Patents Examined by William E. Tapolcai
  • Patent number: 7406838
    Abstract: An ice-making machine includes a control faceplate and formed with a water tank and an accommodating hollow. The water tank has a water intake connected with the feed water pipe of the accommodating hollow. The accommodating hollow is bored with a draining channel communicating with the water tank and has an insert hole in a side and a trigger switch on an outer side. A water trough pivotally assembled in the accommodating hollow has a push plate at the front side and a pivot at the opposite sides to be fitted with the trigger switch. A freezing system installed in the machine body is composed of a compressor, a condenser, an electric magnetic valve, a dryer with a capillary tube, a vaporizer with plural ice-making rods and a liquid reservoir. The water tank has an ice-collecting box.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2008
    Inventor: Ching-Hsiang Wang
  • Patent number: 7404434
    Abstract: A plate-type heat exchanger is comprised of a stack of dished plates, with the plates being sealed at their margins by nesting sidewalls and the plate bottoms being spaced from one another to define a plurality of flow passages. Each of the plates has two pairs of openings. Two of the openings are formed in bosses which are joined to the sidewall along a portion of their length, thereby avoiding formation of a bypass channel between the bosses and the sidewall and maximizing the plate area available for heat transfer. The other two openings are provided with ribs which support the bosses of upwardly adjacent plates in the stack and which provide channels to provide transverse distribution of fluid across the plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2008
    Assignee: Dana Canada Corporation
    Inventors: Michael A. Martin, Doug Vanderwees
  • Patent number: 7401470
    Abstract: There is provided a water supply control apparatus for an ice maker and method thereof. In the apparatus and method, an ejector pushes out ice, a sensor detecting portion is formed on the ejector, and at least two sensors detect a senor transit time for the sensor detecting portion to travel from one of the sensors to the other. Therefore, an adequate amount of water can be supplied to the ice maker to make ice with a desired size regardless of the variation in the water pressure of a water inlet line from a household water source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2008
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Wook Yong Lee, Eul Yeop Chung
  • Patent number: 7401473
    Abstract: A dual refrigerant refrigerating system provides a refrigeration cycle in which a primary refrigerant cools a secondary refrigerant in a primary evaporator into a partially frozen state, in which a fusion portion thereof is frozen. The primary refrigerant thus absorbs a secondary latent heat from secondary refrigerant, including a latent heat of fusion required for freezing the fusion portion. Secondary refrigerant is subsequently at least partially thawed, in a secondary evaporator, by re-absorption thereby of secondary latent heat from material proximal to secondary evaporator. Evaporation in secondary evaporator requires at least partial thawing of fusion portion, and thus latent heat of fusion is at least partially re-absorbed by secondary refrigerant, thus increasing secondary heat absorbed from material and facilitating refrigeration thereof. The system also provides defrost and heat reclaim capabilities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2008
    Assignees: Systems LMP Inc.
    Inventors: Gaétan Lesage, Jordan Kantchev
  • Patent number: 7398655
    Abstract: Disclosed is a vibration isolation apparatus for a wine refrigerator including a main body having a storage chamber and a mounting space, a base plate disposed at the mounting space of the main body with a predetermined interval from the main body, for forming the mechanical chamber with the mounting space, a compressor being installed on the top surface of the base plate, and an interval maintaining elastic support means coupled between the main body and the base plate, for maintaining a predetermined interval between the main body and the base plate, and elastically supporting the base plate. The vibration isolation apparatus for the wine refrigerator can store wines without deteriorating the special taste of the wines, by preventing the wine bottles stored in the wine refrigerator from being shaken in the operation of the wine refrigerator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2008
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Young-Hoon Yun, Yong-Gu Kim, Tae-Hee Lee, Dong-Hoon Lee
  • Patent number: 7395678
    Abstract: A system for modulating refrigerant flow from an evaporator of an air or gas drying apparatus wherein the air or gas drying apparatus has an evaporator shell with at least one exit orifice for return of refrigerant to an accumulator or compressor. The system comprising a flow metering structure connected to the at least one exit orifice, the structure having an internal tube with a vertical rise from an evaporator shell end to an accumulator or compressor end, the internal tube having at least one return orifice (a) which allows passage of liquid refrigerant outside the internal tube into the internal tube, and at least one return orifice (b) which allows passage of gas outside the internal tube into the internal tube.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2008
    Assignee: Parker-Hannifin Corp.
