Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090154096 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR FACILITATING COOLING OF AN ELECTRONICS SYSTEM - Apparatus and method are provided for facilitating air-cooling of an electronics system employing a vapor-compression heat exchange system, and front and back covers. An evaporator housing of the heat exchange system is mounted to a system housing of the electronics system and extends at least partially between air inlet and outlet sides of the system housing. The evaporator housing includes air inlet and outlet openings, and an evaporator. The front cover is mounted to the system or evaporator housing adjacent to the air inlet side or air outlet opening, and the back cover is mounted to the system or evaporator housing adjacent to the air outlet side or air inlet opening. Together, the system housing, back cover, evaporator housing and front cover define a closed loop airflow path passing through the system housing and evaporator housing, with the vapor-compression heat exchange system cooling air circulating therethrough. | 06-18-2009 |
20100002393 | LIQUID COOLING APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR FACILITATING COOLING OF AN ELECTRONICS SYSTEM - Apparatus and method are provided for facilitating liquid cooling one or more components of an electronic subsystem chassis disposed within an electronics rack. The apparatus includes a rack-level coolant manifold assembly and at least one movable chassis-level manifold subassembly. The rack-level coolant manifold assembly includes a rack-level inlet manifold and a rack-level outlet manifold, and each movable chassis-level manifold subassembly includes a chassis-level coolant inlet manifold coupled in fluid communication with the rack-level inlet manifold, and a chassis-level coolant outlet manifold coupled in fluid communication with the rack-level outlet manifold. The chassis-level manifold subassembly is slidably coupled to the electronics rack to facilitate access to one or more removable components of the electronic subsystem chassis. In one embodiment, the electronics subsystem chassis is a multi-blade center system having multiple removable blades, each blade being an electronics subsystem. | 01-07-2010 |
20100006126 | AIR VENT DUST SCRUBBER - An assembly used to scrape clean a vent pattern with a blade and catch or the scrapings. | 01-14-2010 |
20100017151 | Detecting A Fouled Air Filter In A Computer Equipment Enclosure - Detecting a fouled air filter in a computer equipment enclosure that includes an air filter, a supply plenum connecting the air filter and the computer equipment enclosure, a fan operating at a current fan speed, and a filter monitoring module connected for data communications to a management module. Detecting a fouled air filter according to embodiments of the present invention includes calculating, by the filter monitoring module, a pressure differential across the air filter; determining, for the current fan speed by the filter monitoring module in dependence upon a pressure differential profile for the air filter, whether the calculated pressure differential across the air filter exceeds a predetermined threshold value; and if the calculated pressure differential across the air filter exceeds the predetermined threshold value, reporting, by the filter monitoring module to the management module, that the calculated pressure differential across the air filter exceeds the predetermined threshold value. | 01-21-2010 |
20110108237 | HEATSINK WITH FLEXIBLE BASE AND HEIGHT-ADJUSTED COOLING FINS - One embodiment provides a heatsink having a flexible base and height-adjusted cooling fins. The flexible base includes a single base plate, with cooling fins and heat pipes secured directly to an upper surface of the single base plate. The use of the single base plate allows the length of the cooling fins to be increased. The use of a single base plate also allows the base to flex when mounted at the outer region of the base plate to a circuit board using fasteners. The flexure of the base biases the heatsink against the heat-generating component. The flexure also displaces the outer cooling fins, and the length of the outer cooling fins is further increased to compensate for the anticipate displacement. | 05-12-2011 |
20110250047 | Airflow From A Blower With One Or More Adjustable Guide Vanes That Are Affixed To The Blower At One Or More Pivot Points Located In An Outlet Of The Blower - Methods, apparatus, and products are disclosed for improving the airflow exiting a blower that has one or more adjustable guide vanes that are affixed to the blower at one or more pivot points located in an outlet of the blower that include: determining a rotational speed of an impeller in the blower and adjusting a position of at least one of the adjustable guide vanes in dependence upon the rotational speed of the impeller. | 10-13-2011 |
