Patents Examined by Phuong T Nguyen
  • Patent number: 11278150
    Abstract: A device for preparation of a liquid such as milk with integrated rinsing system includes at least one reservoir for storing of the liquid, disposed in a cooling unit, a pump and a line system, which system includes a liquid suction line, via which the at least one reservoir is connectible to the pump, an outlet line, via which the pump is connectible to at least one outlet, and a rinsing line, via which the liquid suction line is loadable with a rinsing fluid, and an air volume controller, by which air, via an air supply line, is able to be led in a metered way to an inlet point into the liquid suction line, and a heating element designed as continuous-flow heater, which is disposed in the outlet line and is designed as thick film heater.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: CUP&CINO KAFFEESYSTEM-VERTRIEB GMBH & CO. KG
    Inventor: Frank Josef Paul Epping
  • Patent number: 11278148
    Abstract: A cookware assembly including a cooking vessel with a vessel side wall and an elongated handle extending outwardly from the sidewall, a cover, an opening in at least one of the vessel side wall and the cover in an area above the elongated handle, and a utensil, where the handle of the utensil rests in relation to the elongated handle and the opening permits the utensil component to reside in the interior of the covered cooking vessel when the cover is on the cooking vessel. The cover can be placed on the cooking vessel in a plurality of positions, to allow the utensil to pass to the interior of the cooking vessel, to allow pouring from the cooking vessel with the cover on, and to seal the cover on the cooking vessel without the utensil. An auxiliary vessel can also be included as part of the cooking assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: Lagom Kitchen Co.
    Inventors: Amir Tehrani, Zachary Rosner
  • Patent number: 11284480
    Abstract: A sensor holder apparatus for a cooktop comprises a body forming an exterior profile configured to extend through a portion of a housing of the cooktop and position a sensor proximate to an interior surface of a panel forming a cooking surface. A first interior passage is formed through the body and configured to receive the sensor in a first configuration or type. At least one second interior passage is configured to receive the sensor in a second configuration or type. The sensor holder is configured to retain and position the sensor in the first configuration or the second configuration in conductive connection with a panel forming a cooking surface of the cooktop.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
    Inventors: Fabiano Chinazzo, Francesca Partegiani
  • Patent number: 11278152
    Abstract: An air fryer oven has a front opening and in inner cavity in an oven body, a door, an inner bracket with a support frame, an inner base plate, a rotating cage; a blower and a heater, and a motor to rotate the cage. Hot air in the circulates through the cavity to air fry food placed in the rotating cage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Inventor: Kaimong Man
  • Patent number: 11273519
    Abstract: A method of laser processing of a metallic material is described, by means of a focused laser beam having a predetermined transverse power distribution on at least one working plane of the metallic material, comprising the steps of: providing a laser beam emitting source; leading the laser beam along a beam transport optical path to a working head arranged in proximity to the material; collimating the laser beam along an optical axis of propagation incident on the material; focusing the collimated laser beam in an area of a working plane of the material; and conducting said focused laser beam along a working path on the metallic material comprising a succession of working areas, wherein the laser beam is shaped: by reflecting the collimated beam by means of a deformable controlled surface reflecting element having a plurality of independently movable reflection areas, and by controlling the arrangement of the reflection areas to establish a predetermined transverse power distribution of the beam on at leas
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2022
    Assignee: ADIGE S.p.A.
    Inventor: Maurizio Sbetti
  • Patent number: 11272805
    Abstract: A beverage preparation machine (1) comprises: a beverage preparation module (20, 30) having a front face (21) with an outlet (31) for dispensing a prepared beverage; and a cup support (10) located under the outlet (31) for placing a cup (2) under the outlet (31). The cup support (10) comprises a liquid collection receptacle (14) supporting a removable cup placement platform (16) that has a peripheral part (18). The collection receptacle (14) is delimited by at least one upright peripheral sidewall (15) forming a seat (15?) for placing the platform (16). The peripheral part (18) extends over and above the peripheral sidewall (15) when the platform (16) is placed in the seat (15?) so that the platform (16) is seizable at the peripheral part (18) adjacent the peripheral sidewall (15) by a user-hand for removing the platform (16) from the receptacle (14).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2022
    Assignee: Societe des Produits Nestle S.A.
