Patents Examined by Frances F Hamilton
  • Patent number: 10821812
    Abstract: An automobile air vent register is described. The register uses a rotating vent cover, and an elongate opening in a configuration providing good air flow control within a limited space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2020
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventor: Yahong Zhang
  • Patent number: 10807131
    Abstract: In a laboratory hood system having a housing with an access window opening into an interior work chamber for performing laboratory processes, and an air circulation system for creating an air flow from the laboratory environment inwardly through the access window into the work chamber for preventing hazardous materials from escaping into the laboratory environment through the access window, one or more air intake control devices are disposed in a selected location or locations at the access window to overcome any tendency for air turbulence to occur. The air intake control device has an air flow channel extending from an air intake opening to the laboratory environment to an air discharge opening to the work chamber, with a constriction in the channel for causing a venturi-effect increase in air velocity while flowing through the channel to promote non-turbulent air flow entering the work chamber at the selected location or locations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2020
    Assignee: Kewaunee Scientific Corporation
    Inventors: Kurt P. Rindoks, Michael Pinkney Vaughn
  • Patent number: 10800228
    Abstract: A leaf screen for an air intake of an HVAC system of a vehicle having a hood covering an engine compartment. The leaf screen includes a leaf screen body defining an air inlet opening covered by an integrally molded screen. A seal is integrally molded on a top surface of the leaf screen body in front of the air inlet opening. Bump-stops are integrally molded on the top surface that are engaged by an inner panel of the hood when closed. A method of making the leaf screen includes injecting a polymeric material into a mold to form a body portion. At least one elastomeric material is injected into the mold on one side of the body portion to form a seal and a plurality of bump-stops.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2020
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Michael J. Gardynik, Kevin Michael O'Callaghan, Thomas J. Joseph
  • Patent number: 10801739
    Abstract: An air current changeable full front blowing type air conditioner is provided. The air current changeable full front blowing type air conditioner includes: a case configured to comprise a heat exchanger disposed inside the case; a main air blower configured to be disposed in rear of the heat exchanger inside the case and discharge a main air current from a full front of the case; and at least one auxiliary air blower configured to be positioned around the main air blower of the case and discharge an auxiliary air current for changing a direction of the main air current. The auxiliary air blower discharges the auxiliary air current in a direction where the auxiliary air current interferes with the main air current discharged from the full front of the case.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2020
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Ki-hwan Kwon, Eun-bi Seo
  • Patent number: 10792976
    Abstract: A vehicle cabin air register includes a tube shaped retainer disposed in a register opening, a bezel connected to the retainer, and a first fin axially supported by a pivot axis at an inner side of the retainer. A restricting mechanism restricts a pivot range of the first fin. The vehicle cabin air register also includes a second fin including a pair of second fin main bodies, an operation knob attached to a center portion of the first fin, a first flow path, and a second flow path. A minimum gap of the first flow path is narrower than a minimum gap of the second flow path. When the register is in a restricted state, the downstream end of the operation knob and the downstream end of the other second fin main body of the pair of second fin main bodies are positioned downstream of the bezel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Toshinao Wada
  • Patent number: 10792974
    Abstract: An air register knob assembly comprises a vane having a first side and a second side opposite the first side; a knob having a main body. The main body is slidably connected to only the first side of the vane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies LLC
    Inventors: Ryan Lin, Evan Tian, Gerald Yao, Michael Neumann
  • Patent number: 10787062
    Abstract: A dual damper device or damper assembly of a vehicle air vent includes a dial support; a dial knob coupled with the dial support so as to rotate in one direction or another direction; a gear bush having an upper end portion coupled to a bottom of the dial knob, and a pinion gear formed at a lower portion; a guide gear having a rack gear part at one side thereof and engaging the pinion gear so as to move forward or backward; and a damper provided to an air channel of a duct housing so as to rotate in one side direction or another side direction. The damper is coupled to the guide gear so that the damper moves according to an amount of a forward or backward movement of the guide gear.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2020
    Assignee: NIFCO KOREA INC.
