Patents Examined by Michael Hoang
  • Patent number: 9572450
    Abstract: Beverage production device for producing a beverage from a single-use capsule containing a beverage ingredient, comprising: a brewing unit that receives the capsule in a cavity defined by first and second engaging members that enclose the capsule and press it at a flange-like rim in a liquid seal-tight manner. At least one of the first and second engaging members comprises a substantially annular pressing portion for applying a sealing pressure on the flange-like rim of the capsule, the first and second engaging members being configured in relative closure at the nip to leak to a liquid injected in the cavity when a capsule is not present. One of at least the first or second engaging members comprises, at its annular pressing portion, at least one passage arranged for controlling liquid leakage only within a limited angular radial direction when the first and second engaging members are closed at the nip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: Nestec S.A.
    Inventors: Alexandre Kollep, Blaise Rithener, Stefan Etter, Rudolf Schenk
  • Patent number: 9527122
    Abstract: A method for guiding and distributing high-energy radiation, in particular laser radiation, in the tool base body of a bending die, in particular a V-shaped die, includes a bending recess in the tool base body and a beam exit opening arranged therein for locally heating a workpiece bearing against a contact surface of the bending die by introducing high-energy radiation from a radiation source arranged outside the tool base body into the tool base body through a beam entry opening and high-energy radiation is discharged to the bending recess through the beam exit opening. At least one concentrated high-energy radiation beam is introduced into the tool base body through at least one beam entry opening and is at least partially deflected by at least one beam affecting arrangement in the tool base body, expanded and guided through the radiation exit opening onto the workpiece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Assignee: TRUMPF Maschinen Austria GmbH & Co. KG.
    Inventors: Ferdinand Bammer, Dieter Schuoecker, Thomas Schumi, Gerhard Sperrer
  • Patent number: 9414711
    Abstract: A coffee machine having a water tank, at least one first pump, at least one first boiler for heating the water, a coffee brewing unit, and circuits to feed hot water and/or steam with a first outlet for hot water or steam towards an emulsifying device which can be connected to a connection joint of the coffee machine, a second outlet for hot water and/or wash water.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2016
    Assignee: KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V.
    Inventors: Stefano Tonelli, Cristiano Castelli
  • Patent number: 9351346
    Abstract: A dielectric heating system which is provided with a high frequency oscillator, a housing which forms part of a waveguide and is provided with a loading opening and unloading opening, first and second conductive closing members which respectively close the loading opening and the unloading opening from the inner side of the housing, and a first position holding member which holds the object to be heated inside the housing, which makes the first conductive closing member slide to open the loading opening and charges the object to be heated into the housing, and which makes the second conductive closing member slide to open the unloading opening and unload the object to outside the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2016
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Arai, Satoshi Takeuchi, Noriyasu Inomata
  • Patent number: 9266192
    Abstract: An apparatus for processing a workpiece can be exemplarily characterized as including a processing tool having a processing region within which a workpiece can be processed, and an illumination system configured to direct detection light into the processing region. In this embodiment, detection light directable by the illumination system has a wavelength to which the workpiece is at least partially opaque. The apparatus may further include an image sensor configured to detect a characteristic of the detection light transmitted through the processing region and a chuck configured to support a workpiece such that at least a portion of the workpiece is disposable within the processing region and is illuminatable by the detection light. Methods for processing a workpiece are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2016
    Assignee: Electro Scientific Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Joseph G. Frankel
  • Patent number: 9266184
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a welding system capable of detecting a size of a welding material and automatically implementing appropriate arc starting parameters. The welding system includes a welder, a welding torch, and a sensor, in which the sensor is configured to detect the size of the welding material, directly or indirectly. The welder is automatically configured to produce an arc having the arc starting parameters determined from the size of the welding material detected by the sensor. The present disclosure decreases operational error by automatically changing arc starting parameters and/or welding parameters based upon a change in welding material size, rather than requiring an operator to manually change the arc starting parameters and/or welding parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2016
    Assignee: ILLINOIS TOOL WORKS INC.
