Patents Examined by W. L. Millard
  • Patent number: 5151176
    Abstract: A filter for continuous filtration of a liquid includes conventionally a vessel having a center shaft on which is arranged at least one rotating filter element defining an inner space for liquid obtained at filtration. Further there is provided a washing device for washing of material deposited on the filter element, a connection between said inner space and outlet means from said vessel and a separator connected to said outlet and adapted for separating filtrate and gas. Means is provided outside said vessel for generating an overpressure in the gas space of the vessel and a lower pressure in the interior of the filter element at least corresponding to the evaporating temperature of the filtrated liquid for evaporation of the liquid in the separator. The separator is provided with a cooling device for cooling the separated gas and an outlet for condensate obtained at cooling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 1991
    Date of Patent: September 29, 1992
    Inventors: Kent Strid, Hans A. Karlsson, Per Larsson
  • Patent number: 5151199
    Abstract: Bubble size of a froth created during the preparation and dispensing of an instant coffee beverage is controlled by passing the coffee beverage through at least two adjacent screens coaxially and adjacently positioned at a distance from one another, one inside another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 1990
    Date of Patent: September 29, 1992
    Assignee: Nestec S.A.
    Inventors: Jean-Marc Poulin, Herve Schmidely
  • Patent number: 5151181
    Abstract: The liquid filter assembly including a filter housing with an inlet below a prescribed external liquid level and having a generally cylindrical filter unit inside it with reusable filter elements which effectively operate at low pressure drops and permitting bypass liquid to recirculate within the filtered section without passing through the filter element and providing a filter support frame having the filter element supported thereon to provide a changeable filter assembly unit sealingly mounted within the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 1991
    Date of Patent: September 29, 1992
    Assignee: CFR Corporation
    Inventor: Robert M. Barry
  • Patent number: 5147540
    Abstract: A disposable coffeemaker filter includes a flexible porous disposable filter bag for use in brewing coffee and a drawstring slidably threaded about a top perimeter edge of the filter bag. The drawstring can be pulled to draw the filter bag from an expanded open condition for brewing coffee to a collapsed closed condition for containing the wet used coffee grounds. The drawstring thereby enables the removal and disposal of the filter bag from the basket of a coffeemaker without spilling the coffee grounds from the filter bag.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 1991
    Date of Patent: September 15, 1992
    Inventor: John V. Hagan
  • Patent number: 5147545
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a housing for a disk of filter material. The housing includes two disk-shaped parts. One of the housing parts includes a radially-inwardly facing cylindrical surface for locating a filter disk. The other housing part includes a radially-outwardly facing cylindrical surface. The two cylindrical surfaces telescope together during assembly and serve to locate the housing parts relative to one another in directions parallel to the general plane of a filter disk in the housing. The radially inwardly facing cylindrical surface serves to locate a filter disk during assemble. Radially inwardly of the cylindrical surfaces is resilient means for engaging and squeezing the annular peripheral margin of the filter disk for at least partially preventing material being filtered passing radially outwardly of the filter disk and for totally preventing material bypassing the filter disk.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 1990
    Date of Patent: September 15, 1992
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Peter J. Despard, Donald M. Forster, Gregory P. Guyette
  • Patent number: 5143617
    Abstract: A filter for removing a liquid from a gas comprising a housing, a liquid absorbent material disposed in the housing to absorb the liquid from the gas passing through the filter, and a plurality of ribs disposed on an inner surface of the housing, the ribs spaced apart from each other and supporting the liquid absorbent material within the housing. The ribs define a plurality of open passages around the liquid absorbent material, and connecting an inlet of the housing in fluid communication with an outlet, so that the gas flowing between the inlet and the outlet experiences substantially no pressure drop, the liquid in the gas being absorbed by the liquid absorbent material in the filter, as the gas flows through the filter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 1990
    Date of Patent: September 1, 1992
