Patents Examined by Steven S Anderson, II
  • Patent number: 11958341
    Abstract: A vehicular air-conditioning apparatus includes a photocatalytic module in which light is radiated on a photocatalytic filter to sterilize the photocatalytic filter. In particular, vehicular air-conditioning apparatus incudes: a duct to allow conditioned air to flow therethrough; the photocatalytic filter mounted in the duct and coated with a photocatalytic material to remove harmful substances in reaction to light energy; and a rotation unit rotatably mounted in the duct. In particular, the rotation unit is provided with a light source to radiate light toward the photocatalytic filter. When the rotation unit is rotated, a position of the light source is changed in a rotational direction of the rotation unit such that the light is radiated on the photocatalytic filter over an increased range. Thus, a filter sterilization effect is improved over the entire area of the photocatalytic filter with reduced number of light sources.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignees: HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY, KIA MOTORS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jae Seung Lee, Gee Young Shin, Dae Hee Lee, Dong Ho Kwon, Seung Sik Han, Myung Hoe Kim
  • Patent number: 11959633
    Abstract: A steam supply system having a wet steam source and a steam separator disposed to separated wet steam into dry saturated steam and a saturated condensate. The dry saturated steam is heated in a superheater to produce superheated steam, while the saturated condensate is cooled in a subcooler to produced subcooled condensate with a target temperature selected to prevent immediate evaporation of the subcooled condensate when mixed with the superheated steam. The subcooled condensate is sprayed into a stream of superheated steam using spray nozzles and gradually evaporates downstream of the spray nozzles to produce process steam of a desired % quality. A cooling fluid passing through the subcooler is utilized to cool the saturated condensate. The flow rate of the cooling fluid through the subcooler can be utilized to achieve process steam of a desired % quality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: En-Fab Inc.
    Inventors: Thanneeru D. Rao, Mayur Borad, Abdulla Khalifa Khamis Al Hinai, Dane Anderson
  • Patent number: 11953196
    Abstract: A steam supply system includes a steam generator disposed to produce wet steam for introduction into a steam separator. The steam separator includes a saturated condensate outlet. A superheater receives dry saturated steam from the steam separator and produces superheated steam. An evaporator with an evaporator vessel having a saturated condensate inlet, a soluble solids slurry outlet and a dry steam outlet is in fluid communication with the saturated condensate outlet of the steam separator. Disposed within the evaporator vessel is a superheated steam heat exchanger having a superheated steam outlet and a superheated steam inlet which superheated steam inlet is in fluid communication with the superheater to receive superheated steam. The dry steam outlet of the evaporator is in fluid communication with a steam mixing vessel where the dry steam is mixed with superheated steam from the superheated steam outlet of the heat exchanger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: En-Fab Inc.
    Inventors: Thanneeru D. Rao, Mayur Borad, Abdulla Khalifa Khamis Al Hinai, Dane Anderson
  • Patent number: 11946668
    Abstract: A system for heating up water for a consumer unit in an aircraft, having a water reservoir and a control unit. The water reservoir has a heating device to heat water held in the water reservoir to a consumer temperature. The control unit controls the heating device so water in the water reservoir is automatically heated to or above a disinfection temperature at which germ formation in the water reservoir is eliminated or suppressed, and a temperature of the water in the water reservoir is maintained at or above the disinfection temperature for a disinfection period, the heating to the disinfection temperature being effected only during flight phases or portions of flight phases of the aircraft during which use of the consumer unit by a user is not to be expected. A corresponding method and an aircraft having such a system are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH
    Inventors: Michael Rempe, Frederik Albers, Frank Schneider, Axel Schreiner, Tim Lübbert
  • Patent number: 11946695
    Abstract: An apparatus and a method of firing a unit cell for a solid oxide fuel cell performs pre-sintering and main sintering using a single apparatus by adjusting a height of a setter to apply pressure. The pressure prevents warping.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: LG CHEM, LTD.
