Patents Examined by Vivek K Shirsat
  • Patent number: 11659840
    Abstract: An oven may include a cooking chamber, a user interface, a first energy source, a second energy source and a cooking controller. The cooking chamber may be configured to receive a food product. The user interface may be configured to display information associated with processes employed for cooking the food product. The first energy source may provide primary heating of the food product placed in the cooking chamber. The second energy source may provide browning for the food product. The cooking controller may be operably coupled to the first and second energy sources. The cooking controller may include processing circuitry configured to enable an operator to make a browning control selection via the user interface by providing operator instructions to a selected control console rendered at the user interface. The selected control console may be selected based on a cooking mode of the oven.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: ILLINOIS TOOL WORKS INC.
    Inventors: Joshua B. Murphy, Jeffrey T. Debord, Eric A. Soller, Richard W. Cartwright
  • Patent number: 11660932
    Abstract: A vehicle air purging system includes a vehicle body that defines an interior. A support member is coupled to the vehicle body. The support member defines a receiving cavity. The support member defines an aperture proximate the receiving cavity. A one-way valve is coupled to the support member and is disposed within the aperture. A fan is coupled to the support member. The fan includes an outlet aligned with the aperture. A controller is operably coupled to the fan. The controller is configured to activate the fan to blow air from the interior to an area external to the vehicle body through the one-way valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Gary D. Mullen, Daniel Ferretti, Tim Rush, Wojciech Mariusz Wyrwa, Johnathan Andrew Line
  • Patent number: 11662098
    Abstract: A system for igniting a grill can include a solenoid valve, a flame rectification sensor, an igniter, and a control circuit connected to the solenoid valve and the flame rectification sensor. The solenoid valve controls flow of gas to the grill's burner and includes a switch that closes when a handle connected to the switch opens the solenoid valve. The control circuit sends current to the solenoid valve when the switch is closed to hold the solenoid valve open. After the switch closes, the igniter is ignited. After ignition, the control circuit monitors the presence of a flame with a flame rectification sensor. If no flame is detected after a certain amount of time, the control circuit stops sending current to the solenoid valve to close the solenoid valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: LYNX GRILLS, INC.
    Inventors: John T. French, Randall Lee Dawson
  • Patent number: 11655976
    Abstract: A gas burner arrangement for a household cooking appliance includes a hob plate and a gas burner mounted on the hob plate. The gas burner includes a first mixing chamber for mixing combustion gas with primary air, a second mixing chamber, separate from the first mixing chamber, for mixing combustion gas with primary air, at least one first primary air opening for supplying primary air to the first mixing chamber, and at least one second primary air opening for supplying primary air to the second mixing chamber. The at least one first primary air opening is arranged below the hob plate and the at least one second primary air opening is arranged above the hob plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Inventors: Luis Acosta Herrero, Melca Gutierrez Humara, Alberto Lopez Ortiz, Luis Antonio Palacios Valdueza, Emilio Placer Maruri
  • Patent number: 11649969
    Abstract: Cooktop appliances are provided. A cooktop appliance can include a gas burner; a manifold having a gas input; a primary line extending between the manifold and the gas burner, wherein the primary line operates as a non-modulated minimum gas flow line when the cooktop appliance is in an automatic mode; a secondary line extending between the manifold and the gas burner, wherein a gas flow rate of the secondary line is controllable by a flow control valve; a primary valve in fluid communication with at least the primary line; and a control system including: a sensor configured to detect a temperature corresponding to the gas burner; and a controller regulating: (i) the flow control valve in response to the detected temperature to achieve a desired temperature, and (ii) the primary valve when the flow control valve is closed and the detected temperature exceeds the desired temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2023
    Assignee: Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc.
