Patents Examined by Richard Woo
  • Fan blade
    Patent number: 6350104
    Abstract: The invention concerns a blade having an axial length L, expressed in meters, equal by approximately 20%, to the value of L0 given by the following formula (I): L0=0.426262−5.14288.D+23.1798.D2−44.2505.D3+30.8841.D4, D being the blade diameter expressed in meters. The invention enables to substantially reduce the blade axial space requirement, for a given diameter and for obtaining the desired performance. The invention is useful for cooling a motor vehicle engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2002
    Assignee: Valeo Thermique Moteur
    Inventors: Stéphane Moreau, Bruno Dessale, Eric Coggiola
  • Portable cooling fan with indented blades
    Patent number: 6347922
    Abstract: A portable cooling fan. The fan includes a fixed rack arranged under a frame body, a wheel set disposed laterally on the fixed rack, a support rod located at a position opposite against the wheel set for stabilization, and a handgrip arranged on an upper position of the fan body for carrying the cooling fan easily. In addition, an indented costa is formed on each of the leaf blades by pressing, to enhance intensity of the leaf blades and create turbulence to enlarge the blowing area. The frame body includes a protective mantle, which is supported with a plurality of reinforcement ribs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2002
    Inventor: Pierce Wang
  • Dry gas seal contamination prevention system
    Patent number: 6345954
    Abstract: A seal gas pressure booster system for use with a gas compressor, particularly of the type used for boosting pressure in gas transmission, process or utility industries and which contains pressure about the shaft/casing interface with the use of dry gas seals. Seal supply gas is supplied from the discharge side of the compressor. During normal operation, sufficient head across the compressor exists to supply the necessary flow of seal supply gas against the restrictions provided by the filters, interconnections and components in the seal gas supply system. During startup, or during modes of operation where sufficient head across the compressor does not exist, the pressure booster system increases the pressure of a stream of compressor discharge gas to provide the necessary pressure differential to supply the dry gas seal with a continuous flow of clean, filtered gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2002
    Assignee: Flowserve Management Company
    Inventors: Thair J. Al-Himyary, Jonathan D. Carlson
  • FOD inspection of laser shock peened gas turbine engine airfoils
    Patent number: 6341936
    Abstract: The present invention is a method for operating a gas turbine engine airfoil having leading and trailing edges subject to FOD (foreign object damage) damage. The method includes inspecting the airfoil along at least a first one of the edges having at least a first laser shock peened patch along the first one of the edges, ascertaining FOD lengths of foreign object damage (FOD) extending from the first one of the edges into the airfoil within the patch, and allowing the airfoil to remain in service without repair if the FOD lengths are up to a maximum length of about one-half of a width of the laser shock peened patch, as measured from the edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2002
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: William D. Cowie, Seetharamaiah Mannava, Jeffrey H. Nussbaum
  • Axial fan, particularly for cooling a heat-exchanger in a motor-vehicle
    Patent number: 6341940
    Abstract: The fan comprises a hub, the axis of which coincides with the axis of rotation of the fan, and a plurality of blades which extend from the hub between a minimum radial distance from the axis in the vicinity of the hub and a maximum radial distance. In the vicinity of the hub, the cross-section of each blade has an angle of attack and an angle of curvature which are substantially equal to 0° and, starting from the hub, the cross-sections of each blade have angles of attack and angles of curvature which increase as the radial distance from the axis increases, up to a radial distance of between 30% and 40% of the radial extent of the blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2002
    Assignee: Gate S.p.A.