    Inventors: Curie Park, Eun Yong Park, Dong Oh Shin, Kwangwook Choi
  • Patent number: 11938473
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device for the thermal or thermo-chemical treatment, more particularly calcination, of material (12), more particularly battery cathode material (14), comprising a housing (16), in which a process space (20) is located. The material (12), or carrying structures (40) loaded with the material (12), can be conveyed in a conveying direction (30) into or through the process space (20) by means of a conveying system (28). A process space atmosphere (50) prevailing in the process space (20) can be heated by means of a heating system (48). There is a process gas system (64), by means of which a process gas (66) can be fed to the process space (20), said process gas being required for the thermal treatment of the material (12).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: ONEJOON GMBH
    Inventors: Arian Esfehanian, Peter Vervoort, Michael Neubauer
  • Patent number: 11933521
    Abstract: A hot water supply device includes a combustion part, a combustion fan, a heat exchange part, a water supply part, a hot water discharge part, and a control part. In the hot water supply device, in a pre-purge step of a heating operation, the presence or absence of a disturbance factor is determined based on rotational responsiveness and deviation of the combustion fan with respect to a scavenging rotation speed. When there is no disturbance factor, in an ignition step, detection of a failure sign is performed based on responsiveness and deviation of the combustion fan with respect to an ignition rotation speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: NORITZ CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshihiko Hamagami, Hideyuki Okada, Kenta Yamanishi, Hisataka Hayase, Kazuhiro Nishimura
  • Patent number: 11920830
    Abstract: A tool and method clean and drain a water heater tank, removing water and sediment from the tank. An insert tube fits through the hot water outlet port to reach the bottom of the tank interior. A fitting connects the insert tube to a hose extending down the outside of the tank to the floor/ground to a drain or container that is lower than the bottom of the tank interior. After priming the tool by using the cold water inlet flow to fill the tool with water and sediment, the cold water inlet is disconnected from the water heater, venting the tank so that water and sediment are siphoned out of the tank through the tool to empty the tank. The tool and method work without unplugging or disconnecting a clogged water heater drain line, without using a compressor or pump, and without creating a wet, messy environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Inventor: Russell Dwayne Mcnally
  • Patent number: 11906246
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an organic film forming apparatus includes a chamber configured to maintain an atmosphere more reduced than an atmospheric pressure, at least one processing room provided inside the chamber and being surrounded by a cover, and an exhaust part configured to exhaust the inside the chamber. The processing room includes an upper heating part including first heaters, a lower heating part including second heaters, and facing the upper heating part, an upper heat equalizing plate provided on the lower heating part side of the upper heating part, a lower heat equalizing plate provided on the upper heating part side of the lower heating part, and workpiece supporters configured to support a workpiece through a gap between the upper and lower heat equalizing plates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: SHIBAURA MECHATRONICS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yukinobu Nishibe, Akinori Iso, Keigo Oomori, Takashi Takahashi
  • Patent number: 11906174
    Abstract: A hot water delivery system includes a water heater, a mixing valve that is coupled to the output of the water heater, and a plurality of loads that are coupled to the output of the mixing valve. A load set point temperature of each load that is representative of a maximum temperature of the hot water that is to be delivered to the respective load is set by a user. Responsive to detecting the occurrence of an event associated with a load of the plurality of loads, a controller of the water heater controls the mixing valve to adjust the temperature of the hot water from the water heater to the load set point temperature associated with the load, provided the load set point temperature of the load is different from a water heater set point temperature at which the water heater maintains the hot water therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: Rheem Manufacturing Company
    Inventors: Robert Aaron Oglesbee, Matthew S. Wasson
  • Patent number: 11892198
    Abstract: A water heater system includes a water tank and a flow-through heating assembly. The water tank contains heated water. The flow-through heating assembly may extend into the water tank and heats water as water is passed through an interior channel of the flow-through heating assembly. In one embodiment, the flow through heater assembly is a thermosiphonic heater having a hollow body and a heating element extending therein such that an annular recess is defined between an interior surface of the hollow body and the external surface of the heating element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignee: NATIONAL MACHINE COMPANY
    Inventor: Ronald Shaffer
  • Patent number: 11892013
    Abstract: A blower assembly includes a blower shelf having a first support channel. The blower shelf includes a guide bracket coupled to the blower shelf to form a second support channel. A blower housing having a flange is configured to extend into the first support channel and the second support channel. The blower assembly includes a control mounting panel configured to couple to the blower housing and having a tab extending therefrom. The flange of the blower housing is configured to engage with the first support channel and the second support channel during transition of the blower housing along a first direction and into an installed configuration of the blower housing and during transition of the blower housing along a second direction, opposite the first direction, and into an uninstalled configuration of the blower housing. The tab abuts the guide bracket in the installed configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignee: Johnson Controls Tyco IP Holdings LLP
    Inventors: Madhuka Manuranga Jayarathne, Rohan Sham Bhuse, Lanson Delos Owen, II, Austin Jacob Skaggs
  • Patent number: 11885531
    Abstract: A fluid heating system including a burner unit is operated based on feedback control loops. The fluid heating system comprises a burner unit configured to heat a fluid, a sensor configured to sense a characteristic of the appliance, and a controller coupled to the burner unit and the sensor. The controller includes an electronic processor and a memory. The controller is configured to receive a first signal corresponding to the characteristic from the sensor, determine, based on the first signal, a first feedback loop control, control combustion of the burner unit based on the first feedback loop control, determine, based on the first feedback loop control, a second feedback loop control, and control combustion of the burner unit based on the second feedback loop control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: A. O. Smith Corporation