    Inventors: Raymond P. Arno, David R. Arno, John A. Carlin
  • Patent number: 7395674
    Abstract: An air conditioner has a heat source refrigerant circuit, utilization refrigerant circuits, a pressurizing circuit, and a cooler. The heat source refrigerant circuit is configured by an interconnection of a compression mechanism, a heat source heat exchanger, and a heat source expansion valve that reduces a pressure of refrigerant condensed in the heat source heat exchanger. The pressurizing circuit is disposed in the heat source refrigerant circuit and causes high-pressure gas refrigerant compressed in the compression mechanism to merge with a refrigerant having a pressure that is reduced in the heat source expansion valve. The refrigerant is sent to the utilization refrigerant circuits. The cooler cools the refrigerant having the pressure that is reduced in the heat source expansion valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2008
    Assignee: Daikin Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Masahiro Honda
  • Patent number: 7395672
    Abstract: An ice-dispenser assembly for a refrigerator includes a crusher, an auger, a motor configured to drive the auger, and a sorting device operatively coupled to the auger. The sorting device is configured to deliver ice to the crusher when rotated in a first direction and have ice bypass the crusher when rotated in the opposite direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2008
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Andrew Krause, Ravi Varanasi, Ramesh Janardhanam, Abdel Hamad
  • Patent number: 7395676
    Abstract: A portable, evaporative cooling apparatus includes a cabinet for storing cooling water, a water pump, a fan, and a spraying system. The fan is mountable on the cabinet lid and is removable from the cabinet lid for storage within the cabinet. The cabinet has wheels that allow it to be rolled along a surface and a handle for pulling the cabinet along the surface. The apparatus may be retrofit to a standard food cooler.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2008
    Inventor: Steve White
  • Patent number: 7392659
    Abstract: Controlling displacement in a variable displacement compressor of an automobile air conditioning system entails detecting the temperature and humidity level of air entering the evaporator, setting a target air probe temperature from inside the automobile, and reading the evaporator air-out temperature at the temperature probe. From these parameters, the evaporator suction pressure can be calculated as can the load on the evaporator and the refrigerant flow rate so that the compressor swash plate angle, and thus, the compressor displacement, can be adjusted. After adjusting the compressor swash plate angle, calculating the absolute value of a difference between the actual air probe value and the vehicle occupant's air probe setting can be performed. If the absolute value is less than 0.5 degrees Fahrenheit, then the compressor stroke can be maintained, but if it is not, then the iteration must again be performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2008
    Assignee: Chrysler LLC
    Inventors: Kwangtaek Hong, William L DeWitt, Gary L Baker
  • Patent number: 7392665
    Abstract: Refrigerator with an icemaker including a cabinet having a mullion wall for compartmentalization of a freezing chamber and a refrigerating chamber, a case provided to a door on the refrigerating chamber, having a cavity therein, a first duct for supplying cold air from a neighborhood of an evaporator in the freezing chamber to the cavity, the icemaker in the cavity for producing ice, an ice container in the cavity for storing the ice, and a dispenser in the door in communication with the cavity, thereby having ice supplied to a user at an outside of the refrigerator through a dispenser provided to the door.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2008
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Myung Ryul Lee, Seong Jae Kim, Chang Ho Seo, Sung Hoon Chung
  • Patent number: 7389647
    Abstract: A closed system and method of cooling and remote dispensing beverages (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) to a remote dispensing tower. The closed system employs a closed and sealed loop of continuously circulating coolant. The continuously circulating coolant is daisy chained through a bank of heat exchangers in the closed and sealed loop. Each heat exchanger flash chills a corresponding one beverage to be dispended at the remote dispensing tower via a primary trunk line. The primary trunk line communicates the flash chilled beverage in heat exchange relationship with a supply line of said coolant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2008
    Inventor: Martin Joseph Abraham, III
  • Patent number: 7389650
    Abstract: A glove box assembly for a vehicle is provided. The glove box assembly includes a storage bin and a dedicated climate controlled bin. The climate controlled bin is arranged to receive cooled air from a vehicle heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) unit for cooling the climate controlled bin independent of the storage bin. The glove box assembly further includes a cooled air inlet. The cooled air inlet is arranged to draw cooled air from the HVAC unit upstream of a blend door when air conditioning is operating so as to provide cooled air to the climate controlled bin independent of a vehicle cabin temperature setting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2008
    Assignee: Chrysler LLC
    Inventors: Richard Kukucka, L. John Ozark, Jr., John Jezuit, Calin Marginean, Robert Dubiel, Jeffrey I Godshall, Ryan C Nagode
  • Patent number: 7389653
