Patents Examined by Michael Aboagye
  • Patent number: 11650013
    Abstract: A conveying system (1) for conveying a material along a conveying path. The system (1) includes a system housing (3) having a conveying chamber (5), in which the conveying path is arranged, and having at least one secondary chamber (6 to 8), which is connected to the conveying chamber (5) by at least one passage opening and has a fluid atmosphere that is physically and/or chemically different from the fluid atmosphere in the conveying chamber (5). The at least one passage opening (9, 10) and the fluid atmospheres in the conveying chamber (5) and the at least one secondary chamber (6 to 8) set a defined fluid flow in the system housing (3).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2023
    Inventor: Gerald Rosenfellner
  • Patent number: 11644242
    Abstract: A method of treating refractory-lined equipment includes accessing an interior of the refractory-lined equipment with an equipment repair apparatus, wherein the equipment repair apparatus includes a robotic arm and one or more end effectors coupled to an end of the robotic arm, inspecting refractory material that lines an inner wall of the refractory-lined equipment with a first end effector coupled to the end of the robotic arm, removing damaged refractory material from the inner wall with a second end effector coupled to the end of the robotic arm, removing one or more anchors from the inner wall with a third end effector coupled to the end of the robotic arm, and installing new refractory material on the inner wall with a fourth end effector coupled to the end of the robotic arm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2023
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Technology and Engineering Company
    Inventors: Patrick L. Yoder, Christopher J. Fowler, Aaron M. Schlett, Laura E. Johnsen
  • Patent number: 11644239
    Abstract: An arrangement for heat treating component parts. The arrangement has a first temperature control station for heat treating component parts and a second temperature control station for heat treating component parts, wherein the first temperature control station and the second temperature control station each have a temperature control device, on each of which a functional device is placeable. The functional device is a charging device for carrying component parts to be temperature-controlled or a device of the temperature control device. The arrangement further has a charging station, on which the functional device is placeable, and a handling system for handling the functional device, wherein the handling system is configured to convey the functional device between the charging station, the first temperature control station and the second temperature control station.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2023
    Assignee: Ebner Industrieofenbau GmbH
    Inventors: Robert Ebner, Günter Grillberger, Peter Ladner, Martin Lauber
  • Patent number: 11644240
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a temperature-control unit for a furnace device for heat treating a plate, in particular a metal plate. The temperature-control unit has a temperature-control body, which is arrangeable in a furnace chamber of the furnace device. The temperature-control body has a plurality of receiving bores. Furthermore, the temperature-control unit has a plurality of temperature-control pins, wherein the temperature-control pins are mounted in the receiving bores movably relative to the temperature-control body. The temperature-control pins are controllable in such a way that a temperature-control group of the temperature-control pins is extendable from the temperature-control body in the direction towards the plate, so that a thermal contact between the temperature-control group of the temperature-control pins and a predetermined temperature-control zone of the plate is generatable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2023
    Assignee: Ebner Industrieofenbau GmbH
    Inventors: Robert Ebner, Andreas Sauschlager, Anton Oppermann, Daniel Schatz, Günter Kirschner, Lukas Heitzmann, Harald Humer, Mustafa Music
  • Patent number: 11639537
    Abstract: A gas blower device for blowing gas onto a surface of a traveling strip includes a plenum in the form of a hollow box for containing gas and comprising two side surfaces, a back surface and a front surface opposite to the back surface. The front surface having a profile of convex type symmetry with respect to a mid-plane perpendicular to the plane of the strip, so that a middle ridge of the front surface is located at the smallest distance from the plane of the strip. The front surface further presenting multiple tubular nozzles protruding at the front surface and having a gas outlet orifice facing in use the traveling strip. All the outlet orifices are essentially in a plane parallel to the strip plane. The gas blower device further includes a gas intake tube for feeding the plenum with gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2023
    Assignee: JOHN COCKERILL S.A.
    Inventors: Michel Dubois, Michel Boyer
  • Patent number: 11636976
    Abstract: Disclosed are a device and method for continuously performing grain boundary diffusion and heat treatment, characterized in that the alloy workpiece or the metal workpiece are arranged in a relatively independent processing box together with a diffusion source; the device comprises, in successive arrangement, a grain boundary diffusion chamber, a first cooling chamber, a heat treatment chamber, and a second cooling chamber, and a transfer system provided between various chambers for delivering the processing box; each of the first cooling chamber and the second cooling chamber uses an air cooling system, and the cooling air temperature of the first cooling chamber is above 25° C. and at least differs by 550° C. from the grain boundary diffusion temperature of the grain boundary diffusion chamber; the cooling air temperature of the second cooling chamber is above 25° C. and at least differs by 300° C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: Fujian Changting Golden Dragon Rare-Earth Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Qingjiang Wang, Zongbo Liao, Yulin Lin, Changgeng Huang
  • Patent number: 11635257
    Abstract: A smelting apparatus for smelting metallic ore comprising a furnace having a continuous curved wall and end walls defining a longitudinal volume having a longitudinal axis in a horizontal direction. The continuous curved wall has a lowermost area. The longitudinal volume is divided in at least three longitudinal layers comprising a top layer within which gasified fuel is combusted for creating a hot gas composition to release, from the metallic ore, at least molten metal and slag, a lowermost layer at the lowermost area for holding molten metal, and a mid-layer above the lowermost layer in which the slag accumulates. The present document also describes processes using the smelting apparatus for producing ferrous and non-ferrous minerals from a metallic ore.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: NSGI Steel Inc.