    Inventors: Curtis George Gagne, Yonggon Lee, Brian Thomas Branecky, Barry Anthony Collins, Daniel Mitchell, Mohamed Mehdi Doura
  • Patent number: 11872629
    Abstract: A pressing arrangement includes a pressure vessel comprising a furnace chamber. The furnace chamber comprises a load compartment arranged within the furnace chamber. The furnace chamber comprises at least one pressure medium guiding passage in fluid communication with the load compartment to form an inner convection loop, wherein pressure medium in the inner convection loop is guided through the load compartment and through the at least one pressure medium guiding passage and back to the load compartment, or vice versa. The pressure vessel comprises at least one adjustable throttle configured to selectively impede or obstruct pressure medium flow in at least a portion of the at least one pressure medium guiding passage, thereby selectively selectively impeding or obstructing a flow of pressure medium in the inner convection loop.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: Quintus Technologies AB
    Inventors: Per Burstrom, Magnus Byggnevi, Stefan Gustafsson
  • Patent number: 11867463
    Abstract: A roller for a roller hearth furnace, the roller including a water-cooled, rotatably mounted carrying axle on which a plurality of support rings are arranged at a spacing from one another. In the axial region between and next to the support rings, the carrying axle is provided with insulation composed of a fiber material and configured with protection of the outer circumference of the fiber material from the environment. In the case of insulation constructed from ring-shaped punched parts, the insulation arranged in the axial region between and next to the support rings is composed of circular or ring-shaped punched fiber parts. The protection is configured as ring-shaped insulating disks composed of a more resistant material than that of the punched fiber parts, and at least one punched fiber part is provided in each case between two insulating disks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: SMS GROUP GMBH
    Inventors: Björn Kintscher, Karl Hoen, Markus Pieper
  • Patent number: 11865896
    Abstract: A vehicle air vent system includes a dashboard defining an air vent opening. An air register assembly is disposed within the air vent opening of the dashboard. The air register assembly includes a frame and a vane rotatably coupled to the frame. An imager is coupled to the dashboard. The imager captures data within a field of view. A controller is communicatively coupled to the imager and the air register assembly. The controller receives the data from the imager. The controller determines a position of an object within the field of view in response to the data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Marcos Ahuizotl Fragoso Iñiguez, Fernando Mayorga Basilio, Juan Pablo Jiménez de la Rosa
  • Patent number: 11867428
    Abstract: The present disclosure discloses a heat exchange pipe, a heat exchanger and a water heating apparatus. The heat exchange pipe comprises: a pipe body and a plurality of fins fixedly disposed to sleeve the pipe body; a flow guiding structure is provided at a partial outer edge of the fin; and a flow guiding flue is formed between the flow guiding structure and an outer wall of the pipe body. The heat exchange pipe, the heat exchanger and the water heating apparatus provided by the present disclosure can improve the flue gas flow path and the heat exchange efficiency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: A.O. Smith Corporation
    Inventors: Xiang Gao, Dian Fang, Xiaowei Zhou
  • Patent number: 11859867
    Abstract: A premixed low-nitrogen gas boiler is provided, which includes a reversed flow-swirl mixer being opposite mixing of natural gas and air. A flow deflector is arranged at a gas mixture outlet of the reversed flow-swirl mixer. An upper flow equalizing plate and a lower flow equalizing plate are arranged below the flow deflector, the upper flow equalizing plate is positioned above the lower flow equalizing plate, and a channel for enhancing mixing of gas mixture is formed between the upper flow equalizing plate and the lower flow equalizing plate. A comb-shaped water-cooled burner is arranged at the rear end of the lower flow equalizing plate, a combustion chamber is arranged at the rear end of the comb-shaped water-cooled burner, hearth tube bundles are arranged in a ladder-shaped convergent hearth, and the hearth tube bundles form an inner loop with a working medium water-steam mixture in a hearth water tank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignees: Xi'an Jiaotong University, Henan Yuanda Boiler Corporation Ltd
    Inventors: Yanqing Niu, Mao Tian, Jun Zhao, Hongzhong Liu
  • Patent number: 11859865
    Abstract: Various implementations include a hot water heating system having a spine and two or more water heating units. The spine includes a top surface defining one or more top openings, two or more coupling areas, and cold water, hot water, and fuel manifolds. One or more top openings provide access to a cold water manifold inlet, a hot water manifold outlet, and a fuel manifold inlet. At least one of the coupling areas is located above another coupling area when the spine is oriented with the top surface facing upwardly. The water heating units are coupled to coupling areas such that a cold water inlet of the unit is fluidically coupled to the cold water manifold outlet, a hot water outlet of the unit is fluidically coupled to the hot water manifold inlet, and a fuel inlet of the unit is fluidically coupled to the fuel manifold outlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: Rinnai America Corporation
    Inventors: Rahul Natwar Goyal, Dennis Ryan McMichael, Jr.
  • Patent number: 11852413
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a tempering furnace for a glass sheet, which has a conveyor for the glass sheet, first convection blow means over the conveyor to heat the glass sheet by hot air jets blown on its top and/or bottom surface, and second convection blow means to help lead pressurized air from outside the tempering furnace to second blow nozzles from which air is discharged as jets towards the top and/or bottom surface of the glass sheet. The heating effect of the air jets on the glass sheet is adjustable by adjusting the feeding of electric current to electric elements inside blowing channels. Blow nozzles of the second convection blow means form blow zones. The heating effect on the glass sheet of the jets discharged from the second blow nozzles inside the blow zones is adjustable by adjusting the blowing pressure of feed pipes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: GLASTON FINLAND OY
    Inventors: Jukka Vehmas, Kyösti Keto