Patents Examined by Thomas I. Ross
  • Patent number: 4161926
    Abstract: Method and apparatus for modulating engine parameter actuators at speeds and variety of waveforms suited for the detection and elimination of engine performance degradation due to perturbations caused by environmental changes as well as by wear in use, structural and other design limitations. An actuator is made responsive to gas pressure which is modulated by forcing gas flow through a chamber connected to the actuator. The flow enters the chamber through a variable orifice comprising a solid block with bores facing corresponding bores in a drum rotating at a speed synchronized to the engine speed. The modulation of pressure delivered, as a result, to the actuator may be controlled, by computer or manually, by controlling the relative phase between the drum and engine rotations and the pressure of gas supplying the flow through the variable orifice and the chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 1977
    Date of Patent: July 24, 1979
    Inventor: Uriel Vogel
  • Patent number: 4161308
    Abstract: A pump for injecting metered amounts of liquid into a line or a conduit, which includes a reciprocating pumping piston in a cylindrical chamber having an inlet and an outlet, both of which are controlled by check valves, wherein the pumping piston is driven by a pneumatic motor of the reciprocating type and having a cylinder in which is located a power piston that is suitably connected to the pumping piston. A switching valve assembly is provided for controlling a supply of power gas or air to the pneumatic motor and which responds to the movement of the pumping and power pistons for effecting reciprocal movement of the pistons.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 1977
    Date of Patent: July 17, 1979
    Assignee: Vapor Corporation
    Inventors: Robert R. Bell, William H. Alexander
  • Patent number: 4158530
    Abstract: A pump having two collapsible pumping chambers connected in series is coupled to a pump drive mechanism which opens and closes each chamber in a sequence that produces pumping action.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 1976
    Date of Patent: June 19, 1979
    Inventor: Robert E. Bernstein
  • Patent number: 4154558
    Abstract: An impulse pump is disclosed. In one embodiment, the impulse pump utilizes an elongate tubular outer housing which surrounds an axial passage. The axial passage is lined with a tubular resilient member. The resilient lining fits snugly against the wall of the housing except at an encircling annulus in the housing. The annulus is isolated. It is filled with a fluid material which dissociates when exposed to high temperatures as will occur in the formation of an electrical spark. An electrical spark is formed in the annulus to increase the pressure in the annulus. When this occurs, it increases so much that a bulge is formed in the flexible lining, and the bulge ripples along the flexible lining as a source of compression pumping. The pressure in the lining exceeds the back pressure of the fluid to initiate the pumping action.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 1977
    Date of Patent: May 15, 1979
    Assignee: Green Impulse Corporation
    Inventor: Bert B. Green
  • Patent number: 4150922
    Abstract: A constant-volume increment pipetting arrangement for use particularly in connection with analysis of minute specimen volumes of biological fluids. The arrangement, which is designed to have a very low inertia factor, comprises a pumping unit having a pair of two-port valves with a duct running between a port from each valve, wherein at least a portion of the duct wall is movable to provide a variable volume pipetting chamber. The second port of one valve serves as the intake port for the fluid to be pipetted and the remaining port of the other valve serves as the delivery port. Three reciprocating drive elements are provided, connected one each to the valves and to the movable portion of the duct wall. Associated with the drive elements is a sequential control means, wherein the control means portion for the drive element connected to the moving portion of the duct wall constitutes an electromagnet arrangement energizable by a periodic supply.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 1976
    Date of Patent: April 24, 1979
    Assignee: Battelle Memorial Institute
    Inventors: Gerard Cuenoud, Rudolf Farkas, Georges Revillet, Manuel Sanz
  • Patent number: 4149507
    Abstract: An improved fuel-air ratio control apparatus for a supercharged engine having a governor means connected to a fuel adjusting member and a supercharger for supplying air through an intake manifold is disclosed. The control apparatus is directly engageable with the fuel adjusting member and is responsive to intake manifold air pressure and engine oil pressure. The apparatus is inoperative to restrain the adjusting member during start-up of the engine and remains so until such time as a predetermined intake manifold pressure is attained, at which time the control apparatus moves to a position which permits the metering of engine oil therethrough to permit normal governor operation and proportional increases of fuel with air pressure increased. The control apparatus thereafter automatically limits the fuel supplied to the engine, and therefore engine torque rise, during a decrease in engine speed caused by loading on the engine to thereby limit any undesired exhaust smoke.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 1977
    Date of Patent: April 17, 1979
    Assignee: Caterpillar Tractor Co.