    Inventor: Soo Young Lee
  • Patent number: 10766339
    Abstract: A vehicle body structure includes spaced roof rails and a structural air duct. The air duct has at least two bows connecting between the roof rails and defining first and second channels. An interconnecting member is connected between the bows and defines a third channel connecting the first and second channels in fluid communication with each other. At least one of the bows defines an outlet port configured to supply air to a cabin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Ari Garo Caliskan, Nicolas Zagorski, Andrew J. Stankovich
  • Patent number: 10760791
    Abstract: Systems and methods for controlling an exhaust gas fan system. The control system may control one or more components of the exhaust system to optimize system performance and improve energy efficiency. The control system may be designed to maintain a substantially constant pressure in the exhaust header and provide a substantially constant flow through the exhaust fans. The control system may include software and hardware that allow the control system to control one or more of: modulation of one or more by-pass dampers; adjustment of the nozzle outlet area; varying the speed of the fans; the number and staging of fans. By utilizing and controlling one or more of these functions, the amount of energy being used may be minimized/optimized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2020
    Assignee: Strobic Air Corporation
    Inventors: Charles Alexander Gans, Paul A. Tetley, Brian Jay Merritt
  • Patent number: 10739034
    Abstract: An indoor unit for an air conditioner is provided. The indoor unit includes a housing, and the housing including an upper base plate provided with an air inlet, a lower base plate detachably mounted to the upper base plate and provided with an air outlet, and a front cover detachably mounted to the upper base plate; a heat exchanger mounted to the upper base plate; a fan detachably mounted to the lower base plate; and a guide assembly configured to guide the lower base plate when mounting and dismounting the lower base plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2020
    Assignees: GD MIDEA AIR-CONDITIONING EQUIPMENT CO., LTD., MIDEA GROUP CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Xing Liu, Xiaofeng Bai, Xinzhou Zhang, Dacheng Li
  • Patent number: 10731352
    Abstract: A rollable ridge vent for covering an open ridge of a roof and for allowing a flow of air to exit from the open ridge through the ridge vent includes a top panel having a center portion, a left side portion, and a right side portion, in which the top panel includes a plurality of louvers for allowing a flow of air to exit the ridge vent. In addition, the rollable ridge vent includes a spaced apart series of inner walls and a spaced apart series of outer walls extending downward from the left side portion of the top panel. The spaced apart series of inner walls and the spaced apart series of outer walls of the left side portion are staggered. The rollable ridge vent also includes a spaced apart series of inner walls and a spaced apart series of outer walls extending downward from the right side portion of the top panel. The spaced apart series of inner walls and the spaced apart series of outer walls of the right side portion are staggered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2020
    Assignee: Owens Corning Intellectual Capital, LLC
    Inventor: Robert K. Hendricks, Jr.
  • Patent number: 10704800
    Abstract: A system for controlling air flow is provided that includes a damper disposed on a duct, an energy recovery system disposed within the duct a first predetermined distance from the damper and a controller coupled to the damper by a conductor and to the energy recovery system, the controller disposed within the duct a second predetermined distance from the damper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2020
    Assignee: Air Distribution Technologies IP, LLC
    Inventors: Clark E. Pridemore, Steven R. Palasek, Harvey Pastunink, Joseph Tyler Devine, James Charles Sharp, Robert Gerald Lee
  • Patent number: 10676984
    Abstract: A hollow core door for a room, the door includes a stile and rail frame, an inside skin having a plurality of holes extending therethrough, an outside skin having a plurality of holes extending therethrough, both skins secured to the frame. The door includes a-panel disposed between the inside and outside skins, the panel having a surface area greater than an area of the pluralities of holes, and having openings disposed laterally of the pluralities of holes. The panel includes a slider panel having a plurality of slider panel openings, the slider panel slidable to alternately allow or block a flow of air. The pluralities of holes are located whereby air flows inwardly through the plurality of holes in the inside skin, divides, flows about the panel and through its openings, and outwardly through the plurality of holes in the outside skin in a non-linear manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2020
    Inventor: Jerry G. Crittenden
  • Patent number: 10669073
    Abstract: A system for preventing animal suffocation because of a bag is disclosed. The system includes an attachment for the bag having a first panel and a second panel. A hinge element attaches the first panel with the second panel. The first panel is configured to attach to a first outward facing portion of the bag and the second panel and is configured to attach to a second outward facing portion of the bag. A one-way air flow valve is integral with at least one of the first panel and the second panel and is configured to allow air to flow from an outside environment into the bag only when an inward force acts on the valve and pulls air from outside the bag inward inside the bag.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2020
