Patents Examined by Marc Lorenzi
  • Patent number: 10265738
    Abstract: An apparatus for washing an article includes a container defining an internal chamber configured to receive the article, an inflow connector connectable to a source of pressurized fluid, a filter member disposed within the internal chamber between a base of the container and the inflow connector, and a lid sealingly engagable with an open upper end of the container and defining at least one opening. Pressurized fluid supplied to the internal chamber is urged upwardly through the internal chamber, through and around an article disposed therein, and out the at least one opening of the lid. As a result, salt retained within or on the article is expelled through the at least one opening of the lid and particulate on or within the article is collected or passed through the filter member. Systems incorporating the apparatus and methods of using the same are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2019
    Inventor: Dean R. Damore
  • Patent number: 10260826
    Abstract: An apparatus and a method for cleaning heat transfer plates suspended between end plates of an open plate heat exchanger are provided. The apparatus includes a spraying device including a first rod, at least a first nozzle arranged on a nozzle side of the first rod, which nozzle side is arranged to face a first heat transfer plate side, a second rod and at least a second nozzle arranged on a nozzle side of the second rod, which nozzle side is arranged to face a second heat transfer plate side. The first and second rods are essentially parallel and connected. The spraying device has a first mode in which the first and second rods are arranged to move between the heat transfer plates in a first direction perpendicular to a longitudinal extension of the first and second rods and parallel to an extension plane of the heat transfer plates. Meanwhile, the first and second nozzles are arranged to spray cleaning fluid onto the first and second heat transfer plate sides, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignee: ALFA LAVAL CORPORATE AB
    Inventor: Torsten Ask
  • Patent number: 10252409
    Abstract: A magnetic cleaner distributes ferromagnetic cleaning particles to a surface to agglomerate dirt and dust, agitates the cleaning particles on the surface so that dirt particles adhere to the cleaning particles, and collects the dirt laden cleaning particles. A dispenser for holding and dispensing the ferromagnetic cleaning particles, an agitator to agitate the ferromagnetic particles on the surface, a magnetic collector for picking up ferromagnetic cleaning particles from the surface, and a dirt cup for collecting the ferromagnetic cleaning particles picked up by the collector are provided by the cleaner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: BISSELL Homecare, Inc.
    Inventors: Jason W. Pruiett, Jay M. Kellis, Herbert J. Vanderbilt
  • Patent number: 10219675
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a dishwasher (1) comprising a tub (2) wherein the items to be washed are placed and a door (3) providing access to the tub (2), and wherein formation of unpleasant odor in the tub (2) is prevented by way of air within the tub being circulated through an ion generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2019
    Assignee: ARCELIK ANONIM SIRKETI
    Inventors: Nasir Efe Aras, Orhan Atabey
  • Patent number: 10217651
    Abstract: A washing device is disclosed, which is capable of preventing damage of a substrate caused by drooping of the substrate. The washing device includes a plasma irradiating part supplied with a substrate from a substrate loading part to remove dirt from the substrate by irradiating plasma to the substrate; a dirt washing part supplied from the substrate from the plasma irradiating part to remove dirt remaining on the substrate; a finishing washing part supplied with the substrate from the dirt washing part to wash the substrate; a drying part supplied with the substrate from the finishing washing part to dry the substrate; and a substrate unloading part supplied with the substrate from the drying part to unload the substrate, wherein the plasma irradiating part includes a plasma irradiation unit that irradiates plasma to the substrate and a floating unit that maintains the substrate in a floating state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tae Young Oh, Eun Ha Lee
  • Patent number: 10214844
    Abstract: A method for operating a washing machine appliance includes flowing a volume of liquid into a tub, agitating articles within the tub for a first period, the tub containing the volume of liquid, and measuring movement of the tub during agitation of the articles within the tub, the tub containing the volume of liquid. The movement is measured as one or more displacement amplitudes using an accelerometer and a gyroscope. The method further includes agitating articles within the tub for a second period when the final measured movement is greater than an out-of-balance movement threshold, the tub containing the volume of liquid. The method further includes draining liquid from the tub when the final measured movement is less than the out-of-balance movement threshold, and spinning a basket after draining liquid from the tub.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc.
