Patents by Inventor Lin Tao

Lin Tao 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: 5370529
    Abstract: A fuel-fired, forced air draft induced heating furnace is provided with NO.sub.x reduction apparatus associated with a plurality of combustor tubes forming a portion of its heat exchanger structure. In-shot type fuel burners are spaced apart from and face the open inlet ends of horizontal combustion sections of the combustor tubes. The NO.sub.x reduction apparatus includes a plurality of metal mesh tubes having diameters substantially less than the internal diameters of the combustion tubes. The mesh tubes are coaxially supported within the combustor tubes, adjacent their inlet ends, by elongated support members longitudinally passing through the mesh tubes and having first ends anchored to the combustor tube inlet ends, and second ends slidably resting on internal side surface portions of the combustor tubes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignee: Rheem Manufacturing Company
    Inventors: Lin-Tao Lu, Larry R. Mullens, Keith M. Grahl
  • Patent number: 5322050
    Abstract: A tubular recuperative heat exchanger structure is mounted in a housing chamber within a fuel-fired condensing furnace in the vertical flow path of supply air being flowed through the housing by a blower. The heat exchanger structure comprises a primary heat exchanger defined by a vertically serpentined series of combustor tubes into open inlet ends of which a series of inshot-type fuel burners flow flames and hot combustion gases, and a secondary heat exchanger formed from a horizontally extending series of finned heat exchanger tubes having inlets in flow communication with the outlets of the combustor tubes and outlets in flow communication with the inlet of a draft inducer fan.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 1993
    Date of Patent: June 21, 1994
    Assignee: Rheem Manufacturing Company
    Inventor: Lin-Tao Lu
  • Patent number: 5271376
    Abstract: A fuel-fired condensing furnace is provided with a specially designed heat exchanger structure having a metal primary section and a plastic secondary or recuperative section. The primary section is defined by a horizontally spaced series of identically sized, vertically serpentined metal combustor tubes adapted to receive a throughflow of a burning fuel-air mixture discharged from the furnace burner section. Each tube has an essentially straight inlet combustion section sized to permit essentially complete combustion therein of the burning fuel-air mixture received by the tube, and a plurality of vertically spaced horizontal heat transfer sections that are horizontally flattened and narrowed to enhance their combustion heat transfer to supply air being forced upwardly through the furnace housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 21, 1993
    Assignee: Rheem Manufacturing Company
    Inventors: Lin-Tao Lu, Ali Shenasa, Diane M. Jakobs, Gallen W. Stokes
  • Patent number: 5178124
    Abstract: A high efficiency fuel-fired condensing furnace is provided with a compact recuperative heat exchanger structure comprising a metal primary heat exchanger positioned above and operatively connected to the inlet side of a secondary heat exchanger formed from a polyetherimide (PEI) plastic material. The primary heat exchanger is formed from a horizontally spaced series of vertically serpentined metal combustor tubes, and the second heat exchanger if formed from horizontally spaced apart injection molded inlet and outlet collector boxes interconnected by a horizontally spaced series of elongated hollow extruded plate members sealingly secured at their opposite ends to the collector boxes with the side edge-to-side edge widths of the hollow plate members being vertically oriented. The outlet ends of the metal tubes are operatively connected to the plastic inlet collector box.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 1991
    Date of Patent: January 12, 1993
    Assignee: Rheem Manufacturing Company
    Inventors: Lin-Tao Lu, Ali Shenasa, Diane M. Jakobs, Gallen W. Stokes