Patents Examined by Shawntina Fuqua
  • Patent number: 8791395
    Abstract: An embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a heating device comprising a carbon nanotube, which comprises a carbon nanotube layer containing aligned carbon nanotube carpet, a first electrode and a second electrode having a predetermined distance between each other and electrically connected to the carbon nanotube layer respectively, wherein a current produced by applying a voltage to the first electrode passes laterally via the diameter direction of the aligned carbon nanotubes from the first electrode to the second electrode. The present disclosure also includes methods for manufacturing the aligned carbon nanotube carpet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignee: National Taiwan University
    Inventors: Shuo-Hung Chang, Chih-Chung Su
  • Patent number: 8791394
    Abstract: The present invention is to provide a heating substrate equipped with a conductive thin film and electrodes. The heating substrate includes a transparent substrate, a plurality of electrodes formed on a first face of the substrate, and a conductive thin film formed on the first face of the substrate and including a plurality of regions electrically connected each other in parallel by the plurality of electrodes. Furthermore, a method of manufacturing a heating substrate equipped with a conductive thin film and electrodes according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes forming the conductive thin film on a substrate, forming main electrodes so as to extend on the substrate while being adjacent to edges of the conductive thin film, and forming branched electrodes that are extended from the conductive thin film across one side of the conductive thin film while coming in contact with the conductive thin film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignee: Korea Institute of Machinery & Materials
    Inventors: Chang-Soo Han, Jin-Won Song, Joon-Dong Kim, Yu-Hwan Yoon
  • Patent number: 8785819
    Abstract: A heating device includes a housing, a thermally conductive receptacle, a cover, a heating element, a temperature sensor, a user interface and a power source. The thermally conductive receptacle is disposed within the housing and is accessible through an opening. The thermally conductive receptacle is sized to receive, completely contain and heat a container containing a product used in sexual activities. The cover is attached to the housing and is disposed over the opening to provide access to the thermally conductive receptacle and enclose the container containing the product. The heating element is disposed within the housing, and is connected to the thermally conductive receptacle. The temperature sensor is disposed within the housing and is connected to the heating element or the thermally conductive receptacle. The controller is disposed within the housing and is electrically connected to the heating element, the temperature sensor, and the user interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2014
    Inventors: Stephen J. Madigan, Larry Eugene Hess
  • Patent number: 8785818
    Abstract: A mounting fixture for mounting an optical element on a base-plate has spaced-apart parallel legs attachable by brackets to the base-plate and a mounting platform attached to the legs. The platform can be heated by a removable heater. The optical element is held in a mounting tab attached to the platform by a solder-pad. Heating the platform softens the solder-pad allowing the tab and the element to be aligned. Removing the heat allows the pad to harden to complete the attachment and retain the alignment of the element on the mount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2014
    Assignee: Coherent, Inc.
    Inventors: Andreas Diening, Donald E. Harryman, Ezra Allee
  • Patent number: 8785825
    Abstract: Spacer for a vertical support structure of a heating element coil includes a mating feature including complimentary components on first opposing sides of the spacer, a cavity, open to second opposing sides of the spacer, and an extension offset from an axis intersecting the mating features, the extension including a pocket sized to fit an individual loop of the heating element coil. The spacer can be incorporated into a support structure for a heating element coil interlocking adjacent loops of the coil so that they are retained in a collinear and concentric arrangement while allowing the loops of the coil to move freely inward and outward from the central axis in unison.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2014
    Assignee: Sandvik Thermal Process, Inc.
