Patents Examined by Gregory A. Wilson
  • Patent number: 12372245
    Abstract: A system for controlling digital gas valves of an appliance utilizing a configurable duty cycle that includes a configurable ON time, a configurable cycle period and one or more configurable burner power level variables. In some instances, the configurable duty cycle may be configured at least in part by operation of a control knob, and in some instances, multiple burner power levels may be specified such that cycling may be performed between multiple burner power levels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2025
    Assignee: MIDEA GROUP CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Richard W. Cowan, Daniel J. Trice
  • Patent number: 12372304
    Abstract: An assembly for carrying parts to be sintered through a sintering furnace includes a boat formed of a refractory metal or metal alloy and including a base and, sidewalls, and a plurality of vertically stacked ceramic tiles disposed within the boat, each of the plurality of vertically stacked ceramic tiles sized to carry a plurality of the parts to be sintered through the sintering furnace.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2025
    Assignee: DSB TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Joseph Lange, Peter DePoutiloff, Ronald Martin, Paul Attoe, Eldon Fuller
  • Patent number: 12359845
    Abstract: A water heating appliance includes a heat exchanger that draws heat from process air and delivers the heat to a heat exchange media. The heat exchanger has a polygonal cross-section defining a first area. The water heating appliance also includes a blower that delivers the process air through the heat exchanger. The water heating appliance further includes a funnel that directs the process air from the heat exchanger to the blower. The funnel manages an air pressure of the process air to be consistent within the heat exchanger, and the funnel regulates the air pressure of the process air to decrease evenly and consistently between a downstream surface of the heat exchanger and a port that directs the process air into the blower.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2024
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2025
    Assignee: Bradford White Corporation
    Inventors: Joshua Bultema, Benjamin De Jager, Michael Richards
  • Patent number: 12359873
    Abstract: A process and plant for preheating a metal charge fed in continuous to an electric melting furnace through a preheating tunnel provided with side walls, a vault and a horizontal conveyor, wherein the metal charge is enveloped in countercurrent by fumes or exhaust gases exiting from the electric melting furnace, includes causing an air intake from the surrounding environment through openings along the preheating tunnel to complete the combustion of the fumes or exhaust gases. The intake is regulated by acting on suction fans and/or on the openings, based on measurements by temperature sensors and/or the composition of the outgoing gases in or downstream of the terminal part of the tunnel. The metal charge is enveloped by jets of gas ejected through a plurality of nozzles arranged non-uniformly longitudinally on the vault of the tunnel, with a greater concentration on the top of the vault of the tunnel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2025
    Inventors: Cesare Giavani, Silvio Maria Reali
  • Patent number: 12352499
    Abstract: A system for monitoring brick in a rotary kiln includes an infrared sensor and a computing system configured to: obtain a digital model of a brick layer of a rotary kiln having a plurality of bricks, wherein the digital model of the brick layer is based on a measured brick thickness correlated with a measured infrared temperature for each brick; obtain infrared data of the rotary kiln with the at least one infrared imaging sensor; determine the measured infrared temperature for each brick; determine a brick thickness of a first brick in the brick layer of the rotary kiln based on the measured infrared temperature assigned to the first brick with the digital model of the brick layer; and provide the brick thickness of the first brick in a brick thickness report.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2025
    Assignee: QUANTUM IR TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventor: Mark Israelsen
  • Patent number: 12352439
    Abstract: A water heater appliance for a recreational vehicle includes a tank and a flue disposed within the tank. The flue forms a U-shape that extends to and from an external side of the tank. A gas supply is in fluid communication with the flue. A burner assembly is disposed at an inlet of the flue. A baffle disposed within the flue. The baffle includes a plurality of restrictors configured to the baffle and the flue, and a flue collar mounted to the flue. The flue collar is configured to secure the baffle to the flue.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2025
    Assignee: Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc.
