Did You Know...
...that the Eveready Battery began as an invention called the "electric flowerpot," which was a tube with a battery and light bulb inside? The idea was to fasten this gizmo to the side of a flowerpot so it would illuminate the flowers from the bottom. The idea died on the vine and the businessman who licensed the flower pot, Conrad Huber, was left with a pile of useless tubes -- until he found a way to market them as batteries to light the world!
PatentStorm News
Make the Most of Our Site
See this month's Top Inventors and Most Cited Patents.
Stay on top of the latest innovations by subscribing to an RSS feed.
Registered users: Manage your profile.
| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7419164 | Compliant plate seals for turbomachinery A shaft seal serves to reduce leakage between a rotating shaft and a static shell. The shaft seal includes a plurality of compliant plate members, each having a root and a tip. The compliant plate members are secured to the static shell at their root in facing relat... | 09/02/2008 |
| 7241109 | Seal system A seal system comprises a rotor and a stator. First and second cavities are defined between the rotor and the stator. A plurality of seals for inhibiting a flow of gas through the cavities are provided. Relative motion between the rotor and the stator can cause a fl... | 07/10/2007 |
| 7234918 | Gap control system for turbine engines Embodiments of the invention relate to a system and method for controlling the size of gaps in a turbine engine. In many instances, it is desirable to minimize the size of the gaps between neighboring rotating and stationary components in a turbine engine, such as b... | 06/26/2007 |
| 7213660 | Washpipe seal A controlled leakage seal assembly having a first stationary portion adapted to be connected in substantially fluid-tight relation to a source of drilling fluid and a second portion adapted to be connected in substantially fluid-tight relation to a rotary portion in... | 05/08/2007 |
| 7134667 | Arrangement comprising a slinger associated with a shaft bearing and a gasket associated with a sealing gap A sealing arrangement for turbomachines with a shaft bearing, a throw-off ring and a shaft seal which is assigned to a sealing gap and has a seal housing wherein opposing faces of the throw-off ring and the seal housing form an annular gap for centrifuging out dirt ... | 11/14/2006 |
| 7108266 | Fan cooled seal seat A seal assembly including a rotatable seal head subassembly also includes a fan that rotates with the seal head assembly, with the fan drawing air through a pump housing for purposes of cooling. ... | 09/19/2006 |
| 7055827 | Non-contacting clearance seal for high misalignment applications An improved oil seal is provided for sealing passage of a rotatable shaft through an end wall of a bearing housing in a turbomachine or the like, wherein the shaft is rotatably supported within the bearing housing by oil-lubricated bearings. The improved oil seal co... | 06/06/2006 |
| 7052017 | Rotary machine with seal The so-called comb-type labyrinth sealing device (S1) is disposed in a gap between a rotor blade (2), i.e. a rotating member, and a labyrinth packing (9), i.e. a stationary member. The sealing device (S1) has a plurality of sealing fins (... | 05/30/2006 |
| 7044471 | Cartridge-type mechanical seal and back plate A cartridge seal is co-axially secured within the circular aperture of a back plate bolted to a pump housing. Annular recesses are provided around inner and outer sides of the back plate, surrounding the circular aperture. The cartridge-type seal includes a stationa... | 05/16/2006 |
| 6834860 | Liquid seal A non-contacting seal which includes a stationary tooth that radially overlaps a tooth on a rotatable shaft, with the sealing action resulting from controlled clearance both radially between stationary tooth and the shaft, and axially between the stationary tooth an... | 12/28/2004 |
| 6779600 | Labyrinth lock seal for hydrostatically set packer A hydrostatically set packer is disclosed. The actuating piston is locked for run in by a lock sleeve and lock dog arrangement. When the desired depth is reached well pressure is built up to break a rupture disc to allow hydrostatic pressure to act on one side of a ... | 08/24/2004 |
| 6726214 | Wrap-around severe splash seal A wrap-around interlocked labyrinth seal adapted to be mounted upon a rotating shaft, having a rotor and a stator. A flange positioned on the stator completely encircles the rotating shaft. The stator is interlocked by positioning a cover of the stator within a radi... | 04/27/2004 |
