Patents Examined by Philip Stimpert
  • Patent number: 9739271
    Abstract: An automatic depressurizing pump includes an air-generating unit and an airflow control unit. The air-generating unit has a first air intake hole. An air generated by the air-generating unit drives the air control unit so as to inhale or exhale airflows through the first air intake hole. The airflow control unit includes a valve base, a first valve, a second valve, a top cover, and a resilient member. The valve base includes an air output chamber and a pressure chamber. The resilient member includes a second air output hole and a depressurization valve. The second air output hole is communicated with the top of the air output chamber, and the depressurization valve hermetically covers on and fixes to the top of the pressure chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: KOGE ELECTRONICS CO., LTD
    Inventor: Kun-Lin Chang
  • Patent number: 9689386
    Abstract: A method of operating a refrigeration system uses a plurality of compressors in connected parallel. The method includes returning refrigerant and oil to the compressors, the refrigerant also having oil entrained therein, separating the oil entrained in the refrigerant, and returning more of the oil entrained in the refrigerant to a lead compressor of the plurality of compressors regardless of whether the lead compressor is operating. The method also includes connecting the oil sumps of all of the plurality of compressors such that oil is supplied from the lead compressor to at least one non-lead compressor of the plurality of compressors when the at least one non-lead compressor is operating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignee: BITZER Kuehlmaschinenbau GmbH
    Inventors: Bruce A. Fraser, Ronald J. Duppert, Wayne P. Beagle, Kurt William Robert Bessel
  • Patent number: 9677555
    Abstract: A peristaltic pump, and related system method are provided. The peristaltic pump includes a cam shaft, first and second pinch-valve cams, first and second pinch-valve cam followers, a plunger cam, a plunger-cam follower, a tube receiver, and a spring-biased plunger. The first and second pinch-valve cams are coupled to the cam shaft. The first and second pinch-valve cam followers each engage the first and second pinch-valve cams, respectively. The plunger cam is coupled to the cam shaft. The plunger-cam follower engages the plunger cam. The tube receiver is configured to receive a tube. The spring-biased plunger is coupled to the plunger-cam follower such that the expansion of the plunger cam along a radial angle intersecting the plunger-cam follower as the cam shaft rotates pushes the plunger cam follower towards the plunger and thereby disengages the spring-biased plunger from the tube. A spring coupled to the spring-biased plunger biases the spring-biased plunger to apply the crushing force to the tube.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: DEKA Products Limited Partnership
    Inventors: Dean Kamen, John M. Kerwin, Colin H. Murphy, Larry B. Gray, Christopher C. Langenfeld, Michael J. Slate, Michael S. Place
  • Patent number: 9662624
    Abstract: Both a catalyst feed system and a method are provided for providing a flow, of a mud-like catalyst slurry into a polyolefin reactor. The system includes a pressurized reservoir of the catalyst having an outlet, and a progressive cavity pump including a stator and a rotor. The pump stator has an inlet connected to the reservoir outlet, and an outlet leading to the polyolefin reactor. In operation, the reservoir is first pressurized to a level a little higher than the pressure of the reactor. The outlet of the reservoir is opened and the progressive cavity pump is actuated. The pressure drop generated across the catalyst slurry contained in the reservoir by the pump causes the slurry diluent to flow between the interstices of the particles of catalyst. The thick, mud-like catalyst slurry is quickly transformed into a much less viscous, syrup-like slurry that flows from the reservoir outlet to the inlet of the pump stator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc.
