Patents Examined by Harold Joyce
  • Patent number: 6843717
    Abstract: An automobile vent extender that decreases discomfort by allowing hot and cold air to be directed from an automobile vent directly onto a body portion of an automobile passenger. Preferably, the automobile vent extender removably attaches to a vent diffuser embedded within the dash of an automobile.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2005
    Inventor: Scott Bennett
  • Patent number: 6843965
    Abstract: A sports figure shaped fan for ventilation grills comprising a caricature formed in the shape of a sports figure. The fan is attached to a ventilation grill and the arms are extended and rotate when subjected to a back draft from the air flow of the ventilation system. The rotation mimics a throwing action of the sports figure. The fan also includes a reservoir and access to the reservoir for inserting one of a scenting agent, a deodorizing agent and a combination thereof, in the reservoir located in a designated portion of the caricature. The designated portion of the sports figure caricature is sufficiently permeable on either side of the reservoir so that a vapor is dispersed by the movement of the air flow. Another embodiment includes the lighting of a portion of the sports figure when a telecommunication signal is received by a cell phone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2005
    Inventor: Jeffrey B. Matulevich
  • Patent number: 6840852
    Abstract: Air duct outlets provide automatic oscillation of air flow and also allow users to manually redirect air streams. An air duct outlet includes a housing having an air passageway that terminates at an air outlet. A drive source is operably connected to a reciprocating member and transmits reciprocating motion to the reciprocating member. An air-directing vane is pivotally attached within the air passageway and is movable within a range of positions to direct an air stream flowing through the air passageway and exiting from the outlet. An actuator extends from the housing and is movable between first, second and third positions. A user can manually pivot the air-directing vane via movement of the actuator between the first and second positions. When the actuator is moved to a third position, the reciprocating member operably engages the drive arm and causes the air-directing vane to oscillate automatically.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2005
    Assignee: Collins & Aikman Products Co.
    Inventors: Thomas F. J. Gehring, Ireneusz Jankowski, Dejan Havidic, Douglas Lim Hester, Peter Dominic Lewis
  • Patent number: 6837784
    Abstract: A ventilation device has a duct main body, a valve body, and pairs of widened portions. The duct main body has an opening. The duct main body has an upper edge defining a part of the opening. A plurality of insertion slots are formed in and along the upper edge. The valve body has a plurality of substantially triangular engaging pieces provided at an upper end of the valve body. Each engaging piece is inserted in one of the insertion slots, such that the valve body is hung by the duct body to be capable of opening and closing the opening. Each pair of the widened portions is provided at side sections of one of the insertion slots. When the engaging pieces are being inserted in the insertion slots, each pair of the widened portions permit the corresponding engaging piece to be deformed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2005
    Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshimasa Omiya, Yasunobu Teramoto
  • Patent number: 6837787
    Abstract: A sleeve assembly (2) for supporting flexible duct (4) includes a frame (6) with first and second frame sections (10a, b). The frame sections are secured together by fastener subassemblies (8). The sleeve assembly accommodates flexible duct in various angular and straight configurations. The frame can comprise various suitable materials and skeletal or solid-exterior construction. The sleeve assembly is adapted for various installations in air distribution systems of heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2005
    Assignee: Flexible Technologies Inc.
    Inventor: Dale J. Crook
  • Patent number: 6832951
    Abstract: A vent assembly has a vent cover and sliding air flow regulator for controlling the flow of air through the vent cover. Unique couplers may be used to interconnect the air flow regulator and vent cover for relative sliding motion. In addition, actuator mechanisms are used to move the air flow regulator between open and closed positions. A vent assembly for corner applications is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2004
    Assignee: Classic Manufacturing NW, LLC
    Inventor: Gary R. Orendorff
  • Patent number: 6830510
    Abstract: Light control glasses are used as window glasses of a vehicle. When the vehicle is parked, voltage is applied to the light control glass, which directly receives solar radiation from the sun, so that a light transmittancy of the light control glass is reduced to reduce the amount of solar radiation entered a passenger compartment of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2004
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Shinji Aoki, Yasushi Yamanaka, Toshifumi Kamiya
  • Patent number: 6827642
    Abstract: A vehicle remote control and air treatment system includes a selectively operable air treatment device. The air treatment device may be an electrically powered ion generator for selectively generating ions in the vehicle, for example. The vehicle remote control and air treatment device may also include at least one remote transmitter, a receiver at the vehicle for receiving signals from the at least one remote transmitter, and a controller at the vehicle. The controller may be connected to the receiver for performing at least one vehicle function based upon signals from the remote transmitter, and may also selectively operate the air treatment device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2004
    Assignee: Omega Patents, L.L.C.