20110250048 | Airflow From A Blower With One Or More Adjustable Guide Vanes That Are Affixed To The Blower At One Or More Pivot Points Located In An Outlet Of The Blower - Methods, apparatus, and products are disclosed for improving the airflow exiting a blower that has one or more adjustable guide vanes that are affixed to the blower at one or more pivot points located in an outlet of the blower that include: determining a rotational speed of an impeller in the blower and adjusting a position of at least one of the adjustable guide vanes in dependence upon the rotational speed of the impeller. | 10-13-2011 |
20110250049 | Airflow From A Blower With One Or More Adjustable Guide Vanes That Are Affixed To The Blower At One Or More Pivot Points Located In An Outlet Of The Blower - Methods, apparatus, and products are disclosed for improving the airflow exiting a blower that has one or more adjustable guide vanes that are affixed to the blower at one or more pivot points located in an outlet of the blower that include: determining a rotational speed of an impeller in the blower and adjusting a position of at least one of the adjustable guide vanes in dependence upon the rotational speed of the impeller. | 10-13-2011 |
20110316706 | FILTER FOULING DETECTION USING COMPARATIVE TEMPERATURE RISE ANALYSIS - One embodiment involves detecting the fouling of an air filter used to filter airflow entering a computer system. An expected airflow rate is obtained from a current fan speed. An expected temperature rise between two positions is computed as a function of the expected airflow rate and the power consumption of heat-generating components, such as servers. An actual temperature rise is obtained from temperature sensors. An electronic alert is automatically generated in response to the actual temperature rise exceeding the expected temperature rise by a setpoint. Different setpoints may be used to trigger distinct electronic alerts. | 12-29-2011 |
20120010754 | ADAPTIVE COOLING SYSTEM AND METHOD - Embodiments of the invention include an adaptive system and method for cooling a computer system. A plurality of interchangeable fans may be provided for cooling the computer system. Each fan may have different operational limits, but with a minimum fan speed selected so that all of the fans produce substantially the same airflow rate at the respective minimum fan speed. In one embodiment, the operational limits are stored in a computer-readable storage medium on a computer system cooling fan. The stored fan speeds are electronically retrieved from the fan, and a fan speed table is automatically generated from the retrieved maximum and minimum fan speeds. The fan speed table includes cooling state values indexed to specific fan speed values. The fan is operated at a fan speed associated with a dynamically selected cooling state. | 01-12-2012 |
20120079314 | MULTI-LEVEL DIMM ERROR REDUCTION - Embodiments of the present invention include computer-implemented methods for selectively applying remedial actions, according to a predefined order, for reducing the error rate in a computer memory system. In one embodiment, an ordered set of remedial actions are sequentially invoked in response to a single-bit error (SBE) in a DIMM reaching successive error thresholds. For example, in an air-cooled system, the remedial actions may include dynamically increasing a DIMM refresh rate, dynamically increasing a rate of airflow used to cool the DIMMs, and dynamically throttling the DIMMs. The remedial actions may be layered as they are successively invoked, to provide a cumulative remedial effect. At least two of the remedial actions may be simultaneously invoked in response to a multi-bit error rate reaching an associated threshold. | 03-29-2012 |
20120200654 | PRINT MEDIA CHARACTERIZATION - A method is provided for detecting the type of print media provided to a thermal printer. A printer has a heat source disposed adjacent a temperature sensor to transfer heat upon activation across a portion of an introduced print media to the temperature sensor and a controller to receive a signal from the temperature sensor and to obtain a temperature signature generally identifying attributes of the introduced print media and to adjust print head settings in response to the identified attributes. The printer may further comprise a sensor to detect access to a print media storage compartment and to initiate examination of the heat transfer properties of the introduced print media upon detecting that the print storage compartment has been accessed. | 08-09-2012 |
20120293952 | HEAT TRANSFER APPARATUS - An apparatus is provided to remove heat from a heat-generating component of a computer, such as a processor. The apparatus comprises a first heat sink having a plurality of leader fins, wherein the first heat sink is thermo-conductively coupled to a heat-generating component that is coupled to a first portion of a chassis; and a second heat sink having a plurality of follower fins, wherein the second heat sink is thermo-conductively coupled to a second portion of the chassis, and wherein the plurality of follower fins are disposed in an interlaced configuration with the plurality of follower fins to promote radiative heat transfer from the leader fins to the follower fins. Optionally, one or more alignment structures may be used to facilitate the relative movement of the first and second chassis portions into an operative position in which the leader and follower fins are in the interlaced configuration. The apparatus may be used to remove heat from a heat-generating component in a closed system with little or no limited air flow. | 11-22-2012 |