    Inventors: Robert G. Depierri, J. Charles Dabadie, N. Frank Cook, III
  • Patent number: 9638099
    Abstract: An assembly can include a turbine housing that includes a bore, a wastegate seat and a wastegate passage that extends to the wastegate seat; a bushing configured for receipt by the bore; a rotatable wastegate shaft configured for receipt by the bushing; a wastegate plug extending from the wastegate shaft; a control arm operatively coupled to the wastegate shaft; and a biasing cam operatively coupled to the control arm wherein the biasing cam comprises a disengaged orientation associated with a closed position of the wastegate plug with respect to the wastegate seat and an engaged orientation associated with an open position of the wastegate plug with respect to the wastegate seat. Various other examples of devices, assemblies, systems, methods, etc., are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: Vit Micanek, Petr Cizek, Stanislav Hahn
  • Patent number: 9624916
    Abstract: The damper mechanism used for a high-pressure fuel supply pump system is configured so that an outer circumferential surface of a cover in regard to the thickness direction of the base material of the cover engages with the inner circumference of an open end part of a bottomed tubular concave part formed in a damper housing or in a pump housing of the high-pressure fuel supply pump. The total height of the damper as a low-pressure pulsation reducing mechanism can be reduced and the dimensions of the damper in the radial directions can also be reduced. In cases where the damper mechanism is formed integrally with the high-pressure fuel supply pump, the total height of the high-pressure fuel supply pump can be reduced and the dimensions of the damper part in the radial directions can also be reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
    Inventor: Atsuji Saito
  • Patent number: 9605665
    Abstract: The pump is provided with a plurality of pumping chambers and electrically activatable valves. An elastic membrane is arranged in each pumping chamber and divides the same into a first and a second chamber section. Each valve is connected to the second chamber section of a pumping chamber. When a pressure drop is applied over the valve and the valve is activated (i.e. opened), the pressure in the second chamber section changes, which causes the membrane to move, which in turn leads to a change of the volumes of both chamber sections. This e.g. allows to pump well-defined amounts of fluid from the chamber sections to a drug dispensing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: Sensirion Holding AG
    Inventor: Felix Mayer
  • Patent number: 9587650
    Abstract: An ejector includes a nozzle having a fluid passage circular in cross section. The fluid passage includes a throat portion smallest in cross-sectional area, a divergent portion that becomes larger in cross-sectional area toward a downstream side from the throat portion, and an ejection port that is provided at a downstream end of the divergent portion. A passage wall surface of the divergent portion includes a recess portion that is recessed from within outward in a radial direction of the passage wall surface. The recess portion is located adjacent to the ejection port, and the recess portion extends continuously in a circumferential direction of the passage wall surface to enclose the fluid passage and have an annular shape. Accordingly, noise due to an expansion wave of the ejected fluid can be reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Etsuhisa Yamada, Haruyuki NIshijima
  • Patent number: 9581162
    Abstract: A compressor includes a compression mechanism drawing in, compressing and discharging fluid and a housing accommodating therein the compression mechanism. The housing has therein a discharge chamber into which the fluid compressed by the compression mechanism is discharged. A silencing and cooling device is provided in the discharge chamber to cool the fluid discharged in the discharge chamber and reduce pressure fluctuation. A dispersion wall is provided in the discharge chamber on downstream side of the discharge chamber that is opposite from an inflow port with respect to flowing direction of the discharged fluid. The dispersion wall is disposed to cover a part of the silencing and cooling device and cover at least a part of the inflow port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOYOTA JIDOSHOKKI
    Inventors: Kazuho Yamada, Hironao Yokoi, Masato Sowa, Katsutoshi Shiromaru, Fumihiro Suzuki
  • Patent number: 9581043
