Patents Examined by John Bargero
  • Patent number: 8755177
    Abstract: An apparatus for controlling the temperature of a disk drive during manufacture of the disk drive has a cell having a mounting arrangement to which a disk drive can be mounted and having walls defining a volume in which the disk drive is received when mounted to the mounting arrangement during manufacture of the disk drive. At least one wall of the cell adjacent said volume is heat conductive and is arranged such that a disk drive when received in the volume does not touch said at least one wall. An air-agitating device agitates air between the at least one wall and a disk drive when received in the volume to encourage heat transfer between said at least one wall and a disk drive when inserted into the volume. The air-agitating device is mounted so as to be vibrationally isolated from a said disk drive when mounted in the cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2014
    Assignee: Xyratex Technology Limited
    Inventors: David Ronald Bain Farquhar, Matthew Roy Hill, Alexander Stephen Kay, David John Orriss
  • Patent number: 8733297
    Abstract: At the time of starting a hot water discharge operation, a controller determines whether the first operation was made after the power source is switched on in S1, and the controller determines whether 5 minutes have passed after the previous operation in S2. When the first operation was not made or 5 minutes have lapsed after the last operation, the controller determines whether a difference between a detected temperature acquired by a thermistor and a preset temperature is more than 10° C. in S3. When a temperature difference is more than 10° C., a water flow rate servo is set at a position where a flow rate of flowing water is reduced from a determined flow rate by a predetermined amount in S4, and the controller performs a temperature control of discharged hot water in S8.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2014
    Assignee: Paloma Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshikatsu Tsuji, Atsushi Yamane
  • Patent number: 8707911
    Abstract: A cooling system for air ports and other ports in furnace walls includes a cooling medium pumping system and ports provided with a cooling medium piping or channels inside the metallic port material. The liquid flow generated by the cooling medium system cools the ports. The ports are constructed of a casting material, and the ports are provided with a cooling liquid flow, which passes in a piping or pipings or channels inside the casting material of the ports.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2014
    Assignee: Andritz Oy
    Inventors: Kari Saviharju, Jorma Simonen, Lasse Koivisto, Markku Tanttu
  • Patent number: 8707912
    Abstract: A furnace of a boiler for a power plant includes an outer water tube section adapted to receive water from the outside and heat the water into hot water (including steam); and an inner water tube section adapted to receive water from the outside and heat the water into hot water (including steam) while allowing the water to be moved upwardly. The outer water tube section is formed in a shape gradually increasing or substantially uniform in diameter from the bottom toward the middle portion M, and gradually decreasing, increasing and decreasing again in diameter from the middle portion M toward the top, and the inner water tube section is formed in a shape gradually decreasing and increasing in diameter from the bottom toward the middle portion M, and gradually decreasing, increasing and decreasing again in diameter from the middle portion M toward the top.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2014
    Inventor: Byung-Doo Kim
  • Patent number: 8662022
    Abstract: A water healer including a controller that, in a non-operation state, determines whether the first operation was made after a power source is switched on in S1, and determines whether 5 minutes has passed after finishing the last operation in S2. When the first operation was not made or 5 minutes have lapsed after the last operation, the controller determines whether a difference between a detected temperature acquired by a thermistor and a preset temperature is more than 10° C. in S3. When a temperature difference is more than 10° C., a water flow rate servo is made to stand by at a position with a flow rate of flowing water reduced to less than a determined flow rate by a predetermined amount in S4. When a hot water faucet is opened in this standing by state, a temperature control of discharged hot water at the time of starting of an operation is performed with the reduced flow rate of flowing water.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: Paloma Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshikatsu Tsuji, Atsushi Yamane
  • Patent number: 8622029