    Inventor: Paul Owen Davis
  • Patent number: 10194790
    Abstract: An endoscope reprocessor includes: a connector to which an endoscope is connected; a fluid supplying section that supplies fluid to the connector; an electromagnet arranged at the connector and including a magnetic material and a coil wound around the magnetic material; a current supplying section; a magnetic force switching portion configured to switch a strength of a magnetic force to at least one of a first strength and a second strength weaker than the first strength; and a control section configured to switch the strength of the magnetic force by controlling the magnetic force switching portion while driving the fluid supplying section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Naoki Iwanaga, Tomohiko Nakao
  • Patent number: 10092160
    Abstract: A dishwasher including a cabinet which forms an exterior appearance thereof, the cabinet having a door on one side thereof, which can be opened and closed, a tub provided in the cabinet to form a cleaning object housing space, a rack provided to the tub for securing cleaning objects thereto, a spray module rotatably provided for spraying cleaning water toward the cleaning objects, and a supply flow passage for supplying the cleaning water to the spray module, thereby permitting to provide a housing space larger than an existing dishwasher, and a spray module which can wash cleaning objects with an excellent effect.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Byeonghyeon Ju, Younghwan Park, Minkyung Jung
  • Patent number: 10083845
    Abstract: Provided is a substrate processing apparatus, in which a processing liquid is supplied to a substrate W held horizontally by a substrate holding unit. A processing liquid passing portion includes a passing surface that is provided between the substrate W and a recovery cup provided around the substrate W such that the processing liquid flows on the passing surface. Light for concentration detection is projected from a light projection unit to the passing surface, and a concentration detection unit detects a concentration of the processing liquid based on a result of receiving the reflected light of the light by a light receiving unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2018
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventor: Itaru Kanno
  • Patent number: 10060068
    Abstract: A washing machine which detects vibrations of the washing tub or chamber. The machine (M) includes a support structure (S), inside which there is suspended a washing chamber or tub (T) wherein there is rotatably mounted a basket (B) for clothes and the like, and a pressure transducing device (1), which includes a support casing (2, 3) connected to the washing chamber or tub (T), and connected to a pipe or hose (P) which extends inside this chamber or tub (T), and with which there are associated an electronic circuit (17) predisposed for processing signals generated by the transducer (1) to provide an indication of the level of the washing bath (WB) in the chamber or tub (T). An electronic accelerometer (30) secured to the support casing (2, 3) of the pressure transducing device (1) and associated with said electronic circuit means (17), generates electrical signals indicative of the amplitude of the vibrations of the washing chamber or tub (T).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: ELBI INTERNATIONAL S.P.A.
    Inventors: Giorgio Carrer, Ugo Gaino, Massimo Davi
  • Patent number: 10058229
    Abstract: A dishwasher includes a tub at least partially defining a treating chamber and a sprayer for spraying liquid to the treating chamber. The sprayer may include a liquid passage and at least one outlet extending from an interior to an exterior of the sprayer and in fluid communication with the liquid passage. A membrane may have at least one opening and may be in fluid communication with the liquid passage to control the flow of liquid through the at least one outlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
    Inventor: Mark S. Feddema
  • Patent number: 10036116
    Abstract: The washing machine includes a cabinet including an upper cover forming the rear part of the upper surface of the cabinet, a tub in the cabinet, a detergent dispenser, which is over the front part of the tub and which is not covered by the upper cover and is exposed, a dispenser cover, which opens and closes the upper face of the detergent dispenser, which is not covered by the upper cover and is exposed and which forms the front part of the upper surface of the cabinet, and a lock unit for maintaining the open or closed state of the dispenser cover while the dispenser cover is open or closed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2018
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Mingyu Jo, Dongwon Kim
  • Patent number: 10023988
    Abstract: Disclosed is a washing machine including a casing, an outer tub located within the casing, at least one support member to suspend the outer tub from the casing, a suspension, provided at a lower side of the outer tub and connected to the at least one support member, to attenuate vibration of the outer tub and at least one horizontal vibration attenuation unit to attenuate horizontal vibration of the outer tub by the introduction of friction according to a horizontal displacement of the outer tub.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Insik Yu, Youngjun Kim, Youngjong Kim
  • Patent number: 10020208
    Abstract: A method for cleaning semiconductor substrate using ultra/mega sonic device comprising holding a semiconductor substrate by using a chuck, positioning a ultra/mega sonic device adjacent to the semiconductor substrate, injecting chemical liquid on the semiconductor substrate and gap between the semiconductor substrate and the ultra/mega sonic device, changing gap between the semiconductor substrate and the ultra/mega sonic device for each rotation of the chuck during the cleaning process. The gap can be increased or reduced by 0.5/N for each rotation of the chuck, where ? is wavelength of ultra/mega sonic wave, N is an integer number between 2 and 1000. The gap is varied in the range of 0.5?n during the cleaning process, where ? is wavelength of ultra/mega sonic wave, and n is an integer number starting from 1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2018
    Assignee: ACM Research (Shanghai) Inc.
