Patents by Inventor James R. M. Neal

James R. M. Neal 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: 12253284
    Abstract: Methods and related systems for operating a furnace are disclosed. In an embodiment, the method includes activating a burner assembly and a first fan of the furnace to combust fuel and air and circulate combustion gases along a flow path extending through a heat exchanger of the furnace. In addition, the method includes operating a second fan of the furnace to circulate air across an external surface of the heat exchanger of the furnace and produce a conditioned airflow. Further, the method includes monitoring one or more parameters of a motor of the second fan indicative of an airflow rate of the conditioned airflow, and deactivating the burner assembly, whereby combustion of the fuel and air in the furnace ceases, in response to the one or more parameters indicating that the airflow rate is less than a minimum airflow rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2025
    Assignee: Trane International Inc.
    Inventors: James R. M. Neal, Thomas Gort, Wayne N. Kraft, Sandeep Gowdagiri, Neal Harrington, David Williams, Jr.
  • Patent number: 11906175
    Abstract: Example embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a control system for controlling an HVAC device where the control system includes a temperature sensor that provides a signal indicative of a temperature associated with the HVAC device, an orientation sensor that provides a signal indicative of an operating orientation of the HVAC device, and control circuitry that receives the temperature signal and the orientation signal from the orientation sensor. The control circuitry selects an operating thermal control set point from a plurality of stored thermal control set points based at least in part on an orientation signal, determines a temperature sensor input based on the temperature signal and compares the temperature sensor input to the operating thermal control set point, and operates the HVAC device based at least in part on that comparison.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: Trane International Inc.
    Inventors: Neal Harrington, Thomas Gort, James R. M. Neal
  • Patent number: 11624529
    Abstract: Methods and related systems for operating a furnace are disclosed. In an embodiment, the method includes activating a burner assembly and a first fan of the furnace to combust fuel and air and circulate combustion gases along a flow path extending through a heat exchanger of the furnace. In addition, the method includes operating a second fan of the furnace to circulate air across an external surface of the heat exchanger of the furnace and produce a conditioned airflow. Further, the method includes monitoring one or more parameters of a motor of the second fan indicative of an airflow rate of the conditioned airflow, and deactivating the burner assembly, whereby combustion of the fuel and air in the furnace ceases, in response to the one or more parameters indicating that the airflow rate is less than a minimum airflow rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2023
    Assignee: Trane International Inc.
    Inventors: James R. M. Neal, Thomas Gort, Wayne N. Kraft, Sandeep Gowdagiri, Neal Harrington, David Williams, Jr.
  • Patent number: 11585543
    Abstract: Example embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a control system for controlling an HVAC device where the control system includes a temperature sensor that provides a signal indicative of a temperature associated with the HVAC device, an orientation sensor that provides a signal indicative of an operating orientation of the HVAC device, and control circuitry that receives the temperature signal and the orientation signal from the orientation sensor. The control circuitry selects an operating thermal control set point from a plurality of stored thermal control set points based at least in part on an orientation signal, determines a temperature sensor input based on the temperature signal and compares the temperature sensor input to the operating thermal control set point, and operates the HVAC device based at least in part on that comparison.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: Trane International Inc.
    Inventors: Neal Harrington, Thomas Gort, James R. M. Neal
  • Publication number: 20220205648
    Abstract: Example embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a control system for controlling an HVAC device where the control system includes a temperature sensor that provides a signal indicative of a temperature associated with the HVAC device, an orientation sensor that provides a signal indicative of an operating orientation of the HVAC device, and control circuitry that receives the temperature signal and the orientation signal from the orientation sensor. The control circuitry selects an operating thermal control set point from a plurality of stored thermal control set points based at least in part on an orientation signal, determines a temperature sensor input based on the temperature signal and compares the temperature sensor input to the operating thermal control set point, and operates the HVAC device based at least in part on that comparison.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 30, 2020
    Publication date: June 30, 2022
    Inventors: Neal Harrington, Thomas Gort, James R. M. Neal
  • Patent number: 10928076
    Abstract: Described herein are embodiments of a furnace inlet water collector for an HVAC system. The inlet water collector may include a base having an air intake aperture; an inner wall having a first top end and a first bottom end, the first bottom end provided proximate to the base; an outer wall having a second top end and a second bottom end, the second bottom end provided proximate to the base, the inner wall having a diameter smaller than a diameter of the outer wall; one or more pipe stops provided proximate to the base and between the inner wall and outer wall, a height of the one or more pipe stops extending less than a height of the outer wall; and a drain coupled to the outer wall and in fluid communication with a channel displaced between the inner wall and the outer wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2021
    Assignee: TRANE INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventors: Jerry Mac Deal, Jesus Garcia Gomez, Kendall D. Davenport, James R. M. Neal, Seth O. Holloway, Shivakumar Kolloju, Ragunanthanan Mylsamy, Emily Catherine Burke, Michael Bielmann
  • Publication number: 20200033011
    Abstract: Described herein are embodiments of a furnace inlet water collector for an HVAC system. The inlet water collector may include a base having an air intake aperture; an inner wall having a first top end and a first bottom end, the first bottom end provided proximate to the base; an outer wall having a second top end and a second bottom end, the second bottom end provided proximate to the base, the inner wall having a diameter smaller than a diameter of the outer wall; one or more pipe stops provided proximate to the base and between the inner wall and outer wall, a height of the one or more pipe stops extending less than a height of the outer wall; and a drain coupled to the outer wall and in fluid communication with a channel displaced between the inner wall and the outer wall.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 30, 2018
    Publication date: January 30, 2020
    Inventors: Jerry Mac Deal, Jesus Garcia Gomez, Kendall D. Davenport, James R. M. Neal, Seth O. Holloway, Shivakumar Kolloju, Ragunanthanan Mylsamy, Emily Catherine Burke, Michael Bielmann