Patents Examined by Ken Rinehart
  • Patent number: 7258117
    Abstract: A heat-producing agglomerate contains particles of an acidic component selected from acid anhydrides, acid salts, and mixtures thereof, or a basic component selected from bases, basic anhydrides, basic salts, and mixtures thereof, or a mixture of such acidic and basic components. The heat producing agglomerate provides high heat output at a controllable rate of heat generation, minimizes safety and environmental risks, and is useful as a heat-producing component in self-heating packaging.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2007
    Assignee: Innophos, ,Inc.
    Inventors: Vincent Payen, Robert Finn, Joseph Mitchell, George Carl Harmsen, Dennis L. Myers, Joseph Kirkpatrick
  • Patent number: 7252504
    Abstract: A secure and convenient igniter includes a trigger and a security element. The trigger is pivotally connected to the igniter for actuation of the igniter. The security element is pivotally connected to the igniter so that the security element normally locks the trigger and can be pivoted in order to set the trigger free for pivotal movement. Pivotal movement of the security element and pivotal movement of the trigger can be done in a smooth sequence.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2007
    Inventor: Arlo Lin
  • Patent number: 7243647
    Abstract: A device for controlling the gas-burner rings of a cooking surface includes a gas tap equipped with a control knob and a catenary element for control of ignition of the gas-burner rings. The catenary element includes a microswitch actuated selectively by a bushing carried via snap action by an axially mobile element of the gas tap provided with the control knob. The bushing is made of a synthetic plastic material and includes a sleeve for installation on the mobile element of the gas tap and a flange configured to bear upon the microswitch to actuate it as a result of a motion of translation of the mobile element of the gas tap. The bushing is internally provided with a detent and has a radial slit, which interrupts its continuity and in a corresponding angular position of which the bushing is also provided with a pair of opposed circumferential slots that interrupt the continuity of the detent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2007
    Assignee: ITW Industrial Components S.r.L.
    Inventor: Daniele Pianezze
  • Patent number: 7222620
    Abstract: A lighting assembly for a cooking apparatus including a handle, an arm and a light source. The arm is movably joined with the handle so that the arm is selectively movable from a position in which it is concealed at least partially in the handle to another position where the arm projects out from the handle and over a cooking surface when a cover of the cooking apparatus is in an open position. By adjusting the position of the arm, the light source can be aimed at the surface to monitor the cooking of food in low light conditions. In one embodiment, the lighting assembly includes a head, with which the light source is joined, that is movably mounted to the arm to provide an added degree of adjustment for aiming the light source at the cooking surface, and/or a work surface when included.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2007
    Assignee: A & L Assembly, LLC
    Inventors: Patrick J. Wolter, Gregory A. Matheson
  • Patent number: 6659024
    Abstract: A powdery fuel combustion apparatus disposed on furnace side plane (7) of vertical square body type furnace in which a vertical plane passing through a fuel jetting directional axis (8) does not cross the furnace side plane orthogonally, and thus the workability of furnace wall tubes and burner panel, and the maintainability of burner nozzle are improved. The apparatus includes a burner nozzle (1) that is formed such that the nozzle has right and left non-symmetrical shapes, with respect to a vertical plane passing through axis (8). Also, the nozzle has a tip portion opening lying in an opening plane (2) which coincides or is parallel to the furnace side plane (7).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2003
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tadashi Gengo, Kouichi Sakamoto, Masashi Hishida, Tomomitsu Yokoyama, Akiyasu Okamoto
  • Patent number: 6227127
    Abstract: A sintered material includes a polycrystalline substance of MgAl2O4 and/or Al2O3; and 3 to 90 weight percent of Cr2O3 and/or CeO2. Furnace material, furnace wall block, high temperature protection tube, and high temperature protecting member are made of such sintered material, and have higher heat resistance and corrosion resistance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2001
    Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
    Inventors: Shinichi Yamaguchi, Yasuhiro Tanaka
  • Patent number: 6202577