    Abstract: A turbocharger includes: a thrust bearing fixed to a turbocharger main body; and a supply oil passage provided in the turbocharger main body to the thrust bearing. The thrust bearing includes: an insertion hole in which to insert the turbine shaft; pressure receiving portions displaced from one another in phase in a rotational direction of the turbine shaft, and each configured to form an oil film between the pressure receiving portion and the thrust collar to receive a thrust load by use of oil film pressure; and intervening portions each located between two of the pressure receiving portions adjacent in the rotational direction of the turbine shaft, and being further away from the thrust collar than the pressure receiving portions. The intervening portion vertically under the insertion hole at least partially has a surface further away from the thrust collar than the other intervening portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: IHI Corporation
    Inventors: Yutaka Uneura, Atsushi Koike, Hideyuki Kojima
  • Patent number: 9581161
    Abstract: A scroll machine can include a shell, a first scroll member, a second scroll member and a valve assembly. The valve assembly can permit intermediate pressure in the shell to flow to an area of suction pressure in the shell. The valve assembly can include a first valve manifold that selectively couples to the shell. A second valve manifold can slidably and non-threadably locate against the first valve manifold. A retainer can couple to the first valve manifold to capture the second valve manifold against the first valve manifold. A valve can selectively connect an intermediate flow exiting the shell through the first and second valve manifolds to a suction flow entering the shell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: Emerson Climate Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Larry L. Bingham, Keith J. Reinhart
  • Patent number: 9572281
    Abstract: A method for controlling a mechanical vibrating element driven by a driving means includes operating the driving means at an operation frequency for stimulating the vibrating element to oscillate at this frequency. The method also includes adjusting the operation frequency of the driving means for stimulating the vibration element at different frequencies and of determining a respective energy consumption of the driving means depending on the frequency at which the vibrating element oscillates. The resonance frequency of the oscillation of the vibrating element is identified as the frequency at which the energy consumption of the driving means is lowest and the driving means for stimulating the vibrating element can be operated at the resonance frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignee: GOODRICH LIGHTING SYSTEMS GMBH
    Inventor: Steffen Roebke
  • Patent number: 9562533
    Abstract: A cryogenic pump for liquefied gases is provided, which shortens precooling time, has a small loss of cryogenic liquefied gas, excels in pump efficiency, and is advantageous in cost. A motor 1 and an impeller 2 are coupled by a shaft 3 for transmitting a rotative drive force therebetween, and the motor 1 is arranged on an upper side and the impeller 2 is arranged on a lower side. The motor 1 and the impeller 2 exist in an enclosed space 14 where they are communicated with each other and into which the cryogenic liquefied gas is introduced. A heat adjusting unit 11 is provided between the motor 1 and the impeller 2, the heat adjusting unit maintaining existence of the impeller 2 in a liquid phase of the cryogenic liquefied gas and maintaining existence of the motor 1 in a gas phase of the cryogenic liquefied gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2017
    Assignee: Air Water Inc.
    Inventors: Taketo Johchi, Shingo Kunitani, Akira Yoshino
  • Patent number: 9556863
    Abstract: A sprayer system having a trailer, which is pulled by a tractor or other tow body, and has a tank carrying liquid to be sprayed and a spray head. The trailer has a peristaltic pump mounted on a frame and driving pumping power from the wheels of the trailer so that the sprayer is self pumping when the trailer is pulled. The peristaltic pump provides a smooth flow by providing a multiplicity of pulses of liquid produced by the pump from the rotation of the trailer wheels by wrapping the compressible tube of each pump around an assembly of rollers which are rotated by drive wheels. The tube is wrapped at least 360° around the rollers and is held stationary by being connected to fixed outlet and inlets of each pump. The tube lies side by side on at least one of the rollers of each assembly and overlaps that roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: CHAPIN MANUFACTURING, INC.