    Inventors: Eric Granger, Pietro Mazza, Antoine Cahen
  • Patent number: 11268055
    Abstract: A beverage-making apparatus includes a fermentation tank assembly including a fermentation tank having an opening formed therein and a fermentation tank cover configured to open and close the opening. The beverage-making apparatus also includes a refrigeration cycle apparatus including a compressor, a condenser, an expansion device, and an evaporator. The refrigeration cycle apparatus is configured to circulate a refrigerant therethrough and to control a temperature of the fermentation tank as the evaporator is disposed at the fermentation tank. The beverage-making apparatus further includes a heat insulating wall surrounding both the fermentation tank and the evaporator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Chungook Chong, Heeyeon Kim, Sunyoung Park
  • Patent number: 11268038
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for producing fuel and power from the reformation of organic waste include the use of steam to produce syngas in a Fischer-Tropsch reaction, followed by conversion of that syngas product to hydrogen. Some embodiments include the use of a heated auger both to heat the organic waste and further to cool the syngas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: Raven SR, Inc.
    Inventor: Terry R. Galloway
  • Patent number: 11267059
    Abstract: A control device of a wire electric discharge machine and a machine learning device are provided that can appropriately and readily determine a correction parameter. The control device, which optimizes the correction parameter for wire electrical discharge machining process, includes a machine learning device configured to learn the correction parameter for the wire electrical discharge machining process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: FANUC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yasuo Nakashima
  • Patent number: 11272581
    Abstract: An aerosol-generating system is provided, including: an aerosol-generating device including a power source; and a cartridge removably coupled to the device, the cartridge including a liquid storage portion including a housing having an open end and containing a liquid aerosol-forming substrate, a substantially flat heater assembly fixed to the open end of the housing and including an electrical heating element arranged in a curved manner and configured to heat the substrate to form an aerosol, and a capillary material disposed in contact with the heating element and being configured to convey the substrate to the heating element, the liquid storage portion being disposed at a first side of the assembly and an airflow channel at a second side of the assembly, the airflow channel defining an airflow path over the assembly and configured to convey the aerosol, and the power source being configured to supply power to the assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: Philip Morris Products S.A.
    Inventors: Ihar Zinovik, Oleg Mironov, Keethan Dasnavis Fernando
  • Patent number: 11260465
    Abstract: A multi-process welding machine provides an intuitive user interface to enable a user to select among different welding processes, and to select parameters for a given selected welding process. The multi-process welding machine also provides an arrangement by which a switching module, or DC to AC converter, of an AC TIG unit can be controlled to alternatively supply AC or DC welding voltages or current. Further, a configuration of switches can be leveraged to automatically (or manually) control the polarity of welding cables for different processes and to engage or disengage a wire feeder when, e.g., a MIG welding process is selected, or not selected, respectively. Finally, in an embodiment, the ferrite or magnetic materials used for a main output inductor and an high frequency starting inductor of the welding machine can be combined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: THE ESAB GROUP INC.
    Inventors: Awad Gharib, Muniswamappa Anjanappa, Xia Chen, Pranav Sanghavi, Arivukkarasu Manavalan, Binod Yadav
  • Patent number: 11253099
    Abstract: A drinks preparation machine includes a preparation module for preparing a brewed drink from water and from an extraction material or extract and further includes a display device. The machine is configured to permit a user to make the setting of a first drinks quantity before a start of the drinks preparation, and after the start, during the drinks preparation, to permit the adjustment of a remaining drinks quantity, which is different from zero, via the operating element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2022
    Assignee: QBO COFFEE GMBH
    Inventors: Doreen Hartmann, Wolfgang Gödde
  • Patent number: 11248636
    Abstract: An interference fit fastener (FIG. 1) and method of fabricating same is described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2022
    Assignee: DUBLIN CITY UNIVERSITY
    Inventor: Brabazon Dermot
  • Patent number: 11241115
    Abstract: A beverage preparation machine (1) comprises: a beverage preparation module (20, 30) having a front face (21) with an outlet (31) for dispensing a prepared beverage; and a cup support (10) located under the outlet (31) for placing a cup (2) under the outlet (31). The cup support (10) has a rear face (11) removably assembled to the front face (21) by a mechanical connector arrangement (12,22) that comprises a front hook (22) on the front face (21) disassemblable from a corresponding rear hook (12) on the rear face (11). The rear hook (12) has a retaining element (121) and the front hook (22) has a retaining element (221), the retaining elements (121,221) being mutually engaged when the cup support (10) is assembled to the front face (21) and disengaged when the cup support (10) is disassembled from the front face (21).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2022
    Assignee: Societe des Produits Nestle S.A.
