Oh, patents! The bladeless Dyson fan

Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

Hot! Hot! Hot! You have probably seen those very elegant bladeless Dyson fans called air-multipliers.  There are in fact many patents associated with this brilliant invention. The Dyson bladeless fan produces a gentle airflow, with none of the choppiness and turbulence associated with blades. It is both safe (you can stick your hand straight through the hoop generating the airflow), and very energy efficient (at 40 watts compared to 2500 watts for an air conditioner).  

Dyson patents, associated with the air-multiplier bladeless fan, cover the special components of the fan: the nozzle and airflow system (GB2452490), the tilting mechanism (GB2468315), the adjustable surface for control of airflow (GB2486749), air changing means (GB2493231), as well as variations of the assembly and fan, such as a ceiling mounted bladeless fan (WO2012085527) or a bladeless fan for including ionizer (GB24999041), a bladeless fan with electrostatic precipitator (GB2499044), a bladeless fan with removable nozzle (GB2500008), a bladeless fan with a tapering nozzle (GB2496464), plus more patented variations and components.

Below you will find the Abstract for one of the bladeless fan patents, GB2502106, titled Bladeless fan, a patent drawing of the fan, and an image of the marketed product. A 3-minute YouTube video of Sir James Dyson explaining his air-multiplying invention is also included. 

Abstract GB2502106

A fan for generating an air current includes a body 12 having an air inlet 14, and a nozzle 18 connected to the body. The nozzle includes an interior passage 42 and an air outlet 20 from which the air flow is emitted from the fan. The interior passage extends about an opening or bore 32 through which air from outside the nozzle is drawn by air emitted from the air outlet. The body includes a duct 60 having a first end defining an air inlet 62 of the duct and a second end located opposite to the first end and defining an air outlet 64 of the duct, an impeller 70 is located within the duct for drawing the air flow through the duct, and a motor 94 for driving the impeller. A diffuser section of the duct is annular in shape and converges towards the outlet end of the diffuser. The cross-sectional area of the diffuser varies along the diffuser section by no more than 20% of the crosssectional area of the air flow path at the inlet of the diffuser.

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NB.  Errata:  Sir James Dyson was knighted in Great Britain according to the Queen’s 2006 New Year’s Honours List, which explains the honorary form of address “Sir” in this post, and errata in my previous posts concerning Dyson inventions.

For a biographical note: Sir James Dyson trained as an artist prior to training as an engineer. His first invention “the ballbarrow” is reviewed in Patents on the soles of your shoes on 3/23/2013 in a post titled: Oh, patents! The Ballbarrow. His famous wind tunnel vacuum cleaner came four and half years later after 5,127 prototypes! The secret of the Dyson design and Dyson engineering firm, valued at 1 billion dollars, according to Sir James Dyson, in a BBC News article: (Dec. 2006) is:  “Making things people want to buy”.

That’s for sure!...

 

References

- Oh, patents! The Ballbarrow. Patents on the soles of your shoes - March, 23, 2013 http://tinyurl.com/ns33aav
- Sir James Dyson explains his bladeless fan. Youtube http://youtu.be/8he8afjQyd8
- Knighthood for Dyson entrepreneur. BBC News – Dec. 30, 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6217291.stm

Oh patents! I Dyson’s Air Multiplier™ fan - 75% quieter

Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

Dyson’s famous bladeless Air Mutiplier™ technology is now 75% quieter! As a reminder, this is the fan with no visible caged blades, safest for kids and pets. The smooth circular opening of the fan is also easy to clean.

Air Multiplier™ technology consists of powerful impeller blades that are actually hidden inside the pedestal of the device. These function to draw in as much as 5.28 gallons of air per second through the base. The air is then diverted and forced through a small 1.3 mm opening and channeled at 55 mph through the airfoil of the hollow circular frame. As the air enters the airfoil of the circular airframe and exits through the 16 mm sloped openings around the rim of the annular aperture, it creates negative pressure, that draws more air in from the outside, at the back and sides of the annular ring. Thus, the air sucked in at the base is multiplied 15 times, as more ambient air is drawn in, and through, the annular ring.

