Patents Examined by William Doerrler
  • Patent number: 6814304
    Abstract: A rotating stream sprinkler of the type having a rotatable deflector for sweeping small streams of irrigation water in a radially outward direction to irrigate adjacent vegetation, wherein the sprinkler includes a speed control brake for maintaining a substantially constant deflector rotational speed throughout a range of normal operating pressures and flow rates. The deflector includes an array of spiral vanes engaged by one or more water jets for rotatably driving the deflector which converts the jets into a plurality of relatively small irrigation streams swept over the surrounding terrain. A friction plate rotatable with the deflector engages a brake pad retained against a nonrotating brake disk. The brake pad includes tapered contact faces for varying the friction contact radius in response to changes in water pressure and/or flow rate to maintain deflector rotational speed substantially constant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2004
    Assignee: Rain Bird Corporation
    Inventor: Travis L. Onofrio
  • Patent number: 6813894
    Abstract: There are provided a heat pump having a high COP and a dehumidifying apparatus arranged in a compact size. The heat pump has a pressurizer 260 for raising a pressure of a refrigerant 260, an evaporator 210 for cooling a low-temperature heat source fluid A with heat of evaporation of the refrigerant to be pressurized, a condenser 220 for heating a high-temperature heat source fluid B with heat of condensation of the pressurized refrigerant, and a first heat exchanger 300a for exchanging heat between the low-temperature heat source fluid A upstream of the evaporator 210 and a cooling fluid. The first heat exchanger 300a has a first compartment 310 through which the low-temperature heat source fluid A flows, a second compartment 320 through which the cooling fluid flows, and refrigerant passages 251A1-A9, 252A1-A9 extending through the first compartment and the second compartment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2004
    Assignee: Ebara Corporation
    Inventor: Kensaku Maeda
  • Patent number: 6811096
    Abstract: A spray gun used for manufacturing fiberglass components includes a valve body and a manifold that each contain two channels to initially separate a resin and a catalyst from each other. The channels inside the manifold converge to a vertex to allow the catalyst and resin to impinge each other. The impinged catalyst and resin are then mixed together more thoroughly in a static mixer before being sprayed out of the gun. The spray gun can be used to mix and apply any material made of two or more fluids mixed together.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2004
    Assignee: Aqua Glass Corporation
    Inventors: Keith Frazier, Johnny Moore
  • Patent number: 6810681
    Abstract: A method of draining and recharging a hermetic compressor with oil using a drainage assembly mounted in the compressor housing. The assembly includes a tube having a valve mounted at one end thereof with the second end of the tube located in the oil sump of the housing. To drain the compressor oil, refrigerant flowing through the discharge and suction lines is shut off. Refrigerant is purged from the housing to create a vacuum therein and the housing is charged with a gas such as dry air or nitrogen. As the compressor housing is charged with gas, the pressure inside the housing increases, forcing the oil through the drainage assembly and out of the compressor. To recharge the compressor with oil, the gases are purged creating a vacuum in the housing. A predetermined amount of oil is drawn into the housing through a service hose. The compressor is purged and recharged with refrigerant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2004
    Assignee: Tecumseh Products Company
    Inventors: Sukru Erisgen, James D. Rutz
  • Patent number: 6810680
    Abstract: An ice maker assembly in a refrigerator freezer includes a fill tube for transporting liquid to a mold. The freezer includes an outer wall spaced apart from an inner wall, with a plenum formed therebetween. An opening is formed within the inner wall, through which the fill tube extends with a clearance. Warm air generated by a defrost cycle passes through the clearance in the inner wall and around the fill tube, thereby warming the fill tube. In addition, the fill tube includes vents formed therein to allow active ventilation of the fill tube and to prevent ice formation within the fill tube.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2004
    Assignee: Maytag Corporation
    Inventors: Douglas A. Pohl, William James Vestal, Kenton John Widmer
  • Patent number: 6807821
    Abstract: A rotary compressor having a housing with a motor and an internal accumulator located on the low pressure side and an oil sump located on the high pressure side. A sealing means positioned within the housing defines a first low pressure chamber and a second high pressure chamber. The sealing means substantially maintains the pressure differential between the chambers by segregating high pressure fluid in the high pressure chamber from low pressure fluid in the low pressure chamber. The fluid entering the housing is separated into a gas portion and a liquid portion, the liquid portion being directed downward toward the motor to provide cooling for the motor while the gas portion is directed to a compressor portion through a channeling means internal to the compressor housing. The liquid portion collects above the sealing means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2004
    Assignee: Bristol Compressors, Inc.