    Inventors: Bradley William Hemmert, Mark Steven Kadlec
  • Patent number: 9221133
    Abstract: A welding device for a stretch bender is disclosed. The welding device for the stretch bender may include: an operating unit adapted to move forward toward or rearward from a bending die for shaping a shaped beam and mounted in front of the bending die; and a welding unit mounted at the operating unit and welding flange portions of the shaped beam that is completely formed by the bending die so as to prevent the flange portions from being overlapped with each other when extracting the shaped beam, the welding unit being movable forward or rearward against the operating unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Assignee: SUNGWOO HITECH CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Mun Yong Lee, Kuk-Rae Cho
  • Patent number: 9192883
    Abstract: A combined fermentor and press assembly. The combined fermentor and press assembly includes a pot, container or bag having a preestablished volume “V” defined therein. A must and a future pomace being positioned in said preestablished volume “V”. A drain space “DS” defined within the preestablished volume “V” and a drain system, consisting of tubes and valves connected to a receptacle and a pump drawing a liquid from the must and the future pomace.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Inventor: John Richard Blichmann
  • Patent number: 9193008
    Abstract: A laser processing method of applying a pulsed laser beam to a workpiece formed from a transparent member, thereby performing laser processing to the workpiece. The laser processing method includes a first laser processing step of applying a first pulsed laser beam to a subject area of the workpiece to roughen the subject area and a second laser processing step of applying a second pulsed laser beam to the roughened subject area immediately after performing the first laser processing step, thereby forming a recess in the subject area. The first and second laser processing steps are repeated to thereby form a continuous groove in the subject area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: DISCO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroshi Morikazu, Keiji Nomaru, Yoko Nishino
  • Patent number: 9179796
    Abstract: An apparatus for brewing a beverage has a base arranged to sit on a support surface with the water and ingredients in an upper urn portion until brewed following which the liquid is discharged from the urn through a filter and into a tube passing through the base into a receptacle. A valve in the form of pinch member acting on the tube closes the tube and is released to discharge the beverage by a movable plate mounted on the base and actuated by placing the base on a receptacle. The urn is formed as a separately molded piece from glass so that it is more hygienic than the plastic material of the base. The bottom of the urn fits into a receptacle in the base with a disk shaped seal connecting to the tube.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignee: Cornelia Bean Ltd.
    Inventors: Robert Krul, Robert Amborsky
  • Patent number: 9173248
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for thawing a product. The apparatus includes a heating chamber, and an electrical control unit. The heating chamber includes a product chamber that holds a product, at least one heating element, each heating element emitting infrared energy in a direction of the product, and at least one temperature sensor, each temperature sensor measuring a surface temperature of the product. The electrical control unit includes a processor that controls and monitors said at least one heating element, and said at least one temperature sensor to raise a temperature of the product from an initial temperature to a set-point temperature, a connection to each heating element, and a connection to each temperature sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2015
    Assignee: Products Support, Inc.
    Inventor: Rodney Warren Baker
  • Patent number: 9144861
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatuses are disclosed for laser peening hidden surfaces. In one embodiment, a laser processing pen is provided, the laser processing pen comprising: an elongated member, comprising: a laser pulse entry portion; a laser pulse exit portion, wherein the laser pulse exit portion includes at least one optical lens; and at least one tape guide capable of channeling at least a non-adhesive tape overlay in proximity of the laser pulse exit portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2015
    Assignee: LSP Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: David W. Sokol, Jeff L. Dulaney, Nickolas K. McCoy
  • Patent number: 9126277
    Abstract: A power supply device for a wire electric discharge machine is provided with a main DC power source and an auxiliary DC power source with variable voltage. While first pulses are being output, a voltage from the main DC power source is applied to a machining gap between a wire electrode and a workpiece. While second pulses are being output with the output of the first pulses stopped, inductive energy stored by an inductance in a circuit is passed through the gap, and a voltage corresponding to a peak current value provided by the main DC power source is applied to the gap by the auxiliary DC power source. When the output of the second pulses is stopped, the inductive energy is returned to the main DC power source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2015
    Assignee: FANUC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tomoaki Matsunaga, Akiyoshi Kawahara
  • Patent number: 9119232
