Patents Examined by John Bargero
  • Patent number: 9158312
    Abstract: A temperature controlling device includes a setting controller, a gas valve, a burner, an inlet temperature sensor, a water meter, and an operational controller. User sets a desired temperature via the setting controller. The inlet temperature sensor senses an inlet temperature of water at an inlet of a pipe, and then operational controller calculates a difference between the inlet temperature and the desired temperature to get a total heat for heating water in a predetermined heating time and transfer the total heat into a total gas consumption, and controls the gas valve to supply gas to the burner with an amount of the total gas consumption in a predetermined heating time. After that, water should be heated to the desired temperature, and the operational controller controls the gas valve to decrease the gas supply for maintaining water temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2015
    Assignee: GRAND MATE CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Chung-Chin Huang, Chin-Ying Huang, Hsin-Ming Huang, Hsing-Hsiung Huang, Kuan-Chou Lin
  • Patent number: 9151549
    Abstract: A heat exchange system includes an electrode configured to electrostatically control a flow of a heated gas stream in the vicinity of a heat transfer surface and/or a heat-sensitive surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2015
    Assignee: ClearSign Combustion Corporation
    Inventors: David Goodson, Thomas S. Hartwick, Christopher A. Wiklof
  • Patent number: 9115913
    Abstract: An apparatus for heating fluid includes a tank for holding fluid to be heated, and a fuel wafer in fluid communication with the fluid. The fuel wafer includes a fuel mixture including reagents and a catalyst, and an electrical resistor or other heat source in thermal communication with the fuel mixture and the catalyst.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2015
    Assignee: Leonardo Corporation
    Inventor: Andrea Rossi
  • Patent number: 9109958
    Abstract: The multi-chamber heat treatment device includes a temperature sensor (31) attached to an object to be treated (X), a signal transmission unit (30) which transmits a detected signal from the temperature sensor to the outside of a heating chamber and a cooling chamber, and a temperature measuring unit (40) which is arranged outside the heating chamber and the cooling chamber to measure the temperature of the object from the detected signal of the temperature sensor transmitted from the signal transmission unit (30).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2015
    Assignee: IHI Corporation
    Inventor: Kazuhiko Katsumata
  • Patent number: 9085471
    Abstract: We provide an evaporation based zero-liquid discharge method for generation of steam for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) processes utilizing once-through steam generators (OTSGs). The method includes feeding the OTSG(s) with produced water, vaporizing a fraction of this water for steam injection and blowing down the balance of the water. This water, referred to as OTSG blowdown, can be flashed to produce a vapor stream and a liquid that is fed to a mechanical vapor compression (MVC) evaporative process. The latent energy contained in the vapor stream generated by the upstream flash is beneficially recycled to substantially reduce or eliminate the energy consumption of the MVC process. The evaporative process can be used to reduce the liquid waste for disposal or eliminate the need for liquid disposal by achieving zero liquid discharge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2015
    Assignee: AQUATECH INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Gregory J. Mandigo, Daniel P. Bjorklund
  • Patent number: 9057561
    Abstract: The industrial oven according to the invention has a rotary pipe and a fixed material supply device which is connected in the region of a front-face opening of the rotary pipe, there being provided between the rotary pipe and the material supply device a sealing arrangement which comprises a gas seal which is delimited from the operating chamber of the rotary pipe acted upon with material by at least a first gap between the rotary pipe and the material supply device. The sealing arrangement further has an annular chamber which is provided between the first gap and the gas seal and which has a discharge opening which is connected to the operating chamber. A lifting device is further provided in the annular chamber in order to lift out of the operating chamber material which has become introduced into the annular chamber through the first gap and to convey it back to the operating chamber through the discharge opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2015
    Assignee: ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions AG
    Inventors: Reinhard Giesemann, Ewald Heidebur
  • Patent number: 9052145
    Abstract: A substrate firing device having an increased contact area between the substrate and substrate support portions, thereby preventing the substrate support portions from generating scratches on the substrate when the substrate expands and contracts due to heating and cooling. By increasing the contact area to the substrate and by using quartz on items that contact the substrate, it is possible to prevent scratches occurring on a substrate, even after an etching process of the substrate, thereby improving quality of the slimmer final product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2015
    Assignee: Samsung Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Won-Woong Jung, Hyun-Cheul Shin
  • Patent number: 9038577
