Patents by Inventor Luiz V. Boffi

Luiz V. Boffi 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: 5354186
    Abstract: A balancer arrangement for a rotating machine element employs a peristaltic pump which pumps a balancing fluid to respective balancing chambers via flexible tubing. In an arrangement which employs four balancing chambers, two peristaltic pumps may be employed to control the flow of balancing fluid between respective pairs of the chambers. The radial positioning of the peristaltic pumps is not fixed, but may be selected in response to specific characteristics of the application. In addition, the pump motors may be configured to drive the peristaltic pump rollers by operation of the rotation of the motor shaft, or the motor housing. The tubing along which the balancing fluid is conducted need not have a circular cross-section, and may be installed in a groove or cavity of the balancing arrangement so as to secure against centrifugal forces and prevent ballooning effects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 1993
    Date of Patent: October 11, 1994
    Assignee: The Board of Regents of the University of Michigan
    Inventors: Syed Murtuza, Luiz V. Boffi