Patents by Inventor Malcolm MacDuff

Malcolm MacDuff 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: 11339894
    Abstract: A quarter-turn pin valve actuator has a housing and a rotatable core configured to rotate about a central axis inside the housing. The rotatable core has a two bearings mounted to roll in a circular path about the central axis. The actuator comprises a two-position ramped roller plate that is displaced axially when the bearings are rolled a quarter turn. The actuator includes a push plate and a spring disposed between the push plate and the ramped roller plate. The push plate has a central socket for receiving a pin of a pin valve to which the actuator is connected. When the rotatable core is rotated, the bearings exert a force via the ramped roller plate on the push plate which in turn displaces a pin of a pin valve to which the actuator is connected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2022
    Assignee: Malcolm MacDuff
    Inventor: Malcolm MacDuff
  • Publication number: 20220090699
    Abstract: A quarter-turn pin valve actuator has a housing and a rotatable core configured to rotate about a central axis inside the housing. The rotatable core has a two bearings mounted to roll in a circular path about the central axis. The actuator comprises a two-position ramped roller plate that is displaced axially when the bearings are rolled a quarter turn. The actuator includes a push plate and a spring disposed between the push plate and the ramped roller plate. The push plate has a central socket for receiving a pin of a pin valve to which the actuator is connected. When the rotatable core is rotated, the bearings exert a force via the ramped roller plate on the push plate which in turn displaces a pin of a pin valve to which the actuator is connected.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 17, 2019
    Publication date: March 24, 2022
    Inventor: Malcolm MacDuff
  • Patent number: 10845063
    Abstract: A manifold has a frame and a plurality of valves supported by the frame, each valve having a cross gear that includes four semicircular recesses and four arms that terminate in pointed tips, and wherein the tips are non-jamming rubber tips. The manifold also has a screw drive and a splined rotatable shaft parallel to the screw drive. The manifold further includes a slider driven by the screw drive over the splined rotatable shaft. The slider includes an actuator that protrudes from the slider to engage one of the cross gears to actuate a respective one of the plurality of valves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2020
    Inventors: Malcolm Macduff, James Macduff
  • Publication number: 20190285286
    Abstract: A manifold has a frame and a plurality of valves supported by the frame, each valve having a cross gear that includes four semicircular recesses and four arms that terminate in pointed tips, and wherein the tips are non-jamming rubber tips. The manifold also has a screw drive and a splined rotatable shaft parallel to the screw drive. The manifold further includes a slider driven by the screw drive over the splined rotatable shaft. The slider includes an actuator that protrudes from the slider to engage one of the cross gears to actuate a respective one of the plurality of valves.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 6, 2017
    Publication date: September 19, 2019
    Inventors: Malcolm MACDUFF, James MACDUFF
  • Patent number: 10408468
    Abstract: A manifold has a frame and a plurality of valves supported by the frame, each valve having a cross gear. The manifold also has a screw drive and a splined rotatable shaft parallel to the screw drive. The manifold further includes a slider driven by the screw drive over the splined rotatable shaft. The slider includes an actuator that protrudes from the slider to engage one of the cross gears to actuate a respective one of the plurality of valves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2019
    Inventors: Malcolm MacDuff, James MacDuff
  • Publication number: 20170321906
    Abstract: A manifold has a frame and a plurality of valves supported by the frame, each valve having a cross gear. The manifold also has a screw drive and a splined rotatable shaft parallel to the screw drive. The manifold further includes a slider driven by the screw drive over the splined rotatable shaft. The slider includes an actuator that protrudes from the slider to engage one of the cross gears to actuate a respective one of the plurality of valves.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 27, 2017
    Publication date: November 9, 2017
    Inventors: Malcolm MacDuff, James MacDuff
  • Patent number: 9803876
    Abstract: A manifold has a frame and a plurality of valves supported by the frame, each valve having a cross gear. The manifold also has a screw drive and a splined rotatable shaft parallel to the screw drive. The manifold further includes a slider driven by the screw drive over the splined rotatable shaft. The slider includes an actuator that protrudes from the slider to engage one of the cross gears to actuate a respective one of the plurality of valves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Inventors: Malcolm MacDuff, James MacDuff
