Patents Examined by Steve McAllister
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Patent number: 9332678Abstract: A system is provided for containing cold air in a corridor created on the side of a computer cabinet, comprising a base mountable on the computer cabinet, and a panel fastened to the base and moveable with respect to the base, the panel being suitable for separating the cold air in the corridor below the panel from the hot air above the panel.Type: GrantFiled: June 16, 2011Date of Patent: May 3, 2016Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATIONInventor: Jean-Michel Rodriguez
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Patent number: 8136643Abstract: In a locomotive having a dynamic braking capability, a method for maintaining an airflow path to a resistive grid disposed within a resistive grid enclosure having an enclosure inlet and an enclosure outlet is provided, wherein the method includes generating an inlet airflow into the enclosure inlet, creating a heated inlet airflow by associating the inlet airflow with the resistive grid such that the inlet airflow absorbs heat generated by the resistive grid, directing the heated inlet airflow toward the enclosure outlet to generate a heated outlet airflow, redirecting at least a portion of the heated outlet airflow to be thermally associated with a structural portion of the enclosure inlet such that the temperature of the structural portion of the enclosure inlet is increased above a predetermined temperature to reduce blockage of the enclosure inlet by snow and recirculating the redirected heated outlet airflow with ambient air being drawn into the resistive grid enclosure.Type: GrantFiled: April 14, 2010Date of Patent: March 20, 2012Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Gregory Alan Marsh, Theodore Clark Brown, Ajith Kuttannair Kumar
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Patent number: 8087979Abstract: An enclosure is provided for housing electronic equipment that accommodates the different cooling and ventilating requirements of different types of equipment. The enclosure is constructed and arranged to support cooling airflow in a front-to-back configuration through the enclosure and in a side-to-side configuration from one side to an opposite side of the enclosure. The enclosure can thereby provide within a single enclosure means cooling air for components using front-to-back airflow for cooling, such as information technology (IT) equipment, and for components using side-to-side airflow, such as certain types of telecommunications equipment. The enclosure can thereby support a mix of IT and telecommunications equipment, providing flexibility and adaptability in network room and data center configuration. The enclosure is further configured to separate intake air used by equipment for cooling from exhaust air vented by equipment into its interior during operation.Type: GrantFiled: April 11, 2006Date of Patent: January 3, 2012Assignee: American Power Conversion CorporationInventor: Neil Rasmussen
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Patent number: 8079898Abstract: An energy efficient and quiet air cooling system for a building structure is provided. The air cooling system includes an evaporator system mounted in the wall of the building, a remotely mounted fan, an air intake, and a sound and heat insulating duct. The fan is mounted in the attic and configured to draw air from the living area of the building through the sound insulating duct with sufficient power to create a negative static pressure in the living area. The negative static pressure in turn causes outside air to flow through the evaporator system which removes heat from the outside air. The cooled air is in turn drawn into the building and pulled into the attic through the duct and expelled through the attic. The fan expels warm air into the attic, creating a positive pressure environment which causes the warm air to be expelled from the attic through natural vents.Type: GrantFiled: September 2, 2008Date of Patent: December 20, 2011Assignee: QC Manufacturing, Inc.Inventor: Dana Charles Stevenson
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Patent number: 8075375Abstract: A method and apparatus for balancing an HVAC system. The method involves using a plate which is circular in shape and has four inner cut-out portions which are capable of being manually removed by an operating engineer. To reduce flow to a minimum, all four rings are left on the plate. To allow a progressively greater amount of air flow, more rings are removed from the circular plate. Such enables the equalization of the various rooms in an HVAC system without the addition of costly upstream dampers. The circular plate is attached to a duct via four small protruding ear elements.Type: GrantFiled: June 29, 2007Date of Patent: December 13, 2011Inventor: John T. Kegley
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Patent number: 8047905Abstract: A building structure includes means to utilize solar radiation to heat the building structure during relatively cold ambient environmental conditions and to cool the building structure during relatively hot ambient environmental conditions. The building structure includes chambered wall and floor constructions having integral heat sink masses. These integral heat sink masses provide for radiation of heat when air temperature in an interior space of the building structure is below a temperature of the heat sink masses and for absorption of heat when the air temperature in the interior space of the building structure is above a temperature of the heat sink masses. A flow of thermally treated air to the heat sink masses serves to regulate the temperature of the heat sink masses.Type: GrantFiled: March 22, 2006Date of Patent: November 1, 2011Inventors: Steve Eugene Everett, Jay Dean Everett
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Patent number: 8043147Abstract: A vitreous system of the invention is provided for use particularly as windowpanes of a car or the like vehicle, and is always kept clean over its whole surface. A multi-layer vitreous body ‘A’ forming the system is composed of an outside glass plate (1), an inside glass plate (2) and a stratified air space (3) defined between the inside and outside plates. A number of jetting orifices (1a) are formed to penetrate the outside plate (1), and a compressor (5) is connected through a piping (4) to the air space (3) so as to charge it with a compressed air, so that this air is blown out through the orifices (1a).Type: GrantFiled: June 20, 2007Date of Patent: October 25, 2011Assignee: Nakai Komuten Co., Ltd.Inventor: Akihiro Nakai
