Patents Examined by Steve M Gravini
  • Patent number: 8739432
    Abstract: A drying apparatus for drying sports pads or apparel is provided. The drying apparatus may include a first member and a second member. The first member may be aligned substantially perpendicular to the second member and slid into the second member to form the drying apparatus. The drying apparatus may be inserted into the sports pads or a portion of the apparel to permit air to flow throughout the innards of the sports pads or apparel, thereby facilitating the drying of the sports pads or apparel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Inventor: Stephen N. Rydinsky
  • Patent number: 8732978
    Abstract: Apparatus to dry milled silicon particles has solvent spray nozzles, solvent drainage, gas inlet, and gas exhaust. This drying can occur, for example, following an acid etch and a deionized water rinse. The drying apparatus is an enclosed system with a lid that contains a solvent feeding tube and exhaust ventilation. This enclosed system design creates an effective low temperature drying system in an inert atmosphere. The apparatus can handle a variety of different particle sizes, inhibits the growth of surface oxides on the particles by using lower temperatures, and allows reuse of solvent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2014
    Inventor: Yuji Richard Kuan
  • Patent number: 8732979
    Abstract: A laundry treating appliance and a method for operating the appliance to supply air into a treating chamber through an air inlet and controlling the supplied air by varying the effective area of the air inlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2014
    Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
    Inventors: Farhad Ashrafzadeh, Michael T. Dalton, Layne E. Heilman
  • Patent number: 8732975
    Abstract: A work surface device for a domestic household appliance and a household appliance having a work surface. The work surface device includes a housing having a cavity accessible by an opening formed in a sidewall of the housing, and a pivotally-deployable work surface supported by the housing at a pivot point, wherein the pivotally-deployable work surface is movable about the pivot point from a stored position within the cavity to a deployed position outside of the housing, and wherein the pivotally-deployable work surface has a planar upper support surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2014
    Assignee: BSH Home Appliances Corporation
    Inventors: Sam Rhodes, Oliver Schöne
  • Patent number: 8726532
    Abstract: Methods and systems are disclosed for drying a material or, more generally, flash evaporating a target substance having a vapor pressure threshold. The methods and systems include a conveyor conduit that receives material. The material moves through the conveyor and is expelled into a pressure drop zone created by one or more venturi nozzles. As the material encounters the pressure drop zone, the targeted substance in the material experiences a rapid and extreme pressure drop and simultaneously a rapid temperature increase. This causes the target substance in the material to flash evaporate virtually immediately. The resulting vapor is separated from the remaining material and the now dry material is collected for further processing or use. The vapor can be collected, condensed, exhausted, or otherwise treated depending upon the goals of a particular installation or process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: Flash Rockwell Technologies, LLC
    Inventor: John Hogan
  • Patent number: 8726538
    Abstract: Biosolids in the nature of sewage sludge is processed in a controlled environment to produce a dried sludge product of relatively high dry solid content with the elimination of or reduced levels of pathogens. The water containing sewage sludge is dried while cascading within a processing chamber using heated air at a temperature below the ignition or smoldering temperature of the sewage sludge to prevent the formation of embers. The sewage sludge before discharge is retained within the processing chamber for a sufficient time and temperature as mandated by the Environment Protection Agency rules and guidelines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: Wyssmont Company Inc.
    Inventor: Edward Weisselberg
  • Patent number: 8726534
    Abstract: A ventilated portable container is a carrying case or sports equipment bag for storing, carrying and drying sports equipment. The portable container includes a ventilator for drawing fresh air into the container and for encouraging stale air out of the container through at least one filtered air outlet. The portable container includes an exterior pocket having at least one air inlet and at least one air vent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Inventors: Murray Chappell, Roger Robinet, E. Marie Costello, Joe Frei
  • Patent number: 8726539
    Abstract: A gas heater with specialized controls allows an operator to deploy a single device to heat and to dry when extracting moisture from a structure. The heater has a fan in a blow thru arrangement ahead of a burner. The burner uses either natural gas or liquefied petroleum gas. The heater has air flow, fan motor, temperature, and ignition controls and sensors. The heater delivers high temperature air to the structure that hastens evaporation as the heated air absorbs great concentrations of water vapor. Then the moisture laden heated air exits the building as the heater draws in fresh air, ducts it into a structure, and pressurizes the structure. This moisture laden air then leaks from the building through select windows using the energy imparted from the fan and then exhausts the moisture to the atmosphere, drying the structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: Cambridge Engineering, Inc.