  • Publication number: 20170102152
    Abstract: A manifold has a frame and a plurality of valves supported by the frame, each valve having a cross gear. The manifold also has a screw drive and a splined rotatable shaft parallel to the screw drive. The manifold further includes a slider driven by the screw drive over the splined rotatable shaft. The slider includes an actuator that protrudes from the slider to engage one of the cross gears to actuate a respective one of the plurality of valves.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 7, 2015
    Publication date: April 13, 2017
    Inventors: Malcolm MacDuff, James MacDuff
  • Patent number: 8555926
    Abstract: A supply manifold for a hydronic heating or cooling system has a housing a plurality of valves disposed on respective outlets of the housing in a linear arrangement. Each outlet is adapted to connect to a conduit for delivering the liquid to a zone. Each valve controls a flow of the heating or cooling liquid into each respective conduit. The supply manifold has a single actuator for individually actuating one of the valves. A first displacement mechanism, e.g. a screw drive power by an electric motor, displaces the actuator along a longitudinal axis parallel to the linear arrangement of the valves to thereby access any one of the valves. A second displacement mechanism, e.g. a solenoid, displaces the actuator orthogonally to the longitudinal axis to thereby cause engagement or disengagement of the actuator with a selected one of the valves for opening or closing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Inventors: Malcolm MacDuff, James MacDuff
  • Publication number: 20120048381
    Abstract: A supply manifold for a hydronic heating or cooling system has a housing a plurality of valves disposed on respective outlets of the housing in a linear arrangement. Each outlet is adapted to connect to a conduit for delivering the liquid to a zone. Each valve controls a flow of the heating or cooling liquid into each respective conduit. The supply manifold has a single actuator for individually actuating one of the valves. A first displacement mechanism, e.g. a screw drive power by an electric motor, displaces the actuator along a longitudinal axis parallel to the linear arrangement of the valves to thereby access any one of the valves. A second displacement mechanism, e.g. a solenoid, displaces the actuator orthogonally to the longitudinal axis to thereby cause engagement or disengagement of the actuator with a selected one of the valves for opening or closing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2010
    Publication date: March 1, 2012
    Inventors: Malcolm MacDuff, James MacDuff
  • Patent number: 8070837
    Abstract: The use of alkoxylates and nitrogen containing detergents in a fuel additive composition to prevent intake valve sticking and reduce intake valve deposits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2011
    Assignee: The Lubrizol Corporation
    Inventors: Jonathan S. Vilardo, Mark Davies, Malcolm MacDuff, Mitchell M. Jackson
  • Publication number: 20100269406
    Abstract: Paraffin-containing liquid pour point depressants comprising the reaction product of a hydrocarbyl-substituted phenol and an aldehyde wherein: the olefin used in the preparation of the hydrocarbyl-substituted phenol has a high vinylidene content; the reaction between the hydrocarbyl-substituted phenol and the aldehyde is acid or base catalyzed; and/or the reaction further comprises phenol, are particularly useful for treating crude oils which have an initial pour point of 4° C. or higher, decreasing the fluid's pour point and improving the fluid's low temperature handling properties.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2008
    Publication date: October 28, 2010
    Applicant: The Lubrizol Corporation
    Inventors: David J. Moreton, Antonio Mastrangelo, Malcolm MacDuff
  • Publication number: 20090052876
    Abstract: A heat-transferring fin is attached to an electric cable or to a packaged double cable of an electric radiant heating system. The fins can be attached using twist clips. Each twist clip includes an upper gripping member, a lower gripping member connected to the upper member by an upright support member, and a handle portion looping downwardly from the lower gripping member to enable a user to hold the clip and to manually twist the clip to cause the upper and lower gripping members to rotate relative to the fin and cable such that the fin and cable are clipped together. This twist clip enables quick and easy attachment of fins to cables, which greatly reduces the time and effort required to install an electric radiant heating system. This technology can be used in electric radiant floor heating or electric radiant wall heating.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 23, 2008
    Publication date: February 26, 2009
    Applicant: MacDuffco Manufacturing Inc.
