Patents Examined by William E. Tapolcai
  • Dispenser for refrigerator
    Patent number: 7445137
    Abstract: A refrigerator including a dispenser casing on which an ice discharge opening is formed and an opening/closing member placed in the dispenser casing for opening/closing the ice discharge opening. The dispenser also includes a lever member connected with the opening/closing member for making the opening/closing member rotate toward an open position; a damper member operated by the opening/closing member for controlling the closing speed of the opening/closing member when the opening/closing member rotates toward a close position; and a lever return member disposed between the dispenser casing and the lever member, the lever return member returning the lever member to an initial position independent of the closing speed of the opening/closing member. Thus, the return speeds of the opening/closing member and the lever member operate independent of each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2008
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hyo-seok Noh, Jae-sek Oh
  • Method and apparatus for cooling beverages
    Patent number: 7444831
    Abstract: A beverage cooling container comprising a container body comprising a floor and a wall; a water level limiter, for limiting a water level in the contained area to a water level limit positioned between the floor and the filling opening, the water level limit defining a chilling zone and defining an ice reserve zone for storing reserve ice to replenish the chilling zone the reserve zone height being more than one-ninth the chilling zone height; and a beverage chiller, positioned at least partly within the chilling zone, configured to facilitate chilling within the chilling zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2008
    Assignee: Iceberg Dispensing Systems, Ltd.
    Inventor: Michael P. Cyr
  • Automatic ice making machine
    Patent number: 7444829
    Abstract: The peel off between an ice making plate and an insulating layer or between the insulating layer and heating means is prevented so that an ice making operation can be performed efficiently. Also, a metal plate is insulated from the heating means reliably. An evaporation pipe 14 and electric heaters H1 to HN are provided in an ice making member 11. A coolant is circulatingly supplied through the evaporation pipe 14 so as to cool the ice making member 11 and ice making water is supplied to the ice making member 11 so as to form an ice block M during the ice making operation. During the deicing operation, heat is generated in the heaters H1 to HN by applying current so that the ice block M is removed from the ice making member 11 by melting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2008
    Assignee: Hoshizaki Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Mori, Akihiko Hirano
  • Ice discharging structure of ice making mechanism
    Patent number: 7444828
    Abstract: An ice discharging structure of an ice making mechanism for discharging an ice block from the ice making mechanism reliably regardless of the weight of the ice block. An ice making mechanism of an ice making machine comprises an ice making section case in which an opening closed by a separator openably and closably is provided. The ice making section case comprises an ice chute inclined downward to the opening of the ice making section case, provided between an ice making section 16 and a sprinkler, for leading an ice block fallen from an ice making chamber to the opening. On an end face of the ice chute, a first rib is horizontally provided in a width direction of the end face, and a top thereof is in line contact with an inner face of the separator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2008
    Assignee: Hoshizaki Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shizuma Kadowaki, Kunihiko Ishitomi, Masaaki Kawasumi, Hiroki Imaoka
  • Cooling appliance with circulated air cooling and cooling air injection
    Patent number: 7444832
    Abstract: A cooling appliance (1) with circulated air cooling, comprising at least one cooling chamber (2) for reception of stock (3) to be cooled, at least one channel (4) for cooling air (5) and a coldness generator (12) for generating cooling air (5), wherein the channel (4) provides a fluid-conducting connection of the coldness generator (12) with the cooling chamber (2) and opens into the cooling chamber (2) by an outlet opening (6), wherein a jet forming means (7) is provided and wherein the jet forming means (7) is formed by a nozzle element (18) and/or by a spacer (10), by which the stock (3) to be cooled is kept at a spacing from the outlet opening (6), at the outlet opening (6). A precise, uniform and energy-saving temperature conditioning of the stock (3), which is to be cooled, in the cooling chamber (2) is made possible by the invention.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2008
    Assignee: BSH Home Appllances Corporation
    Inventors: Alexander Görz, Hans Ihle, Matthew Ricket, Ralf Spiller, Martin Wagner
  • Refrigerated product merchandising unit
    Patent number: 7444825
    Abstract: A refrigerated product merchandising unit for storing and displaying chilled products including a body member, a product holding container positionable within the body member, and a base member having a refrigeration unit associated therewith, the refrigeration unit being positionable within the body member and being adapted for providing cold air to the product holding container. The product holding container includes a first plurality of openings positioned adjacent the top end portion thereof for allowing cold air to enter the product holding container and a second plurality of openings positioned adjacent the bottom end portion thereof for allowing air to exit the product holding container for recycling through the refrigeration unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2008
    Assignee: Presence From Innovation, LLC
    Inventors: Donald J. Miller, Jr., Kent Lee Hanners, Johnny P. Glasgow
  • Cold carbonation system for beverage dispenser with remote tower
    Patent number: 7437879