20130073096 | PROACTIVE COOLING CONTROL USING POWER CONSUMPTION TREND ANALYSIS - A fluid-cooled computer system includes a plurality of heat-generating components and a cooling system configured for supplying a cooling fluid at a controlled cooling fluid flow rate to cool the heat-generating components. A temperature-based cooling control circuit includes a temperature sensor configured for sensing a temperature of the heat-generating components and control logic for increasing a cooling fluid flow rate in response to the temperature exceeding a temperature threshold. A power-based cooling control circuit is configured for identifying and quantifying an increasing power consumption trend over a target time interval and, during a period that the temperature of the electronic device does not exceed the temperature threshold, increasing a cooling fluid flow rate to the electronic device in response to the magnitude of the increasing power consumption trend exceeding a power threshold. In one option, the fluid-cooled computer system is a server and the heat-generating components include a processor. | 03-21-2013 |
20130096720 | OPTIMIZATION OF SYSTEM ACOUSTIC SIGNATURE AND COOLING CAPACITY WITH INTELLIGENT USER CONTROLS - A computer-implemented method comprises accessing historical operating data for a unit of information technology equipment, wherein the historical operating data includes power consumption, fan speed, inlet air temperature, workload, and any processor throttling events at various points in time. The method further comprises receiving user input selecting a fan speed, and using the historical operating data to determine a performance impact that is expected from operating the unit at the selected fan speed, where the power consumption is a proxy for performance. The estimated performance impact of the selected fan speed and one or more alternative fan speeds is then displayed. | 04-18-2013 |
20130098593 | INDEPENDENT COMPUTER SYSTEM ZONE COOLING RESPONSIVE TO ZONE POWER CONSUMPTION - A computer system has a plurality of heat-generating computer devices arranged in a data center, a cooling system in the data center, and a real-time cooling controller. The cooling system is configured for directing a cooling fluid to a plurality of different zones of the computer system, where each zone is occupied by a different subset of the heat-generating devices. The real-time cooling controller is configured for monitoring a power consumption of the heat-generating devices at each zone, independently controlling a cooling fluid flow rate to each zone, targeting one of the zones for increased cooling in response to a detected increase in the power consumption at the targeted zone, and increasing the cooling fluid flow rate to the targeted zone in immediate response to the power consumption increase. | 04-25-2013 |
20130098599 | INDEPENDENT COMPUTER SYSTEM ZONE COOLING RESPONSIVE TO ZONE POWER CONSUMPTION - Methods are disclosed for independently cooling each of a plurality of zones of a computer system in relation to their respective zone power consumptions. In one example method, a power consumption of heat-generating devices is monitored at each of a plurality of zones of a computer system. A cooling fluid flow rate to each zone is independently controlled. One of the zones is targeted for increased cooling in response to a detected increase in power consumption in the targeted zone. The cooling fluid flow rate to the targeted zone is then increased in immediate response to the power consumption increase. | 04-25-2013 |
20130103210 | PROACTIVE COOLING CONTROL USING POWER CONSUMPTION TREND ANALYSIS - A method combines temperature-based and power-based control of a cooling subsystem. In one method, a power consumption of heat-generating electronic devices is sensed, and a power consumption trend over a moving time interval is identified and quantified. A cooling fluid flow rate is proactively increased in response to the power consumption trend exceeding a power consumption trend threshold during a period that a temperature of the heat-generating electronic devices does not exceed a temperature threshold. The magnitude of the power consumption threshold is used to anticipate and respond to imminent heating, before a temperature threshold is reached. | 04-25-2013 |
20130208070 | PRINTER CHARACTERIZATION OF PRINT MEDIA - A printer has a heat source disposed adjacent a temperature sensor to transfer heat upon activation across a portion of an introduced print media to the temperature sensor and a controller to receive a signal from the temperature sensor and to obtain a temperature signature generally identifying attributes of the introduced print media and to adjust print head settings in response to the identified attributes. The printer may further comprise a sensor to detect access to a print media storage compartment and to initiate examination of the heat transfer properties of the introduced print media upon detecting that the print storage compartment has been accessed. | 08-15-2013 |