    Inventor: Andrea Giribaldi
  • Device and method employing a turbine for contributing thrust to a propeller on a spinner
    Patent number: 6336791
    Abstract: Turbine is added to the spinner of a propeller to provide a contribution to propulsive thrust of the propeller. The turbine comprises a group of turbine modules, which are mounted on the periphery of the spinner between root portions of the propeller blades. Each module includes a curved row of angulated turbine vanes held between a curved base plate and a curved outer plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2002
    Inventor: Murray J. O'Toole
  • Nozzle chamber warming-up structure for a steam turbine
    Patent number: 6322321
    Abstract: A nozzle chamber warming-up structure comprises a ring mounted about a rotor of the turbine and defines an annular space surrounding the rotor. The annular spaced is divided by dividing walls into a plurality of steam chambers distributed circumferentially about the rotor, including first ad second upper steam chambers and at least one lower steam chamber. The dividing wall have holes such that steam supplied into the first upper steam chamber flows through the hole in one of the dividing walls into the one or more lower steam chambers, and then flows through The hole in another of the dividing walls into the second upper steam chamber. The steam that flows circumferentially around the ring and warms up the nozzle chamber uniformly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2001
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Ryotaro Magoshi, Takashi Nakano
  • Noise attenuating sound resonator for automotive cooling module shroud
    Patent number: 6309176
    Abstract: A cooling structure 10 for cooling an engine includes an axial flow fan 16 having a plurality of blades 14. A shroud 12 is spaced from and is generally adjacent to the blades 14. A plurality of Helmholtz resonators 24 and 24′ is carried by the shroud 12. Each of the resonators 24 and 24′ has an opening disposed substantially perpendicular with respect to a direction of air flow resulting from rotation of the fan 16. The resonators 24 and 24′ are disposed at locations on the shroud 12 which are generally adjacent to tips 32 of the blades 14. The resonators 24 and 24′ are tuned to reduce blade passing tone of the fan 14.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2001
    Assignee: Siemens Automotive Inc.
    Inventors: Haran K. Periyathamby, Marek Horski
  • Wind turbine with low vertical axis
    Patent number: 6309172
    Abstract: A wind module includes a base plate, a turbine rotatably mounted on the base plate, a plurality of directional fins carried by the base plate peripherally adjacent said turbine, and a cover plate over the turbine and plurality of directional fins. The cover plate may have a domed shape. The plurality of vertical blades may be eight or more in number. In addition, each vertical blade may have an asymmetrical profile based on an aircraft wing which favors a double thrust and drag effect The directional fins may also have an asymmetrical profile to accelerate wind flow. The turbine, base plate, cover plate, and each of the directional fins is preferably integrally formed as a single piece to facilitate assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2001
    Inventor: Georges Gual
  • Device for attaching pump impeller
    Patent number: 6305906
    Abstract: The invention concerns a device for attaching a pump impeller (5) onto a conical shaft end (7). A socket (8) provided with a slot is arranged on the shaft end (7), said socket having an outer diameter corresponding with the the shaft bore in the impeller (5). The socket (8) is provided with a threaded bore (9) for an adjusting screw (10) which, by help of a tool, can be turned thereby moving the impeller (5) axially on the shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2001
    Assignee: ITT Manufacturing Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventor: Anders Ekstrom
  • Superalloy weld composition and repaired turbine engine component
    Patent number: 6302649
    Abstract: A solid-solution strengthened superalloy weld composition, includes: about 0 to about 10 wt % Co; about 18 to about 22 wt % Cr; about 0.2 to about 0.7 wt % Al; about 15 to about 28 wt % of the sum of refractory elements; up to about 0.09 wt % C; up to about 0.06 wt % Zr; up to about 0.015 wt % B; about 0.4 to about 1.2 wt % Mn; about 0.2 to about 0.45 wt % Si; and balance Ni.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2001
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Charles Gitahi Mukira, Melvin Robert Jackson, Aaron Todd Frost, Adrian Maurice Beltran
  • Cooling fan for computing devices with split motor and fan blades
    Patent number: 6299408
    Abstract: A fan for a computing device. The fan includes a motor and a blade portion having a plurality of blades; however, the blade portion is located apart from the motor. A blade driving mechanism connects the motor to the blade such that the blade rotates when the motor is operating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2001
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventor: Rakesh Bhatia
  • Method and apparatus for damping vibration in turbomachine components
    Patent number: 6299410
    Abstract: A method and apparatus reduces the magnitude of vibratory strain in a turbomachine component that experiences high steady state strain by, in the case of a passive embodiment, coupling a mechanical-to-electromagnetic energy converter to an interior and/or exterior surface of the component, and/or embedding the energy converter within the component, and by, in the case of an active embodiment, coupling a mechanical-to-electromagnetic energy converter to an interior and/or exterior surface of the component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2001
