Patents Examined by William Wicker
  • Patent number: 5421153
    Abstract: A hydrodynamic propulsion device possessing an expansion chamber located downstream of a cross-sectional widening for the inflow of a medium which is to be expelled through a discharge nozzle. The propulsion device is constructed as a static propulsion mechanism without movable components, in that the gaseous operating medium is produced in the propulsion device through the reaction of a hydrofuel, such as NaK with water.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 1993
    Date of Patent: June 6, 1995
    Assignee: Diehl GmbH & Co.
    Inventors: Ulrich Schleicher, Wolfgang Schwarz, Joseph Spurk
  • Patent number: 5419685
    Abstract: A reciprocating-piston-type refrigerant compressor having a cylinder block having a plurality of cylinder bores in which a plurality of pistons reciprocate to effect suction, compression and discharge of refrigerant gas in response to rotation of a drive shaft, a gas receiving chamber for receiving the refrigerant gas before compression, a gas discharge chamber for receiving the compressed refrigerant gas, and at least one rotary valve element mounted on the drive shaft to be rotatable with the drive shaft and having a suction passageway for providing a fluid communication between the gas receipt chamber and each of a compression chambers formed in the plurality of cylinder bores so that the refrigerant gas before compression is sequentially drawn into the compression chambers during the rotation of the rotary valve element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 1994
    Date of Patent: May 30, 1995
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toyoda Jidoshokki Seisakusho
    Inventors: Toshiro Fujii, Hiromi Kitayama, Koichi Ito, Kazuya Kimura, Hiroaki Kayukawa
  • Patent number: 5419116
    Abstract: A method for using a miniscale ballistic test motor for determining burn es over an operating pressure range allows the testing of a small propellant sample. The small propellant sample allows performance of an abbreviated procedure for each test of the propellant sample involving loading of a small scale test motor with the sample, conditioning the test motor and sample therein, firing the propellant sample and recording data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 1994
    Date of Patent: May 30, 1995
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventors: Robert H. Rast, Sharon M. Boyles, Phyllis E. Obney
  • Patent number: 5419627
    Abstract: A cabinet having top, bottom, side, and back walls, and a door for closing the cabinet. A support rod is positioned in the cabinet, and a hair tress is mounted on the support rod. The cabinet interior is illuminated by lamps, and a control panel with a switch governs the supply of electric power delivered to the lamps, for adjusting the intensity of light emitted from the lamps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 1993
    Date of Patent: May 30, 1995
    Assignee: Dow Corning Corporation
    Inventor: Robert L. Oldinski
  • Patent number: 5413457
    Abstract: A fuel pump structure which includes an electrically driven rotor in a sealed housing which has an inlet and an outlet. A single rotor in the housing has three operating areas. At the outer periphery are vanes operating in an annular sweep channel as a second stage, high pressure regenerative pump which discharges to the housing outlet. Radially within the outer periphery are two radially spaced series of blades forming axial passages in the rotor. The first and outer series of blades operate under a lateral channel to form a first or primary stage pump delivering to a central swirl chamber above and below the rotor. The second and inner series of blades and axial passages allow passage through the rotor to the lower swirl chamber which has a tangential outlet directed to the inlet of the regenerative second stage pump. The base of the lower swirl chamber has a central vapor outlet to allow vapor to leave the fuel which is entering the high pressure pump.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 1994
    Date of Patent: May 9, 1995
    Assignee: Walbro Corporation
    Inventor: Charles H. Tuckey
  • Patent number: 5411375
    Abstract: An intake control valve for a screw-type compressor is built into the intake line, which it alternatingly opens or closes. The intake control valve, designed as a double seat valve, has a locking body (17), to which are assigned two opposing valve seats, namely a return flow seat (7) and an intake seat (9). Upon starting the screw-type compressor, the locking body (17) is pulled onto the intake seat (9) by means of the resulting intake pressure. As soon as a specific operating pressure is reached, the locking body (17) is lifted from the intake seat (9) by means of the pressure medium by way of a control cylinder (10) with a control piston (11) and moved into an intermediate position between its two seats (7, 9), so that the screw-type compressor can totally transport.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 1993
    Date of Patent: May 2, 1995
    Assignee: Hoerbiger Ventilwerke Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Friedrich Bauer
  • Patent number: 5409330
    Abstract: A double-shank ball fitting has a ball with integrally formed shanks projecting in opposite radial directions from a center of the ball for releasable locking engagement with a mating fitting having a pair of longitudinally aligned, reversed keyhole openings sharing a common ball swivel cavity with individual grooves disposed along opposed major surfaces of that mating fitting to form longitudinally aligned, shank-receiving slots.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 1993
    Date of Patent: April 25, 1995
    Assignee: Loos and Co., Inc.
