Patents Examined by Travis Ruby
  • Patent number: 8336321
    Abstract: A distributed refrigeration appliance system for use in a residential kitchen and other locations in a dwelling and includes multiple separate refrigeration appliance modules, a central cooling system and a cooling circuit. The system can also include one or more satellite stations having a heat exchanger and arranged for supplying chilled air to one or more refrigeration appliance modules. One or more refrigeration appliance modules can include a thermal cascade cooling device to cool the module to lower temperatures than the cooling circuit can attain. One or more refrigeration appliance modules can be refrigeration/storage modules that can provide refrigerated, unconditioned or heated storage space. The central cooling system can be a vapor compression system having a refrigerant circuit connecting the modules. Alternately, the central cooling system can cool a secondary cooling medium circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
    Inventors: Nihat O. Cur, Steven John Kuehl
  • Patent number: 8336322
    Abstract: A distributed refrigeration appliance system in a residential kitchen and other locations in a dwelling including multiple separate refrigeration appliance modules, a central cooling system and a cooling circuit. The system can also include one or more satellite stations having a heat exchanger and arranged for supplying chilled air to one or more refrigeration appliance modules. One or more refrigeration appliance modules can include a thermal cascade cooling device to cool the module to lower temperatures than the cooling circuit can attain. One or more refrigeration appliance modules can be refrigeration/storage modules that can provide refrigerated, unconditioned or heated storage space. The central cooling system can be a vapor compression system having a refrigerant circuit connecting the modules. Alternately, the central cooling system can cool a secondary cooling medium circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
    Inventors: Nihat O. Cur, Steven John Kuehl, John Joseph Vonderhaar, Diego Barone, Lorenzo Bianchi
  • Patent number: 8316926
    Abstract: An arrangement for use in connection with an air handling unit includes a controller and a processing circuit. The controller is configured to control a device within an air handler unit, which includes at least a first coil. The processing circuit is configured to receive first information representative of a maximum liquid flow rate through the first coil and second information representative of a maximum air flow rate of the first coil. The processing circuit is further configured to generate a time constant estimate, based on the first information and second information, for use in the controller in performing control of the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: General Cybernation Group Inc.
    Inventors: George Shu-Xing Cheng, Osman Ahmed, William Thomas Pienta
  • Patent number: 8302873
    Abstract: An air conditioner having a pleasant sleep driving mode including a parameter changing unit (142) for independently changing the respective values of plural parameters for determining a variation pattern of the set room temperature, and a controller (42) for receiving the changed parameters from the parameter changing unit (142) and controlling the operation of the air conditioner according to the pleasant sleep driving mode having the variation pattern of the set room temperature determined by the changed parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: SANYO Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masahiro Hiura, Keiji Nishida, Akira Shindo, Atsushi Niizato, Masayuki Ishizeki, Yuichi Suzuki
  • Patent number: 8292191
    Abstract: A system and method are presented for managing the supply of energy to heating and cooling devices to reduce the thermal flux and overshoot in buildings having heating and cooling devices that are sized for extreme temperature demands, but which operate inefficiently for moderate conditions. The system interposes a control module between sensor devices and heating or cooling devices, to filter the signals from the sensor devices calling for heating or cooling according to one or more on/off routines. The control module defers the sending of signals activating or deactivating heating or cooling devices, thus allowing for moderating of ambient conditions between the initial demand from the sensor devices and the supply of heating or cooling by the heating or cooling devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Inventors: Clive Alan Webb, Yvette Rose Webb
  • Patent number: 8267164
    Abstract: A system and method for energy recovery and humidity control comprises an enclosure (12) with a plurality of ports (86,90,92,94,86) connected to a plurality of ducts (14,16,18,20,22) The system has an enthalpy exchange core (136) exchanging heat and humidity between first air stream (35) and a second air stream (37), and a heat exchange sub-core (134) exchanging heat between the first air stream (35) and a third air stream (39), and fans (34,38,36) for circulating the first air stream (35), the second air stream (37) and the third air stream (39) respectively, and a controller (40) for controlling the fans (34,36,38) and regulating the flows of the first air stream (35), the second air stream (37) and the third air stream (39).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2012
    Assignee: Air Tech Equipment Ltd.
