Scott A Willbanks

20130174830, Jul 11, 2013

Nov 20, 2012

13/681546

Rheem Manufacturing Company - Atlanta GA, US
Shawn A. Reed - Charleston AR, US
Walter R. Lowrimore - Alma AR, US
Randy R. Koivisto - Fort Smith AR, US
Scott A. Willbanks - Fort Smith AR, US

Rheem Manufacturing Company - Atlanta GA

F24H 9/20
G01F 23/00

126116 A, 73304 R

A fuel-fired condensing type air heating furnace is provided with an electronic condensate water level sensing system operative to sense improper outflow of condensate from a collector box portion of the furnace and responsively shut down or prevent operation of the furnace. Condensate probe portions of the system are oriented in a manner such that several air flow orientation of the furnace may be utilized without the necessity of relocating the probes or effecting an re-wiring of the water level sensing system.

57301166, Mar 24, 1998

Jul 22, 1996

8/681322

Dennis R. Maiello - Fort Smith AR
Scott A. Willbanks - Fort Smith AR
Phillip G. Brown - Fort Smith AR

Rheem Manufacturing Company - New York NY

F24H 302

126110R

A fuel-fired air heating furnace is provided with NOx reduction apparatus associated with a plurality of combustor tubes forming a portion of the furnace heat exchanger section. Inshot-type fuel burners are spaced apart from and face the open inlet ends of horizontal combustion sections of the combustor tubes. The NOx reduction apparatus includes a plurality of NOx reduction members formed from a metal rod material, and a mounting plate having a row of spaced apart pairs of mounting holes therein. Each NOx reduction member has an elongated, generally U-shaped configuration, with a closed inner end, an open outer end, and a spaced pair of corrugated leg portions extending between such inner and outer ends. The NOx reduction members are installed in a parallel relationship on the mounting plate, with their closed ends facing in the same direction, by resiliently deflecting the leg portions of each member toward each other, inserting the outer leg ends in one of the mounting plate hole pairs, and then releasing the legs. With the NOx reduction members secured to the mounting plate in this manner, they are simultaneously inserted closed ends first into their associated combustor tubes, and the mounting plate suitably supported adjacent the combustor tube inlets.

57326916, Mar 31, 1998

Oct 30, 1996

8/752371

Dennis R. Maiello - Fort Smith AR
Scott A. Willbanks - Fort Smith AR

Rheem Manufacturing Company - New York NY

F24H 300

126116A

A modulating, forced draft, fuel-fired air heating furnace is provided with a two-speed draft inducer fan, and a fuel valve which is fully modulatable between a maximum firing rate and a low firing rate of approximately forty percent thereof. Incorporated into the furnace control system are normally closed low and high fire pressure-electric switches which sense and are sequentially closed by increasingly negative pressure in the draft inducer fan. Upon a call for heat from a thermostat located in the conditioned space served by the furnace, the draft inducer fan is energized at its high speed setting, and a signal is sent to the fuel valve to set it at its full firing rate flow when opened by an ignition switch portion of the control system. The control system functions to open the fuel valve at this maximum flow setting, and permit light-off of the burner, only if (1) both of the low and high fire pressure-electric switches are closed, and (2) the draft inducer fan is operating at its high speed setting. In this manner, in addition to providing a wide range of furnace heating output modulation, reliable burner ignition is facilitated and heat exchanger warm-up corrosion is reduced due to the full firing rate start-up of the furnace.

58334491, Nov 10, 1998

Nov 26, 1996

8/756573

John T. Knight - Fort Smith AR
Scott A. Willbanks - Fort Smith AR
Joey W. Huffaker - Rudy AR
Kenneth F. Thereau - Mountainburg AR
Richard J. Bazzo - Broadview Heights OH
Jacob J. Verderber - late of Fort Smith AR

Rheem Manufacturing Company - New York NY

F24C 310

431191

A multiple inshot-type gas burner structure is formed from a pair of facing, intersecured stamper sheet metal plates. A spaced plurality of parallel, rectangularly cross-sectioned burner bodies are defined by facing triangular indentation pairs in the plates and have, at front outlet end portions thereof, side indentations which serve to mix air and gaseous fuel received at rear end portions of the burner bodies, and to divert a portion of the fuel/air mixture into crossover channels intercommunicating front interior portions of the burner bodies. The crossover channels have central arcuate closed portions that cooperate with progressively sized standoff dimples extending between opposite wall portions of the channels to provide an even crossover flame pattern along the outlet slot section of each channel. At the outlet end of each burner are four flame retention tabs which are transverse to the flow axis of the burner body and serve to prevent induced secondary combustion air from causing undesirable main flame liftoff. Originally rectangular inlet end portions of the burner bodies are laterally inwardly deformed to define generally circular sections that receive and firmly hold hexagonal gas supply orifice fittings mounted on a gas supply manifold pipe.