20140009882 | Cooling System for Electronics - An apparatus and method is provided for conveying heat away from an electronic component. In one embodiment, a method positions a conformable thermal interface element in heat conducting contact with an electronic component. A heat conducting member is disposed within the conformable thermal interface element. The heat conducting member is coupled with a manifold so that the heat conducting member is in heat conducting contact with the manifold. The electronic component may be installed or removed without disassembly of the apparatus. | 01-09-2014 |
20140133093 | COOLING SYSTEM FOR ELECTRONICS - A method and apparatus for conveying heat away from an electronic component. The apparatus may include, a conformable thermal interface sleeve adapted to embrace the electronic component. The apparatus may further include, a heat conducting wedge adapted to contact the conformable thermal interface sleeve and a thermal channel adapted to contact the heat conducting wedge. The apparatus may also include a manifold adapted to contact the thermal channel. | 05-15-2014 |
20150075000 | COOLING SYSTEM FOR ELECTRONICS - A method and apparatus for conveying heat away from an electronic component. The apparatus may include, a conformable thermal interface sleeve adapted to embrace the electronic component. The apparatus may further include, a heat conducting wedge adapted to contact the conformable thermal interface sleeve and a thermal channel adapted to contact the heat conducting wedge. The apparatus may also include a manifold adapted to contact the thermal channel. | 03-19-2015 |
20150212555 | ORTHOGONALLY HINGED INDIVIDUALIZED MEMORY MODULE COOLING - A memory module cooling system includes a liquid cooled manifold assembly and a heat spreader assembly rotateably attached to the liquid cooled manifold assembly about an axis perpendicular to the memory module. The liquid cooled manifold assembly includes a manifold, an liquid inlet, and a liquid outlet. The heat spreader assembly includes a base in thermal contact with a heat pipe, and a heat spreader in thermal contact with the heat pipe, the heat spreader configured to thermally engage the memory module. In certain embodiments, thermal bonds are maintained between a plurality of neighboring memory modules when a particular heat spreader assembly is rotated away from an associated memory module. | 07-30-2015 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20120011204 | AUTOMATED AGING OF CONTACTS AND CLASSIFYING RELATIONSHIPS - One or more interactions between a first user and a second user of a social networking system are identified. Each respective interaction of the one or more interactions is scored based on a group score and a time penalty. The group score is based on the number of users in the respective interaction and the time penalty is based on a time between a current time and a time of a last interaction between the first user and the second user. A relationship ranking that measures the first user's affinity towards the second user is determined, where the relationship ranking comprises one or more interaction scores. An indicator representing the relationship ranking is sent to a client for display. | 01-12-2012 |
20120124479 | Method And System For Tagging Content - Systems and methods for tagging digital content are provided. In some embodiments, a method comprises receiving and storing personal data of a first user of an internet-based social network. The personal data of the first user can include one or more digital images or other digital content that the first user is willing to share with other users of the social network. Accordingly, a request from a second user of the internet-based social network can be received to view some of the digital content of the first user. A viewer image can be used to tag the digital content of the first user allowing the owner of the digital content to quick determine the viewers. The viewer image can be a personal profile picture, an image, an icon, an avatar (two-dimensional or three-dimensional), or other on-screen representation that includes a visual indicator of the second user. | 05-17-2012 |
20120124508 | Method And System For A Personal Network - Systems and methods for asynchronous communications within an information sharing platform are provided. Traditional social network models use bi-directional friendship or unidirectional following. In contrast to these models, embodiments of the present invention provide for a unidirectional sharing friendship model. The unidirectional friendship model allows people to share information through a path of communications with a set of recipients selected by the sharer. | 05-17-2012 |
