Gas Cutoff Or Diversion Patents (Class 96/399)
  • Patent number: 7326269
    Abstract: A filtration unit for use with an environmental control unit (ECU), usually a portable ECU, which includes at least two air flow paths wherein at least one of the air flow paths allows for use of air which has not passed through a nuclear, biological, and chemical (NBC) filter and at least one other does. The filtration unit may have at least three air paths, at least two of which provide NBC filtered air. This filtration unit can provide for longer expected operational life before filter replacement is required in both contaminated and non-contaminated environments. Further, the filtration unit may include remote sensing and control apparatus allowing for quick switching between operational modes depending on the need for filtered vs. unfiltered air and for a decreased reliance on personnel for maintenance and control, and a more simplified setup.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2008
    Assignee: Engineered Support Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: John Wootton, Asdrubal Garcia-Ortiz
  • Patent number: 7309365
    Abstract: A vacuum cleaner including an electric blower for generating suction air, a collecting unit for collecting dust contained in the suction air, a dust removing unit for removing dust adhered to the collecting unit, and a dust removing stop unit for stopping an operation of the dust removing unit. The dust removing stop unit stops the operation of the dust removing unit in response to a user's selection or an operation mode of the vacuum cleaner, thereby saving a power consumption of the dust removing unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2007
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Yuasa, Akihito Ito, Takafumi Ishibashi, Kazuhisa Morishita
  • Patent number: 7264647
    Abstract: A device for enriching air with oxygen in an aircraft, and a method for operating the device provides product gas enrichment with oxygen with minimum requirements. An oxygen measurement apparatus analyzing the product gas flow as well as a throughput sensor are provided in combination with a change-over device. A flow connection to an outlet channel is created in a first switch position, and a flow connection to a consumer conduit exists in a second switch position. A device for producing a change-over signal from the first switch position to the second switch position is provided if the determined oxygen output as a product of the product gas flow and the oxygen concentration has reached or exceeded a predefined threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2007
    Assignee: Dräger Aerospace GmbH
    Inventors: Rüdiger Meckes, Wolfgang Rittner, Herbert Meier
  • Patent number: 7048775
    Abstract: The invention concerns a device and method for monitoring the integrity of filtering installations consisting of a filter housing (1) designed to perform integrity tests and for filtration, equipped with a plurality of filter elements (2, 3) and an electronic testing and monitoring unit (4) designed for monitoring and performing integrity tests, said filter elements (2, 3) having each a storage element and a communicating part (7) being connected to the monitoring and testing unit arranged in the filtering housing, whereon data of said electronic storage elements can be read.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2006
    Assignee: Sartorius AG
    Inventors: Maik Jornitz, Reinhard Baumfalk, Ralf Lausch, Christian Oldendorf, Oscar-Werner Reif
  • Patent number: 7025798
    Abstract: A personal tabletop-type air cleaner is provided which is user-friendly and can improve smoke sucking efficiency in a simple configuration. The disclosed personal tabletop-type air cleaner has a front opening portion to suck air containing smoke of a cigarette, a blower to forcedly feed air having been sucked into the front opening portions in a centrifugal manner, a pair of right and left peripheral opening portions each being placed in a fringe portion on the right and the left at a front of the air cleaner and forming an air curtain by emitting air fed forcedly from the blower ahead of the front of the air cleaner, a dust collecting filter being placed between the front opening portion and the blower to remove cigarette odor, and a deodorizing filter being placed between the blower and each peripheral opening portion making up the pair of right and left peripheral opening portions to remove cigarette odor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2006
    Assignee: O-DEN Corporation
    Inventor: Kiyomu Endo
  • Patent number: 6984252
    Abstract: A dust collection apparatus includes a container and a suction pump that sucks dust and transports it into the container. A filter is provided on a side surface of the container. This filter passes air but prevents passage of the dust in the container. A pressure detector detects an internal pressure of the container. The internal pressure of the container fluctuates due to a variation in an effective area of the filter for allowing the air to pass according to the dust collected and accumulated in the container. A dust accumulating quantity calculator which determines a quantity of the dust in the container based on the pressure detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2006
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventor: Yoshiyuki Tanimoto
  • Patent number: 6942722
    Abstract: Air and room cleaning device (1, 21) with a suction motor and a supply of water (8), with a rotating separator which is wetted by the water and through which the air flows and with a control unit (17) which brakes the suction motor (15, 23) in particular when the separator (11) is switched off.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2005
    Inventor: Josef Braunmiller
  • Patent number: 6773478
    Abstract: An exhaust system for a diesel engine which includes a particulate filter for filtering a flow of engine exhaust gas includes, as part of the exhaust system, a catch basin for the collection of oxidation by-products from the particulate filter. Important in the design is to orient the particulate filter in a generally vertical orientation based upon the normal orientation of the diesel engine when in use. By vibration of the engine due in part to engine operation and due in part to vehicle vibrations, oxidation by-products shake loose from the particulate filter and fall through a connecting conduit. By positioning the catch basin below the particulate filter and connecting it to the conduit, the oxidation by-products are able to be collected in the catch basin for removal at a later time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2004
    Assignee: Fleetguard, Inc.