    Inventors: Gary J. Potter, Marc Braun, Jeffrey A. Kieffer
  • Patent number: 8726533
    Abstract: An baking case body of tunnel type sterilization dryer comprises a case body (1), an air intake cavity (24) which is disposed in the case body (1), a conveyor mesh belt (7), and an air return channel (22). The conveyor mesh belt (7) is located between the air return channel (22) and the air intake cavity (24). The air intake cavity (24) is divided into two or more than two independent air intake chambers (21) by one or more than one air intake partition boards (11). A heater (9) is disposed in each air intake chamber (21), and a hot air generator (2), a diffuser fan cover (3), a high temperature and high efficient filter (4) and a temperature probe (5) are disposed sequentially in each air intake chamber (21) from top to bottom. Air return partition boards (15) are arranged in the air return channel (22), corresponding to the air intake partition boards (11). The air return channel (22) is divided into two or more than two air return cavities (23) by the air return partition boards (15).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: Truking Technology Limited
    Inventors: Dayu Cai, Zhigao Ning, Bo Yi, Zanming Zhu, Zhen Liu, Yue Tang
  • Patent number: 8726537
    Abstract: In a method and equipment for continuous sintering of pelletized mineral material, a partition wall (7, 8) arranged between two adjacent cooling chambers (4, 5; 5, 6) is in the height direction placed at a distance from the pellet bed (2), so that in between the partition wall (7, 8) and pellet bed (2), there is left a gap (s) that allows gas to flow between two adjacent cooling chambers (4, 5; 5; 6) through the gap (s) in order to equalize the pressure between the cooling chambers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: Outotec Oyj
    Inventor: Marko Palander
  • Patent number: 8720082
    Abstract: An improved desolventizer toaster and methods are provided wherein a solvent vapor recycle system may be employed to recycle solvent vapor throughout a portion of the desolventizer portion of the apparatus housing. In other embodiments of the invention, a water vapor recycle system may be employed to recycle water vapor throughout a portion of the toaster portion of the apparatus housing. The solvent vapor recycle system may comprise an appropriate meal dust separator, blower and superheater. The water vapor recycle system may comprise an appropriate ejector or blower and superheater. Water vapor recovered in the solvent extraction process may be used as a water vapor feed to the heated water vapor recycling system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: Desmet Ballestra North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Timothy G. Kemper, Marc Kellens, Philippe Van Doosselaere
  • Patent number: 8713814
    Abstract: A shower drying system directs air downwardly onto the walls, surfaces and/or shower curtain of a shower enclosure. In one embodiment, the air is heated. The movement of the air in the downward direction helps urge droplets of water on the shower surface towards a drain at the lower level of the shower enclosure. Remaining water on the surfaces is evaporated into water vapor that is exhausted from above the shower enclosure, thereby reducing mold and mildew.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2014
    Inventor: Josh Martin
  • Patent number: 8713813
    Abstract: The industrial tumble dryer comprises a casing (1) enclosing a drum (2) to contain the clothes to be dried by means of drying air introduced into it, a low-pressure chamber (3) to extract drying air from the drum (2) and a filtering device (4) interposed in the low-pressure chamber (3). The filtering device (4) comprises a filtering element (5), means to detach fuzz from said filtering element (5) and a build-up enclosure (6) to collect the detached fuzz. In the casing (1) there is an opening (7) communicated with the build-up enclosure (6) and configured to receive a suction nozzle (8a) of an external suction device (8) to remove the fluff from the build-up enclosure (6) through suction without the need to remove the filtering element (5) or to access it.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2014
    Assignee: GIRBAU, S.A.