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus for producing sterile ice slurries for medical cooling applications. The apparatus is capable of producing highly loaded slurries suitable for delivery to targeted internal organs of a patient, such as the brain, heart, lungs, stomach, kidneys, pancreas, and others, through medical size diameter tubing. The ice slurry production apparatus includes a slurry production reservoir adapted to contain a volume of a saline solution. A flexible membrane crystallization surface is provided within the slurry production reservoir. The crystallization surface is chilled to a temperature below a freezing point of the saline solution within the reservoir such that ice particles form on the crystallization surface. A deflector in the form of a reciprocating member is provided for periodically distorting the crystallization surface and dislodging the ice particles which form on the crystallization surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2008
    Assignee: The University of Chicago
    Inventors: Kenneth E. Kasza, John Oras, HyunJin Son
  • Patent number: 7386991
    Abstract: A hermetic compressor includes a compressor body, a suction pipe connected at one side of the compressor body to supply a refrigerant to the compressor body, and a suction pipe support unit having a bracket fixed at an outer circumferential surface of the compressor body to support the suction pipe and a strap mounted at both end portions of the bracket and having a bending part supported at an outer circumferential surface of the suction pipe and integrally formed at the central portion of the strap. The number of parts of the suction pipe support unit is decreased, reducing an assembly process, and vibration generated during a compression operation is reduced when being transferred to the suction pipe, preventing damage of the suction pipe and a suction pipe connection portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2008
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Jong-Mog Kim, O-Sup Kwon
  • Patent number: 7386989
    Abstract: An air conditioner is disclosed. The air conditioner includes a frame having air suction holes formed at upper and opposite lateral surfaces thereof and an air discharge hole formed at a front surface thereof, a heat exchanger having upper, left and right heat exchanger portions located along the air suction holes, and a fan disposed below the heat exchanger and adapted to suction air from radial and rearward directions thereof and to blow the air in a forward direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2008
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Sung Rok Ryu, Byeong Jin Park
  • Patent number: 7386992
    Abstract: A bottom mount household refrigerator is provided with an ice dispenser in the fresh food door to dispense ice from a sealed ice making compartment within the fresh food compartment. A conveyor carries ice from a storage bin in the ice compartment to the dispenser.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2008
    Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
    Inventors: Joseph R. Adamski, Jason Colsch, Tim L. Coulter, Glenn E. Goetz, Steven G. Herndon, Todd E. Kniffen, Bill J. Koons, Lou Montuoro, John H. Tenhundfeld, David Thalacker, Brett Vladika
  • Patent number: 7386993
    Abstract: An ice-cube making device for use in a refrigerated cabinet is provided. The ice-cube making device is attachable to a freezer liner and thus makes efficient use of the space in the freezer cavity. The ice-cube making device includes a mechanism for extracting ice by applying a twisting torque to one or more ice-cube trays therein. The ice-cube making device may also include mechanisms for refilling the ice trays with water and for providing a user-friendly installation. Aspects of the present invention may be performed either manually or may be automated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2008
    Assignee: MABE Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V.
    Inventors: Martha Alejandra Azcárate Castrellón, José Carlos Trejo Olvera, Jorge Alberto Alfaro Jima, Claudia Evelia Moysen Romero
  • Patent number: RE40393
    Abstract: A method for producing a desired amount of ice crystal formation in a beverage comprising the steps of cooling said beverage to a temperature below its ordinary freezing temperature at atmospheric pressure to form a cooled beverage; maintaining said beverage at a pressure sufficient to inhibit freezing of said beverage; dispensing said cooled beverage into a vessel; obtaining a cooled surface, having a temperature sufficiently low to cause flash freezing of a portion of said cooled beverage which comes into contact therewith; and presenting said cooled surface to said beverage for a time sufficient to form a desired amount of said ice crystals in said beverage. An apparatus is provided for carrying out the method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2008
    Assignee: Icefloe Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Markus Hess, Cameron Dougall, Sam Chiusolo
  • Patent number: RE40428
    Abstract: The present invention is a syringe tip cap comprising a bottom portion, a top portion, an annular skirt extending therebetween and a plug that projects proximally from the bottom portion so as to be telescoped into the passage of a syringe tip. The plug provides means to allow air to be vented from the syringe with contacting the user. The syringe tip cap of the present invention also provides the user with an indication by tactile and visual feedback that the syringe has been vented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2008
    Assignee: Becton, Dickinson and Company
    Inventors: Paul Keane, Paul Barkell, Volker Niermann, Sol Green