Patents Examined by Marc Lorenzi
  • Patent number: 11746456
    Abstract: A method performed by one or more devices is disclosed. The method includes obtaining a geometry information item representative of a spatial location of a plurality of points of a surface of a textile (52), determining at least one treatment parameter for treating the textile (52) at least partially based on a geometry information item, and outputting or triggering an output of the at least one treatment parameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: HENKEL AG & CO. KGAA
    Inventors: Arnd Kessler, Christian Nitsch, Lars Zuechner, Georg Wawer, Alexander Mueller, Clemens Arth
  • Patent number: 11745232
    Abstract: An apparatus for washing containers includes a support intended to be applied onto the upper edge of a container, a translating unit movable inside the container between a raised position and a lowered position, a rotating element carried by the translating unit and carrying a plurality of nozzles, and an actuation device including a vertical driving screw that controls the movement in the vertical direction of the translating unit and the rotation of the rotating member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: DROMONT S.p.A.
    Inventor: Luca Drocco
  • Patent number: 11725336
    Abstract: A sanitation system includes a drum configured to be positioned within a body of an appliance. The drum includes a lifter on an interior surface. A sanitation device is selectively disposed within the drum. The sanitation device includes a housing. A heatsink is integrally formed with the housing. The heatsink and the housing form an outer structure free of apertures. A sensor assembly is disposed within the outer structure. The sensor assembly includes a humidity sensor configured to sense humidity. A light source is disposed within the outer structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
    Inventor: Muhammad Khizar
  • Patent number: 11717134
    Abstract: A method and a dishwasher utilize a dock detection system to determine when a connector of a spray device is docked to a docking port provided on a manifold of the dishwasher. A dock detector is coupled to the docking port and is electrically coupled to a controller of the dishwasher through electrical conductors that extend along the manifold, thereby enabling a dishwasher controller to detect when spray devices are coupled to the manifold, e.g., to optimize a wash cycle to use a particular spray device docked to the docking port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2023
    Assignee: MIDEA GROUP CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Mark W. Wilson, Timothy Martin Wetzel
  • Patent number: 11702956
    Abstract: A turbine system includes a foam generating assembly having an in situ foam generating device at least partially positioned within the fluid passageway of the turbine engine, such that the in situ foam generating device is configured to generate foam within the fluid passageway of the turbine engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2023
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ambarish Jayant Kulkarni, Byron Andrew Pritchard, Jr., Bernard Patrick Bewlay, Michael Edward Eriksen, Nicole Jessica Tibbetts
  • Patent number: 11697140
    Abstract: A cleaning apparatus for a tool is provided. The cleaning apparatus includes a support structure having a first base portion, and a nozzle disposed on the first base portion of the support structure. The cleaning apparatus further includes circuitry that is communicatively coupled to an electronically-actuated fluid release mechanism and a robot. The circuitry determines a count of operation cycles of the tool coupled to an end-effector of the robot and instructs the robot to align the tool with the nozzle. The instruction is provided to the robot based on a determination that the determined count is greater than or equal to a threshold number. The circuitry controls the electronically-actuated fluid release mechanism based on whether the tool is aligned with the nozzle, to release a cleaning fluid through the nozzle for a first time-duration to clean the tool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2023
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jasmeen Luckey, Rodney Riley
  • Patent number: 11694909
    Abstract: The present disclosure, in some embodiments, relates to a brush cleaning apparatus. The brush cleaning apparatus includes a wafer support configured to support a wafer. The brush cleaning apparatus also includes a cleaning brush including a porous material coupled to a core material. An uppermost surface of the porous material defines a planar cleaning surface. A first nozzle is configured to apply a first cleaning liquid directly between the wafer and the planar cleaning surface of the cleaning brush.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Chang-Sheng Lin, Hsin-Hsien Lu
  • Patent number: 11668041
    Abstract: A household appliance for treating at least one item according to at least one cycle of operation includes a treating chamber for receiving the at least one item for treatment according to the at least one cycle of operation, a treating chemistry dispenser receiving a unit dose container having an electrically conductive element, a physical alteration element located proximate to the treating chemistry dispenser and operable to physically alter at least a portion of the electrically conductive element and a sensor for sensing the physical alteration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
