Patents Examined by Justin Dodson
  • Patent number: 10226836
    Abstract: A controller of a laser machining device according to the present invention includes a positioning completion determining part for determining whether or not positioning of the nozzle is completed, a completion expectation determining part for determining whether or not the completion of the positioning of the nozzle can be expected, and a subsequent process determining part for determining whether or not a subsequent process can be carried out in the state where the completion of the positioning of the nozzle is expected. If the subsequent process can be carried out when the completion of the positioning of the nozzle is only expected, the subsequent process is carried out immediately when it is determined that the completion of the positioning of the nozzle can be expected. If the subsequent process cannot be carried out, the subsequent process is carried out only after the positioning of the nozzle is completed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2019
    Assignee: FANUC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Tadashi Kurosawa
  • Patent number: 10219331
    Abstract: An electric power apparatus for an electric arc furnace comprises at least one electrode and is connectable to a power network to supply to the electrode the electric energy to generate an electric arc to melt a metal mass. The apparatus comprises an electric regulation unit interposed and connected to the power network and to the electrode and configured to regulate at least one electric quantity for powering the electrode. The apparatus comprises at least one detection device to detect the electric quantity, interposed between the electrode and the electric regulation unit, a positioning device to move the at least one electrode nearer to/away from the metal mass to be melted and a control and command unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: DANIELI AUTOMATION SPA
    Inventors: Antonello Mordeglia, Enzo Gigante
  • Patent number: 10188117
    Abstract: To provide a noodle string treatment apparatus and treatment method capable of manufacturing instant noodles that are short noodle strings. The noodle string treatment apparatus of the present invention has: a cutting device having a rotary blade and cutting a batch of noodle strings into a predetermined length; and a control device for controlling a blade edge peripheral speed of the rotary blade, wherein the control device changes the blade edge peripheral speed of the rotary blade during rotation thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2019
    Assignee: NISSIN FOODS HOLDINGS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kenji Okazawa, Koji Sakai, Kazuhiro Nakatani, Hiroko Imaki
  • Patent number: 10159117
    Abstract: An induction heating system includes induction heating apparatuses, each including a high-frequency current transformer, a low-frequency current transformer and a heating coil, a high-frequency input switch connected to the high-frequency current transformer, a low-frequency input switch connected to the low-frequency current transformer, a first power source to output a high-frequency electric power and a low frequency electric power, a second power source, a first power source output switch connectable to the first power source, a second power source output switch connectable to the second power source, and a switch controller. Each induction heating apparatus includes a heater controller to send a signal to the switching controller to turn on one of the first power source output switch and the second power source output switch, to turn off the other, and to switch on or off each of the high-frequency input switch and the low-frequency input switch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2018
    Assignee: NETUREN CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tetsuya Ono, Masato Sugimoto, Yutaka Kiyosawa, Toshihiro Aiba, Kazutomi Oka, Fumiaki Ikuta, Kazuhiro Kawasaki
  • Patent number: 10132288
    Abstract: A method is described for setting a temperature of a glow plug, in particular for igniting a fuel/air mixture in an internal combustion engine in which the temperature of the glow plug is set as a function of a resistance of the glow plug with the aid of a control. To prevent temperature overshoots from occurring during the preheating phase of the glow plug, the temperature is controlled with the aid of a predictive model during a preheating phase during which an overvoltage is applied to the glow plug.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
    Inventors: Sascha Joos, Eberhard Janzen, Harald Ryll
  • Patent number: 10129970
    Abstract: A nozzle for use with a plasma arc torch is provided. The nozzle has a nozzle body having a length that extends from a proximal end to a distal end, a central bore disposed within the nozzle body along a central axis having a feed orifice at the proximal end of the nozzle body, and a discharge orifice at the distal end of the nozzle body. The central bore has a series of internal sections that transition with one or more radial edges between the feed orifice and the discharge orifice. The series of internal sections have a first section beginning at the feed orifice transitioning to a converging section transitioning at a throat to a diverging section ending at the discharge orifice. The length of the converging section is longer than a length of the diverging section. A Venturi effect is created by the converging and diverging sections of the nozzle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: American Torch Tip, Co.