    Inventors: Joseph P. Little, Jr., John H. Parks
  • Patent number: 4149378
    Abstract: An exhaust line including an exhaust pipe assembly, a reactor for oxidizing hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide, a main muffler and a mechanism for drawing secondary air from the atmosphere into the exhaust line upstream of the reactor based on the pulsation of the exhaust pressure, wherein a front tube of the exhaust pipe assembly for passing the exhaust gas from the engine to the reactor has a smaller cross-sectional area than a center tube connecting the reactor to the main muffler, so that the pulsation is of a great magnitude even at an engine speed where the pulsation is in an anti-resonance state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 1976
    Date of Patent: April 17, 1979
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Company, Limited
    Inventors: Iwao Nakamura, Hiroyasu Kan
  • Patent number: 4149388
    Abstract: A compact, lightweight, portable cryogenic system for powering small pneumatic hand tools. A unitary manifold for providing a fluid fill path and a fluid vent path is mounted to the upper surface of a small dewar for containing a cryogenic liquid under pressure. The manifold is provided with partially threaded inner passageways for externally mounting a vent valve, pressure gauge and first relief valve, and for internally mounting a fill check valve and an economizer check valve. The economizer check valve is coupled to the inlet of a small heat exchanger comprising a length of finned tubing coiled in a stack about the manifold on top of the dewar and prevents back-flow of fluid to the dewar. A pneumatic circuit breaker valve coupled between the outlet of the heat exchanger and the inlet of a pneumatic hose having a disconnect valve at the outlet enables small pneumatic hand tools to be removably connected to the pneumatic hose and powered by cryogenic liquid vaporized in the heat exchanger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 1977
    Date of Patent: April 17, 1979
    Inventors: Richard N. Schneider, Thomas T. Cafferty
  • Patent number: 4147475
    Abstract: A helical screw air compressor unit has a rotary capacity control valve, a compressor inlet throttling valve, and a pressure relief valve for venting the compressor discharge conduit. A control circuit senses pressure in the compressed air supply system downstream of the compressor and operates the capacity control valve, inlet throttling valve, and pressure relief valve in a predetermined sequence to provide an improved power consumption characteristic for variable demand compressor applications. The control circuit includes a hydraulic control valve and an actuator for operating the rotary capacity control valve to regulate compressor throughput to maintain a predetermined pressure without overpressuring the supply system during operation at conditions of reduced demand for compressed air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 1977
    Date of Patent: April 3, 1979
    Assignee: Gardner-Denver Company
    Inventors: John C. Shoop, Roger L. Post, Michael G. Herschler
  • Patent number: 4147025
    Abstract: An auxiliary gas turbine in an aircraft is driven by adding dimethyl-hydrazine to Kerosine and producing propellant gas by adding HNO.sub.3 or N.sub.2 O.sub.4 as oxidizer. Additional Kerosine is injected into the resulting gas for matching the gas constant of that gas to the gas constant of regular combustion gas which normally drives the turbine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 1977
    Date of Patent: April 3, 1979
    Assignee: Vereinigte Flugtechnische Werke-Fokker GmbH
    Inventors: Helmut Friedrich, Jurgen Schaper
  • Patent number: 4147028
    Abstract: A jet engine cowl includes a thrust reverser in which a cowl portion is movable to open a gap in the flow duct wall. The movable cowl portion is further divided, to enable one portion to be moved faster than its complementary portion. The difference in speed of movement provides a drive face to pivot blocker flaps across the flow duct.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 1977
    Date of Patent: April 3, 1979
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce Limited
    Inventor: Barry Rodgers
  • Patent number: 4142845
