Patents Examined by L. R. Leo
  • Patent number: 5375654
    Abstract: Heat exchange apparatus including a tube having inward projections or turbulating structure extending into the tube at substantially all angular locations around the diameter of the tube except along a drainage path extending along the entire bottom inner surface of the tube. The width of the drainage path is sufficient to ensure that fluid may fully drain from the tube. No turbulating structure is positioned within the drainage path so as to prevent fluid from draining from the tube and potentially contaminating the tube. The turbulating structure of the invention are dimples which are deformed into the tube and have smoothly sloping side walls which further inhibit the dimples from preventing full drainage of the tube. The tubes are fixed to the apparatus at an angle which provides a drainage slope.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 27, 1994
    Assignee: FR Mfg. Corporation
    Inventors: Jerry M. Hougland, Lloyd F. Hay
  • Patent number: 5373896
    Abstract: A heat exchanger includes a metal tank having an open side and a flange around the open side, and a metal header plate connected to a plurality of heat exchanging tubes, the header plate having a channel around its periphery for mating with the tank flange. The cast metal tank has predominately thin walls and at least one cast indentation point for starting a drilled hole. The indentation point is located in a defined, limited region of the tank walls having a thickness greater than surrounding wall regions. The indentation point may be drilled out and, optionally, tapped, to form an additional access opening in the tank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 20, 1994
    Assignee: The Allen Group
    Inventor: Robert J. Osborn
  • Patent number: 5373894
    Abstract: An indoor unit of an air conditioner comprises a body casing, an indoor side fan disposed inside the body casing, rim members disposed on an outer periphery of the indoor side fan and buffer protection members disposed so as to oppose to the rim members respectively for preventing the indoor side fan from being deformed. Each of the buffer protection members has a recessed fan receiving portion with a predetermined distance from the rim means so as to provide an arcuate shape or angled shape. The buffer protection member is detachably secured to the body casing in a cantilever support manner on an upstream side of the indoor side fan with respect to air flow in the indoor unit. When the indoor unit is packed in a packing case, the body casing is reversed upside down in its attitude and then accommodated in the packing case with this upside down state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 20, 1994
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventor: Kenichi Tomatsuri
  • Patent number: 5372183
    Abstract: A spacecraft adapted for operation in a low inclination angle earth orbit comprises north, south, east and west panels defining a spacecraft interior volume. The north and south panels are oppositely disposed with respect to each other and the east and west panels are oppositely disposed with respect to each other. The spacecraft interior volume generally and preferably lacks structural elements that substantially restrict thermal radiation among the panels. The north and south panels, to which spacecraft equipment is usually mounted, each include conductive heat pipes for reducing the temperature differences across each panel. The exterior surfaces of the north, south, east and west panels have a covering, preferably of optical solar reflectors (OSRs), for radiating thermal energy therefrom, wherein the OSRs have a solar absorptivity that is substantially less than their thermal emissivity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 13, 1994
    Inventor: Harold P. Strickberger
  • Patent number: 5368094
    Abstract: A bipartite heat sink positioning device for computer chips incorporates a two-piece heat sink including a plurality of fins projecting from upper surfaces thereof and generally flat bottom surfaces adapted to engage a computer chip. Each of the sink bodies include inner and outer end portions with the inner end portions terminating in respective upstanding walls and the outer end portions being formed with respective elastic clamping parts. The outer end portions are also each formed with a pair of spaced fixing holes. The heat sink is adapted to be secured to a computer chip by positioning the first and second sink bodies upon the chip with the elastic clamping pans engaging respective opposing side shoulders of the chip and the inner end portions of the sink bodies being slightly spaced. The bipartite heat sink positioning device further includes a fan including a body provided with four tap holes positioned in spaced intervals about an outer peripheral portion of the body of the fan.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 1993
    Date of Patent: November 29, 1994
    Inventor: Chin-Ping Hung
  • Patent number: 5366008
