Patents Examined by Harry Arant
  • Patent number: 9675186
    Abstract: A pan apparatus for a merchandiser including a case having a platform defining an opening. The pan apparatus includes a bottom wall and a plurality of sidewalls cooperating with the bottom wall to define a space for supporting product in the pan. At least two of the sidewalls each includes a frame engagement member adjacent a top of the pan. The pan apparatus also includes a frame positioned adjacent a top of the sidewalls and coupled to the frame engagement members. The frame extends along at least two sidewalls of the pan and is configured to engage the platform adjacent the opening to suspend the pan. The frame defines a plurality of holes spaced along at least a portion of the perimeter such that an airflow from below the pan is directed upward along the sidewalls and discharged through the frame via the holes to condition the product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: Hussmann Corporation
    Inventor: Andrew R. McGowan
  • Patent number: 9671140
    Abstract: Technologies are generally described herein for electrocaloric effect heat transfer devices, methods, and systems that may be effective to efficiently transfer and distribute thermal energy from a heat source utilizing coordinated application of out of phase electric signals to adjacent heat transfer stacks coupled with a thermal distribution layer. Some electrocaloric effect heat transfer stacks may include alternating layers of electrocaloric effect material and thermal rectifier material. The out of phase electric signals produce electric fields that bias the electrocaloric effect material of one heat transfer stack to a hot phase, emitting thermal energy, while biasing the electrocaloric effect material of an adjacent heat transfer stack to a cold phase, absorbing thermal energy. The thermal distribution layer allows for thermal energy from the material in the hot phase to be distributed to the material of the adjacent stack in the cold phase rather than back to the heat source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignee: EMPIRE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT LLC
    Inventor: Ezekiel Kruglick
  • Patent number: 9664398
    Abstract: The present development is a building air cooling system using cool ground water, e.g. well water. Building air is cooled by coming into direct contact with cool ground water in a compact chamber using PVC packing for maximizing heat transfer efficiency, conserving space and reducing the required ground water pumping power consumption without requiring expensive compression and expansion cycles of the traditional air conditioning systems. If additional cooling is desirable, a second stage traditional air conditioning or heat pump system may also be used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Inventor: Clyde Wesley DeVore
  • Patent number: 9649710
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for braze-welding a fixing plate and a flow channel cap in a heat exchanger, and to a heat exchanger produced by same.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: KYUNGDONG NAVIEN CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Young Mo Kim, Young Sik Choi
  • Patent number: 9608562
    Abstract: The cooling fixture for solar photovoltaic panels has a hollow support platform made from thermally conductive metal that contains a heat exchange medium, preferably water. The solar photovoltaic panel is supported atop the platform so that heat absorbed by the panel is transferred to the platform by conduction and through the media by convection. The platform is pivotally supported on a base frame, and can be adjusted to any desired angle by a brace releasably engaging lugs projecting from the edge of the platform. The heat exchange medium is circulated from the top of the platform to the bottom of the platform by a thermo-siphon effect through at least one thin, rectangular duct having at least one fin for cooling the medium by heat exchange with air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: KING SAUD UNIVERSITY
    Inventor: Zakariya Kaneesamkandi Moochikootathil
  • Patent number: 9476652
    Abstract: A thin heat pipe structure includes a pipe body and at least one wick structure. The pipe body has a vaporizing end internally defining a first chamber, and a condensing end internally defining a second chamber communicating with the first chamber. A space in the first chamber is smaller than that in the second chamber. The wick structure is provided in the first and the second chamber, such that at least one channel is defined in the pipe body by the wick structure and the first and second chambers. With the above arrangements, the pressure resistance in the pipe body at the condensing end is reduced to thereby enable upgraded vapor-liquid circulation efficiency of the working fluid in the pipe body and accordingly upgraded heat dissipation effect of the thin heat pipe structure. A method of forming the thin heat pipe structure is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2016
    Assignee: Asia Vital Components Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Chun-Ming Wu
  • Patent number: 9459032
    Abstract: An air conditioning apparatus and a refrigerant quantity determination method are provided, whereby a refrigerant quantity can be determined in a simple and accurate manner without compromising the reliability of a compressor. A refrigerant circuit (10) has a compressor (21), an outdoor heat exchanger (23) that functions as a condenser, an indoor expansion valve (41, 51), an indoor heat exchanger (42, 52) that functions as an evaporator, an indoor unit interconnection pipe (4b, 5b), a liquid refrigerant connection pipe (6), a gas refrigerant connection pipe (7), and an outdoor unit interconnection pipe (8). A controller (9) performs liquefaction control for liquefying refrigerant and placing the refrigerant in a portion extending from the indoor expansion valve (41, 51) to the outdoor heat exchanger (23).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2016