    Inventors: Jian Wang, Sunny Voha Nuch, Liangzhi Xie, Junping Wu, Zhaowei Jia, Yunwen Huang, Zhifeng Gao, Hui Wang
  • Patent number: 10016793
    Abstract: A Knuckle Jointed Lance (KJL), comprising a segmented lance including a plurality of connected KJL segments in a concatenated string thereof. The first end of one KJL segment is rotatably connected to the second end of a neighboring KJL segment via a pinned connection. Responsive to user assignment of a predetermined length to each KJL segment in the concatenated string according to the KJL segment's corresponding pre-ordained position in the concatenated string, the lance is disposed to spool onto a reel in “nested” fashion, such that as the lance makes spooling revolutions onto the reel, (a) KJL segments stack in circumferential registered layers around the reel and (b) pinned connections trace substantially radial vectors from a center of the reel. Other embodiments provide additional features to facilitate nesting and to generally strengthen the KJL.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2018
    Assignee: Thomas Engineering Solutions & Consulting, LLC
    Inventor: William C. Thomas
  • Patent number: 10011936
    Abstract: A laundry processing machine including a casing, an outer tub supported in the casing, an inner tub rotatably provided in the outer tub, and a shock absorber. The shock absorber is coupled, at one end thereof, to the casing and coupled, at the other end thereof, to the outer tub to absorb vibration of the outer tub caused by rotation of the inner tub. The shock absorber actively provides a damping force in response to the vibration of the outer tub.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2018
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Keunjoo Kim, Seungchul Park
  • Patent number: 10004379
    Abstract: A multiple chamber dishwasher has a door with multiple parts that can be linked for cooperative movement in a first mode and unlinked for independent movement in a second mode. A mode selector operatively coupled to a transformation link that effects conversion of the door between the first and second modes allows user selection of the door mode and can be associated with a door handle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2018
    Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
    Inventors: Rodney M. Welch, Anthony B. Welsh
  • Patent number: 9968971
    Abstract: A method of cleaning plastic chips includes introducing a mixture of plastic chips and water to an in-feed of a housing. The mixture of plastic chips and water is impelled from the in-feed within the housing and agitated so that debris on the plastic chips is abraded by adjacent chips and agitators until substantially all debris has been removed from the plastic chips. Water and debris are discharged through a screen to a debris discharge. Cleaned plastic chips are discharged to a plastic chip discharge that is further from the in-feed than the debris discharge. Chip discharge takes place when the pressure of the plastic chips at the plastic chip discharge exceeds a threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2018
    Assignee: Plastic Revolutions, Inc.
    Inventors: Ed Handy, John Hagan, Mike Collins
  • Patent number: 9968236
    Abstract: The present subject matter provides a method for operating a dishwasher appliance. The method includes finely filtering wash fluid with a fine filtration medium via cross-flow filtration and coarsely filtering wash fluid with a coarse filtration medium via dead-end filtration. The finely filtered wash fluid is directed to a spray assembly of the dishwasher appliance. A related dishwasher appliance is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2018
    Assignee: Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc.
    Inventors: Ramasamy Thiyagarajan, Matthew David Mersch, Ronald Scott Tarr
  • Patent number: 9970148
    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 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2018
    Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
    Inventors: Benjamin E. Alexander, Brian A. Black, Thomas A. Latack, Matthew D. Rhodes