The new Air Multiplier™ fans are now, also, almost silent. This new patented feature consists of a Helmholtz resonator cavity, the size of which is designed to neutralize the rotational tone of the impeller and to more generally reduce the noise level of the fan. The circular air circulation chamber is also designed to further reduce the ambient noise of the fan with noise suppression material. Thus, the powerful and multiplied airflow of the new fans is delivered with 75% noise reduction.

The Air Multiplier™ fans otherwise offer an oscillating or steady flow of the coooooolest unchopped air, on occasions where it feels impossible to get any fresh air via an open window, or to create a draft through the usual pathway between two openings, creating an open heat-exchange system. And for purposes, other than keeping cool (e.g.; during heat waves in locations without air-conditioning), quiet Air Multiplier™ technology is also combined and marketed with air-purifier, heater and humidifier functions, and most recently, in Dyson hair dryers too!.

The new patented noise reduction features of the Dyson Air Multiplier™ fan invention are disclosed and incorporated in a family of 15 patents, including the US patent application US20170108011, titled Fan. The abstract for this invention is included below with a patent figure drawing, showing a front sectional view of the fan, including the Helmholtz resonator cavity (156). A technical drawing of the Air Multiplier™ technology is also included above.

A fan for generating an air current includes a body having an air inlet, and a nozzle connected to the body. The nozzle includes an interior passage for receiving an air flow from the body and an air outlet from which the air flow is emitted from the fan. The interior passage extends about an opening or bore through which air from outside the nozzle is drawn by air emitted from the air outlet. The body includes a duct having an air inlet and an air outlet, an impeller located within the duct for drawing the air flow through the duct, and a motor for driving the impeller. A noise suppression cavity is located beneath the air inlet of the duct. The cavity has an inlet which is located beneath, and is preferably concentric with, the air inlet of the duct. [Abstract US20170108011]

References

Dyson

http://www.dyson.com/

Dyson Air Multiplier™

http://www.dyson.com/air-treatment/cooling-fans.aspx

Helmholtz resonance

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helmholtz_resonance
Herrmann, F. (2014) Oh, patents! The Dyson bladeless fan, posted at Patents on the Soles of Your Shoes, Jan 23, 2014)
https://patentsonthesolesofyourshoes.blogspot.com/search?q=dyson

Oh, patents! "Trolling" rimes with "bowling" in the UK!

Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

And to sweep it all under the rug…. my favorite vacuum cleaner, a Dyson DC33 with cyclone vacuum technology that never loses suction, was invented by the British industrial designer James Dyson.

 In the interview, linked below, with the NY Times on October 25, 2012, James Dyson speaks of a lawsuit filed against the Bosch company in Germany and the UK, due to proprietary information leaked out of his company in England.

 He also speaks of trolling (pronounced like “bowling” with a British accent) and of the companies that buy suites of patents to engage in patent “policing” activity, rather than using the patents to create new products. James Dyson concludes this interview with a comment on what he believes to be the true spirit of the patenting system.

  [NYTimes interview with James Dyson (10-25-2012)] Patience... the interview takes a while to load 

http://www.nytimes.com/video/2012/10/25/technology/100000001865927/another-view-of-patents.html?smid=pl-share

Incidentally, in regards trolling, the US Congress passed the Innovation Act on Dec. 5, 2013, with an overwhelming majority of 325 vs 91. This is a piece of bi-partisan legislation introduced to curb the proliferation of patent infringement lawsuits filed by trolls.

Oh, patents! Glucose-monitoring contact lens

Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

Yes, that’s right, smart contact lenses, comprising Lab-on-a-Chip (LOC) nanotechnology, that continuously measures and analyzes glucose levels in tear film, sending information to your mobile device for the management of diabetes. In a nutshell, this is what the Medella Health smart contact lenses are all about: paving the way for on-eye tear diagnostics. Pioneers in smart contact lenses, because beyond nano-glucose monitoring, tear film contains many important biomarkers of health, all of which are potential sources of personal health information. 

The YouTube video below explains how the smart lens works:

Winner of an International Runner-up James Dyson Award, the many aspects of the Medella Health smart contact lens, comprising LOC or Micro Total Analysis System (µTAS), are recited in a family of patents:

• CA2948010A1 - Functional contact lens and related systems and methods.
• CN106793943B - Functional contact lens and related systems and methods.
• EP3131454A4 - Functional contact lens and related systems and methods.
• US20170042480A1 - Functional contact lens and related systems and methods.
• WO2015157855A1 - Functional contact lens and related systems and methods.

