Patents Examined by John F. Belena
  • Patent number: 6540485
    Abstract: A linear compressor, comprises a fixed member formed with a hermetically sealed compression chamber, a movable member axially movably received in the compression chamber of the fixed member, a plurality of resilient members each intervening between the fixed member and the movable member, driving means for driving the movable member, damping means for damping vibrations of the fixed member, the damping means including a retaining member fixedly connected to the fixed member and a weight member axially movably supported by the retaining member, first detecting means for detecting a displacement of the movable member, second detecting means for detecting a displacement of the weight member, and controlling means for controlling the driving means to have the movable member perform a reciprocally linear motion to ensure that the vibrations of the fixed member are damped by the damping means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2003
    Assignee: Cryodevice Inc.
    Inventors: Kenichi Nara, Yasumasa Hagiwara, Takashi Murase
  • Patent number: 6537039
    Abstract: A portable high capacity air compressor system comprises an air compressor with a hydraulic motor coupled thereto to form a compact compressor unit, and a removable air reservoir which is releasably attached to the compressor unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2003
    Inventor: Ken Mann
  • Patent number: 6537249
    Abstract: A fluid delivery device having a self-contained stored energy membrane for expelling fluids at a precisely controlled rate, which is of a compact, laminate construction. The device is of very low profile so that it can conveniently be used for the precise delivery of a small volume of pharmaceutical fluids, such as insulin, morphine and the like, into an ambulatory patient at precisely controlled rates over extended periods of time. The device includes strategically configured, multiple fluid chambers to achieve the maximum possible average percent of extension of the membrane and thereby assure adequate fluid delivery pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2003
    Assignee: Science, Incorporated
    Inventors: Marshall S. Kriesell, Farhad Kazemzadeh, Alan Langerud
  • Patent number: 6536202
    Abstract: A jet engine comprises a housing having an inlet. An air net device is located adjacent to the inlet cowl so as to create an air net configured by compressed air streams for adequately blowing foreign objects from entering the inlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2003
    Inventor: Hsin-Hsin Lo
  • Patent number: 6533559
    Abstract: A heat dissipation fan has a casing, two fans and multiple stationary blades. The fans are co-axially rotatably mounted in the casing. Multiple rotating blades are arranged around the outer periphery of each fan. The stationary blades are secured in the casing and between the rotating blades of the two fans. The angle of the rotating blades on both of the fans is the same. The angle of the stationary blades is perpendicular to that of the passing rotating blades. Accordingly, the airflow generated by the dissipation fan will be enhanced with the multiple layers of rotating blades. The stationary blades reverse the direction of the airflow. The dissipating effect of the dissipation fan is further increased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2003
    Inventor: Hsin-Mao Hsieh
  • Patent number: 6532731
    Abstract: A turbofan engine has a fan bypass duct which is at the center of the engine surrounding the fan and compressor drive shafts and an annular drive engine which is located at the outer periphery of the engine surrounding the bypass duct. The annular drive engine includes an annular shell which has the compressor and turbine mounted on it. The bypass fan is rotatably mounted on a central shaft and the shell is attached to the tips of the fan blades. Thus, the fan and shell rotate together. Because the bypass duct is located at the center of the engine, the fan and compressor drive shafts are not heated by the core engine and remain at approximately ambient temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2003
    Inventor: Gaylen Springer
  • Patent number: 6530224
    Abstract: A cycle for producing pressurized gas turbine inlet conditions by capturing gas turbine exhaust waste heat, converting the heat into steam energy and applying the steam energy to drive a variable speed, supercharging fan located at the gas turbine inlet. The supercharging fan is used to increase the air mass flow rate into the gas turbine so that the gas turbine shaft horsepower can be augmented. For a simple cycle gas turbine that is not equipped with an exhaust waste heat recovery system, the invention improves the overall cycle efficiency. For combined cycle peaking applications, the variable speed, supercharging fan provides peaking output with an overall peaking efficiency that is better than the combined efficiency of a base load combined cycle plant and a peaking simple cycle plant. The invention can also improve a gas turbine power output response rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2003
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: John Anthony Conchieri
  • Patent number: 6530222
    Abstract: A swirled diffusion dump combustor of the present invention includes a cylindrical combustor can and a fuel and air mixer attached to the upstream end of the combustor can. The mixer is generally formed by an annular chamber which is defined between annular outer and inner walls, having an annularly continuous truncated conical crass-section. The upstream end of the annular chamber is closed by a manifold ring which includes an annular fuel passage and two rows of swirled air passages. Thus, the compressor air approaching the mixer from above enters the swirled air passages, and the swirled air flow in the annular chamber shears fuel from the lips of the annular fuel passage to produce a fuel/air mixture. The mixture swirl is accelerated in the annular chamber and passes a downstream annular passage which serves as the region of diffusive mixing, and also as a flame flashback restrictor. The flow then dumps into the combustor can, providing the final level of mixing, where it then burns.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2003
    Assignee: Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp.