    Abstract: An evaporator surface structure of a circulating fluidized bed boiler having a furnace that is enclosed by sidewalls and has a bottom and a ceiling. The evaporator surface structure includes at least one vertical and separate evaporator surface unit that is spaced apart from the sidewalls of the furnace. The at least one evaporator surface unit (i) is formed of planar water tube panels that extend from the bottom of the furnace to the ceiling of the furnace, and (ii) consists of two cross-wise joined vertical water tube panels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2015
    Assignee: FOSTER WHEELER ENERGIA OY
    Inventor: Pentti Lankinen
  • Patent number: 9033705
    Abstract: A hydrogen vacuum furnace (100) is provided with a process chamber (1) wherein a subject (10) to be heated is stored; a heating chamber (2) wherein a heater lamp (25) is stored; and a crystal board (3) for separating the subject (10) and the heater lamp (25) one from the other. In the hydrogen vacuum furnace (100), the subject (10) is heated by a radiant ray applied from the heater lamp (25). The process chamber (1) and the heating chamber (2) are provided with gas feed ports (11, 21) and exhaust ports (12, 22), respectively, for feeding and exhausting a gas. When the subject (10) is being heated, atmospheric pressure in each chamber is adjusted so that the heating chamber (2) is under positive pressure to the process chamber (1) by feeding or exhausting the gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2015
    Assignees: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, HIRATA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masanari Matsuura, Sotaro Oi, Tomoyuki Kubota, Masaya Tsuruta
  • Patent number: 8944810
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for treating a selected region of a metal layer, used to form a metal card, by annealing the selected metal region so the selected region becomes soft and ductile, while the rest of the metal layer remains stiff. The softened, ductile, selected metal region can be embossed with reduced power and with reduced wear and tear on the embossing equipment. Alternatively, the annealed metal layer can undergo additional processing steps to form an assembly which can then be embossed. The method may include the use of a fixture for holding the metal layer, with the fixture having a window region for enabling heat to be applied to soften the region of the metal layer within the window region. The fixture includes apparatus for cooling the portion of the metal layer outside of the window region and for preventing the temperature of the metal layer outside the window region from rising above predetermined limits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Composecure, LLC
    Inventor: John H. Herslow
  • Patent number: 8936462
    Abstract: A multi-operation wafer baking system includes a chassis; a wafer loading device mounted on the chassis for laterally moving a wafer; a cruciform transportation device mounted on the chassis for receiving a wafer from the wafer loading device and including a base, an elevation platform, and a rotation platform mounted on the elevation platform and having four carrier arms for carrying wafers; an annular baking device mounted on the chassis to oppose the cruciform transportation device and including a central turn table, a plurality of wafer racks, and a plurality of baking tray assemblies functioning to receive wafers from corresponding wafer racks for performing a baking operation on the wafer; and an unloading device mounted on the chassis for receiving baked wafers. This system allows for baking wafers in a multi-operation manner to thereby improve throughput.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2015
    Assignee: Chen Long Technology Corp. Ltd.
    Inventors: Walong Sheu, Chin-Chuang Chang
  • Patent number: 8919296
    Abstract: A hot water supply system includes a first tank for storing hot water for heating; a second tank for storing hot water to be supplied to a hot water tap; a heater circulation path for supplying the hot water of the first tank to a heater; a first path that includes a first heat transfer portion surrounding the exposed portion of the second tank to the inside of the first tank and that connects the first tank to a forward portion of the heater circulation path so that the hot water of the first tank can be supplied to the heater through the first heat transfer portion; and a second path that includes a second heat transfer portion disposed along the first heat transfer portion, and that allows heat exchange between the hot water of the second tank and the hot water flowing through the first heat transfer portion due to the flow, in the second heat transfer portion, of the hot water of the second tank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2014
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Kou Komori, Yuichi Yakumaru, Atsushi Kakimoto, Tomoichiro Tamura
  • Patent number: 8915733
    Abstract: A method of heating a charge material by controlling heat flux in a tilt rotary furnace is disclosed. Combustion by the burner forms a heat release profile including a high heat flux region. The positioning of the high heat flux region is controllable by providing a controlled amount of secondary or staged oxidant. The burner is configured and controlled to position a region of high heat flux at a position corresponding to an area requiring greater heating, such as the area of maximum charge depth in the furnace to provide substantially uniform melting and heat distribution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2014
    Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: Jin Cao, Xiaoyi He, Aleksandar Georgi Slavejkov
  • Patent number: 8904972
