Patents Examined by Frantz F. Jules
  • Patent number: 11898779
    Abstract: A subway hybrid-energy multifunctional-end-integrated heat pump system includes energy and user ends and hot water tank. A first energy end includes a capillary-tube front-end heat exchanger and a subway capillary heat pump unit. A second energy end includes a solar panel. A third energy end includes an air-cooled heat pump unit. The user end includes air conditioner, hot water supply, underfloor heating, and radiator heating ends. The first, second and third energy ends connect to the hot water tank. A water outlet is connected to the air conditioner, hot water supply, underfloor heating, and radiator heating ends. Water outlets of the air conditioner, underfloor heating, and radiator heating ends are respectively connected to the first, second and third energy end through a return pipe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: QINGDAO UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Songtao Hu, Guodan Liu, Yongming Ji, Haiying Wang, Li Tong, Zhen Tong
  • Patent number: 11897616
    Abstract: A galley cart system employs a dry ice compartment and a refrigeration compartment in a galley cart in flow communication with the dry ice compartment. A ventilation system is in interruptible flow communication with at least the refrigeration compartment and configured to receive gas discharged from at least the refrigeration compartment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Inventors: Bryce A. Vandyke, Marcus K. Richardson, Chao-Hsin Lin
  • Patent number: 11892175
    Abstract: A heating appliance of the electric radiator type, including a housing containing a DC operated electrical energy storage device charged by an electrical power supply source outside the appliance, and at least one heating body that can be powered by the electrical power supply source and/or by the electrical energy storage device. The housing also comprises at least one air inlet arranged in a lower part of the housing to allow air to enter the space internally defined by the housing, and at least one air outlet arranged in an upper part of the housing to allow the air to leave the space. The electrical energy storage device is arranged across the air flow that circulates, in the space, from the at least one air inlet to the at least one air outlet, in a location situated, as observed in the direction of circulation of the flow, between the at least one air inlet and the at least one heating body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignee: LANCEY ENERGY STORAGE
    Inventors: Yohann Chatillon, Raphaƫl Meyer, Gilles Moreau
  • Patent number: 11885509
    Abstract: A solar thermal assisted water heating system includes a thermal collector comprising a plurality of fluid channels configured to collect heat from a surface of a photovoltaic module, a drain-back tank coupled to the thermal collector, a first pump coupled to the drain-back tank and configured to pump fluid from the drain-back tank to the thermal collector, a first heat exchanger configured to receive fluid from the thermal collector, a heat pump coupled to the first heat exchanger and configured to remove heat from the fluid and heat water with the removed heat, and a controller configured to control the first pump and heat pump. The system may include a photovoltaic module and a hot water tank. These systems improve the efficiency of water heating, and the drain-back tank may serve as a thermal battery that stores heat and provides the stored heat when environmental temperatures decrease.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: FAFCO INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Robert Leckinger, Alexander P. Ward
  • Patent number: 11885561
    Abstract: Methods and systems for liquefying natural gas using environmentally-friendly low combustibility refrigerants are provided. Methods of liquefaction include cooling a fluid in an LNG facility via indirect heat exchange with an environmentally-friendly low combustibility refrigerant selected from the group consisting of: a fluorinated olefin, xenon, any derivative thereof, and any combination thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: CONOCOPHILLIPS COMPANY
    Inventors: Paul Davies, James Lee Harris, Jr., Emery Jay Thomas, Gregg Sapp
  • Patent number: 11885516
    Abstract: A refrigeration system of a building includes: a compressor module configured to, in response to a determination that an amount of a refrigerant of the refrigeration system that is present outside of the refrigeration system and within the building is greater than a first predetermined amount, maintain a compressor off continuously for a predetermined period; and a fan module configured to, in response to the determination, maintain a fan on continuously for at least the predetermined period, and where the compressor module is further configured to, without receiving input indicative of a reset of the refrigeration system, after the compressor has been off for the predetermined period and the amount of refrigerant that is present outside of the refrigeration system within the building is less than a second predetermined amount, selectively turn the compressor on.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: Copeland LP
    Inventor: Brian R. Butler
  • Patent number: 11879687
    Abstract: Provided is a method of designing a heat exchanger group being installed in a processing plant and having multiple ACHEs. In a first step, at least one design variable relating to ACHE design and the number of installed ACHEs are set as variable parameters, and a variable range and a change unit of each of the variable parameters are set. In a second step, a design value of the ACHE, which includes a value of a design variable non-selected as the variable parameter, is set. In a third step, Pareto solutions for at least two objective functions selected from an objective function group consisting of an installation length of the heat exchanger group, a total heat transfer area of heat transfer tubes, and total power consumption of fans are calculated by using a computer while the variable parameter are changed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: JGC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Satoru Kanazawa, Masaki Ikeda, Toshikazu Miyashita
  • Patent number: 11877421
