Patents by Inventor Deanna Hoffman

Deanna Hoffman has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 7827964
    Abstract: A fuel injection system for an internal combustion engine includes a fuel injector pocket, formed within a cylinder head, for housing an injector which sprays fuel into a combustion chamber defined by the cylinder head and a piston crown. The injector is mounted with an isolator which is loaded at a lower, elastic rate during lower power operation, with the elastic load element being stacked solid and subject to higher rate column loading during high power operation of the engine and injection system. The isolator controls unwanted injector ticking noise, while protecting the integrity of the injector's tip seal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2010
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies
    Inventors: Yitzong Chern, Deanna Hoffman, Mario Joseph Felice, Steven Homco, Joseph Basmaji
  • Patent number: 7823565
    Abstract: A fuel injection system for internal combustion engine includes an injector mounted within a pocket formed in the cylinder head, and an isolator which defines a radial clearance gap with the injector pocket. The isolator expands radially outwardly into a clearance gap in response to axially directed force imposed upon the isolator by the injector, so that a dual rate force/displacement effect is achieved by the isolator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2010
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies
    Inventors: Yitzong Chern, Deanna Hoffman, Mario Joseph Felice, Steven Homco, Joseph Stout
  • Publication number: 20100175668
    Abstract: A fuel injection system for an internal combustion engine includes a fuel injector pocket, formed within a cylinder head, for housing an injector which sprays fuel into a combustion chamber defined by the cylinder head and a piston crown. The injector is mounted with an isolator which is loaded at a lower, elastic rate during lower power operation, with the elastic load element being stacked solid and subject to higher rate column loading during high power operation of the engine and injection system. The isolator controls unwanted injector ticking noise, while protecting the integrity of the injector's tip seal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2009
    Publication date: July 15, 2010
    Applicant: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Yitzong Chern, Deanna Hoffman, Mario Joseph Felice, Steven Homco, Joseph Basmaji
  • Publication number: 20100175667
    Abstract: A fuel injection system for internal combustion engine includes an injector mounted within a pocket formed in the cylinder head, and an isolator which defines a radial clearance gap with the injector pocket. The isolator expands radially outwardly into a clearance gap in response to axially directed force imposed upon the isolator by the injector, so that a dual rate force/displacement effect is achieved by the isolator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2009
    Publication date: July 15, 2010
    Applicant: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Yitzong Chern, Deanna Hoffman, Mario Joseph Felice, Steven Homco, Joseph Stout
  • Patent number: 7373924
    Abstract: A method and system for controlling a fuel pressurizing system in a direct-injection, spark-ignition engine is disclosed such that the ticking sound of a solenoid valve in the high pressure pump is disabled at certain engine operating conditions. The fuel pressurizing system includes two pumps in series: a low pressure lift pump and a high pressure pump. Based on an engine operating parameter (speed, load, temperature, fuel delivery rate, as examples) the high pressure fuel pump is disabled when the engine operating parameter is below a threshold. The disablement of the pump is accomplished by turning off the normally-open solenoid valve on the inlet side of the high pressure pump, particularly at low speed and/or low torque conditions, e.g., idle, when the ticking of the injector is particularly noticeable. When the pump is disabled, fuel is supplied to the fuel injectors at lift pump pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2008
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Eric Krengel, Mansour Beshay, Deanna Hoffman