Patents by Inventor James R. Houx, Jr.

James R. Houx, Jr. 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: 4801410
    Abstract: A vacuum-formed fill sheet for water cooling towers is provided with structure for contact with adjacent sheets for maintaining proper spacing around a perimeter of the sheets as well as between interior cooling zones formed within the sheet. Top marginal edge portions of the sheets are formed in a corrugated pattern, with the peaks and valleys of adjacent sheets being inclined in opposite directions in order to maintain sheet spacing while enabling the film flow of water thereover to cooling zones below. Honeycomb structure formed along facing, side edge portions of adjacent sheets also assists in maintenance of the requisite sheet spacing while functioning to smoothly guide the air between adjacent fill packs in a horizontal direction with a minimum of pressure loss. The honeycomb structure as well as the corrugated sections eliminate stresses within the sheets that might otherwise cause warpage sagging or bending of the latter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 1987
    Date of Patent: January 31, 1989
    Assignee: The Marley Cooling Tower Company
    Inventors: Ohler L. Kinney, Jr., James R. Houx, Jr.
  • Patent number: 4663092
    Abstract: A splash bar for use in fill structure of an evaporative cooling tower has an extruded body with an elongated water impingement portion operable to uniformly disperse deflected water throughout the fill structure for contact with passing air. The splash bar body comprises a pair of arcuate in cross section side margins and an elongated, horizontal, flat top segment interconnecting the side margins. The centers of curvature of the side margins are coincident and lie beneath the body, while the width of the flat top segment is in the range of approximately 15% to approximately 35% of the overall width of the body. In preferred forms of the invention, the width of the flat top segment is approximately 25% of the overall width of the body. Advantageously, the body is hollow and includes a pair of spaced, flat, co-planar bottom walls integrally extending inwardly from the side margins.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 1986
    Date of Patent: May 5, 1987
    Assignee: The Marley Cooling Tower Company
    Inventors: Ohler L. Kinney, Jr., James R. Houx, Jr., Gerald D. Fritz
  • Patent number: 4076771
    Abstract: A generally rectangular, bottom-vented, mechanical draft combination wet-dry water cooling tower is provided which has excellent water conservation properties and resistance to recirculation of heated discharge air, and which is designed for minimizing undue low level deflection and spreading of hot moist discharge air with essentially complete elimination of visible fog plumes above the tower.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 1976
    Date of Patent: February 28, 1978
    Assignee: The Marley Cooling Tower Company
    Inventors: James R. Houx, Jr., Richard D. Landon, Paul A. Lindahl, Jr.