    Abstract: A cooling liquid flow control device includes a heat dissipation bottom plate, a fixing holder, a cooling module, and a temperature control element. The heat dissipation bottom plate has a bottom surface configured to be in contact with a heating element on a substrate. The fixing holder is connected to the heat dissipation bottom plate and configured to be fixed with the substrate. The cooling module is connected to a top surface of the heat dissipation bottom plate to form a cavity. The cavity is configured to circulate a cooling liquid. The temperature control element is connected to the cooling module and includes a valve. The valve is configured to reciprocally move based on a temperature of the heating element, thereby adjusting a flow rate of the cooling liquid in and out of the cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignees: Inventec (Pudong) Technology Corporation, INVENTEC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Han Chih Hsieh, Hsiu-Hui Kuo, Yang Chang Su, Chih Hung Cheng
  • Patent number: 11872921
    Abstract: Provided is a vacuum adiabatic body. The vacuum adiabatic body includes a first plate member defining at least a portion of a wall for a first space, a second plate member defining at least a portion of a wall for a second space having a temperature different from the first space, a sealing part sealing the first plate member and the second plate member to provide a third space that has a temperature between the temperature of the first space and the temperature of the second space and is in a vacuum state, a supporting unit maintaining the third space, a heat resistance unit reducing an amount of heat transferred between the first plate member and the second plate member, a port through which air in the third space is discharged, and a heat exchange module coming into contact with an inner surface of a cavity provided by the first plate member and the second plate member so as to perform heat exchange.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Hyeunsik Nam, Bongjin Kim
  • Patent number: 11874021
    Abstract: The present disclosure discloses a fabricated air conditioner wall and an operation method thereof, and the fabricated air conditioner wall included a precast wall and a heat pump system embedded in the precast wall. The components of the fabricated air conditioner wall are mass-produced and assembled in factories. The fabricated air conditioner wall mainly includes an indoor heat exchanger, a throttle valve, a condensate water tank, a four-way valve, a wall-buried pipe, a compressor, and an outdoor heat exchanger. In a cooling mode, condensate water is collected in the condensate water tank to cool the refrigerant. In winter, when the precast wall is illuminated by sunlight, a temperature of an outer wall is often higher than a temperature of outdoor air, and this solar energy can be reasonably utilized by the wall-buried pipe, thereby improving the heating effect of the air conditioner itself.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: ZHEJIANG UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Guoqing He, Wenjie Zhao
  • Patent number: 11867181
    Abstract: A refrigeration system includes a compressor having a hermetically sealed housing and a compression mechanism which is positioned inside the housing; a condenser which is fluidly connected to the compressor; an evaporator which is fluidly connected between the condenser and the compressor; a magnetic coupling having a drive coupling half positioned outside the housing and a driven coupling half positioned inside the housing and separated from the drive coupling half by a separation wall portion of the housing; and a fluid conduit for communicating a portion of liquid refrigerant from the condenser to an inside surface of the separation wall portion. During operation, the liquid refrigerant from the condenser is evaporated on or adjacent the inside surface of the separation wall portion to thereby dissipate heat generated by magnetically induced eddy currents in the separation wall portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Inventors: Alexander David Leyderman, Ralph James Carl, Jr., Graham Walker Lewis, Andrew Bascom McCandless, Jeongkwan Lee, Geoffrey Reynolds Harmon
  • Patent number: 11867423
    Abstract: A heat pump and a method for operating a heat pump are provided. The heat pump may include an outdoor unit including a compressor that compresses a refrigerant and an outdoor heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the refrigerant and outdoor air, a hybrid unit including at least one fluid-refrigerant heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the refrigerant supplied from the outdoor unit and a fluid, such as water, and at least one refrigerant control valve that controls an amount of refrigerant flowing through the at least one fluid-refrigerant heat exchanger, a plurality of indoor units each including an indoor heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the fluid supplied from the hybrid unit and indoor air, and a controller. The controller may calculate operation loads of the plurality of indoor units and control an opening degree of the at least one refrigerant control value based on the operation loads of the plurality of indoor units.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Youngjoo Shin, Chiwoo Song, Jaewon Lee, Soyoon Kim
  • Patent number: 11867460
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for freezing a liquid droplet includes dispensing, by a liquid dispenser (14), a droplet (13) of liquid into a fluid chamber (10) containing a freezing fluid (12). The droplet of liquid is allowed to dwell in the freezing fluid for at least a predetermined dwell time so that the droplet of liquid freezes to a frozen droplet. The method and apparatus further includes injecting, by a gas injector (17), a stream (16) of gas transversely to a surface of the freezing fluid at about where the frozen droplet is located along the surface of the freezing fluid contained in the fluid chamber so that the frozen droplet sinks in the freezing fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: GEN-PROBE INCORPORATED
    Inventor: Reza Bashar
  • Patent number: 11867471
    Abstract: A heat exchanger includes a bag-like outer packaging material. A heat medium flows into an inside of the outer packaging material via the heat medium inlet, passes through the inside, and flows out of the outer packaging material via the heat medium outlet. An inner core material is arranged in the inside of the outer packaging material. The outer packaging material has an outer packaging laminate material including a metal heat transfer layer and a resin thermal fusion layer on a surface side of the heat transfer layer. The outer packaging laminate materials form a bag shape by integrally joining the thermal fusion layers along the peripheral edge portions. The inner core material includes the inner core laminate material with a metal heat transfer layer and resin thermal fusion layers on surface sides of the heat transfer layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2023