    Abstract: A source of power rotates a drive shaft upon which a pair of rollers are mounted. The rollers rotate in a recess and collapse an undialysed blood carrying tube against a wall thus causing a pumping action. When used with a single needle dialysis system, an occluding pin assembly intermittently clamps off the dialysed blood carrying tube as said source of power is interrupted in rotation thus permitting the device to be used with a conventional single needle assembly. By rotating a cylindrical member upon the upper end of the drive shaft, the rollers can be retracted from adjacent the wall against which the undialysed blood carrying tube rests thus facilitating the engagement and disengagement of the undialysed blood carrying tube with the device. Inasmuch as the wall thickness of such tubes often varies, between tubing produced by different manufacturers, means are provided to adjust the spatial relationship of the pump rollers with the wall against which the tube is pressed during the pumping action.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 1977
    Date of Patent: March 6, 1979
    Inventors: William A. Lepp, Jules O. Legal
  • Patent number: 4141675
    Abstract: A fuel pump for providing fuel at relatively high pressure is activated by gas pressure, created during the compression stroke of an internal combustion engine. The pump includes a piston and a hollow plunger which are biased by a single spring in opposite directions. The piston, which is exposed to gases in the engine's cylinder, is urged, by the gas pressure in the cylinder during the compression stroke, to move upwardly. A limit is placed on the piston's upward stroke. When reaching the upward limit the pressure which is applied to fuel in a fuel chamber is only a function of the force applied by the spring to the plunger. When fuel ejection is enabled, the spring pushes the plunger toward the fuel chamber to eject the fuel therefrom. Toward the end of the exhaust stroke the piston moves toward the engine cylinder, forcing the plunger to move in the same direction until the latter's travel is limited by limiting means. Fuel is then injectable into the fuel chamber for subsequent ejection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 1977
    Date of Patent: February 27, 1979
    Assignee: Physics International Company
    Inventor: Cormac G. O'Neill
  • Patent number: 4140440
    Abstract: This invention relates to internal combustion engines, the energy output of which is produced as hydraulic pressure, and in one embodiment comprises two, two-cycle internal combustion engines which face each other, the piston rods of each of which are axially aligned and are linked to both of the axially aligned drive pistons of two hydraulic pumps which also face each other by means of four connecting rods of equal length, the axis of the pump rods being at right angles to that of the engine rods, and associated hydraulic circuitry which includes means for selectively initiating the compression phase of the engines when their respective pistons have thrust outward toward each other to such an extent that the angle between the axis of each of said piston rods and its associated connecting rods has passed through a right angle and said rods would otherwise be retained in said extended position through force exerted on said connecting rods by the pistons of the hydraulic pumps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 1975
    Date of Patent: February 20, 1979
    Assignee: Hydraulic Engine Development Group
    Inventor: James J. Ferris
  • Patent number: 4138205
    Abstract: A tubing replaceable, peristaltic pump includes a base plate and a rotor mounted on the base plate and having peripherally spaced thrust rollers. Pivotally mounted on the base plate on opposite sides of the rotor are a pair of stator members which are swingable about proximate laterally spaced ends thereof between closed and open positions with their inner concave cylindrical faces confronting the rotor being respectively proximate and coaxial with the rotor and remote from the rotor. Hand operated devices are located at the free ends of the stator members and swing the stator members between locked closed positions and open positions. A flexible collapsible tube is entrapped between the rotor and closed stator members and is replaceable when the stator members are in opened position, the tube extending radially outwardly between the stator member laterally spaced front ends. If desired the stator members are reciprocatable towards and away from the rotor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 1975
    Date of Patent: February 6, 1979
    Assignee: Hydro Pulse Corporation
    Inventor: Mark Wallach
  • Patent number: 4138202
    Abstract: The present hydraulic system for driving a submersible pumping unit has an above-ground pump for pumping oil through a hydraulic motor in the submersible pumping unit, and a check valve between the above-ground pump and that hydraulic motor to prevent the reverse flow of oil after the submersible pumping unit is turned off. A pressure regulating valve limits the oil pressure to the hydraulic motor. The inlet flow to the above-ground pump is filtered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 1977
