled to the mounting frame. The mounting frame is rotatable about an axis parallel to the support plane of the base. At least one of the blower housings is rotatably mounted to the mounting frame. The position of the blower housings can be adjusted through the manipulation of a positioning handle that is coupled to the rotatable blower housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2008
    Assignee: Kaz, Incorporated
    Inventors: Stephen Russak, Anthony DeMore, Alvaro Miguel Pinto de Araujo, Anthony Lai, David Bossa, Lucki Wang, Sam Lin
  • Patent number: 7357624
    Abstract: The invention concerns a rotor blade of a wind power installation and a wind power installation. One advantage of the present invention is to provide a rotor blade having a rotor blade profile, and a wind power installation, which has better efficiency than hitherto. A rotor blade of a wind power installation, wherein the rotor blade has a thickness reserve approximately in the range of between 15% and 40%, preferably in the range of between about 23% and 28%, and wherein the greatest profile thickness is between about 20% and 45%, preferably between about 32% and 36%.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2008
    Inventor: Aloys Wobben
  • Patent number: 7357623
    Abstract: A rotor blade of a gas turbine engine includes a blade root defining a cooling airflow entry cavity therein, in fluid communication with internal cooling air passages through the blade. The cavity includes opposed side walls and at least one divider wall extending therebetween. At least one end portion of the divider walls adjoins one of the side walls in an angled direction relative to a perpendicular direction of the side walls.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2008
    Assignee: Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp.
    Inventors: Othmane Leghzaouni, Ghislain Plante
  • Patent number: 7354249
    Abstract: A single stage low pressure turbine blade includes an airfoil having a profile substantially in accordance with at least an intermediate portion of the Cartesian coordinate values of X, Y and Z set forth in Table 2. The X and Y values are distances, which when smoothly connected by an appropriate continuing curve, define airfoil profile sections at each distance Z. The profile sections at each distance Z are joined smoothly to one another to form a complete airfoil shape.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2008
    Assignee: Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp.
    Inventors: Sami Girgis, Krishan Mohan
  • Patent number: 7354244
    Abstract: A blower for a water heater having a flue defining a flue axis. The blower includes a housing at least partially defining a first chamber and a second chamber and having an inlet opening into the first chamber and an outlet communicating between the second chamber and atmosphere, the inlet being alignable with the flue, a ramp extending through the second chamber and having a surface, the surface being oriented at an acute angle with respect to the flue axis, and an impeller positioned in the second chamber and being operable to draw exhaust from the flue into the first chamber through the inlet and being operable to direct the exhaust through the second chamber and across the surface of the ramp, the surface of the ramp directing the exhaust through the outlet in a direction substantially parallel to the flue axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2008
    Assignee: AOS Holding Company
    Inventors: Michael Robert Hasbargen, John W. O'Neill, Anthony Joseph Coloma, Kevin Mark Field, Darrell Wayne Schuh, Dennis R. Hughes, Jason Robert Abele
  • Patent number: 7354241
    Abstract: A rotor assembly for a gas turbine engine, the rotor assembly comprises a plurality of cooling air deflectors made integral with the rotor disk to redirect air to a manifold at a bottom side of a corresponding blade retention slot on the periphery of the rotor disk.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2008
    Assignee: Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp.
    Inventors: Toufik Djeridane, Michael Leslie Clyde Papple, Sri Sreekanth, Alan Juneau, Dominique Michel Nadeau
  • Patent number: 7354240
    Abstract: There is provided a centrifugal turbo machine comprising: a volute casing; a rotation axis coupled with the volute casing through a bearing; an impeller which is coupled to an end of the rotation axis and sucks fluid with a centrifugal force due to its rotation; and an axial thrust control member which is coupled to the volute casing at the rear of the impeller in a direction in which the fluid flows and prevents rotation of the fluid by the impeller. It is easy to fabricate and install the centrifugal turbo machine and it is possible to reduce the difference in static pressure of fluid by using the economical axial thrust control member so as to prevent the generation of the axial thrust, which results in damage of the bearing, etc. Therefore, it is possible to stably operate the centrifugal turbo machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2008
    Assignee: Korea Aerospace Research Institute
    Inventors: Chang-Ho Choi, Jinhan Kim
  • Patent number: 7354245
    Abstract: A wind power generation device capable of improving power generation efficiency is provided. The wind power generation device according to the present invention comprises: a substantially cylindrical duct 1 having a side wall with a substantially wing section; an impeller 2 rotatable around an axis of the duct 1; and a nacelle 5 that constitutes a streamlined pencil body 3 together with the impeller 2 and houses a generator 4 that uses torque of the impeller 2. The duct 1 has the side wall with the wing section so as to be able to produce a reduced pressure area at a rear of the duct and prevent generation of swirl at the rear of the duct 1. The pencil body 3 is provided so that a tip thereof is placed in the duct 1 and a rear end thereof protrudes from a rear end of the duct 1 so as to be close to a tip of the reduced pressure area produced at the rear of the duct 1. Blades 21 of the impeller 2 are provided in a maximum wind speed area 13 in the duct 1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2008
    Assignee: Baba Technical Laboratory Inc.
    Inventor: Yoshimi Baba
  • Patent number: 7354246
    Abstract: An electronics cooling fan comprises at least one collapsible fan blade driven by centrifugal force to extend radially as the fan spins and driven by elastic force to retract as spinning slows or stops.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2008
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Christopher G. Malone, Glenn C. Simon, Ricardo Espinoza-Ibarra