    Inventors: Anthony F. Naines, Raymond Grothause
  • Patent number: 5405251
    Abstract: An oscillating centrifugal pump is disclosed which has a housing, an impeller and a magnetic drive. The housing has a longitudinal axis, having a front end and a rear end that are spaced apart on the longitudinal axis. The housing includes a pumping chamber within and at the front end of the housing. The pumping chamber is created by a continuous transverse front wall that closes the pumping chamber at the front end of the housing, a transverse rear wall axially-spaced from said transverse front wall and has a central opening, and a longitudinal closed side wall which is between the front and rear transverse walls. The housing is closed except for an inlet in the housing that is outside of and is axially spaced from the pumping chamber. An outlet is provided in the longitudinal side wall of the pumping chamber, and the housing is free of mechanical bearings, flexing or external seals or apertures that lead to the exterior of the housing except for said inlet and outlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 1992
    Date of Patent: April 11, 1995
    Inventor: Anatole J. Sipin
  • Patent number: 5402635
    Abstract: The current invention concerns a combustor having a coupling for a cross-flame tube. The coupling has inner and outer sleeves that form an annular passage therebetween. Holes in the outer sleeve place the annular passage in flow communication with cooling air in the combustion system chamber, thereby causing the cooling air to flow over the proximal end of the outer sleeve. A baffle is formed on the inner sleeve and has a pattern of raised and depressed areas. The raised areas form lands that are attached to the combustor wall. The depressed areas form passages with the wall that direct the cooling air from the annular passage so that it flows over the surface of the combustor inner wall, thereby preventing over heating of the wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 1993
    Date of Patent: April 4, 1995
    Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Kevin D. Smith, Jeffrey C. Eddy
  • Patent number: 5396759
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine annular combustor having a bulkhead at its upstream end which is thermally protected by an annular array of heat shields. Each heat shield is provided with integral flanges which space apart the heat shields and bulkhead to define chambers therebetween. Apertures in the bulkhead direct cooling air into the chambers. Further apertures in the heat shields exhaust the cooling air in a common circumferential direction so that the air flows merge to define a substantially continuous annular flow of cooling air about the longitudinal axis of the combustor and across the downstream heat shield faces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 1994
    Date of Patent: March 14, 1995
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce plc
    Inventor: John S. Richardson
  • Patent number: 5388398
    Abstract: A system for preheating air before it enters the combustion chamber of a gas turbine engine includes a recuperator which extends between, and is supported by, forward and rear headers. Cold air to be pre-heated by the recuperator flows through an entry passage in the forward header, then into and through a first conduit of the recuperator which extends the length of the recuperator. The air then flows through a plurality of cross conduits located at different locations along the length of the recuperator where it becomes heated. Flow of the now-heated air continues into a second conduit in which it is guided toward the combustion chamber. Sleeves are provided, respectively, in the entry passage of the forward header and in the first conduit of the recuperator for maintaining substantially constant the pressure differential between the first and second conduits at all locations along the length of the recuperator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1993
    Date of Patent: February 14, 1995
    Assignee: Avco Corporation
    Inventors: Vedanth Kadambi, Constantin Sobaru
  • Patent number: 5380115
    Abstract: A hip corner plate connection in which a single element sheet metal hip corner plate connector is used to connect a hip rafter most commonly occurring in wood frame buildings having a stick-framed roof of either dimensional lumber or plywood I-rafters to the top plates of the supporting walls. The sheet metal hip corner plate connector includes base members which attach to the single or double top plates of the framed wall, and flanges which attach to the hip rafter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 1993
    Date of Patent: January 10, 1995
    Assignee: Simpson Strong-Tie Co., Inc.
    Inventor: Karen W. Colonias
  • Patent number: 5369952
    Abstract: A variable friction force damper utilizes geometric variations in a sliding surface to vary the frictional force. In particular, variation in thickness of the member on which the sliding surface is formed produces a corresponding variation in the displacement of a compression spring. This variation in spring displacement produces a variation in the compression force exerted by the spring, i.e., the force with which the sliding member is pressed against the sliding surface. This in turn causes a variation in the frictional force which the sliding surface exerts on the sliding member. The result is a variable friction force damper having a variable damping capability which allows a controlled response at variable input levels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Steven A. Walters
  • Patent number: 5369947
    Abstract: The plastic waste is reacted in a plasma reactor 3 under reducing conditions in a plasma containing substoichiometric oxygen at temperatures above 1200.degree. C. to form a plasma pyrolysis gas consisting of low molecular weight carbon fragments which is then cooled to temperatures below 1500.degree. C. The cooled plasma pyrolysis gas is then delivered in compressed form as a fuel of high calorific value and high temperature to a gas turbine 10 for generating power. The waste heat of this gas turbine is used to generate steam which is fed into a steam turbine 12 for generating more power. The process is suitable for plastic waste of any composition and leads to complete conversion into a gas of high calorific value so that a high exergetic efficiency level is achieved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignee: Bayer Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Hans-Ulrich Dummersdorf, Helmut Waldmann
  • Patent number: 5361576
    Abstract: In a method for operating a silo combustion chamber (A) of a gas turbine, this combustion chamber is equipped with a number of premixing burners (B), these burners being arranged so that they are subdivided in groups within the combustion chamber (A). At least one group is equipped with controllable premixing burners. Very high demands are made on the quality of the combustion during the operation of such a combustion chamber (A), particularly in the full-load range, in order to meet the stringent NO.sub.x emission regulations. For this purpose, the last group to be switched on is controlled at full load in accordance with the ambient conditions. A load control system also acts at part load. By this means, it is possible to prevent a fluctuation of the NO.sub.x emissions due to the varying ambient conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 1993
    Date of Patent: November 8, 1994
    Assignee: Asea Brown Boveri Ltd.