    Inventors: Louis C. Broering, Thomas M. Yonushonis
  • Patent number: 6669758
    Abstract: A controller system for a molecular sieve device controls a product gas generated by n molecular sieve beds for separating a gas from an input gas supply. A valve assembly with n states has an input receiving the input gas and n outlets. Each valve state in a first position creates an open passageway from the input of the slide valve to an outlet. Transitioning a valve from the first to a second position creates a variable amount of restriction in the flow of gas between the input and a selected outlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2003
    Assignee: Carleton Life Support Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Russell F. Hart, Charles B. Hager
  • Patent number: 6656254
    Abstract: A full-flow mechanical failsafe (100) is composed of a cylindrical shell (101) having a movable sealing plug (105) therein, for attachment to a filter element (110) of a fluid filtering system, such as a gas clean up system in a power plant. The sealing plug (105) rests on locking spheres (107) within the shell (101) during normal operation. Upon filter failure or breakage, the flow fluid will be substantially increased, causing an increase in upward pressure against the sealing plug (105), forcing it upward off the spheres (107) and into sealing contact with a flow aperture (102, 103), shutting off fluid flow. The spheres (107) move downward into a locking position upon movement of the sealing plug (105), to secure the sealing plug (105) in its upward sealing position. The failsafe (100) can be used in fluid flow control systems other than fluid filtering systems, such as oil or gas pipelines, and can be used to prevent improper reverse fluid flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2003
    Assignee: Southern Research Institute
    Inventor: Todd R. Snyder
  • Patent number: 6655259
    Abstract: A full-flow mechanical failsafe is composed of a cylindrical shell having a movable sealing plug therein, for attachment to a reaction tube of a fluid treatment system, such as a gas clean up system in a power plant. The sealing plug rests on locking spheres within the shell during normal operation. Upon reaction tube failure or breakage, the flow of fluid will be substantially increased, causing an increase in upward pressure against the sealing plug, forcing it upward off the spheres and into a sealing contact with a flow aperture, shutting off fluid flow. The spheres move downward into a locking position upon movement of the sealing plug, to secure the sealing plug in its upward sealing position. The failsafe can be used in fluid flow control systems other than fluid filtering systems, such as oil or gas pipelines, and can be used to prevent improper reverse fluid flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2003
    Assignee: Southern Research Institute
    Inventor: Todd R. Snyder
  • Patent number: 6423108
    Abstract: An air filter for an internal combustion engine having a housing (10) and a filter element (11) which is arranged in the housing. The housing (10) is provided with a filtered air outlet (15) and at least one untreated air inlet (16) with a screen (17) or a closable flap. An auxiliary untreated air inlet (18) which is closed by a flap valve (19) is also provided. The screen (17) or the flap of the untreated air inlet (16) opens when the temperature of the untreated air is above a certain threshold value and closes when the temperature of the untreated air is below a certain threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2002
    Assignee: Filterwerk Mann & Hummel GmbH
    Inventor: Heinz Mueller
  • Patent number: 6350302
    Abstract: An air filtration system for filtering smoke from the air. The system includes a filter tank for holding a volume of water. A bulkhead wall therein divides the filter tank into first and second compartments and has a hole therethrough to permit passage of water between the first and second compartments of the filter tank. A mesh screen substantially covers the hole of the bulkhead. An air intake conduit is fluidly connected to the first compartment of the filter tank for drawing unfiltered air and debris into the filter tank from a location such as a room. A water supply conduit is fluidly connected to the filter tank for supplying water to the filter tank. A vacuum device is provided for drawing air out of the filter tank. The vacuum device has an intake fluidly connected to the second compartment of the filter tank for drawing air from the filter tank into the vacuum device. The vacuum device has a first return conduit for receiving air drawn into the vacuum device through the intake of the vacuum device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2002
    Inventor: Wayne F. Hallstead, Sr.