    Inventors: Jacob Strader, Subbu Thenappan
  • Patent number: 12345484
    Abstract: A cleaning system includes an explosive subsystem including: a plurality of detonation cords extending along a direction different from a vertical direction; and a locating assembly locating the plurality of detonation cords relative to each other. The locating assembly spaces each of the detonation cords apart from a system to be cleaned. The cleaning system includes a pressurized air blower assembly adjacent a portion of the system to be cleaned, the pressurized air blower assembly being configured to direct pressurized air towards the portion of the system to be cleaned after the detonation cords have been exploded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2023
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2025
    Assignee: DOS VIEJOS AMIGOS, LLC
    Inventors: Bradley A. McGinnis, Rodrick E. Hall, Jeff Bause
  • Patent number: 12344556
    Abstract: A method for calcining mineral rock in a regenerative parallel-flow vertical shaft furnace including the steps of collecting a portion of the gaseous effluent discharged, in preheating mode, from the furnace shaft in a recirculating circuit, forming an oxidizing mixture by mixing the portion collected from the gaseous effluent with concentrated dioxygen from a dioxygen source, and inserting the oxidizing mixture into the top of the shaft in firing mode so as to ensure the combustion of fuel in the presence of oxygen. The gaseous effluent discharged from the furnace having a high concentration of CO2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2025
    Assignee: S.A. LHOIST RECHERCHE ET DEVELOPPEMENT
    Inventors: Ziad Habib, Olivier Van Cantfort, Tristan Cloarec
  • Patent number: 12345411
    Abstract: An arrangement for and a method of horizontally supporting a side wall of a top-supported flue gas pass. The side wall includes evaporative water tubes at a first temperature, and the flue gas pass includes a superheating tube at a temperature higher than the first temperature and having rigid, horizontal tube legs extending across the flue gas pass between the side wall and a second side wall of the flue gas pass and being supported from above by a hanger, which is in operation at a temperature higher than the first temperature. Rigidity of the side wall is increased by horizontally supporting the side wall by the horizontal tube legs including end sections attached to the side walls by attaching means allowing relative movements of the end sections with respect to the side wall to which the end section is attached, only in a direction of their relative thermal movement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2025
    Assignee: Sumitomo SHI FW Energia Oy
    Inventor: Jussi Pollari
  • Patent number: 12345412
    Abstract: An apparatus for removing foreign substances around a heating tube of a steam generator is proposed. The apparatus includes a universal machine unit configured to hold the foreign substances, a connecting rod unit including a distal end connecting rod and a connecting rod part, a connecting rod moving unit configured to supply the connecting rod unit into the heating tube to move the connecting rod unit, a connecting rod supply unit provided to sequentially supply the plurality of connecting rods to the connecting rod moving unit, an image-capturing unit configured to be moved to a point where the foreign substances are located to capture an image of the foreign substances, and a controller connected to the universal machine unit, the connecting rod moving unit, and the connecting rod supply unit to control operations thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2025
    Assignee: DOOSAN ENERBILITY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Sung Kyu Yang, Deok Il Kim, Ki Deok Seong, Hyeon Hui Park
  • Patent number: 12338990
    Abstract: A steam generator including a heating chamber for heating water to generate steam, with a sidewall of the heating chamber being a heating element. The steam generator may be installed in an appliance, and may be removably installed in the appliance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2025
    Assignee: Otter Controls Limited
    Inventors: Kwok Hung Wong, Alex Reinier Nijhoff, Andrew Hunt
  • Patent number: 12338503
    Abstract: The present invention relates to kiln furniture kits for supporting ceramic products, such as for example sanitary ware, during high temperature processes in a kiln. The invention further relates to rolling element holders as part of the kiln furniture kits according to the present invention for deformation and breakage free firing or drying of ceramic products.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2025
    Assignee: ImerTech SAS
    Inventors: Sándor Kiss, Luc Bourgy, Manuel Bourdely, Ferenc Konkoly
  • Patent number: 12320526
    Abstract: A hood apparatus for a cooking device includes at least one temperature sensor arranged in a direction of a cooking device including a plurality of burners, a communication interface to perform communication with the cooking device, a driving device configured to adjust a sensing direction of the at least one temperature sensor, and a processor configured to identify at least one burner being driven from among the plurality of burners, control the driving device to adjust the sensing direction of the at least one temperature sensor so that the at least one temperature sensor faces a position of the identified at least one burner, and control the communication interface to transmit a sensing result of the at least one temperature sensor to the cooking device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2022
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2025
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Jungwon Choi, Yongkeun Jee
  • Patent number: 12320549
    Abstract: A tube profile (1), in particular for manufacturing a heat exchanger for a condensing boiler, wherein the cross-section (10) of the tube profile (1) comprises: a rectangular portion (20) having two greater sides (21, 22) parallel to each other and two smaller sides (31, 32) parallel to each other and orthogonal to the greater sides (21, 22), and an ogival portion (40) defined by a convex flat figure formed by a base (41) and two curved sides (42, 43) connected to each other in an apical zone (48) opposite to said base, wherein said base (41) coincides with a first side (31) of said two smaller sides (31, 32) of the rectangular portion (20), wherein said two curved sides (42,43) are symmetrical to an axis of symmetry (S-S) parallel to said greater sides (21, 22) and passing through the central points (33, 34) of said smaller sides (31, 32), wherein one end of each of said two curved sides (42, 43) joins to one end of a respective one of said two greater sides (21, 22)) in a first joining point (PH1), said each
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2022
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2025
    Assignee: Condevo S.P.A.