    Inventor: Gerhard Muller
  • Patent number: 5359851
    Abstract: A variable geometry nozzle for a turbojet engine is disclosed wherein the adjustment of the cross-sectional area of the nozzle in a converging-diverging configuration is controlled by a single control system. The single control system varies the positions of both of the inner upstream and downstream flaps, as well as the outer flaps. A second control system operates simultaneously with the first control system to change the configuration of the nozzle to a converging-converging configuration. The inner, upstream flaps, which are pivotally connected to the downstream end of the turbojet exhaust duct, are controlled by an axially movable control ring which is connected to the controlled inner, upstream flaps via a link rod. The positions of the inner, downstream flaps, which have their upstream edges pivotally connected to a downstream edge of a corresponding upstream flap, are controlled by the movement of the upstream flap, as well as a connection with a cowling support via another link rod.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 1993
    Date of Patent: November 1, 1994
    Assignee: Societe Nationale d'Etude et de Construction de Moteurs d'Aviation (S.N.E.C.M.A.)
    Inventors: Pierre A. L. M. Bannerot, Guy J. Lapergue, Eric F. M. Maingre, Xavier J. Pasquali, Jean-Claude H. Reghezza
  • Patent number: 5359849
    Abstract: An afterburner assembly is disclosed in which the flameholder ring is for by plurality of flameholder ring segments, each segment being integrally formed with a generally radially extending arm. The flameholder ring segments extend beyond each opposite sides of the arm. The arm and flameholder ring segments are attached to the casing of the afterburner by a support element which is pivotally attached to the arm and fixedly attached to the afterburner casing. The distal end of the arm slidably contacts the casing defining the opposite side of the afterburner duct to enable the arm to slide relative to the casing to allow for differential thermal expansion of the respective elements. When each of the arm/flameholder ring segments are attached to the afterburner casing, the flameholder ring segments form a generally annular flameholder ring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 1993
    Date of Patent: November 1, 1994
    Assignee: Societe Nationale d'Etude et de Construction de Moteurs d'Aviation
    Inventors: Didier L. C. Auffret, Gerard C. L. Berger, Eric Conete, Frederic Delage, Gerard E. A. Jourdain, Christophe J. F. Thorel
  • Patent number: 5353589
    Abstract: The use of a pressure wave machine as energy exchanger (C) in a gas turbine plant makes it possible, owing to the self-cooling cellular wheel (22), to employ substantially higher temperatures. However, in order to be able to make full use of this advantage, steam cooling (13) is applied for the low-pressure gas outlet ducts (35, 37), while in addition means are provided for utilizing the heated cooling steam in a part of the gas turbine, for example in the combustion chamber (D) or in the turbine (B).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 1993
    Date of Patent: October 11, 1994
    Assignee: Asea Brown Boveri Ltd.
    Inventors: Rolf Althaus, Erwin Zauner
  • Patent number: 5349812
    Abstract: A gas turbine combustor is capable of reducing NOx over a whole load range of a gas turbine. The combustor comprises two burner systems. It is possible to independently control a flow rate of combustion air supplied to a burner of the respective systems and a flow rate of bypass air jetted from through a bypass air port. The air supplied to the burners is mixed with fuel in a mixing chamber and then ejected into a combustion chamber so as to form a flame. The amount of bypass air is controlled in accordance with an operation load, a humidity of air and a heating value of fuel. It is therefore possible to prevent any blow off and reduce NOx over the whole load range of the gas turbine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 1993
    Date of Patent: September 27, 1994
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masayuki Taniguchi, Hironobu Kobayashi, Kiyoshi Narato, Tadayoshi Murakami, Shigeru Azuhata, Michio Kuroda, Noriyuki Hayashi
  • Patent number: 5345760
    Abstract: A booster-compressor for a high flow coefficient turboprop aircraft engine increases engine thrust by supercharging the air into the inlet of the gas generating core engine. The flow of supercharged air from the booster-compressor is split between the core engine and the ambient to allow for the use of standard size rotor blades and stator blades and to provide supplemental thrust. The rotor blades are designed as impulse rotors and the stator vanes are arranged in an axially converging annular flowpath in order to limit to a minimum any increase in the static pressure of the supercharged air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 1993
    Date of Patent: September 13, 1994
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Rollin G. Giffin, III