    Inventors: Malcolm MacDuff, James MacDuff
  • Publication number: 20090044445
    Abstract: The use of alkoxylates and nitrogen containing detergents in a fuel additive composition to prevent intake valve sticking and reduce intake valve deposits.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 10, 2006
    Publication date: February 19, 2009
    Inventors: Jonathan S. Vilardo, Mark Davies, Malcolm MacDuff, Mitchell M. Jackson
  • Publication number: 20080028674
    Abstract: In a method of operating an internal combustion engine, an antioxidant composition is introduced into a combustion chamber of the engine. The antioxidant composition contains (A) a sterically hindered phenol; (B) an alkylene or alkylidene coupled sterically hindered phenol oligomer; (C) a secondary aromatic amine; (D) a reaction product of a hydrocarbyl-substituted hydroxy-containing aromatic compound, an aldehyde, and a carboxyl-substituted phenol; or (E) a mixture thereof. The method improves the performance of a lubricating oil of the engine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 10, 2007
    Publication date: February 7, 2008
    Applicant: The Lubrizol Corporation
    Inventors: Mitchell Jackson, David Arters, Malcolm Macduff, Derek Mackney
  • Publication number: 20060010767
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a method to clean up or keep clean the fuel system of a direct injection spark-ignited engine by operating the engine with a fuel composition that includes a liquid fuel and a fuel additive composition. The fuel additive composition useful in the present invention has at least one nitrogen-containing dispersant and optionally a fluidizer where the dispersant has a specific lipophilic parameter and the dispersant or the dispersant and the fluidizer have a specific hydrophilic-lipophilic parameter, the dispersant provides about 0.15 to about 50 ppm by weight nitrogen in the fuel composition, and the fluidizer and/or the dispersant provide about 10 to about 10,000 ppm by weight active components in the fuel composition. The method of the present invention is effective in controlling deposits in fuel injectors and combustion chambers of a direct injection spark-ignited engine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2005
    Publication date: January 19, 2006
    Inventors: David Arters, Mitchell Jackson, Daniel Daly, Malcolm Macduff
  • Publication number: 20050215441
    Abstract: In a method of operating an internal combustion engine, a nitrogen-containing detergent composition is introduced into a combustion chamber of the engine wherein the detergent composition can improve the performance of both a fuel composition and a lubricating oil of the engine. The detergent composition contains (A) a reaction product of a hydrocarbyl-substituted acylating agent and an amine, (B) a hydrocarbyl-substituted amine, (C) a Mannich reaction product, (D) a high molecular weight polyetheramine, or (E) a mixture thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2003
    Publication date: September 29, 2005
    Inventors: Derek Mackney, Malcolm Macduff, David Arters, Robert Barbour, Raymond Calder, David Duncan, James Doglio, Mitchell Jackson, Daniel Daly, Gordon Lamb
  • Publication number: 20050172544
    Abstract: A method for preventing combustion chamber deposits from causing start-failures in an internal combustion engine comprises operating the engine with a fuel composition that contains a normally liquid fuel and a nitrogen-containing detergent that includes a polyetheramine; a Mannich reaction product of a hydrocarbyl-substituted phenol, an aldehyde and an amine; or a mixture there. The method is effective in preventing start-failures in multi-valve, low friction, spark-ignited engines.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 18, 2003
    Publication date: August 11, 2005
    Inventors: Malcolm Macduff, Richard Chadwick, Mitchell Jackson
  • Publication number: 20050115146
    Abstract: In a method of operating an internal combustion engine, an antioxidant composition is introduced into a combustion chamber of the engine. The antioxidant composition contains (A) a sterically hindered phenol; (B) an alkylene or alkylidene coupled sterically hindered phenol oligomer; (C) a secondary aromatic amine; (D) a reaction product of a hydrocarbyl-substituted hydroxy-containing aromatic compound, an aldehyde, and a carboxyl-substituted phenol; or (E) a mixture thereof. The method improves the performance of a lubricating oil of the engine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2003
    Publication date: June 2, 2005
    Inventors: Mitchell Jackson, David Arters, Malcolm Macduff, Derek Mackney