Patents Examined by Sharidan Carrillo
  • Patent number: 10105202
    Abstract: A toothbrush (10) includes a brushhead (18), a first force sensor (30A) for measuring a first force exerted by the brushhead at a first angle relative to a tooth and a second force sensor (30B) for measuring a second force exerted by the brushhead at a second angle relative to the tooth, the second angle being different than the first angle, and a processing unit (26). The processing unit is structured to: (i) receive first information indicative of the first force as measured by the first force sensor, (ii) receive second information indicative of the second force as measured by the second force sensor, and (iii) determine information regarding a current brushing angle of the brushhead based on the first information and the second information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V.
    Inventors: Mark Thomas Johnson, Johannes Hendrikus Maria Spruit, Okke Ouweltjes, Edgar Martinus Van Gool, Menno Willem Jose Prins
  • Patent number: 10098428
    Abstract: A rotating spine board washer which utilizes a rotisserie style racking system that allows multiple spine boards to be configured into a tube shape. The tube shaped rack is connected to a motor that rotates the rack 360 degrees repeatedly. Located inside and outside of the hollow tube shaped rack are manifolds that run the length of the rack, with a plurality of spray nozzles located along the manifolds which direct wash solution at the inward facing surface and outward facing surface of the spine boards as they rotate around the fixed spray nozzles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Inventor: Izak Van der Merwe
  • Patent number: 10099262
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a device for cleaning electronic components and/or circuits. The cleaning device comprises a first vessel containing a liquid, a support for holding the electronic components and/or circuits, a fluid injection system including nozzles allowing the projection of jets of fluid to sweep the surface of the components, and a fluid mixer including a first inlet suitable for receiving a pressurized liquid, a second inlet suitable for receiving a pressurized gas, and an outlet designed to supply the injection system with two-phase fluid. The first inlet is coupled to the outlet by an inner duct, the second inlet is coupled to a pressurized gas supply and to an injector for injecting the gas into the inner duct.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Inventor: Michel Bourdat
  • Patent number: 10099264
    Abstract: A method of cleaning equipment such as heat exchangers, evaporators, tanks and other industrial equipment using clean-in-place procedures comprising applying a pre-treatment solution prior to the application of an override use solution. A gas generating use solution is present in either the pretreatment or the override use solution. The gas generating use solution is capable of releasing gas on and in a soil, resulting in a soil disruption effect and enhanced cleaning.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: Ecolab USA Inc.
    Inventors: Peter J. Fernholz, Anthony W. Erickson
  • Patent number: 10087545
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are cleaning discs for cleaning one or more elements of a semiconductor processing apparatus. In some embodiments, the disc may have a substantially circular upper surface, a substantially circular lower surface, a substantially circular edge joining the upper and lower surfaces, and a plurality of pores opening at the edge and having an interior extending into the interior of the disc. In some embodiments, the pores are dimensioned such that a cleaning agent may be retained in the interior of the pores by an adhesive force between the cleaning agent and the interior surface of the pores. Also disclosed herein are cleaning methods involving loading a cleaning agent into a plurality of pores of a cleaning disc, positioning the cleaning disc within a semiconductor processing apparatus, and releasing cleaning agent from the plurality of pores such that elements of the apparatus are contacted by the released cleaning agent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: Novellus Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Steven T. Mayer, Thomas A. Ponnuswamy, Lee Peng Chua, Robert Rash
  • Patent number: 10087405
    Abstract: A wipe article includes a substrate, a cationic coating disposed on a surface of the substrate, distributed throughout the substrate, or both. The cationic coating contains a guanidinyl-containing polymer that is crosslinked and bound to the substrate. The substrate includes sponge, nonwoven fabric, or woven fabric. The wipes are useful for removing microorganisms from a microorganism-contaminated surface and also for reducing re-contamination of the cleaned surface or transfer to another surface of the removed microorganisms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: Steven P. Swanson, Jerald K. Rasmussen, George W. Griesgraber, Andrew W. Vail, Andrew S. Waller
  • Patent number: 10080370
    Abstract: A method for reducing level of contaminants from an object, the method comprises introducing the object into an ultrasonic (US) bath carrying an aqueous medium that holds, suspended therein, insoluble nanoparticles and activating said bath to apply US waves onto said object while the object is at least partially submerged within said aqueous medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2018
    Assignee: EVER CLEAN AND CLEAR TECHNOLOGIES LTD.