    Abstract: A municipal or like refuse, from which large articles of metals have been removed, is mixed with an alkaline substance like limestone preferably in a triple screw mixer, and then advanced along the pyrolysis path in which the refuse mixture is subjected to heat from combustion gases from an incineration chamber therebelow. A portion of the pyrolyzed product is recycled to the upstream side of that path and the remainder of the pyrolyzed product is scrubbed with an aqueous medium, e.g. water and/or aqueous acetic acid and the washed pyrolyzed product is then incinerated to produce the combustion gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2001
    Inventors: Anatoly Boguslavsky, Yuriy Rabiner
  • Patent number: 6196142
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for introducing solid, liquid or gaseous fuel into a burning zone of a rotary kiln for manufacturing cement clinker. Fuel is conducted through a duct or ducts and primary air is conducted through at least two annular ducts arranged substantially concentrically with, and around, the fuel duct(s), the portion of air in one of the air ducts flowing substantially axially, whereas the portion of air in the second of the air ducts comprises air which has a rotary component about the center axis of the burner, and wherein the amount of primary air in the two portions is independently controlled, such that the two portions of primary air are mixed at a lower velocity in a collecting duct into a single primary mixed airstream having a desired axial/rotary flow characteristic, and wherein this airstream is subsequently accelerated up to a desired, higher discharge velocity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2001
    Assignee: F. L. Smidth & Co., A/S
    Inventor: Ib Ohlsen
  • Patent number: 6167818
    Abstract: A cyclone furnace includes a cylindrical shaped furnace chamber having an inlet end for the introduction of fuel-air and an outlet end defining a re-entrant throat member. A monolithic deflector cone and orifice member comprised of a castable ceramic refractory material is secured to the re-entrant throat member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2001
    Assignee: Cyclone Combustion Enhancement Group, LLC
    Inventor: Daniel Dejanovich
  • Patent number: 6152052
    Abstract: A water jacket face of a burner nozzle for a synthesis gas generator is protected from hot gas corrosion by an annular heat shield of high temperature material tiles. Angular segments of a tile annulus around a burner nozzle orifice are secured to the water jacket face by furnace melted, high temperature brazed metal. The metal water jacket face along radial joints between adjacent tiles is protected by stepped or scarfed lap joints.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2000
    Assignee: Eastman Chemical Company
    Inventors: Daniel Isaiah Saxon, Stacey Elaine Swisher, Gary Scott Whittaker
  • Patent number: 6145451
    Abstract: A water-cooled firing grate made up of grate bar blocks extending over the width of the grate and each having a plurality of grate bars mounted on a grate bar carrier and interconnected by connecting pieces communicating between meandering shaped channels in the grate bar and a pair of end pieces forming an inlet and an outlet at the outer boundaries of the block and connected to an inlet and an outlet for the cooling water. The pieces are so fixed to the bars that they maintain a clearance between the bars of 1 to 1.5 mm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2000
    Inventors: Emil Zurl, Jaroslav Aubrecht, Anton Esser
  • Patent number: 6138585
    Abstract: A coal-burning utility electrical power generation plant includes a mill pulverizing coal and supplying same to a boiler for combustion. The boiler has a bottom ash hopper for receiving combustion products including clinkers, and a clinker grinder for grinding the clinkers. The clinker grinder includes a rotary drum in a grinding chamber and having grinding teeth and driven by a rotary shaft extending through a stuffing box assembly. The stuffing box assembly has a flushing fitting for supplying flushing fluid thereto and along the shaft and into the grinding chamber. A seal permits flushing fluid flow from the flushing fitting into the grinding chamber, and blocks reverse flow. Long life is provided without a grease fitting, and leakage is substantially reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2000
    Assignee: Wisconsin Electric Power Company
    Inventor: David G. Racine
  • Patent number: 6135035
    Abstract: A method of and apparatus for the combustion of animal wastes to avoid release of objectionable odors and to obtain useful products from the animal wastes involving the drying of the animal waste in a primary heat exchange dryer, mixing the dried animal waste material with a combustible fuel and moving the mix of dried waste and combustible fuel to a burner assembly of a furnace for burning, the exhaust from the primary heat exchange dryer being collected so that gases in the exhaust are used as combustion air for the burner assembly and with exhaust from the burner assembly housing being separated into fly ash and acceptably clean exhaust.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2000
    Inventor: Tommy D. Masek
  • Patent number: 6135140
