Patents by Inventor William S. Gatley, Jr.
William S. Gatley, Jr. 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).
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Patent number: 11971196Abstract: A draft inducer blower assembly for use with a water heater has a housing, a motor, and a fan. The housing has an exhaust volute surrounding the fan and a base adapted to be mounted atop a water heater. The housing has an inlet port adapted to receive exhaust gas from the water heater. The fan is connected to the motor for rotation about a rotation axis. The exhaust volute has a cut-off at a cut-off angle relative to the rotation axis. The exhaust volute has an exhaust outlet passageway that extends to an exhaust port. The exhaust port is lower than the top of the exhaust volute.Type: GrantFiled: December 10, 2021Date of Patent: April 30, 2024Assignee: Regal Beloit America, Inc.Inventors: Steven W. Post, Jeffrey Jay Long, William S. Gatley, Jr.
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Patent number: 11306944Abstract: A draft inducer blower assembly for use with a water heater has a housing, a motor, and a fan. The housing has an exhaust volute surrounding the fan and a base adapted to be mounted atop a water heater. The base has an inlet port adapted to receive exhaust gas from the water heater. The fan is connected to the motor for rotation about a rotation axis. The exhaust volute and the base are non-adjustably fixed relative to each other. The exhaust volute has a cut-off at a cut-off angle relative to the rotation axis. The exhaust volute has an exhaust outlet passageway that extends to an exhaust port. The exhaust port is lower than the top of the exhaust volute.Type: GrantFiled: November 11, 2016Date of Patent: April 19, 2022Assignee: REGAL BELOIT AMERICA, INC.Inventors: Steven W. Post, Jeffrey Jay Long, William S. Gatley, Jr.
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Publication number: 20220099337Abstract: A draft inducer blower assembly for use with a water heater has a housing, a motor, and a fan. The housing has an exhaust volute surrounding the fan and a base adapted to be mounted atop a water heater. The housing has an inlet port adapted to receive exhaust gas from the water heater. The fan is connected to the motor for rotation about a rotation axis. The exhaust volute has a cut-off at a cut-off angle relative to the rotation axis. The exhaust volute has an exhaust outlet passageway that extends to an exhaust port. The exhaust port is lower than the top of the exhaust volute.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 10, 2021Publication date: March 31, 2022Inventors: Steven W. Post, Jeffrey Jay Long, William S. Gatley, JR.
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Patent number: 11215379Abstract: A draft inducer blower assembly for use with a water heater has a housing, a motor, and a fan. The housing has an exhaust volute surrounding the fan and a base adapted to be mounted atop a water heater. The housing has an inlet port adapted to receive exhaust gas from the water heater. The fan is connected to the motor for rotation about a rotation axis. The exhaust volute has a cut-off at a cut-off angle relative to the rotation axis. The exhaust volute has an exhaust outlet passageway that extends to an exhaust port. The exhaust port is lower than the top of the exhaust volute.Type: GrantFiled: July 19, 2019Date of Patent: January 4, 2022Assignee: REGAL BELOIT AMERICA, INC.Inventors: Steven W. Post, Jeffrey Jay Long, William S. Gatley, Jr.
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Patent number: 11015836Abstract: A draft inducer blower assembly for use with a water heater has a housing, a motor, and a fan. The housing has an exhaust volute surrounding the fan and a base adapted to be mounted atop a water heater. The base has an inlet port adapted to receive exhaust gas from the water heater. The fan is connected to the motor for rotation about a rotation axis. The exhaust volute and the base are non-adjustably fixed relative to each other. The exhaust volute has a cut-off at a cut-off angle relative to the rotation axis. The cut-off angle extends at an angle that is no more than twenty degrees positive from horizontal. The exhaust volute has an exhaust outlet passageway that extends to an exhaust port. The exhaust outlet passageway extends beneath the cut-off before reaching the exhaust port.Type: GrantFiled: June 15, 2016Date of Patent: May 25, 2021Assignee: REGAL BELOIT AMERICA, INC.Inventors: Steven W. Post, Jeffrey Jay Long, William S. Gatley, Jr.
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Publication number: 20190353400Abstract: A draft inducer blower assembly for use with a water heater has a housing, a motor, and a fan. The housing has an exhaust volute surrounding the fan and a base adapted to be mounted atop a water heater. The housing has an inlet port adapted to receive exhaust gas from the water heater. The fan is connected to the motor for rotation about a rotation axis. The exhaust volute has a cut-off at a cut-off angle relative to the rotation axis. The exhaust volute has an exhaust outlet passageway that extends to an exhaust port. The exhaust port is lower than the top of the exhaust volute.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 19, 2019Publication date: November 21, 2019Inventors: Steven W. Post, Jeffrey Jay Long, William S. Gatley, JR.