    Inventor: Shlomo Rotter
  • Patent number: 10076774
    Abstract: A colorimetric birdfeeder cleaner may comprise a cleansing/disinfecting agent, a pH buffering agent, and a colorant. A hummingbird feeder may be immersed in a colorimetric cleaning solution produced with the colorimetric birdfeeder cleaner, and a change in color of the colorimetric cleaning solution indicates a cleaning process is complete.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2018
    Inventors: Rebecca Evanko, Mark Evanko
  • Patent number: 10065220
    Abstract: A method and a cleaning device for removing deposits in interiors of tanks and systems by explosion technology. The cleaning device, an explosive, gaseous mixture is provided and caused to explode in order to clean the interior. The explosion pressure wave is conducted into the interior via an outlet opening in the cleaning device. The explosive mixture or gaseous components thereof are introduced into an accommodating chamber of the cleaning device from pressure vessels at high velocity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: BANG & CLEAN GMBH
    Inventors: Rainer Flury, Markus Bürgin
  • Patent number: 10041904
    Abstract: A sensor array includes a plurality of sensors. A sensor of the plurality of sensors has a sensor pad exposed at a surface of the sensor array. A method of treating the sensor array includes exposing at least the sensor pad to a wash solution including sulfonic acid and an organic solvent and rinsing the wash solution from the sensor pad.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2018
    Assignee: LIFE TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: James Ball, Brian Reed
  • Patent number: 10040955
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for removing a substrate that is coated with an organic coated coating by means of ionogenic gel formation. In said method, a wet or dry organic coating that has not yet formed a film on the substrate is treated with an aqueous solution of a metal salt from main group I in the periodic table of the elements, a complexing agent and/or a basic compound having a pH value >10.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2018
    Assignee: Chemetall GmbH
    Inventors: Ron Eilinghoff, Michael Schwamb, Daniel Wasserfallen, Vera Sotke, Aliaksandr Frenkel, Stephanie Gerold, Wolfgang Bremser, Martin Droll, Oliver Seewald, Evgenija Niesen-Warkentin, Lars Schachtsiek, Manuel Traut
  • Patent number: 10035177
    Abstract: A method of cleaning deposited material from a molding surface (10) of a mold (1) for forming ophthalmic lenses, including bringing a cleaning head (20) into contact with the molding surface (10), the rotational axis (22) of the cleaning head (20) being arranged normal to the molding surface (10), rotating (220) the cleaning head (20) around the rotational axis (22) while maintaining the contact between the cleaning head (20) and the molding surface (10), moving the cleaning head (20) to perform a precession motion (110) around a central normal (11) on the molding surface (10), while rotating (220) the cleaning head (20) around the rotational axis (22) and while maintaining the contact between the cleaning head (20) and the molding surface (10). During the precession motion (110) the rotational axis (22) includes an inclination angle (?1,?2) with the central normal (11) on the molding surface (10).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2018
    Assignee: Novartis AG
    Inventors: Gabriela Cocora, Halina Heidrich, Fabian Kern, Axel Heinrich, Volker Lanig
  • Patent number: 10029653
    Abstract: A cleaning device for a vehicle has tracks above and below the vehicle's windshield. A brush, wiper blade and spray bar extend across the windshield at a starting side of the windshield. The spray bar provides washer fluid as the brush rotates against the windshield. The spray bar, rotating brush and wiper bar are moved along the tracks and across the windshield to an opposing, return side of the windshield where the wiper blade first contacts the windshield and the brush stops rotating and moves away from the windshield. The spray bar rotates next to the wiper blade to blow air against the windshield. The wiper blade scrapes water while air blows water off the windshield as they move back to the starting side of the windshield where they are stored in a frame along the side of the windshield when not in use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2018
    Inventor: Nicholas J. Singer
  • Patent number: 10028635
    Abstract: A dishwasher has a treating chamber for receiving dishes for treatment according to an automatic cycle of operation and a dispensing system for storing and dispensing a treating chemistry to the treating chamber during the cycle of operation. The dishwasher may dispense a treating chemistry when a temperature of a liquid in the treating chamber satisfies a predetermined temperature threshold. The temperature of the liquid may be maintained to satisfy the predetermined temperature threshold for a predetermined period of time based on the treating chemistry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2018
    Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
    Inventor: Chad T. Vanderroest
  • Patent number: 10022034
    Abstract: A dishwasher appliance and method of operation is provided. The dishwasher appliance may include a tub defining a wash chamber, a coarse filter disposed, a recirculation pump, and a drain pump. The method may include activating the recirculation pump to flow wash fluid through the coarse filter in a primary flow direction, and activating the drain pump to flow wash fluid through the coarse filter in the primary flow direction for an initial purge cycle. Further included may be flushing wash fluid through the coarse filter and into the tub in a secondary flow direction opposite from the primary flow direction. Still further included may be activating the recirculation pump to flow wash fluid through the coarse filter in the primary flow direction, and activating the drain pump to flow wash fluid through the coarse filter in the primary flow direction for an additional purge cycle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc.