| 6682077 | Labyrinth seal for disc turbine A disc turbine has a rotor assembly of spaced apart discs with at least one disc equipped with an annular labyrinth seal whose grooves interdigitate with a corresponding labyrinth seal mounted in the sidewall of the rotor housing. A pattern of aligned thr... | 01/27/2004 |
| 6530573 | Seal device A system for providing a seal between a housing and a shaft is formed of at least two ring members connected to each other by relative diametrical expansion with reduced or eliminated axial resilient deformation. The ring members may be held together by a... | 03/11/2003 |
| 6471215 | Labyrinth sealing device having a grease purgeable system A grease purgeable dynamic labyrinth sealing device is disclosed which includes a stator having an annular engagement flange on a radially inner portion thereof and a rotor having an annular engagement flange on a radially outer portion thereof. The stato... | 10/29/2002 |
| 6419233 | Shaft seal assembly An improved shaft seal assembly is disclosed having a stator including a main body and axial and radial projections therefrom. The rotor is radially extended and encompasses the axial and radial projections from said stator. The passageway formed between ... | 07/16/2002 |
| 6406253 | Turbocharger A turbocharger for an internal combustion engine is of the type having an impeller mounted on a shaft carried by a bearing supplied with lubricating oil, the shaft being located in a bore and having an oil and air seal between the bearing and the impeller... | 06/18/2002 |
| 6394459 | Multi-clearance labyrinth seal design and related process A packing ring seal assembly for use in a steam turbine for minimizing leakage flow between stationary and rotating steam path parts includes a stationary annular seal ring having a plurality of axially spaced, annular sealing teeth extending in a radial ... | 05/28/2002 |
| 6336637 | Sever splash seal An interlocked labyrinth seal adapted to be mounted upon a rotating shaft, having a rotor and a stator. The stator completely surrounds the shaft. A flange positioned on the stator completely encircles the rotating shaft. The seal rotor includes alternati... | 01/08/2002 |
| 6311984 | Bearing isolator The improved bearing isolator permits the use of vapor or a combination of a vaporized substance with a carrier to lubricate bearings while containing the vaporized substance in the housing and permitting the carrier, having been stripped of its substance... | 11/06/2001 |
| 6182972 | Unitary bearing seal A mechanical labyrinth seal for rotating shafts having first and second ring members. The first ring member, includes a series of annular axially extending grooves and flanges. The second ring member is adopted for insertion into said first ring member wi... | 02/06/2001 |
| 6173958 | Hybrid labyrinth and cloth-brush seals for turbine applications A seal is provided between relatively moving parts and includes plural layers of woven material such as metal, polymer or ceramic materials. The layers are secured to one another and to a first part of the relatively moving first and second parts and exte... | 01/16/2001 |
| 6168163 | Shaft seal for mixers A shaft seal is interposed between a tank and a rotating shaft extending through the tank and having a non-rotatable stator fixed to the tank and a rotor fixed for rotation to the shaft. A multiple labyrinth structure is formed between the rotor and the s... | 01/02/2001 |
| 6139019 | Seal assembly and rotary machine containing such seal A seal assembly and a rotary machine, such as a steam turbine, containing such seal. A stator circumferentially surrounds a row of rotor blades. The stator includes an upstream tooth-seal region, a downstream brush-seal region, and an intervening fluid ex... | 10/31/2000 |
| 6062568 | Bearing isolator with air purge This invention discloses an improved seal utilizing an optional air purge to assist in the elimination or removal of contaminants. The seal is most useful on spindles and utilizes a combination locking ring and diffuser ring to diffuse the air when utiliz... | 05/16/2000 |
| 6015153 | Labyrinth sealing device and method of assembly A dynamic labyrinth sealing device which includes a stator having an annular engagement flange on a radially inner portion thereof and a rotator having an annular engagement flange on a radially outer portion thereof. The stator annular engagement flange ... | 01/18/2000 |