The US20170042480A1 abstract, of the Medella Health smart contact lens invention, is included below.

Various embodiments are described herein for a Functional Contact Lens (FCL) for detecting at least one target analyte. The FCL may comprise a substrate for supporting electronic components and providing structural support for the functional contact lens; at least one sensing element disposed on the substrate for sensing the at least one target analyte and undergoing a physical change representing a sensed signal; and an antenna disposed on the substrate for transmitting the sensed signal to an external device, the antenna being coupled to the at least one sensing element. [Abstract US20170042480A1]

References

Medella Health
http://medella.ca/

Medella Health - James Dyson Awards.
https://www.jamesdysonaward.org/en-US/2016/project/smart-contact-lens-platform/

Oh, patents! Twistlight

 Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

More than 1.4 billion vein punctures are performed each year, with about 33% failing access the first time, especially for children, obese people, the elderly, and people with heavily pigmented skin (National Center for HealthStatistics). Repeat attempts at finding a vein also create pain and discomfort for patients, as well as an increased risk of infection and complication (Leipheimer et al., 2019).

In response to the problematic situation of failed vein access attempts, aka “difficult vein access” (DVA), the Twistlight is a hand-held, light-assisted application aid, designed to increase first-stick access to veins. The device makes it easier to detect veins, even veins in bad condition, and assists with the insertion of an IV line thanks to its integrated catheter feed.

The Twistlight invention, masterminded by Tina Zimmer, is recited (in German) in the UN World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) patent, WO2016091956A1, titled Application Device. Below, the official translation of the invention abstract, together with Figure 2a, one of the referenced patent drawings, depicting the application device in use on a patient arm. An image of the marketed device is also included.

The invention relates to an application device (1) for the light-based finding of a peripheral vein, and the subsequent execution of a venipuncture in the region of a skin surface (4) of a patient, comprising at least one light source (2) and a catheter holder (6) for holding a catheter (2), wherein a support surface (7) is provided for supporting the application device (1) on the skin surface (4), and at least one part (8) of a transmission surface (9) for transmitting the light beams (10) generated by the light source (5) into a tissue located under the skin surface (4) is arranged in the region of the support surface (7). The invention also relates to a catheter application assembly, a catheter assembly and a carrier element having a catheter holder, as well as a single-use protective sleeve for a carrier element. [Abstract]

In 2017, the Twistlight device was selected as International runner-up for a James Dyson Award, and was the winner for the German Design Award .  

References

James Dyson International runner-up
https://www.jamesdysonaward.org/en-US/2017/project/twistlight/

German Design Award 2017

https://www.german-design-award.com/en/the-winners/gallery/detail/8795-twistlight.html

Leipheimer, J.M., Balter, M. L. , Chen, A.I., Pantin, E. J., Davidovich, A. E., Labazzo, K. S., and M. L. Yarmush1 (2019). First-in-human evaluation of a hand-held automated venipuncture device for rapid venous blood draws. Technology (Singap World Sci). 2019 Sep-Dec; 7(3-4): 98–107.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7156113/#R1

National Center for Health Statistics, N. National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 2016 Emergency Department Summary Tables

National Center for Health Statistics – FastStats

https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/injury.htm

Tina Zimmer - Twistlight

http://tinazimmer.de/portfolios/eins/?lang=en

Oh, patents! Patent family for the Dyson bladeless fan

Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

Just FYI, meet the hyperlinked 15-member patent family for the Dyson 75% quieter Air Multiplier™ Fan! As you will see, patents were filed, and granted, in Australia, Canada, China, Great Britain, Japan, and Russia, as well as at the EPO (European Patent Office) and WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization), for extra protection in the designated contracting states.