    Inventor: Kenneth E. Flick
  • Patent number: 6827534
    Abstract: An air return bulkhead is disclosed which may be adapted to fit on differently-sized trailer walls around differently-sized trailer refrigeration units. The bulkhead includes an upper support panel with ridges or other discontinuities thereon. The discontinuities bound areas sized to accommodate standard refrigeration units, and a cutting tool may be easily guided along these discontinuities to form a space wherein the refrigerator may be fit when the bulkhead is mounted to the trailer wall. Also disclosed is a bulkhead which includes flutes and columns thereon wherein the ends of the flutes and columns may be removed by use of a cutting tool to allow the bulkhead installer to tailor the airflow into the refrigerator inlet as desired.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2004
    Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Ltd.
    Inventor: Gregory L. Onken
  • Patent number: 6827643
    Abstract: An electrical switchgear (ES) comprising at least one function module (FM, FM . . . ) having an encapsulated housing, and a decompression channel (DK) which is connected to the housing. Said decompression channel (DK) comprises a ventilation device (LV, LV . . . ) in at least one of its generated surfaces, said device having two wall-type ventilation elements (LE 1,2) which are successively arranged at a distance from each other and are provided with ventilation openings. One ventilation element (LE 1) is connected to the generated surface of the decompression channel (DK) in a fixed manner, and the other ventilation element (LE 2) can be moved in a guided manner against the fixed ventilation element (LE 1). The moveable ventilation element (LE 2) can be linearly displaced inside a guiding frame (FR) and the ventilation openings of the ventilation elements (LE 1,2) are staggered in relation to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2004
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Martin Eiselt, Gildo Mahn, Achim Milbich
  • Patent number: 6821200
    Abstract: Low-cost, potentially disposable, hazardous material handling and anti-contamination hoods are described, that provide a very high level of protection of either personnel, in the case of a hazardous material handling hood, or the process contained in the hood in the case of an anti-contamination hood. Once contaminated these hoods can be hermetically sealed to contain the contamination so that the hood can be moved or shipped for disposal or analysis of the contaminants prior to disposal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2004
    Inventors: Edward Alan Chilcoat, Robert Talmadge Chilcoat
  • Patent number: 6817939
    Abstract: A holder (30) for securing a fan (40) to a panel (20) of a computer enclosure includes a base (31) for supporting the fan thereon, and a tapered hood-shaped body (33) extending from the base. The body includes a pair of side walls (334, 336), and top and bottom walls (332, 338) respectively connecting between the side walls. A pair of latches (35) extends outwardly from an edge of the top wall that is distal from the base. A pair of retaining slots (37) is respectively defined in the side walls. An actuator (39) extends outwardly from one of the side walls, and includes a handle (393) and a protrusion (392). The panel defines a pair of spaced cutouts (21) engagingly receiving the latches of the holder, a slit (22) snappingly receiving the protrusion of the holder, and a pair of hooks (23) engaging in the slots of the holder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2004
    Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Ind. Co., LTD
    Inventors: Li Yuan Gan, Guang Yi Zhang, Lu Sheng Li
  • Patent number: 6817942
    Abstract: A vent assembly for a crawl space type vent opening in the foundation wall of a building has a front frame engaging the outer face of the wall around the opening, swappable venting plates for the front frame, and a rear frame engaging the inner face of the wall in the crawl space and connected under tension through the opening to the front frame. A first form of the vent can be installed axially into the vent opening from the outside of the building to replace an existing vent in a finished wall. A second form of the vent is installed vertically into the vent opening in the wall before the opening has been capped, as part of new construction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2004
    Assignee: Ultra Creative Concepts, LLC
    Inventor: Richard L. Betz
  • Patent number: 6814661
    Abstract: A ventilator comprising a cylindrical housing the intake of which is connected to a coaxial cylindrical conduit of smaller diameter, an electric motor axially mounted in the housing, of small diameter relative to that of the housing, and on the shaft of which is fixed a wheel consisting of blades, each having a shape that all the cross-sections of a blade through planes parallel to the axis of the housing are parallel to said axis and the vanes orienting the air stream, integral with the inner side of the housing, distributed at the periphery of the housing and each including at least a curved part which, located on the side of the housing intake, is housed in an annular space comprised between the housing and the virtual cylindrical surface extending the air intake.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2004
