Patents Examined by Jianying Atkisson
  • Patent number: 9055616
    Abstract: An apparatus for inductively heating an electrically conductive workpiece in the form of a closed ring includes a U-shaped magnet core with two legs, an electrically conducting coil arranged on at least one leg of the core and connectable with an alternating current source, and a magnet yoke spaced from at least one freestanding end of a leg of the core, so that a closed magnetic circuit with at least one air gap is formed, with the height of the air gap chosen such that the workpiece can be moved in a non-contacting manner into the air gap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2015
    Assignee: Soudronic AG
    Inventor: Patrick Ziegler
  • Patent number: 9049959
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide improved water fill capabilities, improved coffee baskets, and improved steam diverting and management features for coffee makers used on board passenger transport vehicles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2015
    Assignee: The Richards Corporation
    Inventors: Marcos Jimenez, Brad Beyer
  • Patent number: 9035218
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for disconnecting a short circuit (30) during short-arc welding, wherein when a short circuit (30) occurs, a time frame (32) is started, in which a defined current profile is performed to disconnect the short circuit within the time frame (32), and the current is increased if the time frame (32) is exceeded, and a corresponding welding device (1). In order to improve the welding quality, after the specifiable time frame (32) expires during a short circuit (30), said current profile for disconnecting the short circuit (30) is detected and at least one value or parameter in the disconnection of the short circuit (30) is stored or saved, wherein at least one value or parameter in the time frame (32) of the following short circuit (30) is adapted according to the stored value or parameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2015
    Assignee: Fronius International GmbH
    Inventor: Josef Artelsmair
  • Patent number: 9021943
    Abstract: The present invention provides a device and method for simulating cooking stuffing in a bird, such as a turkey. Stuffing prepared with the device and method of the invention has both the appearance and taste of cooked-in-the-bird stuffing. In addition, the device and method of the invention allows the user to prepare simulated cooked-in-the-bird stuffing at any time, in any quantity and in less time compared to the several hours usually needed to cook stuffing in a bird. The invention, therefore, provides all the benefits of cooked-in-the-bird stuffing without the safety concerns of bacterial contamination when cooked in a bird.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2015
    Inventor: Kristy R. Mikula
  • Patent number: 9016192
    Abstract: A serving station includes a first well and a second well. The wells configured for receiving food pans. The serving station further includes an active cooling system and an active heating system. The active cooling system is configured to independently lower the temperature of either or both of the first and second wells, and the active heating system is configured to independently raise the temperature of either or both of the first and second wells. Both wells may be heated, both wells may be cooled, or one of the first and second wells may be heated while the other is cooled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Assignee: The Vollrath Company, L.L.C.
    Inventors: Victor M. Frauenfeld, Peter Roever
  • Patent number: 9012814
    Abstract: Provided are a cooking appliance, and a system and method for controlling a cooking appliance. The system includes a RF tag and a cooking appliance. The RF tag stores food information about foods as integrants of a dish and the cooking appliance having a RF reader reads the food information stored in the RF tag. The cooking appliance includes a memory, a cooking appliance controller, and a display unit. The memory stores dish information about dishes that can be cooked using the food information. The cooking appliance controller reads dish information from the memory, and the display unit displays at least one of the dish information to a user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Jun Hyun Park, Soo Cheol Yi
  • Patent number: 8998037
    Abstract: A drink preparing device that includes a box and a holding and drip-collecting system that comprises a holding part positionable beneath a drink outlet in order to accept a first, relatively small receptacle, and being configured and dimensioned to be moveable between a deployed holding position suitable for accepting the small receptacle and a second position in which the part is moved at least partly out of the way of the drink outlet to create an unoccupied space in which a second, larger receptacle can be positioned, in place of the first receptacle, beneath the drink outlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: Nestec S.A.
    Inventors: Antoine Cahen, Philippe Cahen, Christophe S. Boussemart
  • Patent number: 8997634
    Abstract: A charbroiler having both heated grids and at least one radiant heater and a method of charbroiling a food product are disclosed. Each heat source of the charbroiler can be an independently regulated heat source. The independently regulated heat sources can be adjusted to each contribute to the overall cooking of a food product in a cooking cycle. Each of the independently regulated heat sources can be many types of heat sources capable of being regulated either manually or automatically by a cooking control system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: CFA Properties, Inc.