    Inventors: Marc Richard Lestage, George Robert Lestage, Patrick Paul Boudreau
  • Patent number: 8251131
    Abstract: A cooling device including a heat absorbing unit, provided with an inflow port of a coolant medium and a discharge port for discharging the coolant medium, sealing the coolant medium in parts other than the inflow port and the discharge port, wherein the heat absorbing unit includes an upper member having an installation surface where semiconductor elements serving as an object to be cooled are installed and a cooling surface serving as a back surface of installation surface, and a lower member forming a chamber having cooling surface as a part of a inner wall surface together with upper member. Injection ports communicating with inflow port for injecting the coolant medium toward cooling surface are provided and the discharge port is provided at a position lower than opening positions of injection ports in lower member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2012
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tadafumi Yoshida, Yutaka Yokoi, Hiroshi Osada
  • Patent number: 8245524
    Abstract: A distributed refrigeration appliance system in a residential kitchen and other locations in a dwelling including multiple separate refrigeration appliance modules, a central cooling system and a cooling circuit. The system can also include one or more satellite stations having a heat exchanger and arranged for supplying chilled air to one or more refrigeration appliance modules. One or more refrigeration appliance modules can include a thermal cascade cooling device to cool the module to lower temperatures than the cooling circuit can attain. One or more refrigeration appliance modules can be refrigeration/storage modules that can provide refrigerated, unconditioned or heated storage space. The central cooling system can be a vapor compression system having a refrigerant circuit connecting the modules. Alternately, the central cooling system can cool a secondary cooling medium circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2012
    Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
    Inventor: Steven John Kuehl
  • Patent number: 8245768
    Abstract: An air-conditioning system of an electric car has an air-conditioning unit which is configured to perform air-conditioning in a passenger compartment by heater/cooler operation, a setting panel configured to set a target temperature of the passenger compartment, and a control unit which is connected to the air-conditioning unit and setting panel, and has different control of heater operation of the air-conditioning unit, wherein the control unit is configured to select controls of heater operation based on a vehicle speed v.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2012
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Eiji Nomura, Kou hei Umezu, Masaru Kadoi, Shinya Fujiwara
  • Patent number: 8240165
    Abstract: A system and method for cooling heat generating components including an electronics cooling circuit loop having a liquid heat exchanger separable from a main liquid cooling circuit manifold by quick-disconnect fittings. This supports the use of different liquids in the electronics subsystem cooling circuit loop and in the main liquid manifold of the master cooling circuit. Also included are two phase loops and an optional compressor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2012
    Assignee: VETTE Corp.
    Inventor: Shlomo Novotny
  • Patent number: 8167215
    Abstract: A thermostatic mixing valve for hot and cold water has a valve member for controlling the relative proportions of hot and cold water admitted to a mixing chamber according to user selection of a desired water temperature and a thermostat responsive to the mixed water temperature to adjust the position of the valve member to maintain constant the selected water temperature. The valve member is biased by a return spring in the form of a wave spring having a plurality of turns with transverse waves configured such that adjacent turns sit peak to peak. The wave spring is strong in compression and weak in torsion allowing the ends of the spring to move laterally to accommodate any misalignment in the components of the valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Kohler Mira Limited
    Inventors: Nigel Paul Sansum, Richard Timothy Hopson
  • Patent number: 8162042
    Abstract: Condensate accumulating in the incoming outside air flow passages of a heat exchanger is fed back into the exhaust flow passages of the heat exchanger to provide improved heat transfer in the heat exchanger, and to avoid the necessity for drainage of the condensate from the heat exchanger. The heat exchanger includes a plastic multi-tube panel core and a solid plastic housing, with opposed-flow heat exchange and inlet-outlet extensions from only one side of the core.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: Building Performance Equipment, Inc.