    Inventors: Ian Cox, Enrico Di Cesare
  • Patent number: 11624102
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a method for producing feedstock in piece form from metal, in particular aluminium and/or aluminium alloys, for a metal-casting installation, in particular aluminium-casting installation, in which scrap parts of metal, in particular of aluminium and/or aluminium alloys, are sorted on the basis of their alloying constituents and/or alloy contents and subsequently, on the basis of an alloy to be produced in the feedstock, the scrap parts are mixed into a composition having a homogeneous distribution of the alloy and fed to a press, in which the scrap parts of the composition are subjected to a pressure that compresses the scrap parts while generating a temperature, wherein, as a result of the application of pressure, the scrap parts are heated up to the transition temperature between solid and liquid of at least some of the scrap parts and/or the alloys and/or alloying constituents thereof before the feedstock is discharged in a specific geometrical form.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2023
    Assignee: Norsk Hydro ASA
    Inventors: Roland Scharf-Bergmann, Roar Orsund
  • Patent number: 11612922
    Abstract: A cooling device for cooling a metallic item and a method for operating the cooling device. Such cooling devices having a plurality of cooling bars arranged in parallel in groups for applying a coolant to the metallic item are known in the prior art. In order to be able to set a desired distribution function of the coolant over the width of the metallic item as precisely as possible, the cooling device provides that similar application regions in at least two cooling bars within a group are each formed differently with respect to their contour and/or with respect to their surface area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: SMS GROUP GMBH
    Inventors: August Sprock, Christoph Hassel, Ulrich Cramer
  • Patent number: 11603306
    Abstract: Methods and systems for the production and delivery of lithium metal of high purity are provided herein. In one or more embodiments, a liquid lithium delivery system contains a liquid lithium delivery module fluidly coupled to a lithium refill container. The liquid lithium delivery module contains a lithium storage region operable to store liquid lithium and containing a fluid supply line fluidly coupling an outlet port of a liquid lithium storage tank, and a flow meter positioned downstream from the lithium storage region along the fluid supply line and operable to monitor the flow of the liquid lithium through the fluid supply line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2023
    Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Jean Delmas, Bernard Frey
  • Patent number: 11598580
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a furnace device for heating a plate, in particular a metal plate, by convection. The furnace device has a housing, in which a temperature control region for temperature-controlling a component part and an adjustment region are formed, wherein the adjustment region has a temperature control device for adjusting a temperature of a temperature control fluid. Further, the furnace device has a positioning device for positioning the plate in the temperature control region in a predetermined orientation, and a ventilator, which is arranged in the housing and which is adapted to circulate the temperature control fluid in the housing between the temperature control region and the adjustment region such that the temperature control fluid is flowable in a flow direction along a surface of the plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2023
    Assignee: Ebner Industrieofenbau GmbH
    Inventors: Robert Ebner, Ulrich Pschebezin, Manoj Kumar, Andreas Sauschlager
  • Patent number: 11585602
    Abstract: A method of stirring and apparatus for stirring are provided. The method includes: a) providing a number of electro-magnetic stirrer units, each stirrer unit being moveably mounted on a stirrer support carriage; b) providing a number of locations at which stirring is to be provided by a stirrer unit; c) providing stirring at a first location from amongst the number of locations using a stirrer unit; d) providing stirring at a second location from amongst the number of locations using the same stirrer unit, the second location being different to the first location; and wherein the stirrer unit has a first position relative to the stirrer support carriage during movement between the first location and the second location and the stirrer unit has a second position relative to the stirrer support carriage at the first location and at the second location during stirring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: ALTEK EUROPE LIMITED
    Inventors: Alan Peel, Stephen Makepeace
  • Patent number: 11548044
    Abstract: Device for cooling flat rolled material with a liquid coolant has at least one cooling bar, which is arranged above the conveying path and to which the liquid coolant is fed. A plurality of outlet tubes have, in a flow direction of the liquid coolant, an initial portion, which proceeds from the inlet opening and extends upward, a middle portion, which adjoins the initial portion, and an end portion, which adjoins the middle portion and extends downward and to the output opening. The middle portion contains a vertex at which the coolant flowing through the outlet tube in question reaches a highest point. The outlet openings are located above the cooling bar. A height distance (h1) of the inlet opening from the vertex is at least twice as large, in particular at least three times as large, as a height distance (h2) of the outlet opening from the vertex.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: Primetals Technologies Austria GmbH
    Inventors: Erich Opitz, Lukas Pichler, Florian Poeschl, Alois Seilinger, Klaus Weinzierl
