Patents by Inventor Wayne L. Whetstone

Wayne L. Whetstone 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: 4638640
    Abstract: An ice thickness controller is used to monitor the ice thickness in a refrigeration system. The system has a compressor connected to evaporator tubes which are submerged in a container of water. A DC motor has a shaft extending below the water line in the container. The motor is periodically turned on and a sensing circuit monitors the motor current. If the ice bank in the container is at the correct thickness, the motor shaft will be frozen into the ice. The current draw of the stalled motor will be high with the result that the sensing circuit will turn the compressor off. If the ice bank thickness is low, the motor shaft is free to rotate, so the motor current will be low and the sensing circuit will turn the compressor on.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 1985
    Date of Patent: January 27, 1987
    Assignee: Lake Center Industries
    Inventors: Wayne L. Whetstone, Fredrick W. Tryan