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Patent number: 10473108Abstract: A blower assembly includes a centrifugal fan and a motor assembly. The centrifugal fan has a plurality of axially extending impeller blades, a first axial end, and an air inlet. The air inlet is at the first axial end of the centrifugal fan. The motor assembly comprises a stator, a rotor, and an air directing surface. The air directing surface is shaped and configured to direct air drawn into the air inlet radially outwardly toward the impeller blades. The air directing surface extends generally along the rotor axis from its first end to its second end. At least a surface region of the air directing surface generally circumscribes the rotor axis and diverges radially outwardly as such surface region of the air directing surface extends away from the first end toward the second end.Type: GrantFiled: August 28, 2017Date of Patent: November 12, 2019Assignee: REGAL BELOIT AMERICA, INC.Inventors: Steven W. Post, William S. Gatley, Jr.
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Patent number: 10443891Abstract: A draft inducer blower assembly for use with a water heater has a housing, a motor, and a fan. The housing has an exhaust volute surrounding the fan and a base adapted to be mounted atop a water heater. The base has an inlet port adapted to receive exhaust gas from the water heater. The fan is connected to the motor for rotation about a rotation axis. The exhaust volute has a cut-off at a cut-off angle relative to the rotation axis. The exhaust volute has an exhaust outlet passageway that extends to an exhaust port. The exhaust port is lower than the top of the exhaust volute.Type: GrantFiled: December 16, 2016Date of Patent: October 15, 2019Assignee: REGAL BELOIT AMERICA, INC.Inventors: Steven W. Post, Jeffrey Jay Long, William S. Gatley, Jr.
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Publication number: 20180010610Abstract: A blower assembly includes a centrifugal fan and a motor assembly. The centrifugal fan has a plurality of axially extending impeller blades, a first axial end, and an air inlet. The air inlet is at the first axial end of the centrifugal fan. The motor assembly comprises a stator, a rotor, and an air directing surface. The air directing surface is shaped and configured to direct air drawn into the air inlet radially outwardly toward the impeller blades. The air directing surface extends generally along the rotor axis from its first end to its second end. At least a surface region of the air directing surface generally circumscribes the rotor axis and diverges radially outwardly as such surface region of the air directing surface extends away from the first end toward the second end.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 28, 2017Publication date: January 11, 2018Inventors: Steven W. Post, William S. Gatley, JR.
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Publication number: 20170363322Abstract: A draft inducer blower assembly for use with a water heater has a housing, a motor, and a fan. The housing has an exhaust volute surrounding the fan and a base adapted to be mounted atop a water heater. The base has an inlet port adapted to receive exhaust gas from the water heater. The fan is connected to the motor for rotation about a rotation axis. The exhaust volute and the base are non-adjustably fixed relative to each other. The exhaust volute has a cut-off at a cut-off angle relative to the rotation axis. The cut-off angle extends at an angle that is no more than twenty degrees positive from horizontal. The exhaust volute has an exhaust outlet passageway that extends to an exhaust port. The exhaust outlet passageway extends beneath the cut-off before reaching the exhaust port.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 15, 2016Publication date: December 21, 2017Inventors: Steven W. Post, Jeffrey Jay Long, William S. Gatley, JR.
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Publication number: 20170363324Abstract: A draft inducer blower assembly for use with a water heater has a housing, a motor, and a fan. The housing has an exhaust volute surrounding the fan and a base adapted to be mounted atop a water heater. The base has an inlet port adapted to receive exhaust gas from the water heater. The fan is connected to the motor for rotation about a rotation axis. The exhaust volute has a cut-off at a cut-off angle relative to the rotation axis. The exhaust volute has an exhaust outlet passageway that extends to an exhaust port. The exhaust port is lower than the top of the exhaust volute.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 16, 2016Publication date: December 21, 2017Inventors: Steven W. Post, Jeffrey Jay Long, William S. Gatley, JR.
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Publication number: 20170363323Abstract: A draft inducer blower assembly for use with a water heater has a housing, a motor, and a fan. The housing has an exhaust volute surrounding the fan and a base adapted to be mounted atop a water heater. The base has an inlet port adapted to receive exhaust gas from the water heater. The fan is connected to the motor for rotation about a rotation axis. The exhaust volute and the base are non-adjustably fixed relative to each other. The exhaust volute has a cut-off at a cut-off angle relative to the rotation axis. The exhaust volute has an exhaust outlet passageway that extends to an exhaust port. The exhaust port is lower than the top of the exhaust volute.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 11, 2016Publication date: December 21, 2017Inventors: Steven W. Post, Jeffrey Jay Long, William S. Gatley, JR.
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Patent number: 9777735Abstract: A blower assembly includes a centrifugal fan and a motor assembly. The centrifugal fan has a plurality of axially extending impeller blades, a first axial end, and an air inlet. The air inlet is at the first axial end of the centrifugal fan. The motor assembly comprises a stator, a rotor, and an air directing surface. The air directing surface is shaped and configured to direct air drawn into the air inlet radially outwardly toward the impeller blades. The air directing surface extends generally along the rotor axis from its first end to its second end. At least a surface region of the air directing surface generally circumscribes the rotor axis and diverges radially outwardly as such surface region of the air directing surface extends away from the first end toward the second end.Type: GrantFiled: September 26, 2012Date of Patent: October 3, 2017Assignee: REGAL BELOIT AMERICA, INC.Inventors: Steven W. Post, William S. Gatley, Jr.