    Abstract: A heat exchanger is formed by a pair of tank units with a core therebetween. The core comprises a plurality of tube passes extending between and in fluid communication with the tank units, and air centers connected between the tube passes in conductive heat transfer with air and the flow passes. The tank units are formed by separate tanks and headers. The tanks and headers include a flat, coplanar perimeter flange extending thereabout. The flanges include locking members therethrough to secure the header to the tank. The locking members may comprise longitudinal projections formed through the tank flange projecting through the header flanges, or alternatively aligned apertures in the flanges with plug inserted therethrough.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 1993
    Date of Patent: November 22, 1994
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Prasad S. Kadle, Larry A. O'Keefe
  • Patent number: 5363911
    Abstract: A heat exchanger, typically an air conditioning condenser for a motor vehicle, has a fluid header comprising a tubular wall formed with a number of apertures, the heat exchanger having a set of tubes for flow of fluid, with each tube being received sealingly in a respective one of these apertures. The tubular wall comprises two semi-cylindrical wall members assembled together sealingly through their longitudinal edges. Each aperture for receiving a respective tube comprises two slots formed in the respective wall members, extending from an edge of the latter, with lugs being cut out during formation of these slots adjacent to the base of each slot. These lugs are bent outwardly from the fluid header so as to bear on the sides of the tube. During assembly of the heat exchanger, the two wall members are brought towards each other so as to capture the ends of the tubes between them, whereby the tubes penetrate into the slots.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 1993
    Date of Patent: November 15, 1994
    Assignee: Valeo Thermique Moteur
    Inventors: Pascal Velluet, Jean-Pierre Tournebize
  • Patent number: 5363910
    Abstract: An inner half cylinder and an outer half cylinder are brazed to each other to form a cylindrical header tank. Both ends of tubes are connected to the inner half cylinder. An opening of the outer half cylinder is communicated with an opening of a joint pipe. A tongue portion which is provided on the periphery of the opening of the outer half cylinder is inserted and curled in the opening of the joint pipe so as to fix the joint pipe on the outer half cylinder firmly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 1992
    Date of Patent: November 15, 1994
    Assignee: Nippondenso Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Norimasa Baba, Ken Yamamoto, Michiyasu Yamamoto, Ryouichi Sanada, Eiichi Torigoe, Mitsugu Nakamura
  • Patent number: 5361827
    Abstract: An economizer apparatus for a fossil fuel fired vapor generation apparatus which includes a housing having an inlet and an outlet and a wall extending generally between the inlet and the outlet to define first and second flow paths in the housing. The inlet may include means for connection to an associated vapor generation apparatus and means for connection to an associated stack. Heat exchange tubing is disposed in the first flow path having the interior thereof coupled to associated working fluid of the vapor generation apparatus. The apparatus also includes apparatus in the second flow path to control flow in the second flow path. In most embodiments of the invention the apparatus also includes a bypass conduit for selectively directing fluid flow around the heat exchange tubing. Ordinarily this will be desirable when the damper is obstructing fluid flow in the second flow channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 1992
    Date of Patent: November 8, 1994
    Assignee: Combustion Engineering, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard D. Brown, Stephen M. Renals
  • Patent number: 5360060
    Abstract: A fin-tube type heat exchanger has parallel heat transfer tubes and a stack of a plurality of plate fins mounted on the tubes. Heat exchange is conducted between a first fluid flowing through the tubes and a second fluid flowing through the stack across each of the fins. Each fin has flat tube-mounting portions spaced in the longitudinal direction of the fin and formed with tube-mounting holes and a louver section disposed between each adjacent pair of tube-mounting portions. The louver section has elongated slats extending longitudinally of the fin and having side edges each spaced from an adjacent side edge of an adjacent slat. The slats are classified into two groups in respect of the cross-sectional shape. The slats of one group have generally flat cross-sections to reduce the resistance of the fin to the flow of the second fluid through the stack and are disposed in planes offset from the plane of the tube-mounting portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 1992
    Date of Patent: November 1, 1994
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takeo Tanaka, Toshio Hatada, Masaaki Itoh, Takao Senshu, Naoto Katsumata, Yoshihiko Mochizuki, Hirokiyo Terada, Minetoshi Izushi, Minoru Sato, Hiromi Tsuji, Makoto Nagai
