Patents Examined by Thomas Bucci
  • Patent number: 11352734
    Abstract: Provided is a circulating and filtering device of a washing machine, including a circulating pump assembly, where the circulating pump assembly includes an intake water cavity and a circulating water cavity that is in communication with the intake water cavity; and a filtering assembly disposed in the intake water cavity and rotatably connected to the circulating pump assembly, where the filtering assembly includes a blade and an inner cavity, where the inner cavity is in communication with the circulating water cavity, so that water in the intake water cavity is filtered by the filtering assembly and enters the circulating water cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2022
    Assignees: QINGDAO JIAONAN HAIER WASHING MACHINE CO., LTD., HAIER SMART HOME CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Zhiqiang Zhao, Sheng Xu, Peishi Lv
  • Patent number: 11344925
    Abstract: An apparatus for cleaning game, vegetables, fruit, fish or crustacea in a container has a pipe with a first and second portion, and a connector connected to the pipe. The second portion extends generally transverse to the first portion. The second portion has a plurality of apertures formed through the wall thereof. The apertures direct the flow of water in a cyclonic path in the container. The connector is adapted to connect with a water hose or water conduit so as to introduce water into and through the pipe. The first portion of the pipe extends generally vertically and the second portion of the pipe extends generally horizontally.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2022
    Inventor: Tim McDonald
  • Patent number: 11332869
    Abstract: A clothes-processing apparatus is disclosed. The clothes-processing apparatus may have a cabinet defining an external appearance of the apparatus. The clothes-processing apparatus may also have a tub body provided inside the cabinet to accommodate water. Further, the clothes-processing apparatus may have a tub cover coupled to the tub body. The tub cover may have an opening through which laundry is introduced. The clothes-processing apparatus may have a drum rotatably provided inside the tub to accommodate laundry. The clothes-processing apparatus may also have a plurality of cleaning nozzles provided at the tub to spray the water toward a preset area of the drum. At least some of the plurality of cleaning nozzles may jet water at different spray angles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Sunku Kwon, Youngho Kim
  • Patent number: 11332876
    Abstract: A fabric treating appliance includes a cabinet defining an interior and having a top wall defining an access opening. A cover is provided that is movable relative to the cabinet between an open position and a closed position to selectively close the access opening. A tub is located within the interior and includes and open top aligned with the access opening. A rotatable basket is located within the tub and has a loading opening aligned with the open top and the access opening. A top wall extends between the cabinet and the tub.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
    Inventor: Scott E. Carpenter
  • Patent number: 11332872
    Abstract: Provided is a drum washing machine. The drum washing machine, which is provided with a rotating body on the rear a drum, is able to smoothly switch between a first form in which the drum and the rotating body rotate independently and a second form in which the drum and the rotating body rotate integrally. When switching from a biaxial driving form to a uniaxial driving form and vice versa, a control part rotates a rotor clockwise and anticlockwise in a manner of taking a reverse action 1 and a reverse action 2 during the operation of a torque motor, i.e., during an action of moving a clutch body by virtue of a moving mechanism. The reverse action 1 includes an action of stopping the rotor rotating clockwise direction, and the reverse action 2 includes an action of stopping the rotor rotating anticlockwise.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignees: QINGDAO HAIER WASHING MACHINE CO., LTD, AQUA CO., LTD
    Inventors: Masanori Yoneda, Harumi Takeuchi
  • Patent number: 11313069
    Abstract: A stain removal accessory that cooperates with a stain removal device for treating a stained area is attached to a front head of the stain removal device, namely to a water and/or steam venting face of the stain removal device. The stain removal accessory includes a container like a pad, a cartridge, a sachet, or a capsule provided with a permeable external layer, for containing a stain removing material, and a flap-flip piece including a holder for holding the container, whereby the stain removal accessory is adapted to release the stain removing material on the stained area when cooperating with the stain removal device by facing a flow of water and/or steam generated by the stain removal device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2022
    Assignee: KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V.
