Patents Examined by Tim Miles
  • Patent number: 5073309
    Abstract: A device for dispersing a gaseous phase in a liquid phase comprises at least one Venturi ejector with a vertical or inclined axis, composed of a mixer head (1) for admitting the liquid, a neck (2) for admitting the gas, and an injector tube (3). The injector tube is prolonged by a chamber (5) whose diameter is equal to or greater than that of the injector tube with which it possibly merges. Also described is the application of this device to treatments such as chemical, biochemical or metabolic reactions involving the transfer of a gas to a liquid phase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 1989
    Date of Patent: December 17, 1991
    Assignee: Elf France
    Inventors: Jacques Bousquet, Alain Catros, Le Xuan Huynh, Alain Secq
  • Patent number: 5073312
    Abstract: An improved water carbonator system is provided for thoroughly mixing a carbonating gas with a water supply flowing through a refrigerated reservoir of the type used in soft drink dispenser stations and the like. The carbonator system includes water and gas injector nozzles disposed generally at an upper end of the reservoir, together with a dispense valve for drawing carbonated chilled water from a lower end of the reservoir. A vertically elongated and rotatably driven impeller shaft carries a spaced plurality of vaneless impeller disks for causing the water flowing downwardly through the reservoir to undergo a plurality of directional changes in a radially outward direction. Such directional changes in flow result in improved intermixing with the carbonating gas and improved chilling of the water prior to dispensing. A drive motor has a drive shaft connected in common to a pump for delivering water into the reservoir, and to the impeller shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 17, 1991
    Assignee: Ebtech, Inc.
    Inventor: Bruce D. Burrows
  • Patent number: 5071595
    Abstract: An improved water carbonator system is provided for thoroughly mixing a carbonating gas with a water supply flowing through a refrigerated reservoir of the type used in soft drink dispenser stations and the like. The carbonator system includes water and gas injector nozzles disposed generally at an upper end of the reservoir, together with a dispense valve for drawing carbonated chilled water from a lower end of the reservoir. A vertically elongated and rotatably driven impeller shaft carries a spaced plurality of vaneless impeller disks for causing the water flowing downwardly through the reservoir to undergo a plurality of directional changes in a radially outward direction. Such directional changes in flow result in improved intermixing with the carbonating gas and improved chilling of the water prior to dispensing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 1990
    Date of Patent: December 10, 1991
    Assignee: Ebtech, Inc.
    Inventor: Bruce D. Burrows
  • Patent number: 5069830
    Abstract: A non-welded plate for supporting packing materials or limiting the upward movement of such packing materials in a packed column of a gas and liquid contacting apparatus is comprised of a plurality of first and second support beams. The first support beams have means for fastening to internal support members of the apparatus affixed thereon. The first and second support beams are essentially perpendicular to each other and are attached together by retaining means, such as a pin. Voids between the support beams may be covered with screen to provide further support or limitation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 1990
    Date of Patent: December 3, 1991
    Assignee: Norton Company
    Inventors: Frank D. Moore, Michael J. Dolan
  • Patent number: 5066428
    Abstract: A foam generating apparatus is disclosed which generates foam from a foamable liquid by pumping the liquid by means of a high pressure pump from a storage tank to a combining device in which the liquid is combined with compressed air. The apparatus is capable of both operation and storage under extremely cold ambient conditions without the components of the apparatus becoming frozen. When the apparatus is not generating the product foam, a foamable liquid is recirculated throughout the apparatus to prevent the components of the apparatus from becoming frozen. The recirculation system is especially useful in preventing the high pressure pump from becoming frozen during storage in cold environments, while also reducing the amount of wear on the pump.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 1990
    Date of Patent: November 19, 1991
    Assignee: Rusmar Incorporated
    Inventors: David Manlowe, Paul A. Kittle
  • Patent number: 5062999
    Abstract: The invention is directed to a vaporizer for an anesthetic medium having a throttle arrangement for throttling the gas flowing therethrough. A compensating arrangement is provided for adjusting a throttle gap in dependence upon ambient temperature and has a rod body made of a material having a low thermal coefficient of expansion. This rod body is accommodated in a sleeve made of a material having a high thermal coefficient of expansion. The rod body is tightly joined at one end thereof to the sleeve and, at its other end, the rod body is joined to a molded part. This molded part and a second molded part conjointly define the throttle gap. With the invention, a thermal adjustment device is provided for the throttle gap for which only simply formed parts are used and which are made of material not resistant to corrosion and which are easily galvanized. The housing of the throttling device is of a complicated configuration and can be made of a corrosion resistant material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 1990
    Date of Patent: November 5, 1991
    Assignee: Dragerwerk Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Carl F. Wallroth, Wolfgang Falb, Helmut Mohr
  • Patent number: 5061407
    Abstract: A prebox receptacle is mounted in a pan of a distributor which distributes liquid onto a bed of packing media in a gas-liquid contact column. The pan has a substantially horizontal deck surrounded by sidewalls, and outlet openings are formed in the deck to discharge liquid from the deck onto packing media therebelow. The prebox receptacle is mounted on and supported by the pan. The prebox has a bottom wall with a liquid-receiving upper surface, and openings which feed liquid into a deceleration space located between the bottom wall of the prebox and the deck of the pan. The openings in the prebox bottom wall are horizontally displaced from the outlet openings of the deck.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 1990
    Date of Patent: October 29, 1991
    Inventor: Dale E. Nutter
  • Patent number: 5061405
    Abstract: A constant humidity evaporative wicking filter humidifier is disclosed as having a water reservoir tank for holding a supply of water. The water reservoir tank is mounted on a supporting base and is constructed to dispense water as needed into a catch basin formed in the supporting base. A wick element of predetermined height has its lower end positioned within the catch basin for absorbing water up into the wick element by capillary action. A motor driven fan is also mounted on the supporting base relative to the wick element for drawing air with increased humidity through the wick element for discharge from the humidifier into the surrounding atmosphere. The water reservoir tank includes a valve which is selectively responsive to the level of water in the catch basin for dispensing water from the water reservoir tank into the catch basin when the water in the catch basin is below a predetermined level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 1990
    Date of Patent: October 29, 1991
    Assignee: Emerson Electric Co.