    Inventor: Paul Bryan Cadima
  • Patent number: 11647754
    Abstract: An oven uses at least one infrared sensor located outside of the oven baking chamber to measure infrared light emissions from an oven floor, and includes apparatuses that defend infrared sensors and light sources from heat damage using for example baffles, shutters, remote location of the sensor from heat sources and powered ventilation, temperature control systems for ovens using at least one infrared sensor to control the temperature of an oven floor, and powered ventilation systems to keep oven walls cool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2023
    Inventor: John Langley
  • Patent number: 11649987
    Abstract: A solar heat collector includes a container, a transparent cover plate located on the container, a thermal insulation material located inside of the container to form an insulation space, and a heat absorption plate located in the insulation space. The heat absorption plate includes a base and a coating located on the base, and the coating includes a plurality of carbon nanotubes entangled with each other to form a network structure and a plurality of carbon particles in the network structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2023
    Assignees: Tsinghua University, HON HAI PRECISION INDUSTRY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yuan-Hao Jin, Qun-Qing Li, Shou-Shan Fan
  • Patent number: 11649960
    Abstract: A burner and methods of using the burner. The burner utilizes bypass conduits to separate the combustion air that is passed to the primary combustion zone into two or more portions. The two portions are injected into the primary combustion zone at different points so as to reduce the flame temperature. A NOx reducing medium may be mixed with the combustion air in the bypass conduit. The NOx reducing medium may be flue gases from a combustion chamber having the primary combustion zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2023
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: Kurt Kraus, Dusty Ray Richmond, Lev Davydov, William J. Whyman
  • Patent number: 11639084
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a blower unit of an air conditioner for a vehicle, which can effectively prevent water from being introduced into a motor and has a motor housing and a blower wheel improved to smoothly perform cooling of the motor. The blower unit of a two-layered air conditioner for a vehicle, which can divide and inhale indoor air and outdoor air, includes: a scroll case having an upper passageway and a lower passageway; a first blower wheel disposed in the upper passageway; a second blower wheel disposed in the lower passageway and arranged below the first blower wheel; a blower motor for rotating the first blower wheel and the second blower wheel; and a motor housing for covering the blower motor, wherein a hub for guiding air is disposed on the second blower wheel, and the hub of the second blower wheel is partially overlapped with an end portion of the motor housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2023
    Assignee: HANON SYSTEMS
    Inventors: Hwan Kyu Cho, Jae Woo Ko, Jong Min Lee, Gyu Ik Han, Seong Yeol Yoon
  • Patent number: 11639796
    Abstract: A cooking appliance and method generate an audible and/or visual indication to a user while an igniter is activated during ignition of a gas burner to notify the user that the igniter is active.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2023
    Assignee: MIDEA GROUP CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Richard W. Cowan, Felix Conde Zelocuatecatl
  • Patent number: 11635232
    Abstract: A flame sensor for a furnace of a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system includes a sensor body and an electrically conductive member of the sensor body. The electrically conductive member is configured to be disposed within a flame region of a burner of the furnace and configured to receive electrical current from a controller of the furnace. The flame sensor also includes an anti-oxidation coating disposed on an outer surface of the electrically conductive member and configured to transmit the electrical current from the electrically conductive member. The anti-oxidation coating is configured to contact a flame produced by the burner and expose the electrical current to the flame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: Johnson Controls Tyco IP Holdings LLP
    Inventor: Thomas D. Chase
  • Patent number: 11635206
    Abstract: In some examples, a method for operating a gas burner appliance includes determining, on basis of a nominal burner-load and on basis of a mixing ratio of gas and air of a gas/air mixture or a ?-value of the gas/air mixture, a nominal air mass flow in order to provide the nominal burner-load. The method further comprises determining the ambient air pressure and the ambient air temperature of the ambient air, determining, on basis of the ambient air pressure and on basis of the ambient air temperature, the atmospheric density of the ambient air, determining on basis of the nominal air mass flow, on basis of the determined atmospheric density of the ambient air, and on basis of a system resistance of the gas burner appliance, the fan speed of the fan in order to provide the nominal burner-load.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: Pittway Sarl
    Inventors: Sybrandus B. V. Munsterhuis, Gerrit Jan Baarda, Andreas Kammerahl, Martin Petersmann, Anton Quatmann, Ulrich Oldehus, Clemens Metker
  • Patent number: 11629871
    Abstract: A UFAD system with bifurcated air towers. The air towers are bifurcated in the sense that the air columns are fan-less and coil-less, and fans for delivering pressurized air to the air columns, and hence to the underfloor plenum of the UFAD system, are in overhead ceiling air ducts and spaced away from the air columns. Cooling coils could be located in a remote air handling unit that feeds conditioned air to the overhead ceiling air ducts to be pressurized by the fans.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2023
    Assignee: MORGAN STANLEY SERVICES GROUP INC.