    Inventors: Kannan Udayappan Praveen, Yile Liao, Shenghuai Calvin Lin, Chien-Ping Adrian Koh, Lihong Zhao, Yong Jiang
  • Patent number: 11293132
    Abstract: A laundry apparatus including a cabinet; a first space provided in the cabinet, in which a first treating part provided to treat laundry is installed; a second space provided in the cabinet, in which a second treating part provided to treat laundry is installed; a drawer movably provided in the second space, in which the second treating part is installed; and a rail unit configured to limit vertical and horizontal movement of the drawer with respect to the second space and to guide the outward movement of the drawer. Therefore, laundry may be treated by using the first and second treating parts and vibration and noise generated in the second treating part may be reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Sungryong Kim, Dongwon Kim, Kyeonghwan Kim, Heakyung Yoo, Youngmin Kim
  • Patent number: 11293131
    Abstract: A major appliance such as a laundry washing machine, a dryer, a cooking appliance or a dishwasher includes an internal steam generator fluidly coupled to a hand held steam accessory that is configured to be manually operated to perform a steaming operation external to the cabinet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: MIDEA GROUP CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Christopher Hoppe, Daniel Trice
  • Patent number: 11284772
    Abstract: In a method for operating a dishwasher, in particular a domestic dishwasher, items to be washed arranged in an interior of the dishwasher are washed during a wash program. A quantity of a specific gas in the interior is determined during the wash program, and a hygiene program is started and/or a notification is outputted to a user of the dishwasher relating to a start of the hygiene program as a function of the determined quantity of the specific gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Assignee: BSH Hausgeräte GmbH
    Inventors: Alfredo Calvimontes, Kai Paintner
  • Patent number: 11286849
    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: June 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Bernard Patrick Bewlay, Waseem Ibrahim Faidi, Peter William Lorraine, Mohamed Ahmed Ali, Siavash Yazdanfar, Ying Fan, Edward James Nieters, David Mills, Nicole Jessica Tibbetts, Jr.
  • Patent number: 11286424
    Abstract: Systems and methods for safe on-line pigging decoking of a coker furnace tubes and which also permits on-line spalling operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Assignee: BECHTEL ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES & SOLUTIONS, INC.
    Inventors: Brian Doerksen, John Ward, Rick Heniford, Scott Alexander, Richard Von Brecht, Jorge Gonzalez
  • Patent number: 11279325
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a sensor lens defining an axis, a first nozzle and a second nozzle positioned a same perpendicular direction from the axis and spaced along a direction parallel to the axis, and an air source fluidly connected to the nozzles. The nozzles are oriented to emit respective airstreams intersecting the axis and directed apart at an acute angle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignees: Ford Global Technologies, LLC, Valeo North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Andre Sykula, Venkatesh Krishnan, Segundo Baldovino, Steven Marshall, Michael Whitney
  • Patent number: 11264262
    Abstract: The present disclosure, in some embodiments, relates to a debonding and cleaning apparatus. The apparatus has a debonding module configured to separate semiconductor substrates from carrier substrates. A first cleaning module is configured to clean surfaces of a first plurality of the semiconductor substrates and a second cleaning module is configured to clean surfaces of a second plurality of the semiconductor substrates. The apparatus also has a first substrate handling module including a first robotic arm in communication with the debonding module and a second substrate handling module including a second robotic arm that is located between the first cleaning module and the second cleaning module. The second substrate handling module is configured to transfer the first plurality of the semiconductor substrates to first cleaning module and to transfer the second plurality of the semiconductor substrates to the second cleaning module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Wen-Chih Chiou, Yu-Liang Lin, Hung-Jung Tu
  • Patent number: 11225742
    Abstract: A method of washing fabric articles in a continuous batch tunnel washer, comprises providing a continuous batch tunnel washer having an interior, an intake, a discharge, and a plurality of modules that segment the interior. Fabric articles are moved from the intake to the discharge and through the modules in sequence. One or more modules define a wash zone for washing the fabric articles. One or more of the modules are rinse modules that have a perforated scoop. Some of the modules do not have a perforated scoop. After washing fabric articles, the fabric articles can be rinsed by counter flowing liquid in the washer interior at spaced apart modules and along a flow path that is generally opposite the direction of travel of the fabric articles from the intake to the discharge. Velocity rinsing can also replace a continuous counter flow. To improve rinsing and washing, one or more modules may be dilution zone modules, which receives a flow stream from the rinsing modules via a booster pump.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2022
    Assignee: PELLERIN MILNOR CORPORATION
    Inventor: Russell H. Poy
  • Patent number: 11220773
    Abstract: A laundry treating appliance and a method operating a laundry treating appliance having a dye sensor configured to output a signal indicative of the amount of dye within liquid in the treating chamber, a controller having a memory in which is stored a set of executable instructions including at least one user-selectable cycle of operation, and a user interface operably coupled with the controller and providing an input and output function for the controller and provide information related to a dye release.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
    Inventors: Farhad Ashrafzadeh, Claudio Civanelli, Sarah E. Ihne
  • Patent number: 11214907
    Abstract: A combined washing and drying machine is disclosed, including a roller, a condenser, a drying duct, a water inlet device and a drainage device. Hot and humid air inlet of the condenser is connected with the roller, dry air outlet of the condenser is connected with air inlet of the drying duct, and air outlet of the drying duct is connected with the roller to form a cycle wind path. The condenser inputs condensed water through the water inlet device, and discharges the condensed water after heat exchange through the drainage device, and a plurality of water outlet holes are distributed in the water inlet device. The combined washing and drying machine is capable of cleaning clothing and drying clothing, thereby avoiding the need of manually and repeatedly accessing the clothing, and it is thus very convenient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: TCL HOME APPLIANCES (HEFEI) CO Ltd.
