Sparco Inc.

Aquamotion, Inc.

Honeywell International Inc.

Taco, Inc.

Benno Lebkuchner

Hans L Kuster

Robert W Castle

Kenneth Sundberg

A bearing that is used in a motor pump in which a liquid is, not only pumped by means of an impeller driven by the pump, but also is used to lubricate components of the motor pump including the motor pump shaft. The bearing is for supporting the shaft at at least one location of the shaft. The bearing is constructed of a bronze material having added thereto a small amount of graphite, preferably around 2.5%.

Motor pump bearing

An improved motor pump that enables the serviceability thereof, as well as improved clearance between components of the motor pump, the motor pump including a stator assembly, a rotor assembly having a front bearing for supporting a motor shaft and a bearing support member for receiving the front bearing, and a sleeve assembly including a sleeve. Both the bearing support member and the sleeve have respective pilot sections. An interface surface is defined between the bearing support member and the sleeve that includes an undulating surface with separate but multiple contact locations therebetween. The bearing support member is inserted into the sleeve so that the respective pilot sections engage to thus provide essentially a clearance-less fit therebetween.

Motor pump

A valve actuating device is provided for opening and closing a valve of the type having a valve housing, a valve member sealingly engageable with a valve seat formed in the valve housing, and a valve stem attached to the valve member for moving the valve member between a closed position and an open position. The valve actuating device includes a housing which is attachable to the valve housing of the valve, a motor mounted on the housing, a pinion gear which is coupled to the motor by a shaft, the pinion gear being drivable by the motor via the shaft. The device further has a rack including a body having an end portion which is engageable with the valve stem of the valve and a longitudinal cutout along a side of the rack. The rack is moveable between a first position in which the valve is in its open position and a second position in which the end portion of the rack engages the valve stem for maintaining the valve stem in its closed position. The device further includes a rack segment slidably mounted within the longitudinal cutout of the rack, the rack member having a length which is less than a length of the longitudinal cutout, the pinion gear engaging the rack member for slidably moving the rack segment between a top and a bottom of the longitudinal cutout. When the rack segment engages the bottom of the cutout, the rack segment moves the rack to the second position for closing the valve. The device also includes a spring mechanism for biasing the rack in the first position.

Valve actuating device having a reduced impact operating mechanism

A mixing valve receives fluid from a first source and fluid from a second source and outputs a mixture of the fluids. The mixing valve includes a valve body including a first fluid inlet, a first fluid chamber, a second fluid inlet, a second fluid chamber, and a fluid outlet. The mixing valve further comprises a fluid flow regulator mounted within the housing, wherein a lower surface of the fluid flow regulator is disposed within the first fluid chamber and an upper surface of the fluid flow regulator is disposed within the second fluid chamber. The fluid flow regulator is mounted within the valve body in such a way as to permit movement of the fluid flow regulator along a longitudinal axis of the valve body. The fluid flow regulator includes a central hub which extends below the lower surface into the mixing chambr. A temperature-sensing device is mounted to the central hub of the fluid flow regulator and is constructed and arranged for sensing a temperature of fluid which flows from the mixing chamber to the outlet.

Thermostatic mixing valve

An automatic vent has a cup including a bottom wall, a side wall, an open top, and an inlet for introducing fluid into a compartment defined by the bottom and side walls. A valve assembly of the automatic vent includes a cap disposed over the open top of the cup. The cap has a body with an upwardly facing surface, a downwardly facing surface, a bore formed within the body for enabling fluid communication between the compartment and atmosphere, and an annular rim provided around the bore on the downwardly facing surface. A lever arm is hingedly connected at one end thereof to the body of the cap adjacent the annular rim. The automatic vent further includes a multi-hinged connection for hingedly moving the lever arm between a closed position in which the lever arm blocks the bore of the cap in response to the fluid level in the compartment rising above a predetermined fluid level, a partially open position in which the lever arm hingedly moves away from the cap but still engages the annular rim to allow gas to escape through the bore in response to the fluid level in the compartment lowering below the predetermined fluid level as a result of gas build up within the compartment, and an open position in which the lever arm hingedly moves away from the cap and annular rim in response to the fluid level in the compartment lowering substantially below the predetermined level.

Automatic vent having a multi-hinged valve

A valve actuating device is provided for opening and closing a valve of the type having a valve housing, a valve member sealingly engageable with a valve seat formed in the valve housing, and a valve stem attached to the valve member for moving the valve member between a closed position and an open position. The valve actuating device includes a housing threadably attached to the valve housing of the valve, and a motor, mounted on the housing, for driving a shaft having a pinion gear upon activating the motor. The device further includes a rack having a body with an end portion thereof engageable with the valve stem of the valve, and a rack segment, disposed between the rack and the pinion gear, for moving the rack between a first position in which the end portion of the rack engages the valve stem for maintaining the valve stem in its closed position, to a second position in which the rack is moved by the rack segment upon activation of the motor via the pinion gear of the motor for opening the valve. The rack segment enables the motor to decelerate at a predetermined rate of speed without coming to an abrupt stop. A pair of springs is provided for biasing the rack to its first position.

A valve actuating device of a heating and/or cooling system controls the opening and closing of a valve of the system. The device includes a housing having a fitting which is threadably received by a fitting receiving formation of the valve for securing the housing to the valve. The device further includes an electric motor mounted on the housing. The motor drives a shaft having a pinion gear mounted thereon, and, upon its activation, opens the valve. A rack has teeth engagable with the pinion gear of the electric motor and an end portion engagable with a valve stem of the valve. The arrangement is such that the rack is movable upon activation of the motor from a first position in which the end portion of the rack engages the valve stem for maintaining a valve member of the valve in a closed position, to a second position in which the rack is moved via the pinion gear of the motor away from the valve stem for opening the valve.

Valve actuating device of a heating and/or cooling system

Zone valve operator

A de-aerator apparatus for removing gas from fluid flowing through a pipe includes a housing having a chamber, an inlet connected to an inlet pipe for allowing the passage of fluid into the chamber, an outlet connected to an outlet pipe for discharging fluid from the chamber, and a vent for venting gas from the top of the chamber. The arrangement is such that as fluid flows into the chamber through the inlet and out of the chamber through the outlet, relatively large gas pockets present in the fluid in the chamber rise to the surface of the fluid and exit the chamber through the vent. A device disposed within the chamber has bristles facing the flow of fluid into the chamber through the inlet. The bristles vibrate for merging micro gas pockets present in the fluid with one another to produce large gas pockets which rise to the surface of the fluid within the chamber and exit the chamber through the vent.

De-aerator apparatus

A wet-rotor circulator in accordance with the present invention includes a drive motor coupled to the impeller of a fluid pump. The drive motor includes a rotor assembly enclosed within a fluid impermeable jacket and a stator assembly for driving the rotor. The rotor is coaxially supported within the jacket by bearings which are permanently secured in place by circumferentially crimping sections of the jacket radially inwardly to shape-lock the bearings to the jacket. The crimping takes place during an assembly step in which an applied magnetic field causes substantially instantaneous deformation of the jacket without disturbing the coaxial relationship between the rotor shaft and its support bearings.

Growing community of inventors

Warwick, RI, United States of America

Benno Lebkuchner