    Inventor: John Kenneth Narney, II
  • Patent number: 6804975
    Abstract: Disclosed is a cooling-heating combination air conditioner being provided with an outdoor heat exchanger and an indoor heat exchanger in a single case. The present invention has advantages of freely adjusting a ventilation rate from 0% to 100% with its simple structure without equipping a separate ventilator, and improving efficiency in cooling and heating effectively by recovering an air discharged during a ventilation process and a waste energy of condensed water generated in the indoor heat exchanger and by maximizing a path along which a coolant is circulated according to cooling-heating mode conversion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2004
    Inventor: Choon-Kyoung Park
  • Patent number: 6802461
    Abstract: For a pressure reduction, an aerosol spray can filled with a compressed pressure gas requires, upstream of its spray valve (14), a pressure regulation valve (10) with a closing point (28). In known embodiment types a flow occurs around the outside of the pressure reduction valve, which requires a complicated housing structure. It is therefore proposed that the connection between the closing point (28) and the spray valve (14) take place via a central bore (58) in the piston (22) of the pressure reduction valve (10), preferably without a flow through the pressure chamber (26), but instead past the latter. The simple construction is advantageous, with which it is also possible to provide easy access to the piston (22) from the outside in order to maintain it in its opened position for easier filling under pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2004
    Assignee: Thomas GmbH
    Inventor: Heinz Schneider
  • Patent number: 6792768
    Abstract: The present invention provides low temperature zone forming equipment having a storage function capable of controlling temperature and humidity and a method and equipment for maintaining the quality of hauled fishes in an auction market of marine products such as fishes shellfishes, which constitute a low temperature distribution system closely linked with a purchase and sale system in consideration of the characteristics of the market. The low temperature zone forming equipment used in the low temperature distribution system is composed of a chilled air generator 1 and an enclosure wall 3 of flexible hollow structure, said enclosure wall having openings for entrance and exit of water at an end part thereof and openings for supplying chilled air produced in said chilled air generator and having exhaust openings formed of knitted cloth along the inside of the enclosure wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2004
    Assignee: Mayekawa Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masaru Murakami, Yasuhiro Hirao
  • Patent number: 6769260
    Abstract: A refrigerator includes at least one storage chamber for accommodating cosmetics. The refrigerator further includes electrical parts for maintaining cosmetics accommodated in the storage chamber at appropriate temperature, a control means for controlling operations of checking and displaying failures of the electrical parts, and a display unit for displaying the results of the checking of the failures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2004
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jae-Seung Lee, Myung-Chul Kim, Yoon-Young Kim, Chang-Hak Lim
  • Patent number: 6766651
    Abstract: A user-programmable monitoring and dispensing system for controlling the dispensing of water vapor and various other media into an HVAC air stream in residential or commercial structures. The various media to be dispensed are preferably water-soluble, and mixed with the system water supply to be dispensed with the water vapor added to the HVAC air stream. These materials may be fragrances or aromas, intended to produce an aesthetic effect, or they can be agents capable of pesticidal, bacteriacidal, fungicidal or sporacidal effect for use as acute or prophylactic treatment for infestation. The dispensing system central processor is pre-programmed with a default concentration algorithm for each media to be dispensed. The concentration of media in aqueous solution is initially controlled by this default algorithm at each of several concentration levels, from lowest to highest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2004
    Inventor: Scott Dillenback
  • Patent number: 6718792
    Abstract: An aqua-ammonia chiller apparatus is modified to include a heater function by providing a refrigerant by-pass for directing refrigerant to a heat exchanger capable of selectively functioning as a condenser during a heating mode or an evaporation during a cooling mode without passing through the apparatus condenser during the heating mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2004
    Assignee: Rocky Research
    Inventors: Paul Sarkisian, Uwe Rockenfeller
  • Patent number: 6710220
    Abstract: A formulation effective in reducing the pH in a menstruating vagina or in a tampon inserted therein to below pH 5.5, comprising (a) 3-80% by weight of a solid organic acid polymer; (b) 92-15% by weight of a solid organic acid, and (c) 5-30% of a wetting agent. Also disclosed is a delivery system for releasing an active agent comprising: (a) a deposition comprising the active agent; and (b) a polymeric support on which the deposition is deposited. The delivery system is especially useful in a catamenial tampon for insertion in a human vagina which comprises (a) an inner core comprising an absorbent material; (b) an outer layer comprising a liquid permeable material; and (c) the delivery system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2004
    Assignee: Hi-Gienic Ltd.