    Inventors: Benjamin E. Alexander, Brian A. Black, Thomas A. Latack, Matthew D. Rhodes
  • Patent number: 11643053
    Abstract: A multipurpose wheel-washing apparatus includes a wheel-washing unit including an upper frame provided with a plurality of rollers on which wheels of a vehicle are to be rotatably seated, and injection nozzles configured to inject high-pressure washing water onto the wheels seated on the rollers; and a lower frame provided with a water tank located below the upper frame so as to collect falling waste/turbid water; a water storage unit configured to store washing water to be supplied to the injection nozzles; a purification unit configured to receive and purify the waste/turbid water from the water tank and then send purified water to the water storage unit; and a blowing unit disposed on an exit side of the wheel-washing unit so as to blow air and provided with spray nozzles for selectively spraying water in a particulate form. Accordingly, environmental pollution can be significantly reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2023
    Assignee: DAEKEUM GEOWELL CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Seung-Woo Lee
  • Patent number: 11618060
    Abstract: An ultrasonic cleaning apparatus capable of cleaning large-sized objects includes: a casing having a bottom surface that forms a tilted surface to oppose the object to be cleaned and having an ultrasonic transducer provided at an inner lower surface; a cleaning liquid supply device configured to supply cleaning liquid to a casing bottom surface; and a flow-speed accelerator that ejects the cleaning liquid by accelerating the flow speed of the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid supply device. The casing is formed by a main body including an upper plate, a projected part attached to a lower part of the upper plate, an outer lateral face extended from the projected part in a downward direction, and the bottom surface connected integrally at a lower end part of the outer lateral face. The bottom surface is formed to be tilted at a prescribed angle with respect to a horizontal plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2023
    Assignee: KAIJO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Keisuke Ohata, Noriyuki Sakamoto
  • Patent number: 11610772
    Abstract: A valve is closed while a cleaning liquid is fed into a tubular body of a cleaning nozzle, and a piezoelectric element applies vibrations to the cleaning liquid. This causes droplets of the cleaning liquid to be produced and discharged from a plurality of discharge holes. The droplet diameter of the discharged droplets is in the range from 15 to 200 ?m, and the distribution of the droplet diameter is such that the value of where a value of 3? does not exceed 10% of the average droplet diameter. The droplet speed is in the range from 20 to 100 meters per second, and the distribution of the droplet speed is such that the value of where a value of 3? does not exceed 10% of the average droplet speed. The droplet flow rate is not less than 10 milliliters per minute. Discharging the droplets of the cleaning liquid from the cleaning nozzle toward a substrate while satisfying these discharge conditions improves cleaning efficiency without damages to the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Assignee: SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masanobu Sato
  • Patent number: 11598865
    Abstract: A sensor assembly includes a housing including a first chamber and a second chamber fluidly connected to the first chamber, a first sensor disposed in the second chamber and including a first sensor window facing outward from the second chamber, and a second sensor outside and fixed relative to the first chamber and the second chamber. The second sensor includes a second sensor window. The housing includes an intake from an exterior environment to the first chamber, a first outlet from the second chamber to the exterior environment, and a second outlet from the second chamber to the exterior environment. The first outlet is positioned to direct air across the first sensor window, and the second outlet is positioned to direct air across the second sensor window.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2023
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Tyler D. Hamilton, Michael Robertson, Jr., Ashley Lucas, Venkatesh Krishnan
  • Patent number: 11598045
    Abstract: Provided is a clothing management apparatus. The clothing management apparatus includes a steam generator configured to generate steam, a steam discharging member configured to receive steam generated by the steam generator through a hose and discharge the received steam to clothing, a temperature sensor configured to sense a temperature in the clothing management apparatus, and a processor configured to identify a connection state of the hose based on the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2023
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Gyeongryeol Chae, Jinyoung Choi, Judai Kim, Jaeryong Park
  • Patent number: 11591740
    Abstract: A laundry treating appliance with a treating chamber for receiving laundry for treating and a liquid supply system fluidly coupled to the treating chamber. The liquid supply system includes a water supply system and a dispensing system. The dispensing system includes a faucet, a support structure, one or more drawers, and one or more dispenser outlets for providing treating liquid and treating chemistries. Components of the dispensing system can be activated, e.g. for pretreating laundry items, for use as a utility sink, or during an automatic cycle of operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2023
    Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
    Inventors: Eric A. Gallagher, James Jeffery, Guy M. Kazmierzak, Eric Osler, Bruno T. Ramasco, Guy Stormo
  • Patent number: 11585038
    Abstract: A laundry treating appliance comprising a tub with a tub access opening, a rotatable drum located within the tub and partially defining a treating chamber, a drying air duct having an inlet formed in the tub and defining a cross-sectional area of the inlet, and a filter overlying the inlet and having a surface area greater than the cross-sectional area of the drying air duct.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
    Inventors: Marcos Javier Rios Acebal, Arun Rajendran
  • Patent number: 11577284
    Abstract: An apparatus for cleaning a surface, the apparatus including a body defining a chamber, an inlet for liquid flow into the chamber, an outlet for liquid flow from the chamber, a nozzle connected to the outlet for generating an output flow of liquid for cleaning a surface, an acoustic transducer associated with the body to introduce acoustic energy into the liquid within the chamber whereby the acoustic energy is present in the liquid flowing out of the nozzle, and a gas bubble generator for generating gas bubbles within the liquid flowing out of the nozzle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: SLOAN WATER TECHNOLOGY LIMITED
    Inventors: Timothy Grant Leighton, Christopher James Bradshaw Vian, Peter Robert Birkin
  • Patent number: 11578450
    Abstract: A washing machine includes a water tub arranged in a case and a damper installed between the case and the water tub for damping vibrations of the water tub. The damper includes a plunger having one end supported on the case; a rod having one end supported on the water tub and the other end movably inserted to the plunger; a housing arranged to wrap around some of the plunger and the rod and including a friction member arranged between the housing and the plunger to contact an outer circumferential surface of the plunger; and a switching device configured to be in a first state in which the rod is coupled to the housing and able to move within the plunger along with the housing and a second state in which the rod is decoupled from the housing and able to move solely within the plunger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takahiro Nakashima, Yoshiyuki Nishioka, Yuichi Suzuki, Kazushi Mori, Hiroshi Shimbo
  • Patent number: 11525335
    Abstract: A remotely operated device for inspecting and/or cleaning a subsea flexible pipe joint comprises a support assembly. In addition, the device comprises a tool positioning assembly coupled to the support assembly. The tool positioning assembly includes a rotating member disposed about a central axis. The tool positioning assembly is rotatable relative to the support assembly about the central axis. Further, the device comprises a cleaning assembly including a cleaning device adapted to clean the flexible pipe joint. The cleaning device is axially moveable relative to the rotating member. Still further, the device comprises a clamping assembly coupled to the support assembly. The clamping assembly has an open position disengaged with the section of the flexible pipe joint and a closed position engaging the section of the flexible pipe joint.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: BP Corporation North America Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher Eric Angel, Eric Lee Harden, Stuart Douglas Partridge, Andrew J. Guinn
  • Patent number: 11519123
    Abstract: A laundry treating appliance includes a treating chamber, an agitator rotatably mounted in the treating chamber and having a skirt and a hollow shaft extending upwardly from the skirt, and a bulk dispenser located within the hollow shaft. The bulk dispenser includes a tubular tank with a rotatable actuator on one end, a dispenser on the other end, and a shaft passing through the tubular tank and connecting the rotatable actuator to the dispenser. A screw conveyor is coupled to the rotatable actuator and is configured to move a treating chemistry through the hollow shaft. Rotating of the actuator effects a rotation of the screw conveyor, which effects dispensing a pre-determine amount the treating chemistry from the outlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
    Inventors: Fernanda K. Pieretti, Bruno T. Ramasco
  • Patent number: 11482428
    Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes: a substrate holder; a processing liquid supply nozzle that supplies a processing liquid to a substrate held by the substrate holder; a liquid receiving cup that receives the processing liquid supplied to the substrate; a processing chamber that accommodates the liquid receiving cup and has an opening at an upper side; a shield that shields a region outside the liquid receiving cup in the opening of the processing chamber; a driver that moves the liquid receiving cup between a first processing position separated from the shield and a second processing position above the shield; and a processing liquid guide that causes a processing liquid dropped onto the shield to fall downward.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2022
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Nobuhiko Mouri, Kento Kurusu