    Inventors: Terrence L. Stanek, Ronald G. Brant, Donald L. Townsend
  • Patent number: 5061406
    Abstract: The dispersion of a gas in a liquid is enhanced by the use of an adjustable conical mixer to control the flow of a gas/liquid mixture to a venturi device used to accelerate the mixture to a supersonic vclocity with subsequent deacceleration to subsonic velocity to produce sonic shock waves in the mixture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 1990
    Date of Patent: October 29, 1991
    Assignee: Union Carbide Industrial Gases Technology Corporation
    Inventor: Alan T. Cheng
  • Patent number: 5059358
    Abstract: A tubular membrane diffuser for a wastewater aeration system. The diffuser includes a pipe having spaced apart outlet ports and a porous membrane sleeved around the pipe for discharging air in bubbles. An adjustable plug can be located at the outboard end of the diffuser pipe in a fully buoyant application, near the inboard end of the diffuser pipe in a non-buoyant application where water occupies the outboard half of the diffuser, or anywhere between the diffuser pipe ends in a partially buoyant application. The plug includes a ring with a tapered bore and a tapered plug that threads into the bore to radially expand the ring for securing it in place.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 1990
    Date of Patent: October 22, 1991
    Assignee: Environmental Dynamics, Inc.
    Inventor: Charles E. Tharp
  • Patent number: 5059357
    Abstract: A vortex chamber atomizer has a housing consisting of an axially extending casing and end plates which shut off the ends of the casing and of which one has an inlet nozzle therein and the other end plate has an outlet pipe therein, there furthermore being at least two tubular connectors extending through the casing so that the center lines of such connectors are at a distance from, and a right angle to the axis of the housing.In order to obtain an air-liquid mixture with ideal turbulence while avoiding prior segregation within the vortex chamber the housing contains annularly extending internal structures running at a right angle from the face of the casing in a circumferential direction. These internal structures extend into the interior of the housing in such a manner that a cavity is defined in the housing, which is adapted in form to the primary vortex produced in the vortex chamber atomizer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 1990
    Date of Patent: October 22, 1991
    Inventors: Hartmut Wolf, Norbert Caernawski
  • Patent number: 5057130
    Abstract: A centrifugal cooling device includes a housing having a water tank, a water valve, an overflow pipe and an outlet at its lower portion. A number of louvers are provided on a perimeter and an upper portion of the housing with a number of long slits formed between. Each perimetrical louver includes an inner louver and an outer louver which are slanted downwardly toward each other. A gap is formed between each inner and outer louver. A ring portion is formed on an upper central portion of the housing. A number of fixed stands extend downwardly from the ring portion and a mounting means is attached to the lower ends of the fixed stands. A hole is centrally formed on the mounting means for the installation of the motor. A conical rotor plate is rotatably mounted on a spindle of the motor. Centrifugal blades are provided around an edge portion of an upper surface of the conical rotor plate. A plurality of fan blades are provided on an edge portion of an underside of the conical rotor plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 1991
    Date of Patent: October 15, 1991
    Inventor: Wen H. Liu
  • Patent number: 5057250
    Abstract: Method of and apparatus for vapor-liquid contact utilizing louvered structured packing. The packing is provided in corrugated sheets and between the fold lines of the corrugations, a plurality of large louvered openings are disposed in generally parallel spaced relationship. An array of small louvers is disposed across the sheets, and each of the louvers is oriented for selectively vectoring the flow of liquid and/or vapor around and through the corrugated sheets when disposed within a chemical process tower.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 1990
    Date of Patent: October 15, 1991
    Assignee: Glitsch, Inc.
