Patents by Inventor Zachary K. Foster
Zachary K. Foster 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: 12270186Abstract: A self-contained well water system is designed to be interposed between an external well pump and a plumbing system of a building. The system requires an installer or building owner to make only three basic connections for fully-functional operation: a single water inlet connection from the well pump to the well water system, a single water outlet connection from the well water system to a main input line of the building plumbing system, and a single power connection to provide electrical power to the electrical components of the system, and may also distribute power out to the well pump. The remaining components and the connections therebetween are configured and factory-assembled for maximum performance and efficiency.Type: GrantFiled: March 30, 2022Date of Patent: April 8, 2025Assignee: Franklin Electric Co., Inc.Inventors: James J. Volk, Zachary K. Foster
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Publication number: 20250109802Abstract: An adapter plate is provided for coupling a controller to a port of a valve, comprising: mounting tabs; an outer wall; retainer lugs and retention slots extending radially inward from the outer wall; and notches extending radially outward into the outer wall and spaced to align with snaps of the port. When the notches are aligned with the snaps, each retainer lug is positioned between a valve lug of the port and a snap, permitting the notches to pass over the snaps as the adapter plate is moved axially onto the port into an engaged position. The retention slots are configured to flex the snaps radially inward as the adapter plate is rotated from the engaged position to a seated position in which the snaps seat within the retention slots. The mounting tabs are configured to mate with connection snaps on the controller to couple the controller to the valve.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 11, 2024Publication date: April 3, 2025Inventors: Shawn B. Massie, Zachary K. Foster, Bryan D. Drummond
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Publication number: 20250110513Abstract: A controller for a fluid treatment control valve having a valve body with a seal stack positioned therein is provided. The controller includes a front housing, a rear housing removably connected to the front housing to define a substantially enclosed volume, a gear box mounted within the substantially enclosed volume, and a circuit board assembly mounted within the substantially enclosed volume. The rear housing includes a first pair of retention elements configured to mate with a corresponding second pair of retention elements on the valve body to mount the controller to the valve body.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 29, 2023Publication date: April 3, 2025Inventors: Bryan D. Drummond, Zachary K. Foster, Adrian Chavis
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Patent number: 11811273Abstract: A load protection system and a method of protecting a load. The load protection system includes a PLC transmitter module and a PLC receiver module, which are configured to communicate a plurality of bits of data, each bit transmitted near a zero-crossing of a voltage on the power lines supplying power to the load, in the form of a high frequency burst of pulses. The pulses are structured in two patterns. The first pattern serves to identify the start of the second pattern, and the second pattern includes the data. The first pattern is unique and not represented within the second pattern. The load may be a motor, and the data may include a parameter value representing a parameter of the motor.Type: GrantFiled: November 30, 2020Date of Patent: November 7, 2023Assignee: Franklin Electric Co., Inc.Inventors: Nicholas A. Cooper, Adrian Chavis, Thomas S. Wolf, Zachary K. Foster, Yaritza Brinker, Dalton H. Paull
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Publication number: 20210111610Abstract: A load protection system and a method of protecting a load. The load protection system includes a PLC transmitter module and a PLC receiver module, which are configured to communicate a plurality of bits of data, each bit transmitted near a zero-crossing of a voltage on the power lines supplying power to the load, in the form of a high frequency burst of pulses. The pulses are structured in two patterns. The first pattern serves to identify the start of the second pattern, and the second pattern includes the data. The first pattern is unique and not represented within the second pattern. The load may be a motor, and the data may include a parameter value representing a parameter of the motor.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 30, 2020Publication date: April 15, 2021Inventors: Nicholas A. Cooper, Adrian Chavis, Thomas S. Wolf, Zachary K. Foster, Yaritza Brinker, Dalton Paull