  • Patent number: 5358032
    Abstract: Disclosed is an LSI package cooling heat sink having a heat diffusion plate and thin wire fins joined to the heat diffusion plate. The heat sink is mounted on an LSI package and the LSI package is cooled by the flowing of fluid through the thin wire fins. The wire fins are made of a net formed of longitudinal thin wires intersecting with horizontal thin wires. The net is formed to continuous rectangular shapes or a swirl shape and joined to the heat diffusion plate. The net is constituted so that the number of the thin wires vertical to the heat diffusion plate is larger than the number of the thin wires parallel thereto and the net is joined to the heat diffusion plate by brazing, diffusion joint, pressure welding or the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 1993
    Date of Patent: October 25, 1994
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masatsugu Arai, Akiomi Kohno, Toshio Hatada, Yoshihiro Kondo, Toshihiro Komatsu, Kanji Otsuka, Yuji Shirai, Susumu Iwai
  • Patent number: 5353864
    Abstract: A mass flow cooler for cooling particulate material comprising a vertical bin having a top end, a bottom end, a material inlet near the top end and a material discharge in the bottom end; the material discharge comprising a plurality of orifices through which the particulate material may flow; a plurality of vertical, tubular heat exchanger elements, each having an open top end and a sealed bottom end and extending from the top of the bin toward the bottom of the bin; a plurality of fluid distribution tubes corresponding to the number of heat exchanger elements, each fluid distribution tube having an open top end and an open bottom end and extending through the top end of a corresponding heat exchanger element toward the bottom end of the heat exchanger element; each fluid distribution tube being connected to a source of cooling fluid; and a discharge orifice plate positioned below the material discharge for controlling the rate at which the material flows through the bin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 1993
    Date of Patent: October 11, 1994
    Assignee: FMC Corporation
    Inventors: Harvey R. Greenland, John A. Canterbury
  • Patent number: 5353868
    Abstract: An apparatus formed by a roll bonding or extrusion process providing continuously tapered or continuously expanding roll bonded refrigerant and air conduits or incrementally sized extrudate refrigerant conduits to optimize internal heat flow throughout the refrigerant circuit. The air conduits are formed integrally with and adjacent to the refrigerant conduits. The air conduits are lanced forming a plurality of fin strips having a plurality of miniature strip fins with slits thereinbetween arranged perpendicular to the direction of air flow. Air circulates through the air conduit and slits, and around the fins and the refrigerant conduit to increase heat transfer between the air and the refrigerant. The apparatus can be utilized to provide a one piece composite refrigeration unit comprising a condenser, an evaporator, an umbilical circuit strip integrally connecting the condenser and the evaporator, wherein the umbilical strip includes a suction tube and a liquid line capillary metering tube.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 1993
    Date of Patent: October 11, 1994
    Inventor: Roy W. Abbott
  • Patent number: 5353867
    Abstract: A heat exchanger having on a first and a second side inlets and outlets, respectively, for a preferably gaseous heat exchanging medium, and having a heat exchanging component made of a high thermal conductive material, such as metal, and comprised of a package of lamellae, in which the heat exchanging material has a structure permeable to the heat exchanging medium, and in which channels for the medium passing from the inlet side to the outlet side are formed, such that medium flowing in via the inlet channels can flow to the adjacent outlet channels at an angle to the direction of entry via the heat exchanging material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 1993
    Date of Patent: October 11, 1994
    Assignee: Akzo Nobel nv
    Inventor: Martinus J. Jaspers
  • Patent number: 5351751
    Abstract: A heat exchanger tank for connection to a header part to form a heat exchanger manifold has an elongate trough-shaped body 4 having opposed side walls 14,16; and at least one strengthening tie bar 36 extending between the side walls 14,16, the tie bar comprising an elongate body 37 having enlarged head portions 40 at opposite ends thereof which are of generally wedge-shaped section of dimension which decreases in a direction generally perpendicular to the elongate extent of the body of the tie bar, with the tank side walls 14,16 defining opposed pockets 44 for of shape which corresponds to the shape of the head portions for receiving therein respective head portions of the tie bar.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 1993
    Date of Patent: October 4, 1994
    Assignee: Valeo Engine Cooling, Incorp.