• US2017108011 (A1) ― 2017-04-20 – Fan
  
• AU2013261585 (C1) ― 2016-03-03- A fan
• CA2873299 (A1) ― 2013-11-21 - A fan
• CN103423133 (B) ― 2017-03-01 - Fan  
• CN106884805 (A) ― 2017-06-23 - Bladeless fan 
• CN203272178 (U) ― 2013-11-06 - Fan 
• EP2867539 (B1) ― 2016-10-12 - A fan
• EP3091237 (A1) ― 2016-11-09 - A fan
• GB2502103 (B) ― 2013-11-20 - Bladeless fan
• GB2518935 (B) ― 2016-01-27 - A fan
• JP5667659 ( (B2) ― 2015-02-12 - Fan 
• JP6176457 (B2) ― 2017-08-09 - Fan
• RU2597737 (C2) ― 2016-09-20 - Fan
• US9568021 (B2) ―  2017-02-14 - Fan
• WO2013171450 (A2) ―  2013-11-21 - A fan  

Oh, Patents! - The Ballbarrow

Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

The unpatented invention of the wheel, a circular component rotating on a thrust bearing axle, dates back several thousand years to the Neolithic and Bronze Age, and the ancient civilizations of India, China, Egypt and the Olmecs in Central America! But it wasn’t till 1978 that the wheel was re-invented by James Dyson as a Ground engaging member for movable structures, in the British tradition of the hovercraft!.... And the first embodiment of this invention was the Ballbarrow!

A Ballbarrow is a wheelbarrow equipped with “two relatively rotable [nylon] cups….having flanges ….which provide the axial thrust bearing…”, that is, a ball, functioning as a wheel!

Beyond impressing your neighbors with your cool-looking and stylish British barrow…. there are plenty of advantages to Ballbarrows! The ball at the front gives stability to a loaded barrow, preventing it from tipping. It also prevents the barrow from marking or sinking into muddy ground. The ball also facilitates the negotiation of uneven terrain. And finally, it also never rusts, since it is made of plastic.

 On another level, of course, the scope of this invention is hardly limited to barrows! Indeed, and still many years later, your favorite Dyson vacuum cleaner also negotiates the uneven terrain of your living room with a large yellow or purple ball instead of wheels!....

Here is the abstract of this invention and one of the drawings of the GROUND ENGAGING MEMBER FOR MOVABLE OBJECTS:

"A combined radial and axial thrust bearing for a movable structure e.g. a wheelbarrow [...] comprises two relatively rotatable cups 22, 25 having flanges 24, 26 which provide the axial thrust bearing. Preferably the bearing cups are made of nylon 6. [GB1510011]

Oh patents! Mimica Touch

Copyright © Françoise Herrmann 

Brought to you by a brilliant young woman inventor, recipient of a James Dyson scholarship to Brunel University in UK, Mimica Touch (former Bump Mark) is a bio-reactive food label ―and one that many would hope to see and “feel’ on all packaging for perishables at the supermarket.

Mimica Touch, is disclosed in a family of three patents: 

• US2017082589 (A1) ― 2017-03-23 - Bio-Reactive Food Expiry Label 
• EP3151681 (A1) ― 2017-04-12 - Bio-reactive food expiry label
• WO2015185889 (A1) ― 2015-12-10- Bio-reactive food expiry label 

Mimica Touch is an organic label that includes a layer of hydrocolloid protein-based mammalian gelatine (e.g; agar-agar, carrageen, pectin, konjac, of equivalent) designed to emulate the decay process of protein-based foodstuffs such as meat or fish. Thus, when the label is fresh, the gelatine is produced and set as a solid layer that conceals a sheet layer of plastic bumps. However, when the gelatin starts to break down and to decompose, it changes phases and becomes liquid, As a result, you can feel the bumps on the layer beneath, which is assumed to indicate spoilage of the foodstuff. 

The clever idea driving this invention assumes that what is happening to the hydrocolloid protein-based gelatine mirrors what is happening to the protein-based perishables that are packaged, This way of assessing spoilage is also considered far more reliable, since the conditions of packaging may cause spoilage of foodstuff before the printed estimated expiration date, while the security margins of the expiration date estimates might cause food to be trashed earlier than required.  Likewise, ambient conditions of storage may affect freshness.

While there is a prior art for the assessment of foodstuff freshness, Mimica Touch also has the distinctive and intended advantage of providing universally accessible tactile food spoilage information, which both non-sighted and sighted people can easily decode and understand. Indeed, Mimica Touch invokes feeling for the freshness of perishables, rather than reading printed information.

Mimica Touch is otherwise inexpensive and easily produced. It is in the shape of a small triangle appearing on one of the corners of the packaging. The young inventor, Solveiga Pakstaite, and her team at Design by Sol, is currently exploring ways of marketing her tactile invention.