    Inventors: Eric Granger, Pietro Mazza, Antoine Cahen
  • Patent number: 11234556
    Abstract: Provided is a cooking apparatus in which a heating plate, a frame, and a pocket part are independently provided and which has a structure that is capable of securing use convenience and safety by a coupled structure of the heating plate, the frame, and the pocket part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Kookhaeng Lee, Yangho Kim, Junho Seok
  • Patent number: 11229313
    Abstract: Device for heating and emulsifying beverages includes a pump (2), an air and water meeting zone (10), a device for producing steam, and a first conduit (5) for steam mixed with air that communicates with a steam wand (6) adapted to be immersed into a beverage (7) to be heated and emulsified. The device for producing steam includes an instant steam generator (4). The meeting zone (10) is positioned before the instant steam generator (4).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2022
    Assignee: De'Longhi Appliances S.r.L.
    Inventors: Giuseppe De'Longhi, Guido Quaratesi, Claudio Cristofoli, Giovanni Rossetto
  • Patent number: 11229317
    Abstract: A semi-automatic food cooking apparatus comprising: a control unit; a communication unit; and a cooking compartment comprising: a movable press; and a movable cooking base; wherein the movable press and moveable base are configured to form a moveable ensemble together with a cooking cartridge and a lid of the cooking cartridge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2022
    Inventor: Kete Long
  • Patent number: 11229311
    Abstract: A food preparation system and method include: triggering image capturing of a camera to obtain one or more images of a food support platform while the food support platform supports a first food item; performing ingredient recognition for the first food item, including: classifying a feature tensor of a respective image in a general classifier to identify one or more first-level food ingredient categories corresponding to the first food item; and classifying the feature tensor of the respective image in a respective detailed classifier corresponding to each of the one or more first-level food ingredient categories to identify a corresponding second-level food ingredient category corresponding to the first food item, wherein the second-level food ingredient category is a sub-category of said each first-level food ingredient category; and, adjusting one or more heating units for heating the first food item in accordance with the ingredient recognition that has been performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2022
    Assignee: MIDEA GROUP CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Liang Diao, Haisong Gu
  • Patent number: 11229973
    Abstract: Methods for determining the quality of a weld of a workpiece welded by laser-beam welding, wherein at least a partial region of a molten pool and/or of a surrounding area of the molten pool is observed by means of a measuring system during the laser-beam welding and the quality of the weld of the welded workpiece is determined on the basis of the observation result. At least one characteristic value that correlates with molten pool oscillation of the molten pool is observed during the laser-beam welding and a measure of an amplitude of the molten pool oscillation and/or a measure of a frequency of the molten pool oscillation is determined from the observed time curve of the characteristic value. A probability and/or a frequency for the occurrence of hot cracks at the weld of the workpiece is inferred.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2022
    Assignee: TRUMPF Laser- und Systemtechnik GmbH
    Inventors: Patrick Haug, Tim Hesse, Steffen Kessler, Marcel Schäfer, Philipp Scheible
  • Patent number: 11224306
    Abstract: A beverage-making apparatus includes a water supply heater configured to heat water; an ingredient supplier connected to the water supply heater through a water supply channel; a container connected to the ingredient supplier through a first channel; a first valve configured to regulate a flow through the first channel; and a beverage extractor connected to the first channel at a location between the ingredient supplier and the first valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2022
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Heeyeon Kim, Sunyoung Park, Chungook Chong