    Abstract: A beverage dispensing system is characterized by an ice/beverage dispenser and a remote beverage tower. The dispenser has a cold plate, a carbonator pump and a carbonator tank and the tower has a carbonator tank. To chill the tower carbonator tank, a closed loop fluid circuit extends between and heat exchange couples the dispenser cold plate and the tower carbonator tank. The dispenser carbonator pump can be used to circulate water through the closed loop circuit or a carbonator pump for the tower can be used for the purpose. A valve arrangement is provided for and as part of the dispenser cold plate to conveniently enable the dispenser to be switched between stand-alone operation and operation as a base unit for the remote tower. Arrangement is also made to cause ice agitation at the dispenser in response to drinks dispense at the remote tower to maintain a supply on the cold plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2008
    Inventors: Peter F. Wolski, Thaddeus M. Jablonski, Kyle B. Elsom, Eric Schertz, Daniel C. Leaver, Kevin Brandt, Todd Manisco
  • Refrigerator ice storage bin with lid
    Patent number: 7437886
    Abstract: A refrigerator having a freezer compartment having an ice maker disposed within the freezer compartment for forming ice pieces and an ice storage bin removably mounted to freezer compartment door below the ice maker having an open top receptacle for receiving ice pieces from the ice maker. The ice storage bin has a movable lid assembly including a frame removably mounted to the top of the ice storage bin and two lid members mounted to the frame. At least one lid member is pivotally mounted to the frame to close the receptacle when pivoted to a generally horizontal position and to open the receptacle when pivoted to a generally vertical position. The pivotal lid member is biased to the generally horizontal position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2008
    Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
    Inventors: Steven J. Kuehl, Luis Antonio D. Lopes, Guolian Wu, Jocelyn Leia Pollack, Gregory R. Garavalia
  • Apparatus for driving a compressor and a refrigerating air conditioner
    Patent number: 7437882
    Abstract: An apparatus for driving a compressor comprises a compressor having a compression mechanism part for sucking a fluid to compress the same, and an electric motor for driving the compression mechanism part, and an inverter device for driving the electric motor at variable speeds. The electric motor comprises a self-starting type electric motor having a rotor, which comprises a cage conductor and a polarized permanent magnet, and the inverter device comprises a plurality of semiconductor switches for controlling drive frequencies of the electric motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2008
    Assignee: Hitachi Air Conditioning Systems Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Mutsunori Matsunaga, Kenji Tojo, Yoshikatsu Tomita, Susumu Nakayama, Syunsuke Yasunori
  • Cooling air flow passage of refrigerator
    Patent number: 7434417
    Abstract: A cooling air flow passage of a refrigerator is provided. The cooling air not only flows through the passage so as to make ice in an ice making chamber but is also sent so as to cool water in a water storage tank. Therefore, the cooling air flow passage of the refrigerator and the overall structure of the refrigerator are simplified, which increases the efficiency of the refrigerator and reduces the manufacturing cost.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2008
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventor: Wook Yong Lee
  • System with an internal combustion engine, a fuel cell and a climate control unit for heating and/or cooling the interior of a motor vehicle and process for the operation thereof
    Patent number: 7434609
    Abstract: A system with an internal combustion engine which has a heat transfer circuit, a fuel cell and a climate control unit which is accommodated in the heat transfer circuit of the internal combustion engine. The system has a heat transfer arrangement for transferring the exhaust heat of the fuel cell to the heat transfer circuit and a bypass for bridging a segment of the heat transfer circuit which runs through the internal combustion engine so that, in the bypassed operating state, an isolated circuit is formed. In stationary operation, this enables an optimized operating mode since the internal combustion engine is no longer heated and the exhaust heat of the fuel cell is fully available for heating purposes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2008
    Assignee: Webasto Thermosysteme International GmbH
    Inventors: Oliver Horn, Noureddine Khelifa, Alexander Kolb
  • Refrigerator
    Patent number: 7430873
    Abstract: According to one aspect, there is provided a refrigerator including a refrigerating chamber formed at a relatively upper portion of a refrigerator body and a freezing chamber formed at a relatively lower portion of the refrigerator body, which comprises an ice-making chamber which is partitioned in the refrigerating chamber by insulating walls and includes an icemaker for making ice and an ice storage for storing the ice made in the icemaker. The temperature in the refrigerating chamber can be accurately controlled, the loss of cold air can be minimized and the structures for supplying water into the icemaker and the dispenser can be simplified.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2008
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Ill-Shin Kim, Seon-Il Yu, Kun-Jun Seok, Yong-Chol Kwon
  • Air conditioning system and methods
    Patent number: 7430878
    Abstract: An air conditioning system for conditioning the space within an enclosure having at least one inlet and one outlet, the system comprising first and second liquid/air heat exchangers; the first heat exchanger having an opening for receiving fresh air from the environment and for propelling the fresh air through the first heat exchanger to exchange heat with the liquid before it is entered into the enclosure, and the second heat exchanger having an opening for receiving air from the enclosure and for propelling it through the second heat exchanger to exchange heat with the liquid before it is expelled into the atmosphere. There are also provided methods for air-conditioning an enclosed space and for evaporation of industrial wastes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2008
    Assignee: Agam Energy Systems, Ltd.
