Patents Assigned to Toyota Boshoku America, Inc
  • Patent number: 10363840
    Abstract: An assembly includes a first vehicle seat component, a second vehicle seat component that can pivot relative to the first vehicle seat component, a fastener to secure the first vehicle seat component and second first vehicle seat component together, and a spacer to absorb radial vibrations. The spacer includes a body and at least one flexible leaflet located between the body and the fastener to absorb axial vibrations. The body and the at least one leaflet are integral and monolithic to define a single component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2019
    Assignee: Toyota Boshoku America, Inc.
    Inventors: Chandra Jinka, Yeshwanth Naveen
  • Patent number: 10343637
    Abstract: An airbag bracket assembly includes a seat frame including a stud hole, a first bracket, and a second bracket including a bracket hole. The first bracket is located on one side of the seat frame, and the second bracket is located on an opposing side of the seat frame. A fastener is attached to the first bracket. The fastener is received in the stud hole and the bracket hole. A method is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2019
    Assignee: Toyota Boshoku America, Inc.
    Inventors: Alice Knoebel, Blair Kinsman, Eric Gaudreault
  • Patent number: 10214128
    Abstract: A seat cushion of a vehicle seat includes a cushion made of foam and at least one motor assembly located in the cushion. The at least one motor assembly includes a housing having a first portion and a second portion, and one of the first portion and the second portion includes a meltable feature located near a location of contact of the first portion and the second portion. The meltable feature melts to secure the first portion of the housing to the second portion of the housing to retain a motor within the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: TOYOTA BOSHOKU AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Christopher Mark Rockwell, Michael David Franz, Alice Knoebel, Douglas J. Krueger, Jr., Anup Viswanathan, Daniel Jerome Wiegand
  • Patent number: 10017130
    Abstract: An assembly include a door trim panel including an interior surface and a tower projecting from the interior surface. The tower includes an opening accessible by a slot, an attachment feature including a flexible arm, and a rib. The rib is integrally molded to a surface of the flexible arm to define a single unitary component. A fastener has a first base, a second base, a stem located between the first base and the second base, and a head. The stem of the fastener is located in the opening, the second base is retained by the attachment feature, and the first base and the head of the fastener are located outside the tower.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2018
    Assignee: Toyota Boshoku America, Inc.
    Inventor: David Joseph Knieper
  • Patent number: 9522619
    Abstract: A bushing allows for adjustability of a position of a headrest. The bushing includes a head portion having an opening and a passageway opening. The bushing also includes a body portion defining an internal passageway. The passageway opening of the head portion is aligned with the internal passageway of the body portion. The body portion includes a wall surrounding an area of reduced thickness, and a protrusion is located on an internal surface of the area of reduced thickness. The bushing also includes a moveable portion received in the opening of the head portion. The moveable portion is moveable between a first position where a feature engages a notch of a post receivable in the internal passageway of the body portion and the passageway opening of the head portion to retain the headrest in a position and a second position where the feature is disengaged from the notch of the post, allowing the post and the headrest to move relative to the bushing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignees: Toyota Boshoku America, Inc., Gen-X Engineering Solution, Inc.
    Inventors: Brett Ronzi, Troy Allen Isaacson
  • Patent number: 9187017
    Abstract: A bushing allows for adjustability of a position of a headrest. The bushing includes a head portion having an opening and a passageway opening. The bushing also includes a body portion defining an internal passageway. The passageway opening of the head portion is aligned with the internal passageway of the body portion. The body portion includes a wall surrounding an area of reduced thickness, and a protrusion is located on an internal surface of the area of reduced thickness. The bushing also includes a moveable portion received in the opening of the head portion. The moveable portion is moveable between a first position where a feature engages a notch of a post receivable in the internal passageway of the body portion and the passageway opening of the head portion to retain the headrest in a position and a second position where the feature is disengaged from the notch of the post, allowing the post and the headrest to move relative to the bushing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2015
    Assignees: Toyota Boshoku America, Inc., Gen-X Engineering Solution, Inc.
    Inventors: Brett Ronzi, Troy Allen Isaacson
  • Patent number: 9004589
    Abstract: A seat cushion of a vehicle seat includes a cushion made of foam and at least one motor assembly located on or near an upper surface of the cushion. The at least one motor assembly includes a plurality of transducer cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2015
    Assignee: Toyota Boshoku America, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher Mark Rockwell, Douglas J. Krueger, Jr., Anup Viswanathan, Daniel Jerome Wiegand
  • Publication number: 20140028072
    Abstract: A bushing allows for adjustability of a position of a headrest. The bushing includes a head portion having an opening and a passageway opening. The bushing also includes a body portion defining an internal passageway. The passageway opening of the head portion is aligned with the internal passageway of the body portion. The body portion includes a wall surrounding an area of reduced thickness, and a protrusion is located on an internal surface of the area of reduced thickness. The bushing also includes a moveable portion received in the opening of the head portion. The moveable portion is moveable between a first position where a feature engages a notch of a post receivable in the internal passageway of the body portion and the passageway opening of the head portion to retain the headrest in a position and a second position where the feature is disengaged from the notch of the post, allowing the post and the headrest to move relative to the bushing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 23, 2013
    Publication date: January 30, 2014
    Applicant: Toyota Boshoku America, Inc.
