Patents by Inventor Laurence F. Kinney

Laurence F. Kinney 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: 8165719
    Abstract: A system, and a method for manufacturing that system, for electrically and automatically opening, closing and otherwise controlling window shutters on a building, for the purposes of limiting radiant, conductive, and convective thermal losses from the inside of the building to the outside during the heating season, and limiting radiant, conductive, and convective thermal gains from the outside of the building to the inside during the cooling season. The system further comprises an interface to accommodate connection to other sensors not used to control the thermal environment of the building, such as motion detectors, burglar alarms, CO sensors and the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Inventors: Laurence F. Kinney, Gerald L. Cler, Todd Eric Bergeson, Derek Christopher Lindberg
  • Patent number: 7982956
    Abstract: A direct beam solar lighting system for collecting and distributing sunlight into a room. The system includes a rotatable solar collector head to receive sunlight and to reflect the sunlight downward into a transition tube having a reflective interior surface. The light-concentrating transition tube reflects sunlight into a reflective light tube which directs the reflected sunlight through a plenum space into the room. The system includes a drive mechanism for rotating the rotatable solar collector, and a light fixture at end of the light tube to disburse said reflected sunlight onto a ceiling and a wall in the room. In an embodiment the system includes one or more homogenizing reflectors within the solar collector for collecting the sunlight and directing the sunlight more uniformly over the aperture of the transition tube. In an alternative embodiment, the solar collector includes a rotatable tiltable mirror for providing two-axis tracking.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2011
    Assignees: University of Central Florida Research Foundation, Inc., Sunflower Corporation
    Inventors: Laurence F Kinney, Jim Walsh, William Ross McCluney, Gerald L Cler, John Hutson
  • Publication number: 20100332034
    Abstract: A system, and a method for manufacturing that system, for electrically and automatically opening, closing and otherwise controlling window shutters on a building, for the purposes of limiting radiant, conductive, and convective thermal losses from the inside of the building to the outside during the heating season, and limiting radiant, conductive, and convective thermal gains from the outside of the building to the inside during the cooling season. The system further comprises an interface to accommodate connection to other sensors not used to control the thermal environment of the building, such as motion detectors, burglar alarms, CO sensors and the like.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 25, 2009
    Publication date: December 30, 2010
    Inventors: Todd Bergeson, Derek Lingberg, Laurence F. Kinney, Gerald L. Cler
  • Publication number: 20100067114
    Abstract: A direct beam solar lighting system for collecting and distributing sunlight into a room. The system includes a rotatable solar collector head to receive sunlight and to reflect the sunlight downward into a transition tube having a reflective interior surface. The light-concentrating transition tube reflects sunlight into a reflective light tube which directs the reflected sunlight through a plenum space into the room. The system includes a drive mechanism for rotating the rotatable solar collector, and a light fixture at end of the light tube to disburse said reflected sunlight onto a ceiling and a wall in the room. In an embodiment the system includes one or more homogenizing reflectors within the solar collector for collecting the sunlight and directing the sunlight more uniformly over the aperture of the transition tube. In an alternative embodiment, the solar collector includes a rotatable tiltable mirror for providing two-axis tracking.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 20, 2009
    Publication date: March 18, 2010
    Inventors: Laurence F. Kinney, William Ross McCluney, Gerald L. Cler, Jim Walsh, John Hutson
  • Patent number: 7339739
    Abstract: A daylighting system for structures consisting of a solar energy collector means including a modified Cassegrainian optical system, a means of moving said collector means to an attitude tracking the sun's position in the sky during daylight hours, a heat separation means for removing heat from the concentrated beam of sunlight and for applying said heat to other uses, and one or more hollow members each comprising a reflective internal surface for distributing the sunlight inside said structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2008
    Inventors: Laurence F. Kinney, John Hutson
  • Patent number: 6128135
    Abstract: A system utilizing a series of three mirrors for purposes of collecting, concentrating, collimating and distributing radiant flux, such as sunlight or moonlight. The system generally includes a first parabolic reflector having a hole formed centrally therethrough, a second parabolic reflector slightly smaller in diameter than the hole formed through the first reflector and attached in spaced relation thereto, such that the two reflectors share a common optical axis, and a third, planar reflector. A structural framework supports the three reflectors and includes a light pipe, or other light distributing channel, through which the collected light is sent. First and second motors actuate gear assemblies attached to the framework to cause the reflectors to track both the elevation and azimuth angles, respectively, of the sun and/or moon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2000
    Assignee: Synertech Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Michael R. Stiles, Laurence F. Kinney