    Abstract: The invention comprises a diverter device which has an expandable perimeter for removably mounting same to a storm drain and comprises a passageway therethrough for the directing the controlled flow of air and/or fluids from the storm drain during a back-flow incident.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2000
    Inventor: Frank J. Grandinetti
  • Patent number: 6119721
    Abstract: An electropneumatic regulator system, which has an electropneumatic regulator for controlling a pressure and a flow rate of a fluid supplied from a fluid source on the basis of a level of an input signal, comprises a communication unit for making communication with a master station, and a control unit for controlling the electropneumatic regulator in response to at least the contents of communication data received by the communication unit. Accordingly, it is possible to collectively control one or more electropneumatic regulators by using, for example, the master station on the basis of the communication so that the response performance can be improved for the remote control of the electropneumatic regulators, and the cost can be reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2000
    Assignee: SMC Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tadao Watanabe, Yuji Tsuda
  • Patent number: 6116170
    Abstract: A waste incinerator is provided which can completely prevent environmental pollution by dioxins. Exhaust gas from an incinerator is guided into a glass melting furnace by a duct, and blown into molten glass through a bubbling pipe to decompose dioxins in the exhaust gas. High-temperature gas produced in the glass melting furnace is supplied into the incinerator by a pipe so as to burn wastes without using auxiliary fuel. Further, exhaust gas is pressurized by pressure pumps in a pipe branching from the duct, while fuel tablets to including ashes are introduced through a fuel inlet and fed into the molten glass under the pressure of exhaust gas to decompose dioxins in the ashes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2000
    Assignee: Innovative Environmental Technology Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Yamada, Masuo Takeda
  • Patent number: 6105611
    Abstract: A reservoir tank includes a main portion and a storage chamber disposed in the main portion for storing operating fluid, with the storage chamber being surrounded by a side wall, a ceiling portion and a bottom portion. A float is disposed in the storage chamber and is adapted to move vertically corresponding to the height of the operating fluid level, and a reed switch is operatively associated with the float so as to operate in accordance with the height of the float. A partition member divides the storage chamber into an upper space and a lower space in which the operating fluid and the float are disposed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2000
    Assignee: Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masamoto Ando, Takashi Nagashima, Mitsuharu Hayashi, Hirohisa Kuwana
  • Patent number: 6101957
    Abstract: An apparatus for the disposal of solid rocket motors which produce exhaust ases containing flammable and/or explosive products. The solid rocket motor to be burned is first detachably connected to and inserted in one end of an elongated mixing chamber which has, at an opposite end, a multi-step expansion nozzle. The rocket motor is then ignited and the exhaust gas is passed into the mixing chamber, which is sufficiently large to reduce the velocity of exhaust gases from supersonic to subsonic. Air is injected into the mixing chamber to react with flammable and/or explosive products in the exhaust gases and the resultant mixture is then discharged from the mixing chamber through a multi-step expansion nozzle to expand the gaseous mixture and, at the same time, produce substantial turbulence within the gas mixture which is about six times higher than the turbulence levels produced by a constant area circular nozzle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2000
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventors: Kenneth J. Wilson, Eric D. Erickson, Klaus C. Schadow
  • Patent number: 6076547
    Abstract: The invention concerns a device for operating a mechanism (5) of a rinsing fixture, in particular for operating a closing and opening mechanism or a locking mechanism of a rinsing fixture. It shows a float (28) and a first hydraulic or pneumatic force means (15) that shows a regulating unit (16) that is controllable through a float. A second hydraulic or pneumatic force means (9), which has a regulating unit (8) that is connected hydraulically or pneumatically with the regulating unit of the first force means, has an active connection with the mechanism (5).According to the invention it is planned that upon rising the float, in opposition to a restoring force, drives the regulating unit of the first force means for operating the mechanism, that the float upon sinking is uncoupled from the regulating unit of the first force means, and that a valve (12) is arranged in the connection (11, 13) of the two force means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2000
    Inventors: Lothar Steinhardt, Jorg-Michael Steinhardt