    Inventor: Gad Assaf
  • Vehicle air conditioning system
    Patent number: 7430874
    Abstract: A vehicle air conditioning system is disclosed that includes a compressor, a condenser, a front evaporator and a rear evaporator. The condenser is operably coupled to the compressor. The front evaporator is operably coupled to the condenser and the rear evaporator is operably coupled to the condenser. A high pressure tube operably couples the condenser to the rear evaporator and a low pressure tube operably couples the rear evaporator to the compressor. At least a portion of the high pressure tube and at least a portion of the low pressure tube are formed as a dual conduit section having side-by-side relationship for heat exchange therebetween.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2008
    Assignee: Nissan Technical Center North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Antonio Prince, Ronald S. Eisenhour, Alaa Meram
  • Draft inducer having a backward curved impeller
    Patent number: 7431568
    Abstract: A draft inducer is disclosed. The draft inducer includes an impeller having one or more backward curved blades. The impeller is coupled to a motor which is preferably a DC motor. The DC motor resides at the center of the impeller and is housed within the impeller structure. The draft inducer may be mounted on a hot water heater between the hot and cold water pipes such that the impeller spins about a vertical axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2008
    Inventors: Fred A. Brown, Philip J. Bowen
  • Cold storage
    Patent number: 7430876
    Abstract: An object is to provide a cold storage in which a cooling box is attached to a bottom wall of a thermal insulation box member without any trouble, cold air circulation is constituted in such a manner that cold air which has exchanged heat with a cooler is discharged into a storage chamber by an air blower via a cold air discharge port, and sucked into a cooling chamber via a cold air suction port, and the inside of the storage chamber can be cooled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2008
    Assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Harunobu Iguchi, Yuji Yonehara
  • Method and system for making and vending ice
    Patent number: 7428824
    Abstract: A vending machine. The vending machine has a selector for a plurality of beverage types and a selector for a plurality of ice types. The vending machine has a first store for storing a supply of the plurality of beverage types and a second store for storing a supply of the plurality of ice types. The vending machine also has a dispenser for dispensing into a container a selected beverage type and a selected ice type.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2008
    Inventors: Michael William Malachowsky, Jeffrey Wayne Malachowsky, Chris Alan Malachowsky
  • Fixtures for trapping condensation
    Patent number: 7428909
    Abstract: Fixtures for trapping condensation, molds, methods of making fixtures and air conditioning systems are disclosed. The fixtures have a hollow body and at least one curved portion in which condensation may be trapped. The mold incorporates at least one mold core that may be removed from the curved portion of the molded fixture after molding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2008
    Assignee: Lasco Fittings, Inc.
    Inventors: Donald J. Klein, Robert P. Scifres
  • Refrigerator
    Patent number: 7428820
    Abstract: According to one aspect, there is provided a refrigerator including a refrigerating chamber formed at a relatively upper portion of a refrigerator body and a freezing chamber formed at a relatively lower portion of the refrigerator body, which comprises an ice-making chamber which is partitioned in the refrigerating chamber by insulating walls and includes an icemaker for making ice and an ice storage for storing the ice made in the icemaker. The temperature in the refrigerating chamber can be accurately controlled, the loss of cold air can be minimized and the structures for supplying water into the icemaker and the dispenser can be simplified.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2008
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Ill-Shin Kim, Seon-Il Yu, Kun-Jun Seok, Yong-Chol Kwon
  • Icemaker assembly
    Patent number: 7426838
    Abstract: An icemaker assembly is disposed within a refrigerator having a freezer compartment, a fresh food compartment and respective freezer and fresh food door assemblies. The icemaker assembly comprises a conveyor assembly positioned within the freezer compartment having a flexible conveyor belt with a multiplicity of individual ice cube molds for creation of individual ice cubes. An ice cube storage bin is positioned below the conveyor assembly for storing the ice cubes and a fullness sensor is positioned for determining the fill level of ice cubes within the ice cube storage bin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2008
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Andrew Philip Shapiro, Jerome Johnson Tiemann, Walter Whipple, Timothy Scott Shaffer, William Merritt Nall, Jr., Eayre Bruce Voorhees, Steven Paraszczak