    Abstract: Systems and methods for controlling exhaust steam temperatures from a finishing superheater are provided. In certain embodiments, the system includes a controller which includes control logic for predicting an exhaust temperature of steam from the finishing superheater using model-based predictive techniques (e.g., based on empirical data or thermodynamic calculations). Based on the predicted exhaust temperature of steam, the control logic may use feed-forward control techniques to control the operation of an inter-stage attemperation system upstream of the finishing superheater. The control logic may determine if attemperation is required based on whether the predicted exhaust temperature of steam from the finishing superheater exceeds a set point temperature as well as whether the inlet temperature of steam into the finishing superheater drops below a set point temperature of steam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Rajeeva Kumar, Darrin Glen Kirchhof, Gordon Raymond Smith, William George Carberg
  • Patent number: 8881688
    Abstract: An exhaust assembly for use with a gas-fired water heater that includes a hood for receiving exhaust gas from the gas-fired water heater, a housing, and a fan positioned in the housing to move exhaust gas from the hood out of the exhaust outlet. The hood includes a first hood mounting location and a second hood mounting location. The housing includes an exhaust outlet and a housing mounting location. In a first configuration, the exhaust outlet faces a first direction and the housing mounting location is aligned with and secured at the first hood mounting location. In a second configuration, the exhaust outlet faces a second direction different than the first direction and the housing mounting location is aligned with and secured at the second hood mounting location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2014
    Assignee: A. O. Smith Corporation
    Inventors: Stephen T. English, Michael R. Hasbargen, Anthony J. Coloma, Stephanie Marie Belko
  • Patent number: 8876525
    Abstract: A method for removing sulfur containing dust particles from particulate material exiting a material preheater in which the particulate material is heated by kiln off gases may include a number of steps. Off gases from the kiln are directed through a gas conduit to the preheater to preheat particulate material traveling through the preheater in a direction countercurrent to the direction of off gas flow through the preheater. Material exiting the preheater is directed to a material bypass conduit that is separated from the gas conduit and is flow connected to a material inlet to the kiln. A stripping gas is directed through the conduit to entrain dust particles in the preheated material and to carry said dust particles away from the preheated material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Assignee: FLSmidth Inc.
    Inventor: Charles Euston
  • Patent number: 8844472
    Abstract: A fire tube heater apparatus includes a shell, with a tube bundle received in the shell and a burner section communicated with the tube bundle. The tubes in the tube bundle have circular inlet and outlet end portions with a flattened, serpentine intermediate portion. The intermediate portion has a width greater than the inlet outside diameter and a tube thickness transverse to the width less than the inlet outside diameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2014
    Assignee: Lochinvar, LLC
    Inventors: Jim C. Smelcer, Brian J. Iske, Neil W. Rolph
  • Patent number: 8833360
    Abstract: An oven for cooking foods includes a housing having a fire chamber and a cooking chamber disposed generally above the fire chamber. A vessel is receivable in the fire chamber and is adapted to hold combustible material therein to generate heat and smoke for cooking food in the cooking chamber. A blower is mounted on the housing. The blower is selectively operable to move air. A tube is attached to an outlet of the blower and extends into the fire chamber such that when the vessel is received in the fire chamber the tube extends to a position adjacent the vessel so that air from the blower is blown directly into the vessel without first passing a heating element. The oven does not require supplemental heat from a burner or similar heating element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2014
    Assignee: David B. Knight & Associates, Inc.
    Inventor: David B. Knight
  • Patent number: 8814563
    Abstract: Disclosed is a substrate heating apparatus including a hot plate that heats a substrate, and a cooling plate that supports the substrate and moves between a first position (home position) and the second position above the hot plate to transfer wafers between the two positions. A heat-radiating fin structure is connected to the cooling plate to move together with the cooling plate. The fin structure is thermally connected to the cooling plate via heat pipes. A suction port is arranged so as to locate adjacent to the fin structure when the cooling plate is in the home position. The fin structure is cooled by a gas passing therethrough before flown into the suction port, whereby the cooling plate is cooled through heat transfer from the cooling plate to the fin structure through the heat pipes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Shinichi Hayashi, Hiroaki Inadomi
  • Patent number: 8807053
    Abstract: A heat exchanger and a circulating fluidized bed boiler with a heat exchanger including a first fluidized bed heat exchange chamber and a second fluidized bed heat exchange chamber, arranged in connection with a furnace of the circulating fluidized bed boiler, a first inlet channel for introducing hot solids from a particle separator of the external circulation of the circulating fluidized bed boiler into the first heat exchange chamber, a second inlet channel for introducing solids to the second heat exchange chamber, a first discharge for removing a first portion of the cooled solids from the first heat exchange chamber to the second inlet channel and a second discharge for removing cooled solids from the second heat exchange chamber to the furnace, the heat exchange chamber including an inlet for introducing hot solids directly from the internal circulation of the furnace to the second heat exchange chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: Foster Wheeler Energia Oy
    Inventor: Kari Kauppinen