    Inventors: Philip Meyers, James Cullen
  • Patent number: 11623887
    Abstract: Submerged combustion burners having a burner body and a burner tip connected thereto. The burner body has an external conduit and first and second internal conduits substantially concentric therewith, forming first and second annuli for passing a cooling fluid therethrough. A burner tip body is connected to the burner body at ends of the external and second internal conduits. The burner tip includes a generally central flow passage for a combustible mixture, the flow passage defined by an inner wall of the burner tip. The burner tip further has an outer wall and a crown connecting the inner and outer walls. The inner and outer walls, and the crown are comprised of same or different materials having greater corrosion and/or fatigue resistance than at least the external burner conduit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2023
    Assignee: Johns Manville
    Inventors: Mark William Charbonneau, Alessandro G Borsa
  • Patent number: 11624508
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus to indicate presence of a flame are disclosed. An example gas grill includes a burner tube having apertures to emit a fuel for combustion, an ignition element to cause ignition of the fuel emitted from the apertures of the burner tube, a flame sensor to detect the presence of a flame associated with the combustion of the fuel emitted from the apertures of the burner tube, and flame sense circuitry including a flame signal accessor to access a flame sense signal from the flame sensor, and a terminal to output an indication of the presence of the flame, the indication of the presence of the flame output without respect to an open or closed state of a lid of the grill.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2023
    Assignee: WEBER-STEPHEN PRODUCTS LLC
    Inventors: David Jonathan Eckhardt, José Ángel Martinez, Kevin James Glennon, Victor Mercado, Jr.
  • Patent number: 11619382
    Abstract: A system including a variable orifice component including a main body, a main fuel path extending through the main body, and a control body positioned in the main body. The control body is movable between a first position wherein a first fuel path thereof is in fluid communication with the main fuel path to enable fuel to flow therethrough, and a second position wherein a second fuel path thereof is in fluid communication with the main fuel path to enable fuel to flow therethrough. The system further includes a vent body coupled to the main body. The vent body is movable between a first position wherein the main fuel path is in fluid communication with a vent orifice of the vent body to provide fluid communication between the main fuel path and a surrounding environment, and a second position wherein the main fuel path is not in fluid communication with the vent orifice.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2023
    Assignee: Hearth Products Controls Co.
    Inventors: Thomas J. Witman, Patrick W. Schatz
  • Patent number: 11608980
    Abstract: A candle or candle vessel in which the vessel includes an upper portion and a lower portion. At least a portion of the lower portion of the candle vessel is displaceable relative to the upper portion to allow a meltable solid to be easily removed from the candle vessel. The lower portion may include a flexible, non-adhesive, and heat-resistant interior part which lines the lower portion that is in contact with the meltable solid. An exterior of the vessel may be wrapped in a sturdy, durable shell for additional design and structure of the candle vessel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Inventors: Lindsay Raquel Pasteris, Nathan Steven Donovan
  • Patent number: 11609002
    Abstract: A ventilation fan includes a body unit, which has a fan disposed in a body case and a fan controller operable to control an air volume of the fan. The ventilation fan also includes a sensor module having an indoor environment detecting sensor and a module controller operable to control a detecting operation of the indoor environment detecting sensor. The body unit has a module mount on which the sensor module is mounted and another sensor module can be mounted in place of the sensor module. The module mount is connected to the fan controller. The module controller outputs detection information obtained based on a detection result of the indoor environment detecting sensor to the fan controller, which in turn controls the air volume of the fan based on the detection information inputted thereto.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hirosato Sakai, Hidenori Syougen, Nobuyuki Morimoto, Tsuraki Nakajima, Shingo Takenawa, Masahiro Yamaguchi, Kazuki Doumoto
  • Patent number: 11603851
    Abstract: A draft inducer blower assembly includes a blower having a fan, a dilution air intake passage, an exhaust gas intake passage, and a discharge passage. The blower is configured to operatively connect to a heater system in a manner to facilitate flow of combustion air into a combustion chamber and to draw dilution air into the blower and to mix the dilution air with the exhaust gases and to facilitate flow of the mixed air and exhaust gases through the vent. The dilution air intake passage is positionable in at least a low flow configuration and a high flow configuration. The dilution air intake passage is more restrictive of intake of dilution air in the low flow configuration than in the high flow configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2023
    Assignee: REGAL BELOIT AMERICA, INC.
    Inventor: Steven W. Post
  • Patent number: 11602976
    Abstract: An air vent for a vehicle or vehicle canopy includes an external and an internal duct. The external duct has an inlet and an outlet. The height of the outlet is less than that of the inlet. The inlet and the outlet are arranged such that, in use, an uppermost point of the inlet is located above an uppermost point of the outlet. The internal duct is in fluid communication with the external duct via one or more openings arranged in the internal duct or at a junction between the internal duct and the external duct. The internal duct is configured to be in fluid communication with an interior of the vehicle via a slot defined by the vehicle. The or each opening is arranged such that, in use, the uppermost point of the outlet of the external duct is located below a lowermost point of the or each opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2023
    Assignee: ROCK SOLID INDUSTRIES INTERNATIONAL (PTY) LTD
    Inventor: Michael Voss