    Inventor: James R. Fontaine
  • Patent number: 9551359
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device (6) for pressure-dependent opening of a suction intake (10), comprising a suction jet pump (11), comprising a feed line (12), an outlet line (13) and the suction intake (10); a valve body (15), displaceably arranged inside the feed line (12) in the delivery direction (14) of the suction jet pump (11) and having an effective area (16) exposed to the feed pressure of the suction jet pump (11); and a spring element (17), arranged between the feed line (12) and the valve body (15), for applying a force in opposition to the feed pressure inside the feed line (12); wherein the effective area (16) of the valve body (15), and the spring element (17) are designed so that the valve body (15) closes the suction intake (10) so that it is fluid-tight below a predefined pressure inside the feed line (12) and opens said intake when the predefined pressure inside the feed line (12) is exceeded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignee: Kautex Textron GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Jorg Koith, Lothar Maigre
  • Patent number: 9523436
    Abstract: A novel valve assembly is provided. In one embodiment, the valve assembly includes a seat plate that includes a fluid conduit and an impact bushing that is coupled to the seat plate at a position adjacent to the fluid conduit. The valve assembly also includes a sealing assembly that is configured to form a seal with the impact bushing and to control flow of a fluid through the fluid conduit via relative displacement of the sealing assembly from the impact bushing. Systems and methods related to such a valve assembly are also disclosed. Data supplied from the esp@cenet database-Worldwide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: Zahroof Valves, Inc.
    Inventors: Zahroof Mohamed, Darren D. Matheny
  • Patent number: 9525375
    Abstract: Provided is a system for transporting an oil sand slurry, comprising a pump, upstream and downstream lines, a shaft connectable to the pump, a driving mechanism driving the pump and a regulator for regulating the torque applied to the shaft between positive and negative torque modes, to pump the slurry at higher or lower flow rates. Also provided is a method comprising pumping the slurry through a pipeline using a pump driven by a motorized shaft and adjusting the flow rate of the slurry by varying the torque applied to the motorized shaft between positive and negative torque modes. The oil sand slurry transportation system and method enable positive head (regular pump action) for normal and high flow rates and negative head (pump brake action) for low flow rates, which reduces system energy loss, pipeline wear, vapor breakout and sanding off.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: SUNCOR ENERGY INC.
    Inventor: Mark L. Odegard
  • Patent number: 9518574
    Abstract: To prevent oil from being drawn into a suction muffler of a compressor, a suction muffler 7 is disposed in a compressor casing at an inlet of a compression chamber at an upstream side of a refrigerant passage and positioned so that the suction muffler 7 receives oil, in which an upper lid member 71, and a lower lid member 72 having a bottom wall to which refrigerant introducing and leading-out pipes 8, 72d are connected, are fitted and secured by bringing an inner face of a side wall of the member 71 into tight contact with an outer face of a side wall of the member 72, and a protruding portion 72f is provided by forming a lower end of side wall of the member 71 to protrude below a lower face of bottom wall of the member 72, to surround connecting portions of the pipes 8, 72d.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2016
    Assignee: SANDEN HOLDINGS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Takahisa Tobe
  • Patent number: 9506464
    Abstract: A piezoelectric pump includes a leaf spring including a disc portion defining an actuator, an outer frame portion defining a housing, and an elastic support portion. The actuator flexurally vibrates from a center portion of a principal surface thereof to an outer periphery thereof. The elastic support portion includes a beam portion and connection portions and elastically supports the disc portion on the outer frame portion. The beam portion extends in a gap between the disc portion and the outer frame portion in a direction along an outer periphery of the disc portion. A first of the connection portions connects the beam portion to the disc portion. Second and third connection portions are offset from the first connection portion and connect the beam portion to the outer frame portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2016
    Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Atsuhiko Hirata, Yukiharu Kodama, Kenta Omori
  • Patent number: 9500096
    Abstract: A system for producing mechanical energy. In some embodiments, the system includes a first source providing a first fluid, a fluid pressurization device, a second source supplying a second fluid, a first motor, and a second motor. The fluid pressurization device draws in the first fluid from the first source and increases the pressure of the first fluid. The first motor is driven by the second fluid, the second fluid decreasing in pressure and the first motor powering the fluid pressurization device as the second fluid passes through the first motor. The second motor receives a mixture of the first fluid from the first motor and the second fluid from the fluid pressurization device, whereby the second motor produces the mechanical energy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2016
    Assignee: NATIONAL OILWELL VARCO, L.P.
    Inventors: Walter Warren Weaver, Frank Benjamin Springett, Eric Trevor Ensley