    Inventor: Kevin B. Peck
  • Patent number: 8785824
    Abstract: A boiler regulation system for diverting energy from a boiler to hot water production having a housing with a thermostat dial, a sensor connection, and a plurality of connections on the housing; a step down transformer, a first general-purpose relay coil, a close-on-rise thermostat, and a first normally closed contact relay corresponding to a heating zone valve/pump each in the housing; wherein when the close-on-rise thermostat senses a rise in temperature when hot water is in demand the close-on-rise thermostat closes sending a first signal to the first general-purpose relay coil and the first general-purpose relay coil energizes causing the first normally closed contact relay to open, discontinuing power to the heating zone valve/pump thereby enabling boiler energy to be used for hot water.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2014
    Inventors: Scott K. Farr, Deborah L. Farr
  • Patent number: 8779333
    Abstract: A direct contact segmented column heater is described. The heater is capable of a broad heating and cooling range, and exhibits a very rapid response, with heating and cooling rates better than 350° C. min?1. In one configuration one or more of the individual heating devices are provided with full independent control and temperature feedback, and developed to provide excellent thermal stability at all temperatures. The heating devices or in other words active thermal transfer devices are capable of bi-directional operation, selectively heating (i.e., providing heat to) or cooling (i.e., withdrawing heat from) a column and/or contents of a column.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2014
    Assignee: Dublin City University
    Inventors: David Collins, Ekaterina Nesterenko, Brendan Heery, Brett Paull
  • Patent number: 8779335
    Abstract: An image heating apparatus includes first rotatable member and second rotatable member; a heater provided in the second rotatable member; a moving mechanism for integrally moving the second rotatable member and the heater between a contact position in which the second rotatable member is contacted to the first rotatable member and a separation position in which the second rotatable member is separated from the first rotatable member; and an electrical connecting piece for electrically connecting an electric energy supplying portion of the heater and an electric wire under pressure application. A direction of the electrical connecting piece is set so that a smaller angle formed between a longitudinal direction of the electrical connecting piece in cross section of the electric wire and a movement direction of the electrical connecting piece during an operation by the moving mechanism is 45 degrees or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shutaro Saito
  • Patent number: 8779330
    Abstract: A vehicle heater control apparatus variably controls electric power to be supplied to a heater with an inexpensive configuration and simple control. The vehicle heater control apparatus is provided in a vehicle including an engine control system, the engine control system including: an intake air temperature sensor for detecting an intake air temperature; and a speed sensor for detecting a traveling state of the vehicle, the engine control system using the intake air temperature and the traveling state to control drive of the engine, and the vehicle heater control apparatus includes a heater control portion for variably controlling electric power to be supplied to a warmer provided to a heated part of the vehicle based on the intake air temperature and the traveling state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2014
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Tadashi Takahashi, Yosuke Fukuzawa
  • Patent number: 8772682
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for controlling the temperature of multi-zone heater in a process chamber are provided herein. In some embodiments, a method is provided to control a multi-zone heater disposed in a substrate support, wherein the multi-zone heater has a first zone and a second zone. In some embodiments, the method may include measuring a current drawn by the first zone at a first time; measuring a voltage drawn by the first zone at the first time; calculating the resistance of the first zone based upon the measured current and voltage drawn by the first zone at the first time; determining a temperature of the first zone based upon a predetermined relationship between the resistance and the temperature of the first zone; and adjusting the temperature of the first zone in response to the temperature determination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2014
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Hari Kishore Ambal, Uwe Paul Haller, Jianhua Zhou
  • Patent number: 8772677
    Abstract: A configuration in which fixing is performed by inserting a rear end of a lead shaft member into an attachment hole of an external terminal at the rear of a glow plug and crimping an outer peripheral face of the external terminal. The outer peripheral face of a crimp formation region (78) of the external terminal (70) having a polygonal cross section is formed into a crimped portion (79) provided by round crimping toward a circle, and the external terminal (70) is fixed to the rear end (55) of the lead shaft member (50). Due to the configuration obtained from the round crimping of the polygon, plating breaks and the like are not easily produced in the plating layer on the surface of the external terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2014
    Assignee: NGK Spark Plug Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Suzuki, Shinya Murakoshi
  • Patent number: 8772675
    Abstract: Modular assemblies for use with a scent warmer configured to heat a scented material and emit light comprise a lighting module and a heating module. The lighting module comprises at least one electrical light source. A male electrical connector is in electrical communication with and disposed on a first side of the at least one electrical light source. A female electrical connector is disposed on another side of the at least one electrical light source and in electrical communication with the male electrical connector. The heating module comprises a male electrical connector threadedly engaged and in electrical communication with the female electrical connector of the lighting module. A heating element is located at an end of the heating module opposing the male electrical connector and in electrical communication with the male electrical connector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2014
    Assignee: Scentsy, Inc.