Below, the abstract is included for US2017082589 titled Bio-reactive food expiry label, as well as two of the semiotic patent figure drawings respectively showing the water-swollen fresh label (Fig. 2) and the wavy watery decomposed label which no longer conceals the bumpy plastic sheet, and consequently, indicates spoilage.  

A food expiry label includes a layer of material (such as a water-swollen mammalian gelatine) that undergoes a phase transition (such as from solid to liquid) upon exposure to bacteria or fungi that result in food spoilage. The label may incorporate a tactile surface that the user can feel underneath the layer of gelatine once the gelatine has changed from solid to liquid. Thus a user detects when a foodstuff is likely to have spoiled or been on the shelf for a predetermined period simply by feeling the label. [Abstract US2017082589] 

Reference

Mimica Touch (former Bump Mark)

https://www.mimicalab.com/

Oh, patents! HOPES

Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

HOPES, an acronym for Home Eye Pressure E-skin Sensor, is a wearable sensor device that enables users to self-monitor Intraocular Pressure (IOP). Elevated IOP is the highest modifiable risk factor of glaucoma, the second leading cause of blindness, affecting more than 2 million people in the US alone (Glaucoma Research Foundation).

 

The gold standard procedure for measuring IOP is Goldman Applanation Tonometry (GAT), a procedure routinely performed at optometry offices, requiring the use of fluorescein dye and local anesthesia drops. Beyond costs and relative intrusiveness of the GAT procedure performed on the cornea, the GAT test is punctual, whereas IOP fluctuates. Thus, GAT IOP in-office testing, offering a 2 to 4-second window of measurements, might not capture maximum IOP, occurring outside the office, at another point. In contrast, HOPES would offer means for self-testing, repeated during a 24-hour period, while avoiding both discomforts and risks to the cornea, since the test is performed on the eyelid. HOPES self-tonometry was also conceived as Bluetooth®-enabled, connected to a mobile device, including tele-health capacity to share data with clinicians (see image below).

Currently undergoing clinical trials, within the National University of Singapore (NUS) Clinical Research Centers, the HOPES sensors and algorithms are patented. The United Nations Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) patent, WO2020036537A1, titled Method and device for self-measurement of intra-ocular pressure, recites the details of the array sensor technology. A technology designed to capture a plurality of intra-ocular pressures at different positions of an eye, in cooperation with a processor designed to receive the plurality of measures. Measures, which in turn are fed as input to an artificial intelligence learning module, designed to compute an IOP for the eye. The patent also includes results of the reliability testing that was performed to train the artificial intelligence learning module.

Below, the patent Figure 1B depicts a side view of an eye 10, including eyebrow 17 and eyelashes 19.  The array of sensors 20, of the self-testing tonometry device 30, are contacting an eyelid 15 for measuring IOP, according to various embodiments of the invention. More specifically, the Figure 1B shows a finger 35, pressing on the force-transfer assembly 25 of the self-testing tonometry device 30, equipped with a flexible member 23, enabling the array of sensors 20 to come into contact with the eyelid 15. When the finger 35 applies force, the array of sensors 20 takes pressure measurements, though the eyelid 15, at the pressure points marked 40 on the eyeball 12.

An image of a marketable embodiment of the invention, being used to self-measure IOP, is included below. The image also shows IOP measurement results posted on a mobile device screen.

The abstract of the HOPES sensor and algorithm invention appears below. The HOPES invention won the International James Dyson Award in 2021.

A self-tonometry device for measuring intra-ocular pressure in an eye of a subject, may include a plurality of sensors and a processor for executing a machine learning module. The plurality of sensors may be arranged in an array for measuring a plurality of pressures at respective positions on an eye of a subject, when the plurality of sensors in the array apply a force to the eye at the respective positions through an eyelid of the subject. The processor may be configured to receive the plurality of pressures at the respective location from the plurality of sensors, and to compute using the machine learning module, an intra-ocular pressure in the eye based on the plurality of pressures measured at the respective positions through the eyelid of the subject. [Abstract WO2020036537A1]

References

Glaucoma Research Foundation – About
https://glaucoma.org/learn-about-glaucoma/

HOPES
https://www.jamesdysonaward.org/en-US/2021/project/hopes/