    Abstract: An electrical heating device comprises a housing which encloses a circulation chamber through which a medium can flow, and into which heating ribs protrude. Each of the heating ribs has a U-shaped recess which open into a uniform connecting chamber, which is separated from the circulation chamber by a partition wall provided in the region of the open ends of the U-shaped recesses, and which accommodates at least one PTC heating element that abuts oppositely situated inner sides of the U-shaped recess in heat-conducting contact. A housing cover bears a pump and forms a pump channel. The pump channel opens into an inlet opening of the pump, which is formed by a pump housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2015
    Assignee: Eberspacher catem GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Maurice Clauss, Franz Bohlender, Michael Niederer
  • Patent number: 9108267
    Abstract: A pressure surface of a first metal material for receiving a pressure therethrough is fabricated to have a directional component parallel to a pressure-application direction and a directional component perpendicular to the pressure-application direction, and an electrically-conductive core is fabricated to have a surface along the pressure surface and a surface perpendicular to the pressure-application direction. An assembly comprising the first metal material, the second metal material and the core is set in a pulse electric-current bonding unit to perform a pulse electric-current bonding process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2015
    Assignee: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
    Inventors: Tadashi Masuoka, Akinaga Kumakawa, Shin-ichi Moriya, Tomohiro Sato, Shinichi Takei
  • Patent number: 9040876
    Abstract: A heating and cooling device is disclosed. The device has an outer covering, and a plurality of heating and cooling coils within the covering. A plurality of flexible air flow chambers inside the covering provide air flow over the heating and cooling coils, and a plurality of vents exit the outer covering from the plurality of air conduits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2015
    Inventors: Dick Bixler, Nancy Cudney Bixler
  • Patent number: 9006612
    Abstract: A method and device for creating a temperature gradient among a plurality of temperature gradient devices. Each device is formed of a first layer of conductive material having a top surface and a bottom surface. The first layer is adjacent to a second layer of conductive material and has electrical resistive heating properties. A power supply is used to provide a current flow through at least the first layer when the power supply is activated. When activated, the resulting current flow causes the second layer to heat and thus create a temperature gradient between the bottom surface of the second layer and the top surface of the first layer. Activation of the power supply is controlled by a control unit so that activation of adjacent temperature gradient devices is avoided for a predetermined time after activation of the first temperature gradient device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2015
    Assignee: Game Changers, LLC
    Inventors: Jason D. Sanchez, Piotr A. Garbuz
  • Patent number: 8993935
    Abstract: A heating device (100, 200), which can be arranged at an object (101, 201) to be heated, especially an injection molding die, has an inner jacket surface (111, 211) and an outer jacket surface (112, 212), with a heating element (105, 205) and with a thermocouple (103, 203). The thermocouple (102, 203) has at least one positioning section, in which the cross section of the thermocouple (103, 203) deviates in at least one direction of the cross-sectional area from the cross section of at least one section of the thermocouple (103, 203) located adjacent to this positioning section. The heating device (100, 200) has at least one device for locking this positioning section against displacement in and/or opposite to the direction in which the thermocouple (103, 203) extends.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Türk & Hillinger GmbH
    Inventor: Andreas Schlipf
  • Patent number: 8973486
    Abstract: The brewing unit comprises: a support (5); a drawer (7), presenting at least a seat for a single serving package (C), slidable with respect to the support and movable between a loading position of the single serving package and a brewing position; a dispensing member (23) to dispense pressurized water to the single serving package. A control lever (9) is provided to control the movement of the drawer (7). A mechanical connection is also provided between the lever and the drawer and between the lever and the dispensing member, so that operation of the lever causes the drawer to move from the loading position to the brewing position and the dispensing member to rest against the single serving package.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2015
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
    Inventors: Patrizio Frigeri, Roland Kälin, Andrea Castellani
  • Patent number: 8946603
    Abstract: An aircraft drain/fill fitting includes a housing adapted for being fitted into an opening between an aircraft interior and an aircraft exterior. The housing has an interior housing segment fluidly coaxially communicating with an exterior housing segment to define a liquid flow path therethrough, and a heater for applying heat to the interior housing segment. A hollow insert element is positioned in the interior housing segment in heat transfer contact with an inner wall of the interior housing segment. An elongate heat transfer probe is positioned in heat transfer contact with the hollow insert element and extends into the exterior housing segment to reduce the incidence of freezing of liquid in the exterior housing segment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: BE Aerospace, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenneth M. Reynolds, Charles F. Forster