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Gary R. Hilbert, David D. Pearson, Edward F. Crawley
  • Axial blower
    Patent number: 6296446
    Abstract: An axial blower includes a cylindrical hub, a driving device for rotating the cylindrical hub through a rotational shaft, a plurality of vanes arranged to an outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical hub in a circumferential direction thereof, and a plurality of stream-line ribs each having a stream-line shape and provided at a leading edge portion of a negative pressure surface-side of each of the vanes in a range from an end portion of the leading edge portion towards a trailing edge portion of the vane. The stream-line ribs are formed integrally such that an outer surface of a cross section of each stream-line rib along a rotational direction of the axial blower forms a circular arc and a radius of a circular arc curve of the outer surface at a vane leading edge side is larger than a radius of a circular arc curve at a vane inner surface side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2001
    Assignee: Toshiba Carrier Corporation
    Inventors: Mitsuyoshi Ishijima, Tetsuya Koshitani, Satoshi Shimizu
  • Simultaneous offset dual sided laser shock peening
    Patent number: 6296448
    Abstract: An article and method for laser shock peening the article to form pairs of longitudinally spaced apart first and second laser shock peened spots that are on opposite sides of the article, simultaneously laser shock peened, and transversely offset from each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2001
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ui W. Suh, James D. Risbeck
  • Rotor blade
    Patent number: 6290465
    Abstract: A rotor blade for a turbine engine including a blade root section and an airfoil section which extends radially outward along a radial line RAS from the blade root section, is described. The radial line RAS extends at an angle relative to a plane extending across a top surface of the platform, rather than normal, or perpendicular, to such plane. As a result, and during a blade out event, an over turning moment is generated in a root of the airfoil section. The overturning moment facilitates bending the airfoil section reducing damage to the stator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2001
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Andrew J. Lammas, Nicholas J. Kray
  • Adjustable harness for a portable fan
    Patent number: 6283706
    Abstract: A portable apparatus that includes fan and a harness adapted to permit the fan to be hung from a harness in a self-supported position on the wearer and which permits relocation of the fan to vary the distance of the fan from the neck of the wearer. The harness includes a cord that is looped about the wearer's neck and which passes through an adjustable coupler, whose sidewalls are configured and arranged to deform in response to squeezing forces. In response to the sidewalls being squeezed, the adjustable coupler releases the cord to permit simultaneous relative movement of the adjustable coupler along the cord. In response to removal of the squeezing forces, the adjustable coupler resiliently returns to its undeformed condition, grasping the cord to prevent relative movement of the adjustable coupler.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2001
    Assignee: Atico International USA, Inc.
    Inventors: Marian Harding Cochran, Peter T. Cobrin, Robert J. Hess
  • Variable vane with winglet
    Patent number: 6283705
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine variable vane having a winglet integrally formed therewith. In one embodiment, the variable vane includes a winglet attached to one end so as to reduce endwall losses resulting from air leakage from the high-pressure side to the low-pressure side of the airfoil. The winglet substantially increases the width of the endwall gap thereby reducing the loss associated with the vortex flow caused by leakage of gas from the pressure side to the section side of the airfoil. In another aspect the winglet runs along the airfoil thereby increasing stiffness and acting as a bracing strut to increase the resonant frequency of the airfoil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2001
    Assignee: Allison Advanced Development Company
    Inventors: Edward Claude Rice, Robert Anthony Ress, Jr., Jeffrey Lister Hansen
  • Variable position fan assembly
    Patent number: 6283709
    Abstract: An electric fan mounted overhead for universal adjustment of the air flow direction. A mounting plate clamped to an overhead beam carries a sleeve that rotatively receives a vertical column. The lower end of the column pivotally connects with a mounting arm which carries the fan. A rotation motor can rotationally adjust the column to adjust the lateral direction in which the fan faces. A linear actuator pivots the mounting arm up and down to adjust the tilt angle of the fan.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2001
    Assignee: Emerson Electric Co.
    Inventors: D. Lee Hill, Jimmy D. Vanfossan
  • Swash-plates system for control of the pitch of rotor blades with rotating plate driver
    Patent number: 6280141
    Abstract: The rotating plate of the system is fixed in rotation with the rotor by a driver with two rigid driving tracks extending axially and diametrically opposite in being fixed in rotation with the rotor. Each track engages with one of two driving fingers fixed in rotation with the rotating plate and diametrically opposite on this latter. Each track has two webs between which one finger is engaged with the result of following on this track a rectilinear trajectory, parallel to the rotor axis and a circular arc trajectory centerd on this axis, respectively in the case of change of collective and cyclic pitch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2001
    Assignee: Eurocopter
    Inventors: Etienne Jean Rampal, Sylvie Garcin