    Inventors: Peter Stuttaford, Aleksandar Kojovic
  • Patent number: 6530755
    Abstract: The ejection orifice (7) of a micropump including a baseplate (3) of glass and a cover plate (4) of silicon and intended for ejecting small liquid drops, has a diameter of about 50 &mgr;m, and is located in the center of a flat front surface (12) which, in order to avoid accumulations of liquid in the region of the ejection orifice (7), is only 8 times the area thereof and, along a continuous circular edge, is adjacent a lateral surface (13) in the form of an envelope of truncated cone. The front surface (12) and the lateral surface (13) have a surface roughness of not more than N4 and are provided, for example, with a hydrophobic plasma polymer coating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2003
    Assignee: Tecan Trading AG
    Inventors: Nikolaus Ingenhoven, Noa Schmid, Stefano Fornito, Werner Hälg
  • Patent number: 6530208
    Abstract: A combined cycle system includes a gas turbine (8) having a generator (1), a compressor (2), a combustor (3), a blade cooling air cooler (4), a fan (5), and a turbine (6); a steam turbine (29) having a high pressure turbine (21), an intermediate pressure turbine (22), and a low pressure turbine (23); and a waste heat recovery boiler (9). Saturated water from a high pressure pump (27) is partially led into a heat exchanger (110) for cooling steam to be supplied into a moving blade (52) and a stationary blade (53). Also, outlet steam from the high pressure turbine (21) is led into the moving blade (52), the stationary blade (53), and the combustor transition piece (54) for cooling thereof, and the steam is then supplied to an inlet of the intermediate pressure turbine (22). Further, the outlet steam from the high pressure turbine (21) is led into the turbine (6) for cooling blades thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2003
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideaki Sugishita, Sunao Aoki, Kazuo Uematsu, Keizo Tsukagoshi
  • Patent number: 6524300
    Abstract: An infusion catheter has a plurality of exits whose distribution of sizes or positions produces a variation in delivery rate and pressure of a drug or other medical preparation over an infusion region. The exits may be holes or slits. A method of infusing a medical agent, infuses the agent at a rate which is non-uniform over a length of infusion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2003
    Assignee: AngioDynamics, Inc.
    Inventor: Allen J. Meglin
  • Patent number: 6523350
    Abstract: A fuel injector has at least two generally parallel feed strips. Each of the feed strips is constructed from a single bonded together pair of lengthwise extending plates, each plate having a single row of widthwise spaced apart and lengthwise extending parallel grooves. The plates in each strip are bonded together such that opposing grooves in each of the plates are aligned forming internal fuel flow passages through the length of the strip from an inlet end to an outlet end of the strip. The inlet ends are spaced apart from each other and the outlet ends are spaced apart from each other. Each of the feed strips has one or more convolutions along a length of the strip and the feed strips are not bonded together along the convolutions. The feed strips may be spaced apart from each other or may be in contact with each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2003
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Alfred A. Mancini, Peter W. Mueller
  • Patent number: 6520752
    Abstract: A combined pump and filter assembly having backwashing apparatus for the filter assembly and apparatus for offsetting the tendency for an increase in pump output flow resistance to cause an increase in fluid flow to the backwashing assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2003
    Inventor: James Peter Hosford
  • Patent number: 6514052
    Abstract: A two sided radial fan draws cooling air into axially opposite ends of a dynamoelectric device drawing the flow of air into one axial end of the device and directing the flow of air over the device exterior surface, and drawing a second flow of air into an opposite axial end of the device and through the interior of the device before redirecting the second flow of air over the exterior of the device. The two sided fan thereby provides greater cooling efficiency to the device without significantly increasing the size of the fan or the device and without significantly increasing the costs or adding additional components to the device construction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: Emerson Electric Co.
