Patents by Inventor Michael Ralph

Michael Ralph 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: 6158120
    Abstract: An intumescent catalyst mounting mat is provided by cutting a single piece of mat into a desired profile and cutting a slit about 1/2 way through the thickness of the mat at a selected fold line. The mat is then easily folded upon itself to create a double thickness mat that is already secured to the next layer and may have any desired profile.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2000
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Michael Ralph Foster, Robert Anthony Lawrence, Stephen Joe Myers, Alan Gerard Turek
  • Patent number: 6099809
    Abstract: A low profile catalytic converter for use with an internal combustion engine that has a canister provided with a plurality of smooth foil sections arranged in substantially perpendicular relationship with the top and bottom walls of the canister. The smooth foil sections are spaced from each other so as to form a plurality of substantially rectangular passages providing axially extending flow paths for the exhaust gas emanating from the engine. At least one corrugated foil strip is located in each of the passages and an arm is formed with each of the smooth foil sections that is secured together with a portion of the corrugated foil strip by separate welds to the top and bottom walls of the canister.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2000
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Michael Ralph Foster, Gerald Leroy Vaneman
  • Patent number: 6024928
    Abstract: A catalytic converter for an internal combustion engine having a housing provided with an exhaust gas by-pass tube and a valve arrangement that causes the exhaust gas to selectively flow through a catalyst coated substrate to be treated thereby or through the tube so as to exist the converter in an untreated state and in which an actuator is in a sealed relationship with the housing so as to prevent exhaust gas leakage while providing for movement of the valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2000
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventor: Michael Ralph Foster
  • Patent number: 5909916
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing an oval shaped catalytic converter that reduces the amount of material and number of parts that are required for permitting the catalytic converter to treat the exhaust gases of an internal combustion engine and also improves the structural durability of the converter for high temperature applications by maintaining a higher mat density along the minor axis of the converter housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 1997
    Date of Patent: June 8, 1999
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Michael Ralph Foster, Gerald Leroy Vaneman, Jesse Allan Heather, Dana Michael Serrels, David Kwo-Shyong Chen
  • Patent number: 5857140
    Abstract: A catalytic converter in which a catalyst coated substrate is positioned within a housing and is constructed with end portions thereof extending into close proximity to the end members attached to the housing so as to improve the durability of a mat of intumescent material that is wrapped around and serving to support the substrate within the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 1997
    Date of Patent: January 5, 1999
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventor: Michael Ralph Foster
  • Patent number: 5804147
    Abstract: An exhaust gas management apparatus including: a first substrate coated with an oxidizing catalyst, wherein the first substrate includes an axial opening and a body portion radially exterior of the axial opening, wherein the axial opening comprises at least part of a bypass passage; an air source located downstream in an exhaust flow path of the axial opening; an air pump unit responsive to a control signal forcing air through the air source wherein, during an activation of the pump unit, the bypass passage is valved shut; and a second substrate coated with an oxidizing catalyst located in the path of exhaust downstream of the first substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 8, 1998
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Scott Christopher Blanchet, Wayne Richard Moore, Russell Paul Richmond, Michael Ralph Foster
  • Patent number: 5776153
    Abstract: Angioplasty apparatus comprises a hand-held unit which reciprocates a wire within a catheter. It is found that, by using a highly flexible wire and a reciprocation frequency of 50-1000 Hz a diffuse vibration is caused at the distal end of the wire which enables the wire to pass relatively easily through difficult blockages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 1996
    Date of Patent: July 7, 1998
    Assignee: Medical Miracles Company Limited
    Inventor: Michael Ralph Rees
  • Patent number: 5693295
    Abstract: A vehicular catalytic converter (10) is disclosed having a plurality of catalytic monoliths (24,26). The first (24) and second (26) catalytic monoliths are connected to each other at an angle. Any number of catalytic monoliths may be serially connected at angles to increase the gas-to-catalyst contact within the catalytic converter (10) thus creating a more efficient catalytic converter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 2, 1997
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventor: Michael Ralph Foster
  • Patent number: 4082771
    Abstract: Acylamino heteroaryl compounds in which the heteroaryl nucleus is a 5-membered ring containing a single heteroatom, which may be oxygen, or sulphur, methods of making the compounds and pharmaceutical formulations containing the compounds. The compounds have anti-allergy activity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 1976
    Date of Patent: April 4, 1978
    Assignee: Lilly Industries Limited
    Inventors: Delme Evans, Michael Ralph John Jolley, William James Ross, Brian Picton Swann
  • Patent number: 4019941
    Abstract: A method of producing steel reinforced conveyor belting wherein the steel reinforcing cords are located in grooves formed between the mating faces of two layers of P.V.C. based material. The faces of the grooves are coated with an adhesive having a P.V.C. base including an epoxy resin and curing agent and the steel cords are adhered to the layers of P.V.C. by curing the assembly of cords and cover layers under heat and pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 1975
    Date of Patent: April 26, 1977
    Assignee: Dunlop Australia Limited
    Inventors: Eric Victor Donald Prince, Kenneth Llewellyn Lewis, Leonard John Michael Ralph