    Abstract: A circulating fluidized bed (CFB) boiler includes a reaction chamber, where a bubbling fluidized bed (BFB) is contained within an enclosure within the lower portion of the reaction chamber and contains an in-bed heat exchanger (IBHX) that occupies part of the reaction chamber floor. A plurality of in-bed secondary air nozzles comprise a plurality of tubes which are grouped together and run across the width of the BFB between the BFB enclosure wall and an outside wall of the CFB. The nozzles are positioned to prevent the deflection of solids falling onto the BFB from the CFB by the secondary air jets while avoiding a complicated structure that would interfere with gas and/or solids movement in the furnace. The nozzles' exit openings are flush, or almost flush, with the BFB enclosure wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2014
    Assignee: Babcock & Wilcox Power Generation Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Mikhail Maryamchik, Kiplin C. Alexander, Mark C. Godden, David L. Kraft
  • Patent number: 8616943
    Abstract: A passenger air vent is provided for a cockpit of a motor vehicle. The passenger air vent includes, but is not limited to a nozzle which has adjustable blades on the air outlet side, a control element for adjusting the blades, a separate bezel for the control element, and the bezel and nozzle are formed as two pieces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2013
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Peter Arndt, Bernd Trinkwalter
  • Patent number: 8590490
    Abstract: The carbon-free fire tube boiler is a boiler for heating water by combustion of hydrocarbon fuels with oxygen. The boiler includes a housing defining first and second heat transfer stages. At least one oxygen transport reactor is received within the first heat transfer stage. The oxygen transport reactor includes an outer wall and an inner cylindrical ion transport membrane. The membrane receives pressurized air and separates gaseous oxygen therefrom, transporting the oxygen into an annular region between the membrane and the outer wall. The gaseous hydrocarbon fuel is delivered into the annular region for combustion, producing gaseous carbon dioxide and water vapor. A water reservoir is defined within the first and second stages, with the at least one oxygen transport reactor and at least one transfer tube passing therethrough. The carbon dioxide and the water vapor are delivered through the at least one transfer tube for heating water contained therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2013
    Assignee: King Fahd Univ. of Petroleum & Minerals
    Inventors: Mohamed Abdel-Aziz Habib, Rached Ben-Mansour
  • Patent number: 8573598
    Abstract: A sootblower isolation wall box provided for sealing the wall box opening of a large scale boiler to provide sootblower lance tube access to the boiler. The wall box assembly includes a clamping seal assembly having radial sealing segments which are individually actuated. Applying fluid pressure to actuating cylinders causes the seal segments to be clamped against the outer circumference of the sootblower lance tube. During cleaning cycles, the segments are actuated to provide a radial clearance with the lance tube. Preferably, the clamping seal assembly is used in connection with another seal assembly which is relied upon to provide sealing during the cleaning steps. In a preferred embodiment, the additional seal assembly is in the form of a labyrinth-type seal assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2013
    Assignee: Diamond Power International, Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen L. Shover, Tony F. Habib, Dennis K. McDonald
  • Patent number: 8530801
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor wafer are provided for improving a quality of the semiconductor wafer, and further, for improving a quality of a semiconductor device manufactured by using the semiconductor wafer, by preventing warping from being generated at a stage of a placing step, at the time of performing heat treatment to a semiconductor wafer substrate. The placing process is performed by a placing means so that a time when a temperature difference between a wafer front surface temperature and a wafer rear surface temperature becomes maximum, and a time when warping is generated in the wafer are prior to a time when the wafer is brought into contact with lift pins or a susceptor (i.e., a time after the temperature is at an upper limit value of an infrared temperature region at 600° C.), and the lift pins are brought into contact with the wafer rear surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2013
    Assignee: Sumco Techxiv Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yuichi Nasu, Hirotaka Katou, Kazuhiro Narahara, Hideyuki Matsunaga
  • Patent number: 8512036
    Abstract: An oven for baking a batch of parts has a housing having side walls and a top wall defining a closed container with a closed top end and an open downwardly facing bottom end. Loading/unloading occurs at the bottom end onto a carriage raised to the top end where baking occurs. On each side is provided an array of heating elements below the top. A shield is located in front of the heating array so as to block direct radiation onto the parts to prevent over-heating as the carrying arrangement passes the heating array to be unloaded. The shield generates an upwardly flowing air stream to carry the heat to the top. The heating elements are mounted with their lower end in a connection box with a collar and insulated heat shield above the box to keep the electrical connections cooled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2013