    Inventors: Matthew Joel Merrill, Jeffery Kenneth Walters
  • Patent number: 10107490
    Abstract: An improved vaporizer for vaporizing a liquid precursor is provided. The vaporizer may include one or more channels with a relatively large wall-area-to-cross-sectional-flow-area ratio and may be equipped with one or more heater elements configured to heat the channels above the vaporization temperature of the precursor. At least some of the channels may be heated above the vaporization temperature but below the Leidenfrost temperature of the precursor. In some implementations, a carrier gas may be introduced at high speed in a direction generally transverse to the precursor flow to mechanically shear the precursor into droplets. Multiple vaporizers may be ganged together in series to achieve complete vaporization, if necessary. The vaporizers may be easily disassembleable for cleaning and maintenance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
    Inventors: Colin F. Smith, Harald te Nijenhuis, Jeffrey E. Lorelli, Edward Sung, Kevin Madrigal, Shawn M. Hamilton, Alan M. Schoepp
  • Patent number: 10105003
    Abstract: A beverage dispenser, in which a filter is arranged between the lower end of a brewing chamber and an upper end of a fluid receptacle. A beverage brewed by supplying a raw material and water to the chamber is forced to drip into the fluid receptacle through the filter F, and delivered to a cup along a beverage path. The beverage dispenser includes: a pressure difference generator for generating a pressure difference between the chamber and the fluid receptacle to force the beverage to drip into the fluid receptacle, and to deliver the beverage to the cup; a pressure sensor for measuring the pressures in the fluid receptacle or in the chamber; and a controller that sequentially determines an interval average for pressure measured by the pressure sensor, and halts, based on results of the interval averages, a drip-brewing and delivering operation for the beverage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: SANDEN HOLDINGS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Taiichi Tsutsumi, Mitsuo Suzuki
  • Patent number: 10092980
    Abstract: Reliable coupling of a high-power laser beam into a liquid-jet in a liquid-jet guided laser system can be achieved with high lifetime performance of the nozzle and the protection window, through setting the parameters of the liquid-jet guided laser system according to an optimum relationship that links the focus point of the laser, the focus cone angle, the laser beam energy distribution profile and the nozzle geometry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: Avonisys AG
    Inventors: Jens Guenter Gaebelein, Jeroen Hribar
  • Patent number: 10058118
    Abstract: A citrus juice apparatus may include at least one citrus juice processing device. The at least one juice processing device may include at least one juice output having a flow of juice therethrough. The at least one juice processing device upon a malfunction may cause an undesired material release along with the flow of juice into the at least one juice output. An undesired material release detector may be coupled to the at least one juice output for detecting the undesired material release. The detector may operate based upon magnetic proximity sensing of a moving filter plate within a housing of the detector. Alternatively, the detector may operate using a filter plate, and based upon pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: JOHN BEAN TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Garland Mathews, Michael L. Suter, Mark R. Jackson, Kevin G. Socha, Jose D. Milla, Gregory W. Schrader
  • Patent number: 10045618
    Abstract: A hot plate includes a base plate having an underside. A coating has at least two metallic layers and at least two dielectric layers and is formed on the underside of the base plate in such a way that a reflectivity of the hot plate is lower than 15% in a wavelength range between 380 nm and 780 nm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2018
    Assignee: BSH Hausgeräte GmbH
    Inventors: Rafael Alonso Esteban, Miguel Angel Bunuel Magdalena, Enrique Carretero Chamarro, Francisco Javier Ester Sola, Francisco Javier Pelayo Zueco, Pilar Perez Cabeza, Fernando Planas Layunta, Jesus Mario Subias Domingo, Ana Margarita López de Lama
  • Patent number: 10040142
    Abstract: An electric arc welder including a high speed switching power supply with a controller for creating high frequency current pulses with negative polarity components through the gap between a workpiece and a welding wire advancing toward the workpiece. Molten metal droplets are quickly created during negative polarity portions of the weld cycle. Welding controls include integrating a parameter during the negative polarity portions to determine when a desired amount of energy has been generated at the welding wire. This energy is associated with a desired droplet size for consistent droplet transfers to the workpiece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2018
    Assignee: Lincoln Global, Inc.