| 5925955 | Labyrinth seal system A labyrinth seal system of the present invention is found in a motor having a ball bearing ring, a shaft, and a labyrinth seal washer. The ball bearing ring has an inner bearing ring with an inner ring surface. In one embodiment the labyrinth seal system ... | 07/20/1999 |
| 5908195 | Labyrinth sealing device and method of assembly A dynamic labyrinth sealing device which includes a stator having an annular engagement flange on a radially inner portion thereof and a rotator having an annular engagement flange on a radially outer portion thereof. The stator annular engagement flange ... | 06/01/1999 |
| 5890873 | Labyrinth seal for a turbine bucket cover A labyrinth bucket tip to stator segment seal is provided. The bucket cover includes radially outwardly projecting labyrinth teeth while the fixed segment contains radially inwardly projecting labyrinth teeth. The teeth are arranged in groups thereof with... | 04/06/1999 |
| 5649710 | Unitized oil seals A unitized oil seal (10) includes a wear sleeve element (12) and a seal element (14). The wear sleeve element (12) is configured to include an axially outwardly and radially inwardly tapered dust sealing surface (38). The seal element (14) is provided wit... | 07/22/1997 |
| 5636848 | Oil seal for a high speed rotating shaft An improved oil seal is provided for sealing passage of rotatable shaft through an end wall of a bearing housing in a turbomachine or the like, wherein the shaft is rotatably supported within the bearing housing by oil-lubricated bearings. The improved oi... | 06/10/1997 |
| 5566696 | Dishwasher with balancing vanes on pump impeller A dishwasher sump is divided into a collection chamber and a pump chamber by a filter. Food particles collect in the collection chamber while filtered wash liquid collects in the pump chamber. A pump has an impeller located in the pump chamber. The filter... | 10/22/1996 |
| 5407387 | Universal joint seal A universal joint has a primary seal and a secondary seal. The universal joint includes a cross and a bearing cup with the cross having a body and a trunnion and an annular shoulder with an adjacent surface of circular cross section at the juncture of the... | 04/18/1995 |
| 5305509 | Non-contact rotation waterproof and dustproof method and machine using the same A non-contact rotation waterproof and dustproof method and a machine tool using the same. A viscous fluid is continuously or intermittently supplied to a labyrinth clearance formed between a rotating body and a fixed body from a fluid supply device so as ... | 04/26/1994 |
| 5246337 | Heat exchanger with hydrostatic bearing return flow guide A generally cylindrical thermal shield for a heat exchanger in a centrifugal pump which includes a fixed inner diameter vertical wall that forms an annular clearance coaxially around the pump impeller shaft, an outer vertical wall that has a diameter grea... | 09/21/1993 |
| 5222742 | Seal arrangement An air seal is disposed between high and low pressure zones and includes an annular static arm and coaxial annular sealing arm which rotates relative to the static arm. The static arm, is scalloped to form a series of cavities and the sealing arm is forme... | 06/29/1993 |
| 5221095 | Static and dynamic shaft seal assembly An isolator mechanism is provided for use with a machinery housing and a rotatable shaft protruding through the housing. The isolator mechanism comprises a stator ring affixed to the housing and a rotor ring which is attached to the shaft and which nests ... | 06/22/1993 |
| 5186472 | Unitized radial shaft seal A unitized seal includes a first seal casing having a radially-extending unitizing flange and a second seal casing having an annular elastomeric bumper. The bumper has an engagement surface which confronts the unitizing flange for engagement therewith. Up... | 02/16/1993 |
| 5183269 | Unitized grit seal with removable thrust bumper A unitized, fluid seal assembly for heavy duty applications. The seal assembly includes a primary seal unit, an annular wear sleeve, and a separately formed thrust bumper made from a stiff but resilient, high temperature resistant, lubricous plastic mater... | 02/02/1993 |
| 5171026 | High pressure gas seal High pressure seal between a housing and a rotating shaft includes a first annular member for attachment to the shaft, and a second annular member for attachment to the housing. The first and second annular members form nozzles and a circular leakage path... | 12/15/1992 |