    Inventors: Lynn L. Cage, Rodney A. Spears, Lawrence R. Barron, Jr.
  • Patent number: 5351750
    Abstract: A tubular element for a heat-exchanger comprises a tubular core composed of a first aluminum alloy comprising up to 0.3 wt % maximum of silicon, up to 0.5 wt % maximum of iron, from 0.50 to 0.70 wt % of copper, from 0.65 to 1.0 wt % of manganese, from 0.1 to 0.30 wt % of magnesium, up to 0.05 wt % maximum of zinc, from 0.08 to 0.10 wt % of titanium, and the balance aluminum and unavoidable impurities; an inner layer of a second aluminum alloy on the tubular core; and an outer brazable layer of a third aluminum alloy on the tubular core. The tubular core and the inner layer may be selected to have a corrosion potential difference of from 170 to 200 mV verses a saturated calomel electrode. The tubular core may have a grain size falling within the range about ASTM 5 to about ASTM 6 and the grains having a morphology which is elongated in the axial direction of the tubular core.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 1993
    Date of Patent: October 4, 1994
    Assignee: Valeo Engine Cooling, Inc.
    Inventor: Jose J. Garcia
  • Patent number: 5350012
    Abstract: A serpentine louvered heat exchange element comprising a folded metallic strip having a length and width wherein the length is over ten times the width prior to being folded. The strip has back and forth folds with legs having substantially equal lengths defined therebetween. A plurality of the legs are provided with louvres having openings which allow the passage of fluid. Each of the folds have a fold apex with an observable preformed fold arc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 1992
    Date of Patent: September 27, 1994
    Assignee: Voss Manufacturing, Inc.
    Inventors: Kazimierz Sadowski, Donald Ziemendorf, Robert Carlo, Gary Kochems
  • Patent number: 5348079
    Abstract: A heat exchanger includes a heat exchanger body and at least one bracket attached thereto. The bracket has a resin portion mechanically joined with the heat exchanger body. The bracket can be easily secured to the heat exchanger body by an injected and cured resin forming the resin portion without using mechanical fasteners, such as bolts. Moreover, the bracket and, ultimately, the heat exchanger, can be designed and manufactured to be lightweight.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 1993
    Date of Patent: September 20, 1994
    Assignee: Sanden Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroshi Tanaka
  • Patent number: 5346001
    Abstract: In a multi-poise furnace having multiple parallel heat transfer stages, each stage having superimposed flow passages lying in a common plane. The last passage in each stage containing laterally-disposed indentations in opposed side walls for increasing the heat transfer surface area, and the walls of the last passage being further configured to conduct any condensate formed in the heat exchanger out of the exit region of the exchanger, regardless of the furnace orientation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 1993
    Date of Patent: September 13, 1994
    Assignee: Carrier Corporation
    Inventors: Larry D. Rieke, Timothy J. Waterman
  • Patent number: 5343620
    Abstract: A heat exchanger, typically a condenser for a motor vehicle air conditioning system, comprises a set of tubes aligned with each other and having their ends extending through apertures into the interior of a tubular wall of a header of the heat exchanger, the tubes being secured to the header. The tubular wall is formed with at least one internal projection against which the end of each tube is abutted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 1993
    Date of Patent: September 6, 1994
    Assignee: Valeo Thermique Moteur
    Inventor: Pascal Velluet