    Assignee: Daikin Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tadafumi Nishimura, Takahiro Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 9454194
    Abstract: A heat dissipating module includes a heat dissipating member and an air flow guiding mechanism. The air flow guiding mechanism includes a base, an air guiding plate and a stopping structure. The base is disposed on a side of the heat dissipating member, and the air guiding plate is pivoted to the base. The stopping structure is disposed on the base. A side of the stopping structure abuts against the air guiding plate, so as to allow the air guiding plate to rotate in a first direction and to stop the air guiding plate from rotating in a second direction opposite to the first direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2016
    Assignee: Wistron Corporation
    Inventor: Shih-Huai Cho
  • Patent number: 9441892
    Abstract: A heat exchanger system for use with heavy equipment including a heat exchanger rotatable about a horizontal axis out of a frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2016
    Assignee: DEERE & COMPANY
    Inventors: Jared Jayson Lowe, Michael John Cocayne, Steven Richard Sass, Austin Edward Vize
  • Patent number: 9353957
    Abstract: A refrigerant distribution unit for an air conditioner, includes: a pipe unit for distributing a refrigerant from a refrigerant pipe on an outdoor unit to branch refrigerant pipes on indoor units; and a main body including: upper and lower seal case which include first edge portions around the upper seal case and second edge portions around the lower seal case, and engage the second edge portions with the first edge portions for sealing an inside of the first and second seal cases to store the pipe unit; upper and lower insulator cases for covering the upper and lower seal cases; and upper and lower case constituting a contour of the refrigerant distribution unit. The pipe unit is fixed to a pipe mounting portion of the upper seal case using a pipe holder and a pipe hanging bracket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2016
    Assignee: FUJITSU GENERAL LIMITED
    Inventors: Shun Matsuura, Haruki Yamashita
  • Patent number: 9249997
    Abstract: A refrigeration apparatus includes a compression mechanism, a heat source-side heat exchanger, a usage-side heat exchanger, an intercooler, an intercooler bypass tube and an intake return tube. The compression mechanism has a plurality of compression elements configured so that refrigerant discharged from a first-stage compression element is sequentially compressed by a second-stage compression element. The intercooler is connected to an intermediate refrigerant tube configured to draw refrigerant discharged from the first-stage compression element into the second-stage compression element to cool the refrigerant discharged from the first-stage compression element and drawn into the second-stage compression element. The intercooler bypass tube is connected to the intermediate refrigerant tube so as to bypass the intercooler.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2016
    Assignee: Daikin Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shuji Fujimoto, Atsushi Yoshimi
  • Patent number: 9188394
    Abstract: The heat sink includes a fastener and a heat pipe. The fastener has a receiving space, an upper claw and a lower claw. The upper claw and the lower claw are formed in the receiving space. The heat pipe has a first end and a second end. The first end is received in the receiving space and clipped between the upper claw and the second claw, and the upper claw or the lower claw is partially embedded in the heat pipe to be flush with each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2015
    Assignee: CHAUN-CHOUNG TECHNOLOGY CORP.
    Inventors: Cheng-Tu Wang, Chi-Chung Tseng
  • Patent number: 9134051
    Abstract: A magnetocaloric heat generator (1) in which a driving mechanism is (26) in fluidic connection with first and second ends (3 and 4) of a thermal module (2), via at least one heat exchange mechanism (7, 27), so that the heat transfer fluid circulates in a closed constant-volume fluidic circuit through the magnetocaloric heat generator (1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2015
    Assignee: Cooltech Applications Societe Par Actions Simplifiee
    Inventors: Jean-Claude Heitzler, Christian Muller
  • Patent number: 8869541
    Abstract: A heat generator (1) having at least one thermal module (10) that has N adjacent magnetocaloric elements (2) arranged in a circle around a central axis (A) and is subjected to a varying magnetic field caused by magnetic devices (3). The magnetocaloric elements (2) are associated with N pistons (40) subjected to a reciprocating translation movement by an actuating cam (70) to circulate the heat transfer fluid, contained in the thermal module (10), in two opposite directions, at the same time, so that a first fraction of the heat transfer fluid circulates towards a hot exchange chamber (5), through the magnetocaloric elements (2) and is subjected to a heating cycle, and a second fraction of the heat transfer fluid circulates towards a cold exchange chamber (6), through the magnetocaloric elements (2), and is subjected to a cooling cycle, and inversely. The exchange chambers (5, 6) are coupled with external circuits that use calories and frigories for heating, air-conditioning, tempering systems, etc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: Cooltech Applications Societe par actions simplifiee
    Inventors: Jean-Claude Heitzler, Christian Muller