    Inventors: Adam Christopher Hofmann, Matthew D. Mersch
  • Patent number: 10018113
    Abstract: A cleaning system and method use an ultrasound probe, a coupling mechanism, and a controller to clean equipment of a vehicle system. The ultrasound probe enters into an engine. The ultrasound probe emits ultrasound pulses and the coupling mechanism provides an ultrasound coupling medium between the ultrasound probe and one or more components of the engine. The controller drives the ultrasound probe to deliver the ultrasound pulse through the coupling medium to a surface of the one or more components of the engine. The ultrasound probe delivers the ultrasound pulse to remove deposits from the one or more components of the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2018
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Bernard Patrick Bewlay, Waseem Faidi, Peter William Lorraine, Mohamed Ahmed Ali, Siavash Yazdanfar, Ying Fan, Edward James Nieters, David Mills, Nicole Tibbetts
  • Patent number: 10016792
    Abstract: Provided are methods for cleaning processing tools from residue using laser ablation. Also provided are processing tools comprising non-metal base portions and protective optical layers that cover and shield these base portions from laser ablation. For example, a protective optical layer may reflect a laser beam used for ablating the tool. Methods of forming these protective optical layers on non-metal base portions are also provided. In some embodiments, this protective optical layer is the outermost layer exposed to the environment. Alternatively, the protective optical layer may be covered by a release layer. The release layer may be retained or removed during laser ablation. In some embodiments, light emitted by a processing tool during laser ablation is analyzed to determine performance of its protective optical layer. This feedback may be used to control the laser ablation such as to control orientation of the laser beam relative to the processing tool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2018
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Ashley C. Tracey, Anthony M. Westren, Kay Y. Blohowiak, Mark R. Brei, Tyler Jacob Zimmerman, Richard C. Barclay, Tara Kovacs Baker, Yuliya Shafranyuk
  • Patent number: 10014191
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are systems and methods for treating the surface of a microelectronic substrate, and in particular, relate to an apparatus and method for scanning the microelectronic substrate through a cryogenic fluid mixture used to treat an exposed surface of the microelectronic substrate. The fluid mixture may be expanded through a nozzle to form an aerosol spray or gas cluster jet (GCJ) spray may impinge the microelectronic substrate and remove particles from the microelectronic substrate's surface. In one embodiment, the fluid mixture may be maintained to prevent liquid formation within the fluid mixture prior to passing the fluid mixture through the nozzle. The fluid mixture may include nitrogen, argon, helium, neon, xenon, krypton, carbon dioxide, or any combination thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2018
    Assignee: TEL FSI, INC.
    Inventors: Chimaobi W. Mbanaso, Jeffery W. Butterbaugh, David Scott Becker
  • Patent number: 10005108
    Abstract: A cleaning method for a surveillance camera uses a capacitive sensor to determine whether rain, ice, dirt, debris or other foreign objects are present on the camera lens substrate. A determination is made whether the sensed capacitance is greater than a first threshold indicative of the presence of a foreign object on the lens. If a foreign object is indicated, the lens is sprayed with a sprayer and then a wiper is activated. If a foreign object is not indicated, a determination is made whether ice is present by comparing the sensed capacitance to a second threshold that is less than the first threshold. If ice is present, wiper and lens defrosters are activated, and a wiper is then turned on. The cleaning method may include a temperature sensor and power management for the defrosters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2018
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventor: Benjamin Dannan
  • Patent number: 9986883
    Abstract: A method of washing dishes in an automated dishwasher utilizing a high velocity sprayer and high velocity spray phase for forcibly spraying water from concavities on washed dishes or utensils in which liquid can puddle in the cavities of the dishes or utensils during previous washing or rinsing cycles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2018
    Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
    Inventors: Alvaro Vallejo Noriega, Harsh R. Mondkar, Kevin Green