    Inventor: Brandon Juarez
  • Patent number: 8772676
    Abstract: An electric heating blanket including a flexible sheet-like heating element and a shell. The shell covers the heating blanket and includes two sheets of flexible material welded together.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2014
    Assignee: Augustine Temperature Management LLC
    Inventors: Scott D. Augustine, Randall C. Arnold, Ryan S. Augustine, Rudolf A. Deibel, Scott A. Entennman, Gordon D. Lawrence, Keith J. Leland, Thomas F. Neils
  • Patent number: 8759718
    Abstract: An electrical motor-vehicle auxiliary heating device is held in a housing forming oppositely situated air passage areas with formed air passage apertures. A flow resistance element protrudes beyond the outer side of the housing, is manufactured as a component independent of the housing, and is connected to it. The invention also relates to a motor-vehicle air conditioning device with an air conditioning housing which accommodates a motor-vehicle auxiliary heating system and which forms at least one flow channel, which leads to the motor-vehicle auxiliary heating and forms an insertion opening for the motor-vehicle auxiliary heating as well as a boundary wall situated opposite the insertion opening. At least one flow resistance element is provided that is manufactured as a component independent of the housing and the air conditioning housing and that bridges a clearance distance between the housing and the wall(s) of the air conditioning housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Assignee: Eberspacher Catem GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Michael Clade, Franz Bohlender
  • Patent number: 8759724
    Abstract: The present invention concerns an elongated object (1) including a cable (2) being surrounded by an external protection (3a, 3b, 3c, 3d, 3e), said external protection comprising at least one protection layer including at least two elongated extruded hollow profiles (31a, 31b, 31c, 31d, 31e), each elongated extruded hollow profile comprising at least one elongated empty cavity (32), characterized in that each profile (31a, 31b, 31c, 31d, 31e) of said external protection is a single element along the whole length of the cable portion to be protected, and that the total cross section area of the empty parts of the external protection represents at least 20% of the total cross section area of the external protection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Assignee: NEXANS
    Inventors: Jan Erik Karlsen, Lars Hennig, Anders Henrik Bla, Hans Kvarme
  • Patent number: 8759722
    Abstract: A baby feeding apparatus for the preparation and warming of infant formula with audio instructions includes a baby bottle having a well and an electrical probe for insertion into the well for heating the contents of the bottle. The apparatus also includes a reservoir for containing a supply of heated fluids such as water for maintaining the temperature of the infant formula and a visual and audio indicator to advise an individual when the temperature of the formula is appropriate for feeding a child. A brush for cleaning the bottle and a cover for the apparatus are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Inventor: Abeer Abdullah Bolbanat
  • Patent number: 8735779
    Abstract: Methods and devices for securing an item of cookware to the burner of a stove top by use of magnetism. The magnet(s) may be permanent magnets or electromagnets. The cookware may comprise a permanent magnet disposed on or in the base of the cookware. The burner comprises a magnetic material such as steel or iron. The magnetic material may be in the grate of the cook top, in the electric coil of an electric burner, in the surface of a smooth-top stove top, or any other component of the cook top which is in close proximity to the bottom of the cookware when it is placed on the cooking surface. When the cookware is placed on the stove top, the magnetic field of the permanent magnet creates a force on the magnetic material biasing the cookware against the stove top and securing the cookware to the cook top.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2014
    Inventor: Paul J. Rael
  • Patent number: 8735777
    Abstract: Vascular treatment and methods include a plurality of self-expanding bulbs and a hypotube including interspersed patterns of longitudinally spaced rows of kerfs. Joints between woven structures and hypotubes include solder. Woven structures include patterns of radiopaque filaments measurable under x-ray. Structures are heat treated to include at least shapes at different temperatures. A catheter includes a hypotube including interspersed patterns of longitudinally spaced rows of kerfs. Heat treating systems include a detachable flange. Laser cutting systems include a fluid flow system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2014
    Assignee: Insera Therapeutics, Inc.
    Inventors: Vallabh Janardhan, Vikram Janardhan
  • Patent number: 8729432
    Abstract: A capacitance sensing switch module is provided. The capacitance sensing switch module for controlling a cooktop includes a plate, at least one key, an insulating pad, a circuit board and at least one foil. The plate is disposed in a side of the cooktop and has at least one hole passing through the plate. The key is disposed in the hole. The insulating pad is disposed between the key and the plate. The key and the plate are separated by the insulating pad. The circuit board is disposed under the plate. The foil is disposed on the circuit board and on the position corresponding to the key. There is an insulation gap between the foil and the key.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: Delta Electronics, Inc.
    Inventors: I-Shen Lin, Ming-Jen Liang, Yu-Tang Liu
  • Patent number: 8723084
    Abstract: The household appliance (1) for the production of bread comprises—a cooking chamber (11), —electrical supply means (19) for heating said cooking chamber (11), —a drive means ((12) pivotally activated in said cooking chamber (11) by a geared motor (13), —a container (10) which can be accommodated in said cooking chamber (11) and having at least a containment chamber (2) for the bread and at least a mixing shovel (3) positioned inside said containment chamber (2) and able to be directly or indirectly moved by said drive means (12), said containment chamber (2) being so configured to have a first proportion ratio (R1) between every dimension (A, B, ?) of its base and its height (H), and a second proportion ratio (R2) between the dimension of its height (H) and the length (L) of said shovel (3), said ratios being able to give to the cooked bread in said containment chamber (2) a mainly low and wide shape with a little crumb.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: De'Longhi Appliances S.R.L.
    Inventor: Giuseppe De'Longhi