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Patent number: 8033899Abstract: A cabin for a work vehicle comprises: a driver's seat positioned within the cabin; cabin frames including at least a transverse frame located in a rear region of the cabin; a roof supported by at least some of the cabin frames; at least one air-conditioning duct located within the roof; an air conditioning unit located rearwardly with respect to a rearward end of a seat portion of the driver's seat and adjacent the transverse frame for conditioning air and for feeding air-conditioned air into the at least one air-conditioning duct.Type: GrantFiled: March 8, 2006Date of Patent: October 11, 2011Assignee: Kubota CorporationInventors: Nobushige Ichikawa, Shota Nagasawa, Daisuke Inaba, Hisao Mukai, Aya Motoki, Kenichi Sato
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Patent number: 8029343Abstract: A battery pack cooling and body pressure relief system for a vehicle having a passenger cabin is disclosed. The system may include an intake air flow duct connected between the passenger cabin and the battery pack, and an air flow duct connected between the exhaust air outlet and the body pressure relief valve. The system may include a one-way cabin pressure relief vent connected to the air flow duct and configured to selectively allow for air flow into the air flow duct, and may include a duct pressure relief vent connected to the air flow duct and configured to selectively allow for air flow out of the air flow duct into the vehicle.Type: GrantFiled: October 2, 2007Date of Patent: October 4, 2011Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations, LLCInventors: Gregory A. Major, Christopher C. Nyeholt
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Patent number: 7997963Abstract: A powder spray booth (2) with a powder recovery system having an overspray intake (18) communicating with the interior of the booth. A vertically extending duct (20) leads from the overspray intake to a powder recovery system such as, for example, a cyclone. The vertically extending duct may have doors (32) opening to the interior of the booth to provide access to the vertical duct for cleaning. The doors may have holes (120) to aspirate air from the booth interior to optimize air flow patterns within the booth. A diverter plate (26) within the booth (2) defines with the booth floor (10) a floor duct leading to the overspray intake (18). The diverter plate has apertures for allowing oversprayed powder to be collected through the plate.Type: GrantFiled: August 7, 2002Date of Patent: August 16, 2011Assignee: Nordson CorporationInventors: James Ainsworth, Louis Van Den Bergh, Luigi Perillo
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Patent number: 7988544Abstract: A vent assembly for attachment to a fluid discharge conduit of the type connected to a clothes dryer, room exhaust fan, or the like includes a mount having an opening received on the conduit and a door pivotally received by the mount. The door includes a first surface portion for covering at least a portion of the opening and a second surface portion joined to the first surface portion and extending from the door and protruding into the opening. The door is operable for displacement with respect to the opening between an open position and a closed position when engaged by a fluid flowing through the discharge conduit. The door is in the open position only after the door pivots sufficiently to move the first and second surface portions fully out of the opening, whereby birds, animals, and the like are restricted from entering the conduit.Type: GrantFiled: June 29, 2006Date of Patent: August 2, 2011Assignee: P-tec Products, Inc.Inventors: Kalvin K Vanden Bosch, Brian R Dykstra
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Patent number: 7980929Abstract: An instrument panel is provided for use in a vehicle interior. The instrument panel includes an outer surface, a vent and a step. The vent is arranged along the outer surface to direct forced air toward a specific area of a window in the vehicle. The step is formed along the outer surface of the instrument panel to promote formation of a turbulent buffer that reduces adhesion between air exiting the vent and the outer surface.Type: GrantFiled: February 6, 2007Date of Patent: July 19, 2011Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.Inventors: Chae H. An, Stefan Young
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Patent number: 7980927Abstract: A fume hood is described for use in removing material from, or inserting material into, the opening of a container. The fume hood enclosure has a floor with an opening for insertion of the upper end of the container into the enclosure. The floor includes a circumferential groove around the opening, preferably in a raised shoulder. An annular flexible membrane having an inner diameter smaller than the diameter of the opening is placed in axial alignment over the opening and the groove. A vacuum is drawn on the groove through a vacuum port to pull the section of the membrane above the groove into the groove, holding the membrane securely in place during use. If desired, a retainer can be placed in the groove above the membrane to prevent movement of the membrane in the event of a loss of vacuum.Type: GrantFiled: April 25, 2005Date of Patent: July 19, 2011Assignee: Flow Sciences, Inc.Inventor: Robert G. Price
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Patent number: 7972203Abstract: An air flow device for generating an air flow 30 across a windshield 4 of a vehicle 2, the air flow device has one or more means 10 for generating an air flow 32 located in proximity on a lateral end or side of the windshield 4, the one or more means 10 for generating an air flow 30 directs the flow of air laterally onto the windshield 4. The one or more means 10 for generating an air flow 30 has one or more fans 20 rotatable about an axis 22. Each fan 20 has a plurality of fan blades 24 for intaking air near the axis of rotation 22 of the fan blade 24, the fan blades 24 extend longitudinally having a cross section of increasing curvature to a substantially flattened unshaped terminal end 24E for directing the air flow 30 laterally. The one or more fans 20 can be driven by a single motor 25. Alternatively, each fan 20 may include a motor 25 for driving the fan blade 24.Type: GrantFiled: July 11, 2007Date of Patent: July 5, 2011Inventor: Puthalath Koroth Raghuprasad