  • Patent number: 11549156
    Abstract: An improved apparatus for producing steel, including a lower furnace, an annular, water-cooled, fireproof lined cylindrical upper furnace, on which an upwardly closing conically tapering hat having openings can be placed. The smelting assembly is configured for the operational mode without melt flow and the operational mode with melt flow. To this end, at least one opening is provided in the conical furnace cover, through which opening at least one top lance can be introduced into the upper furnace. A plurality of sidewall injectors radially rotate around the cylindrical upper furnace in such a way that in a working position, the top lance and the sidewall injectors are directed onto a smelt level of a molten mass located in the lower furnace for refining.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: SMS GROUP GMBH
    Inventors: Peter Starke, Andreas Schüring, Thomas Henkel, Hans-Jürgen Odenthal
  • Patent number: 11549755
    Abstract: Apparatus and methods for stirring a molten metal are provided. The apparatus comprising: two or more discrete units, each unit including a core being provided with two or more teeth, the core being provided with at least one electrically conducting coils; in use, mounting a first discrete unit in proximity to the container at a first location; in use, mounting a second discrete unit in proximity to the container at a second location; electrical connections between the two or more discrete units and a common control unit, thereby providing an electromagnetic stirrer. The apparatus format allows the discrete units to be position between different pairs of elements or parts of furnaces and the like to allow retrofitting of electromagnetic stirring where access is restricted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: ALTEK EUROPE LIMITED
    Inventors: Stephen Makepeace, Alan Peel, Isaac Sewell
  • Patent number: 11542568
    Abstract: An heat treatment apparatus for a vehicle body component includes, a jig base, a lower fixed die fixedly installed on the jig base and supporting the vehicle body component that is press-molded into a predetermined shape, a heating unit installed on the lower fixed die and locally heating the vehicle body component, a plurality of side movable dies that can move reciprocally disposed at both sides of the lower fixed die, installed on the jig base, and selectively combinable with the lower fixed die, a cooling unit installed on each side movable die and cooling a heating portion of the vehicle body component, and an upper movable die that can move reciprocally in the up and down direction correspondingly to the lower fixed die, and configured to clamp the vehicle body component through the lower fixed die and at least one of the side movable dies combined together.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignees: HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY, KIA MOTORS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hyeon-Cheol Choi
  • Patent number: 11536515
    Abstract: Provided is a roller shaft insulation member for reducing the heat which is conducted to the bearings by passing through the space between the roller insertion hole of a continuous annealing furnace and the roller, wherein the roller shaft insulation member of the continuous annealing furnace comprises an inorganic fiber blanket, which contacts or is near the outer circumferential surface of the roller and in which the content of 45 ?m or larger shot is 3% or less. A continuous annealing furnace provided with said roller shaft insulation member is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: MAFTEC CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masakuni Taguchi, Mitsuo Suzuki, Akihiro Yano
  • Patent number: 11534809
    Abstract: A device and a method for cooling metal strips or sheets conveyed on a conveyor line, in particular hot-rolled strips in the outlet of a rolling train. For these purposes, the device includes at least one cooling beam extending across the width of the conveyor line, and the cooling beam features a connection point to which a supply tube for cooling liquid can be connected, and a number of discharge openings arranged along a longitudinal axis of the cooling beam, such that cooling liquid can be discharged through the discharge openings in the direction of the metal strip or sheet that is to be cooled. Associated with each of the individual discharge openings is a respectively adjusted flow area, such that the flow areas of the respective discharge openings decrease in a direction leading away from the connecting point along the longitudinal axis of the cooling beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: SMS group GmbH
    Inventors: Christoph Hassel, Thomas Heimann, Heinz-Jürgen Oudehinken, Henning Berg, Johannes Alken
  • Patent number: 11536514
    Abstract: This electric furnace includes one or more upper electrodes, one or more bottom-blowing tuyeres, a mechanical stirrer equipped with an impeller, and a charging device which injects an iron oxide-containing iron raw material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takahiro Taguchi, Tsuyoshi Yamazaki, Shuhei Kasahara
  • Patent number: 11535904
    Abstract: A cooling box for a metallurgical furnace including an elongated hollow body extending from a front end, to an opposite rear end, the rear end being, in use, connected to a wall of the furnace; the body includes an inner chamber having a cooling circuit configured to receive a flow of coolant fluid therein between at least one inlet and at least one outlet; the cooling box further including at least one partition plate fitted in the inner chamber through a form-fit connection to form the cooling circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignees: PAUL WURTH S.A., PAUL WURTH ITALIA S.P.A.
    Inventors: Stefano Olivieri, Lorenzo Micheletti, Fabio Cravino