    Inventors: Judah Henry, Steven R. Peters
  • Patent number: 10030801
    Abstract: A direct electric heating (DEH) system for heating a subsea pipeline is provided. The DEH system includes a subsea power cable adapted to be coupled to a three phase electric power source. The DEH system further includes two or more subsea DEH modules. Each subsea module of the two or more subsea DEH modules is provided for heating a different pipeline section of the subsea pipeline.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2018
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Damir Radan, Björn Rasch
  • Patent number: 10022814
    Abstract: For the determination of the welding current to be used for the resistance welding of the overlap seam of container bodies, welding with a test body is carried out with a changing strength of welding current which in the test body produces a varying welding of the seam. The current strength varies from welding of this seam with a too high temperature to welding with a too low temperature. Along with this the welding current strength used in the welding is determined so that it is further determined at which point of the seam the welding has been accomplished and with what strength of welding current. By means of a mechanical and/or optical investigation of the welded seam it can then be easily determined where the seam has been correctly welded for the series production of container bodies from the same sheet material as the test bodies. When such a point or such a region of the seam is known the welding current used in the test welding can be taken as the welding current for serial production.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: Soudronic AG
    Inventor: Patrick Ziegler
  • Patent number: 10005149
    Abstract: An economical capacitor-type welding device and capacitor-type welding method that have a small power loss, that can be made compact, and that reliably control a charging circuit without being affected by the inductance of a charging path. In an exemplary capacitor-type welding device and an exemplary capacitor-type welding method of the invention, a bypass switching element having a forward-blocking function is connected in parallel to output terminals of a charging circuit, and the bypass switching element is brought into a conduction state to allow a backflow current, which is caused to flow by a magnetic energy stored in the inductance of a primary winding or an inductor included in the charging path, to bypass the charging circuit. A discharge switching element is brought into a conduction state after the bypass switching element enters the non-conduction state and recovers the forward-blocking function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2018
    Assignee: ORIGIN ELECTRIC COMPANY, LIMITED
    Inventors: Kouji Arai, Yasuo Kadoya, Akio Komatsu
  • Patent number: 9974412
    Abstract: A device for preparing a liquid comestible is disclosed. The device may include a beverage preparation means for supply of a beverage and/or a brewing unit designed for receiving an ingredient-containing capsule and preparing the beverage from the ingredients by means of injection of hot pressurized liquid into the capsule. The device may further include a receptacle support means designed to support and to selectively connect to a receptacle for receiving the resulting beverage, beverage delivery means adapted to collect and/or guide the resulting beverage from the beverage preparation means/brewing unit to the receptacle support means, and/or injection means adapted to selectively open a portion of an outer wall of the receptacle connected to the receptacle support means and to establish a fluid communication between the beverage delivery means and the receptacle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2018
    Assignee: Nestec S. A.
    Inventor: Alexandre Kollep
  • Patent number: 9955532
    Abstract: To provide a fabric heater that can be stretchable in all direction and warms up quickly. The aforementioned problem is solved by means of a fabric heater (1) that comprises a piece of fabric (2) that is formed into one piece by twist-braiding the plurality of loop portions (5) with each other, the plurality of loops portions (5) being formed by conductive thread (4), and electrodes (30) that are comprised by electrode thread (31, 35) and by spacing from each other, and the conductive thread (4) has a core (10) formed by a fiber and a conductive layer (11) or a conductive foil (12) that covers the surface of the core (10) or; by means of fabric heater (1) which is formed by the conductive thread (4) comprises a bunch of lines (7) having at least one or more conductive lines (6a).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2018
    Assignee: SANKI CONSYS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Masahide Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 9867498
    Abstract: The apparatus is used in cooking foodstuff over an open flame by heat while keeping user a safe distance from fire with main elements being hand grip, shank, fork, and food transfer system. A hand grip and shank are made of materials including wood, injection mold plastics, and metal while a fork and food transfer system is constructed of metal materials. The food transfer system provides a hands-free safe and sanitary method to remove cooked foods from hot metal greatly reducing likelihood of injury and food contamination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2018
    Inventors: Gordon Timothy Rose, Clyde Taylor
  • Patent number: 9862047
    Abstract: A welding method for making cladding or buttering on an inner surface of a base material, an inner surface of an opening portion formed in the base material, and the cut surface formed in such a manner that the cut surface is continuous from the inner surface of the base material to the inner surface of the opening portion, wherein the welding method includes a step of forming a protruding portion on the base material in advance, the protruding portion including a temporary welding surface extending toward the center of the opening portion in such a manner that the temporary welding surface is uniformly continuous to the inner surface of the base material and including the cut surface buried therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Takashi Hanioka, Hirokazu Kadowaki, Taisuke Ito
  • Patent number: 9801415
    Abstract: A MEMS vaporizer is described which can be used for electronic cigarettes. The vaporizer mainly composes: a silicon substrate, a micro-channel array, a membrane suspending over the micro-channel array and supported by the silicon substrate, a resistance heater and a resistance temperature sensor are disposed on the membrane. Since the vaporizer is a silicon-based integrated actuator which provides advantages including small size, compact structure, lower power consumption, lower cost, increased reliability, higher precision, and more environmental friendliness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: POSIFA Microsytems, Inc.
    Inventor: Xiang Zheng Tu