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Patent number: 8960131Abstract: A water heater system comprises a water tank, a burner plenum, a flue, a blower, a combustion air passageway, a dilution air passageway, an upstream manifold, and a downstream manifold. The upstream manifold divides air from the blower so that some air flows through the combustion air passageway to the burner plenum and some air flows through the dilution air passageway to the downstream manifold. The downstream manifold combines the air from the dilution air passageway with combustion products from the flue.Type: GrantFiled: March 13, 2013Date of Patent: February 24, 2015Assignee: Regal Beloit America, Inc.Inventor: William S. Gatley, Jr.
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Publication number: 20140261239Abstract: A water heater system comprises a water tank, a burner plenum, a flue, a blower, a combustion air passageway, a dilution air passageway, an upstream manifold, and a downstream manifold. The upstream manifold divides air from the blower so that some air flows through the combustion air passageway to the burner plenum and some air flows through the dilution air passageway to the downstream manifold. The downstream manifold combines the air from the dilution air passageway with combustion products from the flue.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 13, 2013Publication date: September 18, 2014Inventor: William S. Gatley, JR.
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Publication number: 20140261240Abstract: A water heater system comprises a water tank, a burner plenum, a flue, and a dilution air blower system. The dilution air blower system comprises a blower, a dilution air passageway, and a venturi system. Air from the blower is forced through the dilution air passageway and discharged toward the venturi system. When the dilution air blower system is attached to the water heater system, air discharged from the dilution air discharge passage via the blower passes through a converging region, throat region, diverging region and exit passage of the venturi system and draws combustion products through the flue and out the venturi system.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 13, 2013Publication date: September 18, 2014Inventor: William S. Gatley, JR.
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Publication number: 20140023536Abstract: A blower assembly includes a centrifugal fan and a motor assembly. The centrifugal fan has a plurality of axially extending impeller blades, a first axial end, and an air inlet. The air inlet is at the first axial end of the centrifugal fan. The motor assembly comprises a stator, a rotor, and an air directing surface. The air directing surface is shaped and configured to direct air drawn into the air inlet radially outwardly toward the impeller blades. The air directing surface extends generally along the rotor axis from its first end to its second end. At least a surface region of the air directing surface generally circumscribes the rotor axis and diverges radially outwardly as such surface region of the air directing surface extends away from the first end toward the second end.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 26, 2012Publication date: January 23, 2014Applicant: RBC MANUFACTURING CORPORATIONInventors: Steven W. Post, William S. Gatley, Jr.
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Patent number: 5620302Abstract: This invention features a condensate drain that drains condensate from an impeller housing as well as an impeller housing having such a drain. This condensate drain is configured so as to allow the condensate from the exhaust to be continuously drained from the housing while the impeller is or is not operating. Preferably, the impeller housing includes a housing shell having an aperture in fluid communication with the housing interior. A top portion of the aperture extends above an interior surface of the housing shell to minimize the venturi effect of air flowing by the aperture responsive to rotation of the impeller. The interior surface of the housing further includes a dished region proximate the aperture, where the bottom of the dished region is arranged to correspond with a bottom edge of the aperture.Type: GrantFiled: August 31, 1995Date of Patent: April 15, 1997Assignee: Fasco Industries, Inc.Inventors: Bobby D. Garrison, William S. Gatley, Jr.
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Patent number: 5316439Abstract: A noise cancellation device for a centrifugal blower comprises, in a first embodiment, a rod mounted in the output of a blower and generally axially parallel to the impeller so that as the impeller rotates, the blades of the impeller sweep past the rod much as in the manner that the blades sweep past the cutoff section of the blower output. The rod is positioned a specified distance away from the cutoff such that it generates a tone which interferes with the pure tone otherwise generated by the impeller blades sweeping past the cutoff in an out of phase condition to thereby eliminate the pure tone or "spike" normally experienced at a fundamental frequency and harmonics thereof. In a second embodiment, a nose-like projection extends inwardly from a sidewall of said blower housing and is positioned substantially in the same position as the rod of the first embodiment. The nose-like projection may be integrally formed as part of the blower housing.Type: GrantFiled: August 24, 1993Date of Patent: May 31, 1994Assignee: Fasco Industries, Inc.Inventors: William S. Gatley, Jr., Bobby D. Garrison
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Patent number: 5314300Abstract: A noise cancellation device for a centrifugal blower comprises a rod mounted in the output of a blower and generally axially parallel to the impeller so that as the impeller rotates, the blades of the impeller sweep past the rod much as in the manner that the blades sweep past the cutoff section of the blower outlet. The rod is positioned a specified distance away the cutoff such that it generates a tone which interferes with the pure tone otherwise generated by the impeller blades sweeping past the cutoff in an out of phase condition to thereby eliminate the pure tone or "spike" normally experienced at a fundamental frequency and harmonics thereof.Type: GrantFiled: January 13, 1992Date of Patent: May 24, 1994Assignee: Fasco Industries, Inc.Inventors: William S. Gatley, Jr., Bobby D. Garrison