    Inventor: Peter K. Bostwick
  • Patent number: 6514054
    Abstract: A ceiling fan housing assembly includes an upper casing mounted on the top of a motor, a fastener mounted on the bottom of the motor and a lower casing attached to the fastener. The fastener includes an annular flange laterally extending from the fastener and multiple equally spaced threaded holes defined in the annular flange. A bracket extends from the flange and a reversing switch is mounted on a free end of the bracket. The reversing switch has a switch bar that extends through the housing assembly. The lower casing abuts the upper casing to form a chamber to hold the motor. The lower casing includes multiple equally spaced through holes defined in the bottom of the lower casing, and a slot is defined in of the lower casing to allow the switch bar of the reversing switch to extend through the lower casing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: Pan Air Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Ching-Wen Liu
  • Patent number: 6511303
    Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide a blower including a bearing structure wherein the number of components is reduced, the cost for manufacturing can be reduced, and the diameter of the shaft can be increased. The bearing structure is good at its durability, eliminates or reduces the rotational run out, and provides superior quietness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2003
    Assignee: Minebea Kabushiki-Kaisha
    Inventor: Rikuro Obara
  • Patent number: 6508056
    Abstract: A recuperated microturbine system including a low temperature duct burner in the exhaust gas which accommodates significant variations in the exhaust gas flow from the recuperator, which burns the added hydrocarbon fuel, for example natural gas, reasonably efficiently, without generating a significant amount of additional NOx. A wire mesh burner is used to burn the added fuel in part of the exhaust gas from the recuperator. The duct burner is operated either in a more or less radiant combustion mode, or in a blue flame mode. The remainder of the recuperator exhaust gas, which bypasses the afterburner, is heated mainly by radiant heat transfer from the wire mesh burner. The use of the wire mesh burner minimises additional NOx formation. In the duct burner the dynamic pressure of the exhaust gas is used to overcome the inherent static pressure loss of the wire mesh burner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2003
    Assignee: Her Majesty the Queen in right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of Natural Resources
    Inventor: Robert Brandon
  • Patent number: 6506032
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a high-efficiency and reliable linear compressor in which even when a pressing force is applied to its piston, the piston is turnably connected and supported through a connecting rod so that sliding surface pressure between the piston and a cylinder is not increased. The invention provides a linear compressor comprising a cylinder supported in a hermetic vessel by a support mechanism, a piston slidably supported by the cylinder along its axial direction, a spring member for applying an axial force to the piston, a connecting mechanism for connecting the piston and the spring member with each other, and a linear motor having a stator coupled to the cylinder and a moving member coupled to the piston, wherein and the connecting mechanism is connected to the piston such the connecting mechanism can rock with respect to the piston.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2003
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Sadao Kawahara, Teruyuki Akazawa
  • Patent number: 6506033
    Abstract: A miniature pump equipped with: a pump chamber communicated with a suction port by way of a check valve and communicated with a discharge port by way of another check valve; a driving portion for performing a pump function by increasing and decreasing a volume of the above described pump chamber; a driving plate attached to the above described driving portion for reciprocating the driving portion; a rotating plate fixed to an output shaft of a motor; a ball disposed at a location which is between the above described driving member and the above described rotating plate, and apart from the above described output shaft; and means for applying a force to a surface of the above described driving plate on a side of the above described rotating plate for bringing the above described driving plate into close contact with the above described ball, in which an inclined direction of the above described driving plate is continuously changed by a movement caused due to rotations and revolutions of the above described bal
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2003
    Assignee: Okenseiko Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Tadashi Fukami
  • Patent number: 6505462
    Abstract: A rotary valve for pulse detonation engines includes a rotor rotatively mounted in the forward end of the pulse detonation tube and a plurality of transfer plenums for receiving fuel and air arranged around the rotor and partially disposed over the forward end of the tube. The rotor has a plurality of internal flow passages formed therein which periodically align with a plurality of inlet ports formed near the forward end of the tube as the rotor rotates. Each one of the transfer plenums is aligned with a corresponding one of the inlet ports so that the flow passages will establish fluid communication between the tube and the transfer plenums when aligned with the inlet ports. Additional features include axial injection of the fuel-air mixture into the pulse detonation tube, pre-compression of the inlet flow and a drive system located outside of the primary gas path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2003
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Gregory Vincent Meholic