    Inventors: Ram Kluger, Simon Benita, Theodor Stern
  • Patent number: 6698234
    Abstract: The efficiency of a vapor compression system is increased by coupling the evaporator with either the intercooler of a two-stage vapor compression system or the compressor component. The refrigerant in the evaporator accepts heat from the compressor component or the refrigerant in the intercooler, heating the evaporator refrigerant. As pressure is directly related temperature, the low side pressure of the system increases, decreasing compressor work and increasing system efficiency. Additionally, as the heat from the compressor component or from the refrigerant in the intercooler is rejected to the refrigerant in the evaporator, the compressor is cooled, increasing the density and the mass flow rate of the refrigerant to further increase system efficiency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2004
    Assignee: Carrier Corporation
    Inventors: Sivakumar Gopalnarayanan, Tobias H. Sienel, Lili Zhang
  • Patent number: 6672103
    Abstract: The invention relates to a high power density sorption heat store, preferably for storing low-temperature heat, and is characterized in that a tube jacket 2 is provided with tube bottoms 3, 3′, and with heat exchange tubes 4, which penetrate the sorption layer 5 between the carrier floors 6, 6′; the mat layers 9, 9′ are in each case located in between; the tube jacket 2 essentially is enclosed by a working fluid tank 10 comprising the working fluid lines 11, 11′ including the valves 12, 12′, which in turn are in connection with the mat layers 9, 9′; and the dip tank 13, in the bottom area, comprises the passage 16; and heat exchange tubes 4 are proportionally equipped with ribs 27, and are loosely guided through openings 29 of the carrier floor 6′ and through the mat layer 9′ but are fixedly connected with the tube bottoms 3, 3′; and the ribs 27 are enclosed by a finely perforated network 28.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2004
    Inventors: Helmut Stach, Peter Muenn, Bernd Fuesting, Hartmut Welke
  • Patent number: 6631624
    Abstract: An improved process for operating an aqua-ammonia absorption cooling system or heating and/or cooling system for supplying cooling to an indoor space, the system including a heat exchange assembly having a first heat exchanger exterior to the indoor space to be heated and/or cooled and a second heat exchanger using a phase-change refrigerant other than ammonia in heat transfer exposure with the interior of the indoor space, comprises pumping more liquid phase-change refrigerant from the refrigerant condensing heat exchanger to the refrigerant vaporizing heat exchanger than is required to meet the heat load transfer in the heat exchanger for vaporizing the phase-change refrigerant alone. The invention includes an apparatus for carrying out the process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2003
    Assignee: Rocky Research
    Inventors: Lance D. Kirol, Paul Sarkisian, Uwe Rockenfeller
  • Patent number: 6612128
    Abstract: Accumulator (10, 100) for an air-conditioning system. The inlet (58) fluid separation can be controlled, and there is control of the amount of compressor oil in circulation through an adjustable coupling between the interior and the outlet passage (56). Desiccating material (48) can be accommodated in many orientations, and can be made of various materials. The accumulator (10, 100) embodies an outer housing (12, 14) of two or more pieces and an inner liner (16) that is of one or more pieces. The inlet (58) directs the refrigerant into the inner volume formed by the liner (16), wherein the liquid refrigerant and compressor oil are contained and insulated from the wall (12, 14) of the outer housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2003
    Assignee: Halla Climate Control Canada Inc.
    Inventors: Timothy Russell Dickson, Kenneth Peter Luke Cram, Matthew Bryan Nuss, Steven Murray Rhodes, Ki-Sun Jason Ryu, Michelle Marie Stobbart
  • Patent number: 6598404
    Abstract: Described herein is a temperature control system for cooling magnetic elements (14) in MRI apparatus (10). The control system comprises a wax (16) in contact with the elements (14) which is substantially maintained at its phase transition temperature between a solid state and a liquid state, but in a substantially solid state. A sensor (18) is immersed in the wax (16) and operates to provide a signal on the change of state of the wax (16). The sensor (18) is connected to a controller (20) which controls the operation of a heating element (26) also immersed in the wax (16) to control the temperature thereof. When the MRI apparatus is operational, heat is generated by the magnetic elements (14) is used to change the wax (16) to a liquid, this change being detected by the sensor (18) which sends signals to the controller (20) to turn off the heating element (26).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2003
    Assignee: Oxford Magnet Technology Limited
    Inventor: Marcel Jan Marie Kruip
  • Patent number: 6571571
    Abstract: Box for refrigeration unit, the box being formed from a moulded, hollow walled, plastics shell. The walls of the shell are filled with an insulating material. Some components of a refrigeration unit, including an evaporator, are provided within the box, other components, including a compressor, are provided outside the shell. The box can be used as a plug box for a refrigeration unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2003
    Assignee: Foster Refrigerator (UK) Limited
    Inventor: Chris Playford
  • Patent number: 6560971
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for making a hydrate slurry, which involves the preparation of an aqueous solution of a guest compound for forming a clathrate hydrate, cooling the aqueous solution, and contacting the aqueous solution with nuclear particles. A thermal storage method, a thermal storage apparatus, and a thermal storage medium using an aqueous solution of a clathrate hydrate, in a concentration which provides a congruent melting point or lower. A refrigerating apparatus and an air conditioner using the thermal storage apparatus and the thermal storage medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2003
    Assignee: NKK Corporation
    Inventors: Shingo Takao, Hidemasa Ogoshi, Shigenori Matsumoto