    Inventor: Frederick G. Ellis
  • Patent number: 8430155
    Abstract: A modular insulated water tank comprising a hollow insulated support structure, a liner, and an insulated cover, with the support structure being comprised of two or more separable, vertically stackable retention tiers, the liner being a flexible container capable of retaining fluids within the interior of the support structure, and the cover being capable of enclosing contents contained within the interior of the water tank. So configured, the modular insulated water tank is capable of retaining a large quantity of fluid, such as water, at an elevated temperature for an extended length of time, for purposes of using the heat energy stored therein for space heating purposes or for domestic hot water use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2013
    Inventor: Thomas Gocze
  • Patent number: 8327809
    Abstract: A tri-sector regenerative oxidant preheater apparatus, method and arrangement for utilization with oxy-fired pulverized coal combustion power plants. The preheater includes a stationary housing and a rotor rotatably mounted in the housing. Sector plates are located at the axial ends of the rotor and divide the preheater into a flue gas sector, two primary oxidant sectors, and a secondary oxidant sector interposed between the two primary oxidant sectors. A primary oxidant fan is located downstream of the preheater to create a negative environment in the primary oxidant sectors. During operation of the preheater, the environments of the two primary oxidant sectors and the flue gas sector are at about the same negative pressure, and thus there is very limited leakage between the oxidant side and the flue gas side of the preheater.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignee: Babcock & Wilcox Power Generation Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Kiplin C. Alexander, David L. Kraft, Dennis K. McDonald
  • Patent number: 8322330
    Abstract: The present invention provides a heating device of a drinking fountain in a car. It has a helical pipe, a wire net, an iron container, fireproof mud and a car exhaust pipe. The helical pipe is installed outside the car exhaust pipe and the wire net is used to cover the pipes. The iron container covers the wire net, the helical pipe and the car exhaust pipe. Fireproof mud is poured into the reserved space in the iron container and it is sealed completely. One end of the helical pipe is a water outlet, while the other end is a water intake. The car exhaust pipe generates high temperature and heats the helical pipe which is insulated by fireproof mud. When users push the drinking fountain switch, a motor will operate to pump out water from water storage. The water is heated when it goes by the helical pipe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2012
    Inventor: Shin-I Liu
  • Patent number: 8317512
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for operating a firing furnace, in particular for the dental sector, in which the temperature is measured and, based on the measured temperature, a temperature control is performed. If appropriate, the temperature integral, recorded at discrete points, is determined over the course of time and in particular stored, and is used, if appropriate in addition to the temperature, for controlling the firing furnace.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: Ivoclar Vivadent AG
    Inventor: Rudolf Jussel
  • Patent number: 8316922
    Abstract: A thermal postcombustion device includes, in a conventional manner per se, a housing, having an inlet for the exhaust air that is to be purified and an outlet for clean air. A combustion chamber is located inside the housing, and inside this combustion chamber, a heating device generates a temperature at which the pollutants carried by the exhaust air burn. In order to reduce the energy requirement, a heat exchanger is provided over which the exhaust air coming from the inlet is guided to the combustion chamber, and the clean air coming from the combustion chamber is guided to the outlet. In order to also be able to process exhaust air, which is loaded with adherent residues, for example, pitch vapors, a device is provided with which, during a purification mode, at least a portion of the clean air can be optionally fed past a section of the heat exchanger located closer to the combustion chamber and into another section of the heat exchanger located further from the combustion chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: Eisenmann AG
    Inventor: Apostolos Katefidis
  • Patent number: 8291868
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for heating liquid for use in a radiant heating system. More specifically it relates to transferring heat generated from friction caused by pressing brake pads against rotating wheels to a thermally conductive liquid being pumped through said rotating wheels and circulating the heated liquid through a radiator type space heating system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Inventor: Lester P. Whallon