    Inventors: Wengen Xu, Benyang Bian, Tianyu Cui, Lin Zhang
  • Patent number: 11203830
    Abstract: A delivery device includes: a detergent container having a flow space and a withdrawal space, the flow space having a first inlet, a second inlet, a water inlet and a liquid outlet; a dispenser provided in the withdrawal space and capable of being pushed into and pulled out of the withdrawal space, the dispenser having two placing cavities spaced apart from each other, and each placing cavity having a delivery opening and a liquid discharge channel; and a pump having two inflow openings and two outflow openings. The two inflow openings are connected with the two liquid discharge channels respectively. The two outflow openings are connected with the first inlet and the second inlet respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2021
    Assignee: WUXI LITTLE SWAN ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Haifeng Wang, Chanwi Park, Fei Peng, Wei Zhou, Yihua Zhou, Lei Fan, Haixu Jiang
  • Patent number: 11192149
    Abstract: Methods of cleaning a surface with an assembly comprise (i) delivering cleaning fluid to a first portion of a cleaning fabric and/or a first region of the surface; (ii) engaging the first region with the first portion and moving the first portion in a predefined motion; (iii) disengaging the first portion from the first region; (iv) replacing the first portion with a second portion of the cleaning fabric; (v) engaging the first region with the second portion and moving the second portion in a predefined motion; (vi) disengaging the second portion from the first region; (vii) replacing the second portion with a third portion of the cleaning fabric; (viii) moving the assembly relative to the surface and/or moving the surface relative to the assembly; and (ix) repeating steps (i)-(viii) with respect to a second region of the surface and with the third portion and a fourth portion of the cleaning fabric.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Jeffery P. Swanberg, Kevin Michael Bell
  • Patent number: 11192152
    Abstract: A compact versatile cell-type cleaning device and cell-type drying device is provided. A cleaning apparatus includes: a cover having a loading port formed on a wall surface of a cleaning chamber, and an unloading port formed on a wall surface of a drying chamber; a partition plate having an intermediate transfer port for dividing into the cleaning chamber and the drying chamber; an intermediate door that opens and closes the intermediate transfer port; a turntable disposed inside the drying chamber and having a first gripping device that grips an object, and a moving device having a gripping device that grips the object through a loading port, cleans the object inside the cleaning chamber while gripping the object, and moves the object to the turntable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: SUGINO MACHINE LIMITED
    Inventors: Daisuke Kunitomo, Toyoaki Mitsue, Toyohiro Yamauchi, Atsushi Kohama, Atsushi Yoshida
  • Patent number: 11167323
    Abstract: Disclosed is a portable and self-contained washing and sanitizing apparatus. The apparatus finds particular application in washing small baby items such as bottles, nipples, teething rings or toys. The apparatus includes a container with a lid, the container housing the items to be washed; an accessory holder connected to the lid for holding infant accessories during washing operations; a water reservoir for storing and collecting wash water; and a housing for interconnecting the container and reservoir.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2021
    Assignee: Hillsborough Bay Group, LLC
    Inventor: Ellen Semans