  • Patent number: 6344074
    Abstract: A ventless air scrubber assembly for use with a conventional cooking appliance situated within an interior location. A ventilation hood is arrayed in an overhanging manner above the cooking appliance and includes a recessed interior defined by a planar base surface and a plurality of interconnecting sides. The hood further includes an intake and an exhaust and a plurality of individual grease extraction units located within the hood in proximity to the exhaust. A filtration housing having an inlet and an outlet is located a specified distance from the hood and is interconnected to the hood exhaust by a first length of ductwork extending filtration housing inlet. A plurality of individual filters are arrayed between the inlet and an outlet in successive fashion. The filters include particulate entrapment filters and an odor removal filter. A second length of ductwork extends between the filtration housing outlet and an inlet of an exhaust fan.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2002
    Assignee: EVS, Inc.
    Inventors: John M. Ward, Gregory Kolecki
  • Patent number: 6251169
    Abstract: A vacuum/reduced pressure refining vessel (1) is connected, by an upstream duct (5) to a dry dust collector (3) that uses a filter (2). The dry dust collector (3) is connected to a reduced pressure evacuating apparatus (4) by a downstream duct (6), and a block valve (7) is provided in the upstream duct (5). At the start of a vacuum/reduced pressure refining treatment, a non-oxidizing gas is injected into the upstream duct at a position that is upstream of the block valve (7) to substantially replace the oxygen in the upstream duct and to hermetically close the upstream duct. After the hermetically closed state has been established in the upstream duct, the block valve (7) is opened and operation of the dry dust collector (3) is started.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2001
    Assignee: Nippon Steel Corporation
    Inventors: Kensuke Shimomura, Masaru Sadachika, Hironori Takano, Gaku Ogawa, Kenji Abe, Mayumi Okimori, Nobuyuki Makino, Hiroshi Iwasaki, Tomoaki Tanaka, Hiroaki Morishige
  • Patent number: 6129781
    Abstract: An air conditioning apparatus with an air cleaning function. In the apparatus, an electric dust collector is provided in the air passage on the rear side of a heat exchanger. A heater for self-cleaning is combined with a dust collector electrode of the electric dust collector. A heat shield plate is combined with the heater. Air flow resistance is not increased although the dust collector electrode is plane in shape. An increase of air flow resistance caused by the use of the heat shield plate is also suppressed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2000
    Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshikatsu Okamoto, Yoshiaki Ikuzawa, Akinori Okazaki, Takao Sakaue
  • Patent number: 6030437
    Abstract: In a gas purifier, a gas flow is generated by a fan (15) and passed through a filter arrangement (14). A difference (SF) is measured (16, 19) between pollution levels in the gas flow before and after it has passed the filter arrangement (14). A controller (18) reduces the gas flow when the difference (SF) between the pollution levels drops below a threshold value (Th).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 29, 2000
    Assignee: U.S. Philips Corporation
    Inventors: Serge Gourrier, Remy Polaert
  • Patent number: 5925167
    Abstract: A method for the scrubbing of noxious substances from an exhaust gas stream from an evacuated process chamber containing a tool for the processing of semiconductor devices. The method comprises directing the stream from the chamber in to a duct containing a multi-way valve and selectively adjusting the valve to cause different fractions of the stream to be directed to relevant treatment/collection/exhaust points.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 20, 1999
    Assignee: The BOC Group plc
    Inventor: James Robert Smith
  • Patent number: 5922130
    Abstract: A spray booth includes an outer enclosure in which the temperature and humidity of a fluid (such as air) is not controlled and a fluid handling unit within this enclosure, which circulates and controls the temperature and humidity of a smaller volume of the same fluid (air) to develop an environment suitable for application of coatings to desired substrates. In use, fluid is drawn from the outer enclosure into the inner, fluid handling unit in order to clean and modify the temperature and humidity of the fluid being handled, conditioning it to be delivered to the region of limited size which is established for receiving the substrate to be coated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 13, 1999
    Assignee: Sermatech International, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark F. Mosser, Bruce McMordie
  • Patent number: 5861053
    Abstract: An environmental air is sucked by the pump with control unit, and organic solvent contained in the environmental air is collected by the absorbent. Organic solvent having passed through the absorbent is detected by the semiconductor gas sensor. If passage of a material to be measured is detected by the semiconductor gas sensor, operation of the pump with control unit is stopped, and the operation for collecting the material is terminated. Then the absorbent is taken out from the collecting tube, the material collected is quantified by means of gas chromatography, and the density is measured. With this configuration, measurement of a density of a material to be measured in a working environment can be executed accurately.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 1996
    Date of Patent: January 19, 1999
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuji Noritake, Hisako Murobushi, Hajime Hori