20130339449 | Method and System for Tagging Content - Systems and methods for tagging digital content are provided. In some embodiments, a method comprises receiving and storing personal data of a first user of an internet-based social network. The personal data of the first user can include one or more digital images or other digital content that the first user is willing to share with other users of the social network. Accordingly, a request from a second user of the internet-based social network can be received to view some of the digital content of the first user. A viewer image can be used to tag the digital content of the first user allowing the owner of the digital content to quick determine the viewers. The viewer image can be a personal profile picture, an image, an icon, an avatar (two-dimensional or three-dimensional), or other on-screen representation that includes a visual indicator of the second user. | 12-19-2013 |
20140074937 | Automated Aging of Contacts and Classifying Relationships - One or more interactions between a first user and a second user of a social networking system are identified. Each respective interaction of the one or more interactions is scored based on a group score and a time penalty. The group score is based on the number of users in the respective interaction and the time penalty is based on a time between a current time and a time of a last interaction between the first user and the second user. A relationship ranking that measures the first user's affinity towards the second user is determined, where the relationship ranking comprises one or more interaction scores. An indicator representing the relationship ranking is sent to a client for display. | 03-13-2014 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20100186410 | OIL RECOVERY FROM AN EVAPORATOR OF AN ORGANIC RANKINE CYCLE (ORC) SYSTEM - A method and system for recovering oil is used in an organic rankine cycle (ORC) system to recover oil from an evaporator of the ORC system and return the oil to an oil sump. The ORC system includes an evaporator, a turbine, a condenser and a pump, and is configured to circulate a refrigerant through the ORC system. The oil recovery system includes a recovery line configured to remove a mixture of oil and refrigerant from the evaporator. The mixture of oil and refrigerant passes through a heat exchanger in order to vaporize liquid refrigerant in the mixture and produce a mixture of oil and vaporized refrigerant. A delivery line is configured to deliver the mixture of oil and vaporized refrigerant to the turbine, at which point the oil may be separated from the vaporized refrigerant and recycled back to the oil sump. | 07-29-2010 |
20100205966 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR STARTING A REFRIGERANT SYSTEM WITHOUT PREHEATING THE OIL - A rankine cycle system, which includes a turbine for driving a generator by way of a gearbox having an oil sump, is adapted to have the oil heated relatively quickly by causing a mixture of hot refrigerant gases from the evaporator and the oil from the low portion of the turbine to be mixed in an eductor and flow to the oil sump for heating the oil. | 08-19-2010 |
20110005237 | OIL REMOVAL FROM A TURBINE OF AN ORGANIC RANKINE CYCLE (ORC) SYSTEM - A method and system for removing oil in an organic rankine cycle (ORC) system ( | 01-13-2011 |
20110056221 | ACTIVE STRESS CONTROL DURING RAPID SHUT DOWN - A closed loop refrigerant expansion system with a tube and shell condenser is provided with a control which, upon shutdown, causes the flow of refrigerant to reverse from the evaporator to the condenser to thereby both reduce the amount of refrigerant vapor passing to the condenser and increase the amount of liquid refrigerant in the condenser to thereby reduce the maximum temperature load in the condenser. Reverse flow can be made to occur either by reversing the direction of the refrigerant pump or opening a bypass valve around the pump. | 03-10-2011 |
20110120154 | PASSIVE OIL LEVEL LIMITER - A vapor expansion/compression system having an oil sump for lubrication of the turbine/compressor bearings includes an oil and/or vapor vent line leading from a strategic location in the oil sump to the condenser such that the oil level in the sump is limited to the predetermined level, and any excess oil is pumped from the sump to thereby prevent the oil level from reaching a level at which bearings failure could be caused due to a high oil level. | 05-26-2011 |
20110162398 | REFRIGERANT POWERED VALVE FOR A GEOTHERMAL POWER PLANT - A vapor expansion system includes a normally closed pneumatic valve between the evaporator and the turbine inlet, with the valve being selectively actuated by the flow of refrigerant vapor from the evaporator so as to enable opening the valve only during periods in which sufficient pressure has built up in the evaporator to properly operate the turbine. A bypass line has a normally open pneumatic valve with an actuator that is similarly caused to operate by pressurized refrigerant vapor from the evaporator. Both actuators are vented to the condenser such that the refrigerant vapor vented from the actuator does not escape to ambient. | 07-07-2011 |