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Patent number: 10667439Abstract: A motor drive and a discrete power component assembly. The motor drive has a motherboard; a controller; a heat sink; and a discrete power component assembly mounted to the motherboard, the discrete power component assembly includes two discrete power components, a motherboard facing plate intermediate the motherboard and the two discrete power components, the motherboard facing plate adjacent planar surfaces of the two discrete power components, and a heat sink facing plate adjacent planar surfaces of the two discrete power components which are opposite the planar surfaces adjacent the motherboard facing plate. The heat sink is secured to the motherboard with the discrete power component assembly therebetween.Type: GrantFiled: November 1, 2018Date of Patent: May 26, 2020Assignee: Franklin Electric Company, Inc.Inventors: Wei Song, Zachary K. Foster
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Publication number: 20200146174Abstract: A motor drive and a discrete power component assembly. The motor drive has a motherboard; a controller; a heat sink; and a discrete power component assembly mounted to the motherboard, the discrete power component assembly includes two discrete power components, a motherboard facing plate intermediate the motherboard and the two discrete power components, the motherboard facing plate adjacent planar surfaces of the two discrete power components, and a heat sink facing plate adjacent planar surfaces of the two discrete power components which are opposite the planar surfaces adjacent the motherboard facing plate. The heat sink is secured to the motherboard with the discrete power component assembly therebetween.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 1, 2018Publication date: May 7, 2020Inventors: Wei Song, Zachary K. Foster
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Patent number: 10637388Abstract: A motor control unit including an inverter, a fan to blow air and thereby cool the inverter, and an enclosure configured to maintain the inverter in a dry condition. The enclosure includes a back wall, a bottom wall having a ventilation grid, with the fan positioned adjacent the ventilation grid to draw air therethrough, a top cover member, a central member extending between the top cover member and the bottom wall, and a skirt below the bottom wall defining an at least partially enclosed volume surrounding the ventilation grid, and a droplet diverter to prevent that air drawn by the fan carries water droplets into the enclosure.Type: GrantFiled: December 10, 2018Date of Patent: April 28, 2020Assignee: Franklin Electric Co., Inc.Inventors: Bryan D. Drummond, Zachary K. Foster
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Patent number: 10454267Abstract: A load protection system and a method of protecting a load. The load protection system includes a PLC transmitter and a PLC receiver, which are configured to communicate a plurality of bits of data, each bit transmitted near a zero-crossing of a voltage on the power lines supplying power to the load, in the form of a high frequency burst of pulses. The pulses are structured in two patterns. The first pattern serves to identify the start of the second pattern, and the second pattern includes the data. The first pattern is unique and not represented within the second pattern. The load may be a motor, and the data may include a parameter value representing a parameter of the motor. A motor controller may evaluate the parameter value to determine whether to institute a warning or alert action, to shut the motor down, or to continue operating.Type: GrantFiled: June 1, 2018Date of Patent: October 22, 2019Assignee: Franklin Electric Co., Inc.Inventors: Nicholas A. Cooper, Adrian Chavis, Thomas S. Wolf, Zachary K. Foster, Yaritza Brinker, Dalton Paull
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Publication number: 20190109554Abstract: A motor control unit comprising an inverter, a fan to blow air and thereby cool the inverter, and an enclosure configured to maintain the inverter in a dry condition. The enclosure includes a back wall, a bottom wall having a ventilation grid, with the fan positioned adjacent the ventilation grid to draw air therethrough, a top cover member, a central member extending between the top cover member and the bottom wall, a skirt below the bottom wall defining an at least partially enclosed volume surrounding the ventilation grid, and droplet diverter means to prevent that air drawn by the fan carries water droplets into the enclosure.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 10, 2018Publication date: April 11, 2019Applicant: Franklin Electric Co., Inc.Inventors: Bryan D. Drummond, Zachary K. Foster
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Patent number: D881039Type: GrantFiled: November 9, 2018Date of Patent: April 14, 2020Assignee: Franklin Electric Co., Inc.Inventors: Zachary K. Foster, Ryan J. Riecken