    Assignee: Abbott Laboratories
    Inventor: Richard W. Grabenkort
  • Patent number: 5143604
    Abstract: An improved filter pad assembly, for supporting a filter pad, used in conjunction with a filter system having a pumping unit to filter a contaminated fluid. Included in the filter pad assembly are a filter pad support member, a sealing member, and securing means for maintaining the filter pad support member and sealing member in a closed operative position during the filtering process such that a substantially fluid-tight seal is created therebetween. Thus, the contaminated fluid is prevented from exiting the filter pad assembly without passing through the filter pad. The filter pad assembly may be defined to include, or not include, the filter pad. The filter pad assembly and filter pad also have a one-way guided configuration that ensures the filter pad is properly oriented within the assembly. Three preferred embodiments of the filter pad assembly of the present invention are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 1991
    Date of Patent: September 1, 1992
    Assignee: Filtercorp, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard A. Bernard, John G. Gardner
  • Patent number: 5143610
    Abstract: A filter module (11) comprises a housing divided internally by a partition (14) into two compartments (15, 16). At least one hollow cylindrical filter element (12) is housed in one of the compartments, the or each filter element fitting about an opening (19) in the partition (14). A filter assembly (10) comprises a plurality of filter modules (11) mounted in a fluid flow line (13) such that incoming fluid enters one of the compartments, flows through the walls of the filter elements and filtered flow emerges from the other compartment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 1991
    Date of Patent: September 1, 1992
    Assignee: British Nuclear Fuels PLC
    Inventors: Raymond Doig, Peter Stessl
  • Patent number: 5139672
    Abstract: A filtering vessel adapted to accommodate a filter bag for filtering a liquid under pressure. The vessel comprises a top open cylindrical housing having a sidewall and a bottom with an outlet port, and a basket supported within the housing to retain the filter bag therein. A jacket is formed to surround a top portion of the housing to form therebetween an annular fluid passage which is open at its upper end and communicates with an inlet port formed at the jacket for coupling a pressurized liquid supply line. Also included in the vessel is a top cover detachably mounted on the housing and the jacket to close the top opening of the housing as well as that of the annular fluid passage. The top cover is formed in its lower surface with peripheral openings and a center opening which are intercommunicated within the top cover.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 1990
    Date of Patent: August 18, 1992
    Assignee: Ohbayashi Iron Works Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masaaki Ohbayashi
  • Patent number: 5139666
    Abstract: A water dispenser supports a bottle having a filter neck accommodating a water filter and a fill neck closed with a cap equipped with a water refill counter. The cap can be removed from the fill neck to allow the bottle to be filled with water without removing the filter from the filter neck. The filter neck has a plurality of inwardly directed projections that are engaged by the filter to position the filter in the filter neck and prevent the filter from being pushed into the chamber of the bottle. A ring having an air bleed hole mounted on the filter neck engages the filter to retain the filter on the filter neck.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 1991
    Date of Patent: August 18, 1992
    Assignee: Domotechnica Canada, Inc.
    Inventors: Guy L. Charbonneau, Alan H. Bowler, Edward W. Bock
  • Patent number: 5124052
    Abstract: A fluid filter assembly comprises a heater and a filter in series fluid flow relationship. A means for bypassing a fluid around the heater and the filter is provided which comprises ducts and a relief valve interposed between them. In normal operation the relief valve is closed so all the fluid flows through the heater and the filter. The fluid and any liquid impurities entrained therein are heated by the heater prior to passing through the filter. At low temperatures the heater cannot normally provide sufficient heat to prevent solidification of the liquid impurities entrained within the fluid which block the filter. The relief valve then opens to allow a proportion of fluid to flow through the bypass so a reduced amount of fluid flows through the heater and the filter. The heater heats the reduced flow of fluid therethrough to a temperature sufficiently high to melt the solidified liquid impurities blocking the filter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 1991
    Date of Patent: June 23, 1992
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce plc
    Inventor: Edwin J. Hardaker