    Assignee: Conseils Etudes et Recherches en Gestion de l'Air
    Inventor: Pierre Jardinier
  • Patent number: 6811481
    Abstract: In an air passage switching device, a flexible film moves to traverse an air passage of an air duct, thereby switching and controlling a communication state of the air passage. A thickness t of the film, a glass transition temperature Tg thereof and a radius of curvature r thereof are set so that a relationship expressed by a formula of t≦(0.00578×Tg0.448×r0.333) is satisfied and a bending stiffness of the film is set equal to or higher than 1 &mgr;N·m2. Accordingly, the film can be restricted from being buckling-deformed and from being damaged. As a result, an air leakage amount from a clearance between the film and the air passage due to the deformation can be effectively restricted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2004
    Assignee: DENSO Corporation
    Inventors: Yukio Uemura, Tomohide Shindo
  • Patent number: 6808451
    Abstract: An air flow control arrangement is constructed with an air feed into an interior of a motor vehicle. Vertical and horizontal air guiding vanes are swivelably arranged in a housing, and controllable by way of an adjusting device. The housing can be fastened in an opening of a column paneling. The housing has a vertically aligned air guiding duct that includes a first lower duct section with an adjusting flap which can be swiveled about a bearing axis into a horizontal closed position, a vertical open position and intermediate positions, and a second adjoining upper duct section with the integrated air guiding vanes. The adjusting flap can be operated by means of the operating element via a reversing bow which is connected with a crank of the flap and can be swiveled at the housing in a bearing. The housing is fastened by detent hooks which can be snapped onto edges of the column paneling. Furthermore, a retaining spring fastens the head side of the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2004
    Assignee: Dr. Ing. h.c.F. Porsche Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Klaus Luik, Olaf Benkler
  • Patent number: 6800024
    Abstract: A high pressure air supply duct is terminated by a termination receptacle defining a cylindrical housing with an inlet pipe connected to the duct and generally at right angles to the axis. The housing has one end closed and a mounting flange member at the open end for attachment of the housing to a mounting surface. A generally cylindrical damper sleeve has an open discharge end connected to a vent plate and an insertion portion extending to the bottom of the housing for receiving the air therefrom. The vent plate has a plate portion with a central perforated discharge area which is perforated for the passage of air therethrough and a peripheral surrounding flange and can be rotated about the axis of the housing to rotate the damper sleeve. The damper sleeve has a projecting notch engaging into a slot in the housing to hold it in place.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2004
    Inventor: Leon Prevost
  • Patent number: 6800023
    Abstract: An air vent, especially for vehicle air-conditioning, comprises a frame, a plurality of vanes that are pivotally arranged around a first axis, and at least one coupling element with which each of the vanes is coupled. The coupling element is capable of being adjusted relative to the first axis between a neutral position in which the vanes are parallel to each other, and a comfort position in which at least some of the vanes are swiveled in directions opposite each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2004
    Assignee: TRW Automotive Electronics & Components GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Michael Demerath
  • Patent number: 6796895
    Abstract: The invention relates to an air diffusor, in particular for vehicle air-conditioning, the air diffusor comprising a housing, a plurality of vanes of which each is pivotally mounted, and an adjustment element by means of which an orientation of the vanes can be adjusted. A first coupling element is provided with which each vane is coupled so as to be rotatable about a first swiveling axle. The first coupling element is supported on the housing so as to slide in a sliding guide, and a second swiveling axle is provided on each vane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2004
    Assignee: TRW Automotive Electronics & Components GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Michael Demerath
  • Patent number: 6792725
    Abstract: A vent device for overcoming the problem of moisture accumulating within a wall structure. The vent device promotes air and moisture circulation within the wall structure by having a channeling plate with a plurality of vertically oriented channels. The vent device also has a support flange adjoined to the channeling plate. The vertically oriented channels define a passageway for air and water to travel along when the vent device is disposed within the wall structure. The channeling plate is adapted for being positioned between a horizontal joist and a wallboard of the wall structure. When the vent device is positioned within the wall structure, the passageway allows air and moisture to travel between the horizontal joist and the wallboard.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2004
    Assignee: Flannery Inc.
    Inventor: Barry Rutherford