    Inventor: Scarlett Dawn Watts
  • Patent number: 10647074
    Abstract: An aerospace vessel including a fuselage, a means for causing the fuselage to fly coupled to the fuselage, and an environmental control system within the fuselage. The environmental control system includes a duct made of closed cell thermoplastic foam, such as polyvinylidene fluoride foam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2020
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Walter Forrest Frantz, Jayant D. Patel, Douglas Dean Maben, Bruce Whitman, Douglas E. Freeman
  • Patent number: 10639967
    Abstract: An air-outlet adjusting assembly for a motor vehicle includes a drive unit configured to be driven by an electric drive and configured to act on at least one pivotable valve flap and at least one pivotable guide slat. The drive unit includes a rotatably arranged sliding-block carrier having a sliding block arranged eccentrically thereon, wherein, in a first rotary motion segment of the sliding-block carrier, the sliding block is configured to engage in a valve-flap slotted link connected for conjoint rotation to the at least one valve flap and, in a second rotary motion segment of the sliding-block carrier, the sliding block is configured to engage in a guide-slat slotted link connected for conjoint rotation to the at least one guide slat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignees: DR. ING. H.C. F. PORSCHE AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT, DR. SCHNEIDER KUNSTSTOFFWERKE GMBH
    Inventors: Sergej Mikolajewski, Bernd Gayer, Norman Lange, Johannes Schneider
  • Patent number: 10645836
    Abstract: A rack system is disclosed. The racks and the computer systems included within the racks have a shallow configuration. The racks are placed next to one another in a back-to-back configuration in which the backs of each of the racks are adjacent to one another. All of the user-accessible components of the computers system face toward the front of each rack. The heated air from each of the computer systems is expelled in the space between each of the racks. The space between each of the racks is relatively narrow, as there are no user-accessible components between the racks. The racks are coupled to one another with a bar that may include at least some spring action to accommodate some movement of the racks toward or away from one another without the tipping of either rack.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: Dell Products L.P.
    Inventors: David L. Moss, Shawn P. Hoss
  • Patent number: 10619865
    Abstract: To obtain an air-conditioning apparatus with good operability. The air-conditioning apparatus includes a main body 1 including a frame body 2 and a base body 3 provided on a back surface side of the frame body 2, a frame body-side engagement section 2a and an extension section 2b that extends backward on both sides of the frame body-side engagement section 2a are provided on a back side of the frame body 2, a base body-side engagement section 3a that engages with the frame body-side engagement section 2a, and a support base 3b that is located below the extension section 2b are provided on a front side of the base body 3, and when the frame body 2 is mounted to the base body 3, the frame body-side engagement section 2a and the base body-side engagement section 3a engage with each other, and the extension section 2b is supported by the support base 3b.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2020
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Takuya Niimura, Kazuhito Kojima, Yasushi Oba, Hiroshi Omura, Shota Sugai, Den Ozaki, Yosuke Naito
  • Patent number: 10619872
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for providing selective fan or vent cooling are disclosed. An example embodiment includes: a return plenum box having a return box opening, a fan opening, and a return duct opening; a fan coupled to the fan opening; a controller coupled to the plenum box; and an adjustable damper coupled to a hinge point of the return plenum box, the damper being adjustable between a closed position, which blocks the fan opening and an open position that blocks the return duct opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2020
    Assignee: CENTRAVENT, llc
    Inventors: Kirk Mills, Kimberley Mills
  • Patent number: 10605453
    Abstract: A conduit made of a synthetic resin, having an inner surface and an outer surface, having concave portions and convex portions alternately and continuously provided in the length direction. The conduit is bendable. The conduit includes outer wall parts extending with a first width in the length direction; inner wall parts positioned radially inside relative to the outer wall parts and extending with a second width in the length direction; and side wall parts joining the outer wall parts and the inner wall parts so that the outer wall parts and the inner wall parts are alternately and continuously provided in the length direction. The outer surfaces of the outer wall parts each have, at both ends in the length direction, protruding parts, which protrude in the radial direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignees: NORTIZ CORPORATION, TOKYO GAS LIVING ENGINEERING CO., LTD., MIRAI INDUSTRY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masaki Sugatani, Takanori Nagano, Hironao Matsunaga, Takahide Hasegawa, Yasuhide Sato, Kiyomi Kanamoto, Hirokazu Kawamura, Shohei Matsuda