    Inventors: Rocco Giannoni, Giuseppe Bucci
  • Patent number: 12315745
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to an apparatus for improving the film thickness on a substrate when using a heated substrate support. A cover plate to be placed over the top surface of a heated substrate support is disclosed. The cover plate includes a pocket formed in the middle thereof for the placement of a substrate. The cover plate may include a variety of features including a plurality of dimples, a plurality of radially disposed grooves, a plurality of annular grooves, lift pin holes, pin slots, and gas exhaust holes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2025
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Muhammad M. Rasheed, Ilker Durukan
  • Patent number: 12312926
    Abstract: Present disclosure a multi-component supercritical thermal fluid generation system and method with segmented air supply. The outlet of a water tank is communicated with the preheated water inlet of a multi-component supercritical thermal fluid generator body, the preheated water outlet of the multi-component supercritical thermal fluid generator body is communicated with the cold fluid inlet of a heat exchanger, the product outlet at the upper part of the multi-component supercritical thermal fluid generator body is communicated with the thermal fluid inlet of the heat exchanger, and the slag outlet at the lower part of the multi-component supercritical thermal fluid generator body is communicated with the inlet of a slag discharge lock hopper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2025
    Assignee: XI'AN JIAOTONG UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Liejin Guo, Jialing Xu, Zhiyong Peng, Siqi Rong, Hui Jin, Di Su, Zening Cheng
  • Patent number: 12313296
    Abstract: A heat exchanger includes a case, a first and second heat exchanger disposed inside the case, a partition member disposed inside the case, and a duct. The case has a first side wall and a second side wall spaced apart from and facing each other in a first direction, a third side wall and a fourth side wall spaced apart from and facing each other in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, and a bottom wall. A gas outlet communicating with an interior of the case is formed in the first side wall. The first heat exchanger is farther from the bottom wall than the second heat exchanger in a third direction orthogonal to the first and second directions. The second heat exchanger includes meandering heat transfer tubes meandering within a plane orthogonal to the first direction and overlapping along the first direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2025
    Assignee: NORTIZ CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takeshi Ohigashi, Shigeo Sugie, Norihide Wada, Kengo Horiuchi, Naoya Shiotsu
  • Patent number: 12292186
    Abstract: An arrangement includes a steam saturator for producing saturated steam and a device for refeeding the liquid evaporated in the steam saturator. The steam saturator includes a steam inlet via which steam is delivered to the steam saturator, a steam outlet for the saturated steam produced, a condensate inlet via which condensate is delivered to the steam saturator, and a condensate return line. In a lower region of the steam saturator, a condensate liquid level that is fluidically connected to the condensate return line is maintained. The condensate return line is connected to the device, which is a condenser and comprises a cooling apparatus for condensing steam. In the steam saturator, the evaporated liquid is replaced only if the condensate level in the steam saturator drops, through condensation of saturated steam delivered from the steam saturator to the condenser and is then condensed in the condenser by the cooling apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2025
    Assignees: thyssenkrupp Uhde GmbH, thyssenkrupp AG
    Inventor: Matthias Pieper
  • Patent number: 12287148
    Abstract: A plate conveyor belt, and a furnace with such a conveyor belt, for transporting a material web which is to be continuously thermally treated using a gaseous tempering medium. The plate conveyor belt includes conveyor belt segments connected together in an articulated manner and each of which has a flat cover plate with a contact surface for the material web to be treated. The cover plate has openings for conducting the gaseous tempering medium, which can be conducted through the material web. The openings in the cover plate are arranged corresponding to the transport of the material web which is as wide as possible, and edge-side openings of the cover plate at least along a longitudinal face of the plate conveyor belt can be blocked from conducting the tempering medium via a wall-shaped blocking element in order to thermally treat a narrower material web.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2025
    Assignee: BERND MÜNSTERMANN GMBH & CO. KG
    Inventor: Wilfred Kemper
  • Patent number: 12281371
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a radiant tube apparatus disposed in a heat treatment facility to perform a heat treatment of a strip and a method for manufacturing the same. The radiant tube apparatus includes a tube having an internal pipe, wherein the tube has a first continuous pattern and a second continuous pattern extending side by side and spaced apart from each other at a predetermined distance on a surface, and, in each of the first continuous pattern and the second continuous pattern, a plurality of unit patterns having a predetermined height from the surface are connected to each other in a longitudinal direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2025
    Assignees: POSCO, RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF INDUSTRIAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Won Ha, Mok Young Lee