    Inventor: Klas C. Haglid
  • Patent number: 8161760
    Abstract: A distributed refrigeration appliance system for use in a residential kitchen and other locations in a dwelling and includes multiple separate refrigeration appliance modules, a central cooling system and a cooling circuit. The system can also include one or more satellite stations having a heat exchanger and arranged for supplying chilled air to one or more refrigeration appliance modules. One or more refrigeration appliance modules can include a thermal cascade cooling device to cool the module to lower temperatures than the cooling circuit can attain. One or more refrigeration appliance modules can be refrigeration/storage modules that can provide refrigerated, unconditioned or heated storage space. The central cooling system can be a vapor compression system having a refrigerant circuit connecting the modules. Alternately, the central cooling system can cool a secondary cooling medium circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
    Inventors: Nihat O. Cur, Steven John Kuehl, John Joseph Vonderhaar, Frank Huangtso Lin
  • Patent number: 8151595
    Abstract: A refrigerator is provided with a home-bar and a dispenser. The refrigerator includes a body in which storage compartments are formed, a body door selectively opening/closing the storage compartments, a home-bar door provided in the body door, and a dispenser located directly in the home-bar door.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2012
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventor: Hyeong-Il Kim
  • Patent number: 8141792
    Abstract: A set pressure controller capable of easily controlling the pressure, releasing a load in an environment at a predetermined temperature or higher and allowing for the formation of a compact structure, a valve having the pressure controller, and a fuel cell equipped with the valve having the pressure controller are provided. The pressure controller includes a movable part to be driven by a differential pressure, wherein the pressure controller is attachable to the valve. The pressure controller attached to the valve provides the movable part with a predetermined displacement to control the set pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akiyoshi Yokoi, Toru Nakakubo
  • Patent number: 8132614
    Abstract: An arrangement for cooling of liquid-cooled electric devices, the arrangement being fitted to convey heat produced in the electric devices (3) away from the electric device by means of a liquid flowing through a cooling element of the electric device. The arrangement includes an instrument cubicle (1) with one or more electric devices (3) placed in it, a cooling apparatus (6ca), an inlet piping (10) and an outlet piping (11) connecting the electric device and the cooling apparatus for conveying a cooling liquid into the cooling element and out of the cooling element of the electric device (3). Below the instrument cubicle (1) is a footing element (2) housing an inlet main pipe (20) and outlet main pipe (21) connected to the cooling apparatus (6ca), the inlet piping (10) and outlet piping (11) being detachably connected to the main pipes. The arrangement enables indication of leakage situations occurring in the pipings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2012
    Assignee: Vacon Oyi
    Inventor: Tapani Haapamäki
  • Patent number: 8122944
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of heating or cooling a series of indoor spaces using domestic hot water and cooling using domestic cold water systems as a source for an efficient and cost effective distribution system that distributes heating and cooling water that can be used in surface heating/cooling panels built directly into the building construction. These panels form part of the space walls and ceilings and form a cost effective and ascetically pleasing method of delivering heating and cooling to a space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Inventor: Steven Joseph Clark
  • Patent number: 8123143
    Abstract: In a thermostatic valve for connecting an automatic transmission with an oil cooler, wherein the connection between an inlet conduit 12 for oil coming from the transmission and an outlet conduit 13 to the oil cooler is released or blocked by valve slider element 22, which is actuated by a thermostatic actuating element 16, 17 and is spring-loaded by a restoring spring 21, the valve slider element 22 with the restoring spring 21 is designed as a pressure-control valve which, with the open connection between the inlet conduit 12 for oil coming from the transmission and the outlet conduit 13 to the oil cooler, opens a bypass conduit 24 when a predetermined pressure of the oil is exceeded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignee: Behr Thermot-Tronik GmbH
    Inventors: Eike Willers, Andreas Auweder
  • Patent number: 8087257
    Abstract: Disclosed are an air conditioner integrated management system and an operational method of the same according to the present invention. The present invention can promptly detect and repair the device, where an error really occurred, by determining the error as an upper unit's in the case that the error occurred at the whole devices belonging to a lower unit managed by the upper unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2012
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Jun Tae Kim, Sang Chul Youn, Duck Gu Jeon
  • Patent number: 8061153
    Abstract: A distributed refrigeration appliance system for use in a residential kitchen and other locations in a dwelling and includes multiple separate refrigeration appliance modules, a central cooling system and a cooling circuit. The system can also include one or more satellite stations having a heat exchanger and arranged for supplying chilled air to one or more refrigeration appliance modules. One or more refrigeration appliance modules can include a thermal cascade cooling device to cool the module to lower temperatures than the cooling circuit can attain. One or more refrigeration appliance modules can be refrigeration/storage modules that can provide refrigerated, unconditioned or heated storage space. The central cooling system can be a vapor compression system having a refrigerant circuit connecting the modules. Alternately, the central cooling system can cool a secondary cooling medium circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2011
    Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
    Inventors: Nihat O. Cur, Steven John Kuehl, John Joseph Vonderhaar, Diego Barone, Lorenzo Bianchi, Enrica Monticelli