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: SHOWA DENKO PACKAGING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Koji Minamitani
  • Patent number: 11867447
    Abstract: A refrigerator includes a compressor that is configured to compress a refrigerant, a condenser that is configured to condense the refrigerant compressed in the compressor, an expander that is configured to depressurize the refrigerant condensed in the condenser, a first evaporator provided at one side of a refrigerator compartment, and that is configured to evaporate the refrigerant depressurized in the expander, a second evaporator provided at one side of a freezer compartment, and that is configured to evaporate the refrigerant depressurized in the expander, a valve unit provided at an outlet pipe of the condenser, and that is configured to introduce the refrigerant into at least one of the first or second evaporators, and a hot gas path that connects the valve unit to the second evaporator, and that is configured to guide flow of the refrigerant that has passed through the condenser.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventor: Hosan Kim
  • Patent number: 11867418
    Abstract: An air conditioning system having an auxiliary heat source is provided and that may include an outdoor unit, an indoor heat exchanger connected to the outdoor unit, the indoor heat exchanger including a temperature sensor, an auxiliary heat source arranged as an auxiliary to the outdoor unit and operated by an energy source different from an energy source of the outdoor unit, a thermostat configured to control a temperature of an installation space supplied with cold air or warm air by the outdoor unit and the auxiliary heat source, and a communicator. The communicator may include an input unit connected to the thermostat, a first output unit connected to the auxiliary heat source, a second output unit connected to the outdoor unit, and a controller configured to process signals between the input unit, the first output unit, and the second output unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Beomsoo Seo, Sounghun Lee, Youngheon Kwon, Pilhyun Yoon
  • Patent number: 11859832
    Abstract: A gray water heat recovery apparatus has first and second passes in counter-flow orientation. The hot side is gray water. The cold side is fresh water. It extracts heat from the gray water. The fresh water is carried in tubing bundles in series immersed in gray water sumps in a unitary cylindrical plastic, mild steel, stainless steel or copper pipe section that defines multiple flow passages. Both ends of the fresh water bundle assembly extend from the same upper end pipe closure, without a pressurized line wall penetration in the walls of the pipe. There is a non-electrically conductive barrier between the fresh water and gray water flow paths. The apparatus has a leak detection circuit and co-operable bypass valves. The lower manifold has gray water passages between the centering ears. The entire assembly is enclosed in a unitary external housing with axially accessible connection fittings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Inventors: Adelino Ribeiro, Vicente Gil, John Gil, Camilo Gil, David Ribeiro
  • Patent number: 11846464
    Abstract: A refrigerator includes a cabinet, a door opening/closing the cabinet and having an opening that is penetrated in a front/rear direction, a transparent panel assembly mounted to cover the opening and through which the inside of the refrigerant is seen, and a lighting member provided in the door or the cabinet to brighten a rear side of the transparent panel assembly. The transparent panel assembly includes a front panel defining an outer appearance of a front surface, a rear panel defining an outer appearance of a rear surface, a spacer made of a metal material and disposed between the front panel and the rear panel to define a periphery of the transparent panel assembly. A heater mounting part on which a heater is mounted is disposed on the spacer, and when the heater generates heat, one side of the front panel, which comes into contact with the spacer, is heated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Junghwan Kim, Chanuk Kang, Hyuk Kwon, Sangmyung Lee, Ikkyu Lee
  • Patent number: 11845322
    Abstract: A portable display apparatus for conveying vehicle-related information using thermal and haptic touch is provided. The portable display apparatus includes circuitry communicatively coupled to a temperature control unit of the portable display apparatus. The circuitry receives from one or more first sensors associated with a vehicle, first temperature information associated with an interior space of the vehicle or an ambient environment of the vehicle and determines a temperature setting based on received first temperature information. The circuitry detects a physical-contact between the portable display apparatus and one of a skin portion or a cloth portion worn by a user. Thereafter, the circuitry controls the temperature control unit based on the determined temperature setting and the detected physical-contact.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Christopher John Tarchala, Hanna Gee
  • Patent number: 11841164
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are systems and methods for providing hot air or hot dehumidified air to a facility using an energy recovery high efficiency dehumidification system. The energy recovery high efficiency dehumidification system can include an air filter bank that receives air from a first inlet source, a supply fan that causes the air to flow from the first inlet source, a cooling coil configured to cool and reduce a relative humidity of the air that passes over the cooling coil, a cooling recovery coil coupled with the cooling coil and configured to heat the cooled air to generate cooled dehumidified reheated air in a cooling recovery coil plenum, an equipment room configured to surround mechanical and electrical equipment and further heat received cooled dehumidified reheated air, and a heat rejection coil that rejects heat from one or more components of the mechanical and electrical equipment to further heat the air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Inventor: Scot Matthew Duncan