    Inventors: Roger H. Shealy, Dan M. Reep
  • Patent number: 8997635
    Abstract: A vertical grill (11) for cooking food items is disclosed wherein the vertical grill is comprised of a body (12) containing at least one vertical grilling area disposed between at least two sources of radiant heat energy (24), and wherein the body (12) is adapted to direct fats and breakaway solids generated during the cooking of the food into an external receptacle (32) via the external opening (22). It achieves this by including (Evacuation Slides) guides (28) and (30) which are contained within the body (12) of the grill (11) and arranged in various shaped assemblies such that food and fats falling on (Evacuation Slide) guide 28 travels down until it is collected by (Evacuation Slide) guide (30) which delivers the food and fats to the external receptacle (32) where they are not in any danger of catching fire.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Inventors: Bonnie Lee Buzick, Robert Bair
  • Patent number: 8993930
    Abstract: The cooking device includes a top plate on which a container is to be placed, heating devices provided below the top plate, electrodes provided in a lower face of the top plate and including a boiling-over detection parts placed near an outer periphery of a portion of the top plate positioned above the heating devices, contact parts for supplying an AC current to the boiling-over detection parts, and contact parts for connecting the contact parts and one-side ends of the boiling-over detection parts to each other, respectively, an electrode-use capacitance detection device for detecting changes in capacitance of the boiling-over detection parts, and a control device for controlling the heating devices based on changes in capacitance detected by the electrode-use capacitance detection device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hidekazu Suzuki, Hiroyuki Katsube, Kenzo Usui, Taihei Oguri, Kohei Kawata
  • Patent number: 8993947
    Abstract: A microwave energy interactive insulating structure comprises a layer of microwave energy interactive material supported on a first polymer film layer, a moisture-containing layer joined to the layer of microwave energy interactive material, a second polymer film layer joined to the moisture-containing layer in a predetermined pattern to define a plurality of closed cells between the moisture-containing layer and the second polymer film layer, and an aperture extending through the first polymer film layer, the moisture-containing layer, and the second polymer film layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Graphic Packaging International, Inc.
    Inventor: Lorin R. Cole
  • Patent number: 8985154
    Abstract: The invention includes systems and methods for heating a fluid and transporting the fluid at an elevated temperature. The system includes a fiber reinforced spoolable pipe. This spoolable pipe may include an inner layer, at least one reinforcing layer, at least one heating element, and at least one insulation layer. The heating element may be located external to the inner layer. The invention also includes methods of deploying and rehabilitating a spoolable pipe for transporting a fluid at elevated temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignee: Fiberspar Corporation
    Inventors: Peter A. Quigley, Michael Feechan
  • Patent number: 8980347
    Abstract: The present invention proposes a method for providing a rubber-elastic sealing member onto a capsule (1) intended for producing a beverage in a beverage production device, wherein the capsule has a body portion (3) having a side wall (3a) and a flange-like rim portion (2), wherein the rim portion (2) extends from the side wall (3a) of the body portion (3), the method comprising the steps of: —applying an uncured sealing composition (4) in a liquid or viscous state onto the rim portion (2) of the capsule (1), —heating said applied sealing composition (4) such that the sealing composition at least partially migrates towards the side wall (3a) until it reaches the side wall, and—curing the sealing composition (4) after the migration towards the side wall (3a).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2015
    Assignee: Nestec S.A.
    Inventors: Thomas Kaeser, Daniel Abegglen, Alp Sarioglu, Alexandre Kollep, Marco Bacchi
  • Patent number: 8973490
    Abstract: A cooking apparatus including a pan and a detachable support and a method for using the same to cook and flavor food are provided. The pan includes a bottom and a plurality of perforations arranged therein. The detachable cylinder includes a bottom surface, a generally circular sidewall extending upward from the bottom surface, and a plurality of fasteners formed on the bottom surface. The plurality of fasteners are sized and arranged to correspond with a sizing and arrangement of a subset of the perforations. The detachable cylinder is optionally secured to the pan by coupling the fasteners to the subset of perforations and by rotating the detachable cylinder in a first direction to move the fasteners into a locked position. The detachable cylinder is optionally disengaged from the pan by rotating the detachable cylinder in a second direction to move the fasteners into an unlocked position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2015
    Assignee: Columbia Insurance Company
    Inventors: Roland Sudmalis, James C. Hand, Brian Saarnio, Jill Zmrhal, Nigel Wang
  • Patent number: 8974202
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device for processing an edible product in the form of a viscous to pasty mass, in particular, an edible product based on a fatty mass, such as chocolate, or based on water, such as ice cream. Said device comprises dosing units (D1, D2) for the dosed supply of a specific volume of the mass to a bearing surface. Said dosing units (D1, D2) comprise, respectively, a dosing piston (4) which is mounted in a piston chamber, whereby the dosing piston (4) moves at least in a rotational manner about the piston axis thereof (A1). A first plurality of dosing units (D1) are arranged on a first plane, and a second plurality of dosing units (D2) are arranged on a second plane. The dosing piston (4) of the dosing units (D1), which are arranged on the first plane (D1), are rotationally driven by means of a first drive element (7; 16), and the dosing piston (4) of the dosing units (D2), which are arranged on the second plane, are rotationally driven by means of a second drive element (8; 16).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2015
    Assignee: Bühler AG
    Inventors: Heinz Gasser, Günter Schenk, Michael Paul
  • Patent number: 8935976
    Abstract: An adapter for machines for preparing beverages, particularly espresso coffee, comprising a supporting element which can be associated with water dispensing means and a cartridge holder associated with the supporting element, the cartridge holder comprising a plurality of receptacles for respective cartridges for infusions or the like and being movable, with respect to the supporting element, from a position for dispensing the infusion to a position for loading and/or unloading the cartridges, the supporting element being further provided with a front opening for moving the cartridge holder from the position for dispensing the infusion to the position for loading and/or unloading the cartridges and vice versa, at least one guide being provided for the translational motion of the cartridge holder with respect to the supporting element between two intermediate positions which are comprised between the loading and/or unloading position and the infusion dispensing position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2015
    Assignee: Illycaffe' S.p.A.