    Inventors: Gilbert K. Chen, Robert McKelvy, Jorge A. Bonilla, Don Glaspie
  • Patent number: 5057251
    Abstract: An improved contact body element, for use in forming the fill of a gas and liquid contact apparatus to produce interaction between a gas and liquid flowing through the apparatus, of the type having formed sheet members with a longitudinally extending edge of the sheet member folded over on a longitudinally extending surface of the corrugated member. This provides a strip of sheet material secured in overlapping relationship to the surface of the formed sheet member forming a full gap therebetween. An adhesive with intumescent qualities, which are triggered by heat, is applied within the fold such that the longitudinal edge and longitudinal surface in cooperation with the adhesive form a substantially rigid ply that is substantially resistant to erosion and can withstand higher compressive forces and which will expand in the event of fire, to block the openings between the sheets. The sheet edge may be slitted along its length to facilitate this blockage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 1989
    Date of Patent: October 15, 1991
    Assignee: Munters Corporation
    Inventor: Jan O. Skold
  • Patent number: 5057249
    Abstract: A device for draining carburetors which do not have a float chamber drain. The device is a screw which has an internal passageway. The internal passageway has a longitudinal passageway beginning at the head of the screw and a transverse passageway which communicates with the float chamber and intersects the longitudinal passageway. A drain plug is threaded into the longitudinal passageway near the head of the screw.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 1990
    Date of Patent: October 15, 1991
    Assignee: Outboard Marine Corporation
    Inventors: Gene F. Baltz, Paul M. Dayenian, John E. Stanley
  • Patent number: 5055239
    Abstract: A gas and liquid contact body for use in a gas and liquid contact apparatus in which gas and liquid flow in cross flow relationship to one another is disclosed. The contact body is formed of a plurality of sheets of corrugated material having first and second opposed edges with corrugations formed in the sheets extending at an angle to the edges and abutting each other at points in adjacent sheets to form through-passing channels for gas and liquid. The first and second edges of the sheets define gas inlet and outlet edges in the contact body. Either the gas inlet edge or the gas outlet edge, or both, have a plurality of generally channel shaped notches formed therein so that liquid flowing through the contact body will agglomerate at the notches. The agglomerated liquid will flow downwardly along the gas inlet edge of the contact body to clean the sheet at that gas inlet edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 1990
    Date of Patent: October 8, 1991
    Assignee: Munters Corporation
    Inventor: Patricia T. Thomas
  • Patent number: 5055238
    Abstract: There is disclosed herein an arrangement for limiting the rotation of adjustment valves which control main and idle fuel paths in a diaphragm carburetor. The valves are disposed relatively close together and have caps that are configured to act as stoppers for each other so as to limit the maximum rotation of each valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 1990
    Date of Patent: October 8, 1991
    Assignee: Shinagawa Diecast Industrial Corp.
    Inventor: Satoru Araki
  • Patent number: 5053170
    Abstract: A universal and removable fuel atomizing device for known carburetors having a venturi stack into which there exists a main fuel discharge. The fuel atomizing device is comprised of an atomizing disc preferably having a convex top surface and a substantially flat bottom surface. The disc suitably has a peripheral atomizing edge and is concentrically supported on the top lip of the venturi stack and held thereat by suitably securing means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 1990
    Date of Patent: October 1, 1991
    Inventor: Lloyd J. Drahos
  • Patent number: 5051214
    Abstract: An improved liquid flow distributor assembly for a process column of the type wherein the distributor is positioned above a packing section for the distribution of liquid downwardly therethrough. The improvement comprises a plurality of distributor troughs constructed with a series of internal distributor channels having stilling plates depending therefrom. Each channel is constructed of a generally U-shaped cross section, aligned with and affixed to the distributor trough for providing primary liquid flow to intermediate regions thereof. In this manner, liquid gradients between opposite ends of the troughs are eliminated and a uniform quiescent liquid level is maintained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 1990
    Date of Patent: September 24, 1991
    Assignee: Glitsch, Inc.
    Inventors: Gilbert K. Chen, Adam T. Lee, Kuang-Yeu Wu, Gary W. Gage
  • Patent number: 5049318
    Abstract: A carburetor assembly which has a body formed of extruded aluminum and a plastic fuel bowl assembly secured to the body by means of a resilient spring clip. A gasket is located between the body and the fuel bowl. The fuel bowl is molded of plastic and includes an integral well, and a mixing screw housing as well as a primer housing. A plastic nozzle extends from the well through the venturi insert into a through passage into the body. The venturi insert is made of plastic material and includes molded grooves therein which form passages with the through passage of the body. The nozzle is resiliently urged against the gasket and the body by means of a spring located in the well thereby sealing the nozzle to the body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 1990
    Date of Patent: September 17, 1991
    Assignee: Tecumseh Products Company
    Inventors: Thomas G. Guntly, Mark E. Federspiel, Michael J. Kurth