    Inventor: Ramon Sans Rovira
  • Patent number: 8707579
    Abstract: In a method for operating an adsorption dryer, a process air flow, generated by at least one blower, is routed at least at times through an adsorption apparatus and over a textile goods in care during a textile care process in a “dry” operating mode to thereby charge a reversibly dehydratable adsorbent of the adsorption apparatus with moisture. A charge state of the adsorbent with water is detected and is displayed at least after the end of the “drying” textile care process. The absorbent is desorbed at least in part during a subsequent, selected and started textile care process in a “refresh” operating mode, and the desorbed moisture is routed as a moist process air flow into a receptacle for refreshing textile goods which are stored or hung in a stationary manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2014
    Assignee: BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeraete GmbH
    Inventors: Frank Kohlrusch, Ulf Müller, Andreas Stolze
  • Patent number: 8707576
    Abstract: A tableware sterilizing and drying apparatus of the present invention includes a rotatable base plate, several frames, and a fixation wheel. The frames have rotatable members, which are revolved by rotation of the base plate, and rotated by engagement or contaction of the fixation wheel. Thus, the rotatable member is provided for tableware to be placed thereon. The tableware is then brought drying and sterilizing with flipping motion. Surface of the tableware can be fully dried and sterilized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2014
    Assignee: Yang Yih Machinery Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Wei-Cheng Lin
  • Patent number: 8707580
    Abstract: A dryer having an improved automatic dryness detection circuit is provided. Wet clothing in the dryer bin contacts a sensor and causes a pulse to be sent to a microcontroller if the resistance of the clothes is low enough. The microcontroller disregards pulses which are shorter than a threshold time and counts pulses which are longer than a threshold time. The microcontroller issues a termination signal if the rate of pulses is lower than a threshold rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2014
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics, Inc.
    Inventor: Thomas L. Hopkins
  • Patent number: 8707581
    Abstract: A laundry treating machine includes a casing (1) accommodating therein a laundry container (6) and a basement portion (14). The basement portion (14) has seats (18A-18F) adapted to receive machine operational devices (5) and further provides at least one air path. The at least one air path extends over two levels of the basement (14) at different height, and a conveyor (21, 40) is provided for reversing the air path from one of the levels to the other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2014
    Assignee: Electrolux Home Products Corporation N.V.
    Inventors: Alessandro Vian, Deborah Palazzin, Fabio Pasut
  • Patent number: 8707577
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention include an adjustable hairdryer permitting a user to rotate and vertically adjust the barrel portion of a hand-holdable dryer. Embodiments of the invention disclose ball-and-socket and disc joint couplings between a hairdryer barrel and handle. Embodiment linkage apparatus is disclosed providing mechanical contact between the barrel and a rotatory electrical interface, permitting the barrel to be freely rotatable relative to the handle while maintaining electrical contact.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2014
    Inventors: Gary Brian Lee, Alan Heine
  • Patent number: 8707578
    Abstract: A sheet processing machine, in particular a sheet-fed printing press, includes a varnishing unit and at least one combination drier for applying radiation energy and heated air to a newly varnished sheet. The at least one combination drier includes a plurality of circular or polygonal air nozzles and narrow-band high-power infrared light sources disposed between the air nozzles. The infrared light sources apply radiation at a radiation density of at least 25 kW/m2 in total to the varnished sheet. The temperature of the heated air passing through the nozzles is below 100° C., preferably below 80° C. A method of drying sheets is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2014
    Assignee: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
    Inventors: Jochen Jung, Uwe Ernst, Rolf Müller
  • Patent number: 8701309
    Abstract: A dryer and a control method thereof, in which load of an object to be dried is detected using a sensor which has less risk of contamination and an anticipated drying time based on the detected load is accurately determined and displayed. The dryer includes a rotatable drum to accommodate the object, a front support installed at an entrance of the drum to support the drum, a rear support installed at an opposite side of the entrance of the drum to support the drum, an exhaust hole formed in the front support, through which interior air of the drum is discharged, and a humidity sensor installed to the front support at a position adjacent to the exhaust hole, the humidity sensor being located upstream of the exhaust hole in a rotating direction of the drum to detect humidity of the air to be introduced into the exhaust hole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2014
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hee Beom Park, Phil Soo Chang, Hyung Woo Lee