    Inventors: Claudio Bolzicco, Romano Doc
  • Patent number: 8927913
    Abstract: Generally and not exclusively, a method for controlling a process condition of at least one item within a microwave chamber may include receiving one or more initial values of one or more dynamically variable heatability properties for the at least one item in the microwave chamber, applying one or more microwave energy beams to the at least one item in the microwave chamber, remotely monitoring a spatial variation of the one or more dynamically variable heatability properties for the at least one item in the microwave chamber at least one of simultaneously with or following the applying of the one or more microwave energy beams, and estimating the process condition for microwaving the at least one item in the microwave chamber based at least partially on the monitoring of the one or more dynamically variable heatability properties for the at least one item in the microwave chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2015
    Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, LLC
    Inventors: Roderick A. Hyde, Muriel Y. Ishikawa, Edward K. Y. Jung, Nathan P. Myhrvold, Clarence T. Tegreene, Lowell L. Wood, Jr.
  • Patent number: 8915177
    Abstract: A machine for preparing a beverage having a main body containing a brewing unit and a handle movable relative to the main body, so as to act on the brewing unit to open the brewing unit for introduction or removal of an ingredient into and from the unit, and act to close the brewing unit for extraction of such ingredient within the unit. The movable handle has a gripping part and is arranged to be drivable by a human hand. The main body and the movable handle are so connected and configured that the gripping part has a carrying position in which the gripping part is seizable by the human hand for safe lifting and single-handed displacing of the machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2014
    Assignee: Nestec S.A.
    Inventors: Gilles Gavillet, Alexandre Kollep, Peter Möri, Renzo Moser, Frank Schnyder, Alfred Yoakim
  • Patent number: 8887628
    Abstract: A cup device for heating, stirring and foaming liquid foods comprises a cup, a cup lid, a handle, a stirrer, a motor drive disk, a plurality of magnets, an electric motor, a hot plate, a boil dry thermostat, a thermostat, a micro switch, a transformer, a controller, a heating base, a button, a button circuit board, connecting wires and bolts. The controller controls the work of the hot plate and the stirrer to input air into liquid foods, and therefore producing a lot of foams. The cup can be separated from the heating base, which enables it to be cleaned by a dishwasher. The stirrer turns along with the electric motor by magnetic attraction. The stirrer of removed cup will not naturally get off. The heating base only supplies power when the cup is put on it and it automatically cuts off power supply when the cup is removed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2014
    Inventor: Jianming Cai
  • Patent number: 8878105
    Abstract: After a preheating operation is performed to raise an inner temperature of a heating chamber to a target preheating temperature (first specified temperature) by a first steam superheater of a steam temperature-raising device, a cooking operation is performed to raise, by the first steam superheater of the temperature-raising device, a temperature of steam obtained by heating of water in a steam generator by heaters 42A, 42B of the steam generator and then supply the steam to the heating chamber. In this process, when inner temperature of the heating chamber detected by an inner temperature sensor 81 during the preheating operation has come to or beyond a steam generation start temperature (second specified temperature) which is lower than a target preheating temperature, a control unit 80 decides that a steam generation start condition has been satisfied, and heats water in the steam generator by the heaters of the steam generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kiyoshi Yamaguchi, Yuko Nakajima, Noriko Ohashi, Mari Terada