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Patent number: 7963831Abstract: An acoustically improved cooling system is provided for an energy storage system including a battery with air from a carpeted vehicle compartment, the cooling system including: a carpet portion sufficiently spaced from a floor panel of a vehicle to define a cavity forming an air passage through which air may flow and including an air inlet opening integrally formed therein through which the air from the compartment may be drawn; a fan for circulating air from the cavity into heat exchange relationship with the battery for cooling the battery; and a vent opening connecting the cavity and the fan in air flow communication. The frame is curved above the vent opening, to force noise reflection off the curved portion of the frame. A sound absorption layer is installed underneath the curved portion of the frame for noise attenuation.Type: GrantFiled: January 29, 2007Date of Patent: June 21, 2011Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLCInventors: Hua He, Michael J. Gorman, Joseph F. Mercurio
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Patent number: 7963830Abstract: A system for directing two separate streams of air to a commercial or industrial kitchen environment. The system includes a dual airflow plenum that is normally disposed adjacent a kitchen exhaust hood. Typically one stream of air is a tempered, that is heated or cooled, and is directed through the dual airflow plenum to where it is exhausted at an area or point adjacent the exhaust hood. A second untempered, that is ambient air, air stream is directed through the same dual air flow plenum and is exhausted into an area adjacent the exhaust hood. Preferably the plenum is positioned with respect to the exhaust hood such that the outlet for the untempered air is disposed generally between the exhaust hood and the outlet for the tempered air. Moreover, the relative velocity of the two air streams is maintained or controlled such that the velocity of the tempered air stream is equal to or greater than the velocity of the untempered air stream.Type: GrantFiled: September 22, 2004Date of Patent: June 21, 2011Assignee: Captive-Aire Systems, Inc.Inventors: Robert L. Luddy, William B. Griffin, Nicolas I. Perry
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Patent number: 7927196Abstract: A louver module includes a louver module body that extends in a length-wise direction, a width-wise direction and a height-wise direction such that the length-wise direction, the width wise-direction and the height wise direction are oriented perpendicularly relative to one another. The louver module body has a plurality of air passageways extending through the louver module body generally in the width-wise direction. Each one of the plurality of air passageways has a serpentine configuration.Type: GrantFiled: July 12, 2007Date of Patent: April 19, 2011Assignee: EVAPCO, Inc.Inventors: Thomas William Bugler, III, Scott A. Nevins
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Patent number: 7914367Abstract: A fan assembly and mounting method is provided for mounting a fan within an electrical enclosure. The assembly includes a mounting assembly which houses the fan and can be removed from the exterior of the enclosure. The fan assembly also includes an interior mounting plate which can be detached from the mounting assembly to allow fan removal from the interior of the enclosure. Thus, the fan assembly allows the fan to be accessed from both the interior and exterior of the enclosure.Type: GrantFiled: September 28, 2007Date of Patent: March 29, 2011Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Paul J. Grosskreuz, Walter Zukowski
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Patent number: 7878889Abstract: A system includes a substantially sealed, substantially airtight cabinet sized for housing a vertical array of heat-producing units, the cabinet having an exterior shell and the system including an interior divider wall disposed inside the cabinet, the shell and divider wall providing an equipment chamber adapted to support the array such that the array cooperates with the shell and divider wall in use to define a first plenum, the first plenum having a first inlet defined by the divider wall for receiving a flow of cooling gas and having a first outlet defined by a plurality of openings through the array whereby the first plenum communicates with the openings in use to exhaust substantially all of the flow of cooling fluid through the openings and hence through the array, wherein the divider wall is configured to allow the first inlet to admit the gas to the first plenum in a substantially horizontal direction.Type: GrantFiled: March 17, 2009Date of Patent: February 1, 2011Assignee: American Power Conversion CorporationInventor: Tony Day
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Patent number: 7878888Abstract: An enclosure is provided for housing electronic equipment that accommodates the different cooling and ventilating requirements of different types of equipment. The enclosure is constructed and arranged to support cooling airflow in a front-to-back configuration through the enclosure and in a side-to-side configuration from one side to an opposite side of the enclosure. The enclosure can thereby provide within a single enclosure means cooling air for components using front-to-back airflow for cooling, such as information technology (IT) equipment, and for components using side-to-side airflow, such as certain types of telecommunications equipment. The enclosure can thereby support a mix of IT and telecommunications equipment, providing flexibility and adaptability in network room and data center configuration. The enclosure is further configured to separate intake air used by equipment for cooling from exhaust air vented by equipment into its interior during operation.Type: GrantFiled: August 25, 2006Date of Patent: February 1, 2011Assignee: American Power Conversion CorporationInventors: Neil Rasmussen, Mark H. Germagian, Victor P. Avelar, James Edward Donovan