    Date of Patent: February 6, 1979
    Inventor: J. Marlin Eller
  • Patent number: 4137014
    Abstract: This invention pertains to a multi-speed refrigerant compressor, for example, a two speed compressor operable at a relatively high speed and at a relatively low speed. Such compressor includes an electric drive motor having a fixed stator and a rotor electrically coupled to the stator and rotatable relative to the stator, a drive shaft or crankshaft driven by the rotor, and vibration dampening means engaging an end of the drive shaft or crankshaft preventing undesirable vibration thereof that could cause rubbing between the stator and the rotor of the electric drive motor during low speed operation, during high speed operation, switching from high to low speed operation, switching from low to high speed operation, start up at low speed, and start up at high speed operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 1977
    Date of Patent: January 30, 1979
    Assignee: Lennox Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Sidney A. Parker
  • Patent number: 4134260
    Abstract: A short length afterburner assembly for a jet propulsion engine having a fan bypass includes cold and hot air cross-over passages and a plurality of flame stabilization swirler vanes associated with a balanced load controller for positioning the vanes parallel to hot gas stream flow from a jet engine core when the afterburner is off and in an inclined position to such gas stream flow when fuel is injected therein during afterburner operation thereby to produce flame spread within the afterburner core by a combination of translatory and swirling motions; and wherein atomized fuel for afterburner combustion is injected into hot gases ducted through hot air cross-over passages from the jet engine core to produce premix and prevaporization of fuel upstream of fixed flameholders and wherein cold fan bypass air cross-over passages have movable turbulator grids positioned during afterburner operation for mixing cold air flow with the bypassed hot core gas at the fixed flameholders during afterburner operation and wh
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 1977
    Date of Patent: January 16, 1979
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Arthur H. Lefebvre, Samuel B. Reider, Jerry G. Tomlinson
  • Patent number: 4133616
    Abstract: A pneumatic pump adapted primarily as a left ventricular heart assist device includes a flexible bladder with a rigid housing. A pneumatic driver applies rhythmical pulses between the bladder and the housing to repetitively collapse the bladder and establish a pumping action through the bladder, in conjunction with check valves in the inlet and outlet to the bladder. Between the driver and the pump there is provided a pneumatic pulse limiter which includes a flexible diaphragm isolating the driver from the pump. Pulses from the driver are transmitted to the pump only through the flexible diaphragm and the diaphragm is constrained to move only within established limits. Regardless of the magnitude of the pulse from the driver, the maximum pulse applied to the pump cannot exceed that corresponding to the maximum displacement of the diaphragm.Between successive pulses, the portion of the system between the driver and the flexible diaphragm is depressurized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 1977
    Date of Patent: January 9, 1979
    Assignee: Thermo Electron Corporation
    Inventor: Victor L. Poirier
  • Patent number: 4132509
    Abstract: A device for entering dyes having a consistency, which may vary from a liquid to a pulverous state, into synthetic material processing machines, especially extrusion and injection molding machines, by means of a hose pump adjustable as to the quantity being delivered thereby. The device includes a rotor provided with rollers respectively rotatable about their own axes and about the axis of the rotor in the manner of planetary gears while at least one compressible conveyor hose of elastic material extends in contact with the rollers and between the latter and the interior of a pump housing which interior has a substantially circular cross section. The rollers roll on the hose or hoses while compressing same sectionwise and while the pressure zones circulate about the axis of the rotor. For purposes of adjusting the delivery quantity of the pump per revolution of the rotor, and adjusting device is provided for varying the hose volume respectively remaining between the pressure zones.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 1977
    Date of Patent: January 2, 1979
    Assignee: Motan Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung
    Inventors: Paul Bongartz, Franz Haag