20220381432, Dec 1, 2022

Jul 29, 2022

17/877493

- Atlanta GA, US
Timothy J. Shellenberger - Tyronne GA, US
Robert Steven Neihouse - Fort Smith AR, US
Scott Alan Willbanks - Fort Smith AR, US
Darryl Farley - Fort Smith AR, US
Nathan Taylor Whalen - Alma AR, US
Shawn Allan Reed - Charleston AR, US

F23D 14/70
F23D 14/08
F24H 9/00

A fuel-fired furnace incorporates specially designed fuel/air mixing and combustion structures. The fuel/air mixing structure is of a mixing sound-attenuating design and includes a venturi having a perforated sidewall portion and being surrounded by a noise-damping housing chamber communicating with the interior of the venturi via its sidewall perforations. During use of the mixing structure, air is flowed through the venturi in a swirling pattern while fuel is transversely injected internally against the swirling air. The combustion structure includes a burner box housing into which the fuel/air mixture is flowed, combusted, and then discharged as hot combustion gas into and through the heat exchanger tubes. The fuel/air mixture entering the burner box housing initially passes through a non-uniformly perforated diffuser plate functioning to substantially alter in a predetermined manner the relative combustion gas flow rates through the heat exchanger tubes.

20200191388, Jun 18, 2020

Feb 24, 2020

16/799265

- Atlanta GA, US
Timothy J. Shellenberger - Tyronne GA, US
Robert Steven Neihouse - Fort Smith AR, US
Scott Alan Willbanks Alan Willbanks - Fort Smith AR, US
Darryl Farley - Fort Smith AR, US
Nathan Taylor Whalen - Alma AR, US
Shawn Allan Reed - CHarleston AR, US

F23D 14/70
F23D 14/08
F24H 9/00

A fuel-fired furnace incorporates specially designed fuel/air mixing and combustion structures. The fuel/air mixing structure is of a mixing sound-attenuating design and comprises a venturi having a perforated sidewall portion and being surrounded by a noise-damping housing chamber communicating with the interior of the venturi via its sidewall perforations. During use of the mixing structure, air is flowed through the venturi in a swirling pattern while fuel is transversely injected internally against the swirling air. The combustion structure comprises a burner box housing into which the fuel/air mixture is flowed, combusted, and then discharged as hot combustion gas into and through the heat exchanger tubes. The fuel/air mixture entering the burner box housing initially passes through a non-uniformly perforated diffuser plate functioning to substantially alter in a predetermined manner the relative combustion gas flow rates through the heat exchanger tubes.

20190186737, Jun 20, 2019

Dec 18, 2017

15/845344

- Atlanta GA, US
Scott Willbanks - Fort Smith AR, US
Robert S. Neihouse - Fort Smith AR, US
Robert Kepesky - Greenwood AR, US
Kevin Thompson - Avon IN, US
Joey Huffaker - Rudy AR, US
Daniel Schmalz - Lavaca AR, US

F23N 5/18
F23N 3/08
F24H 3/08
F24H 9/20

A high-efficiency modulating gas furnace (herein ‘gas furnace’) includes a furnace controller. The gas furnace further includes a gas valve and at least one pressure switch that is coupled to the furnace controller. The electrical contacts of the at least one pressure switch are removed from a series electrical circuit with the gas valve such that the gas furnace operates without de-energizing the gas valve as soon as the electrical contacts of the at least one pressure switch are opened. Further, the furnace controller operates the induced draft blower at or close to a lowest RPM at which the electrical contacts of the at least one pressure switch can be kept closed, which is between a make point RPM at which the electrical contacts of the at least one pressure switch close and a break point RPM at which the electrical contacts of the at least one pressure switch open.

20180216817, Aug 2, 2018

Mar 26, 2018

15/935974

- Atlanta GA, US
Timothy J. Shellenberger - Tyrone GA, US
Robert Steven Neihouse - Fort Smith AR, US
Scott Alan Willbanks - Fort Smith AR, US

F23D 14/70
F23D 14/08
F24H 9/00

To substantially reduce inequality in hot combustion flow rates through first and second heat exchanger tubes from a fuel-fired heating appliance burner box connected thereto and internally combusting a fuel/air mixture received therein from a source thereof to create the hot combustion gas, a perforated diffuser member having a non-uniform perforation pattern is provided. The fuel/air mixture is flowed through the perforated diffuser member into the interior of the burner box. The non-uniform perforation pattern of the diffuser member functions to alter relative combustion gas flow rates through the first and second heat exchanger tubes in a manner reducing an undesirable operating temperature differential therebetween.