    Inventors: Brett Ronzi, Troy Allen Isaacson
  • Patent number: 8162402
    Abstract: A vehicular seat has a pad including a foamed elastic material and a skin member covering a surface of the pad. A groove is formed at the surface of the pad, and the groove is inclined to a line orthogonal to the surface of the pad.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignees: Toyota Boshoku Kabushikia Kaisha, Toyota Boshoku America, Inc.
    Inventor: Katsuhito Yamauchi
  • Publication number: 20110109146
    Abstract: A removable vehicle seat includes a base, a removable seat main body, and a first attachment mechanism and a second attachment mechanism configured to removably attach the removable seat main body to the base. The first attachment mechanism includes a pin provided to the removable seat main body; and an attachment member provided to the base, and provided with a groove to which the pin is inserted. A disengagement prevention structure is provided between the pin and the attachment member, the disengagement prevention structure being configured to prevent the pin from disengaging from the groove. The second attachment mechanism includes a striker provided to the removable seat main body; and a lock device provided to the base and configured to releasably engage with the striker.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2009
    Publication date: May 12, 2011
    Applicants: TOYOTA BOSHOKU KABUSHIKI KAISHA, TOYOTA BOSHOKU AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Atsushi IDA, Mikihito MURAMATSU, Brian THIEL, Trevor DELANOY, Louis VETERE
  • Patent number: 7879280
    Abstract: The invention provides a mold insert system that includes an insert for insertion into an injection mold apparatus and an actuator. The insert includes a movable imprint plate with a predetermined pattern of protrusions configured to form grooves in an article molded by the mold apparatus. The insert also includes a stationary piece with a pattern of slots configured to correspond to the predetermined pattern of protrusions in the imprint plate. The actuator moves the imprint plate from a first position in which the protrusions on the imprint plate do not extend beyond the slots in the stationary piece to a second position in which the protrusions on the imprint plate extend temporarily beyond the slots in the stationary piece. An injection mold apparatus including the mold insert system, as well as a method of making a molded article including the mold insert system are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2011
    Assignee: Toyota Boshoku America, Inc.
    Inventors: Curtis Scott Randall, Daniel Thomas Sudd, Martin Thomas Milburn
  • Patent number: 7717512
    Abstract: A seat back for a vehicular seat has a plate member for supporting a back of a pad and an elastic support mechanism for elastically holding the plate member for moving the plate member in a forward and backward direction with respect to a seat back frame. The plate member includes a first plate portion, a second plate portion positioned on the lower side of the first plate portion, and a third plate portion positioned on the lower side of the second plate portion. The first and third plate portions are more narrow than the second plate portion. The elastic support mechanism includes a rod-shaped elastic bridge member extending horizontally over the seat back frame on the back of the second plate portion. In addition, the elastic bridge member includes a bent portion at the center position as bent along the second plate portion toward the first plate portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2010
    Assignees: Toyota Boshoku Kabushiki Kaisha, Toyota Boshoku America, Inc.
    Inventors: Dan Wissner, Mike Hard, Doug Krueger, Katsuhito Yamauchi, Yukihide Hamajima, Satoshi Nonoyama, Tomoki Nii
  • Publication number: 20100102615
    Abstract: A vehicular seat has a pad including a foamed elastic material and a skin member covering a surface of the pad. A groove is formed at the surface of the pad, and the groove is inclined to a line orthogonal to the surface of the pad.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 27, 2008
    Publication date: April 29, 2010
    Applicants: TOYOTA BOSHOKU KABUSHIKI KAISHA, TOYOTA BOSHOKU AMERICA, INC.
    Inventor: Katsuhito YAMAUCHI
  • Patent number: 7575278
    Abstract: A seat back for a vehicular seat has a plate member for supporting a back of a pad and an elastic support mechanism for holding the plate member for moving the plate member in a forward and backward direction. The plate member includes a thoracic vertebra avoiding portion having at least one of a hole and a recessed portion recessed in a direction away from the thoracic vertebrae of a user, so as to avoid a pushing force to the thoracic vertebrae. In addition the thoracic vertebra avoiding portion is vertically elongated at a substantially widthwise center position of the plate member and has a width of 40 to 100 mm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2009
    Assignees: Toyota Boshoku Kabushiki Kaisha, Toyota Boshoku America, Inc
    Inventors: Dan Wissner, Mike Hard, Doug Krueger, Katsuhito Yamauchi, Yukihide Hamajima, Satoshi Nonoyama, Tomoki Nii
  • Publication number: 20090102258
    Abstract: A seat back for a vehicular seat has a plate member for supporting a back of a pad and an elastic support mechanism for holding the plate member for moving the plate member in a forward and backward direction. The plate member includes a thoracic vertebra avoiding portion having at least one of a hole and a recessed portion recessed in a direction away from the thoracic vertebrae of a user, so as to avoid a pushing force to the thoracic vertebrae. In addition the thoracic vertebra avoiding portion is vertically elongated at a substantially widthwise center position of the plate member and has a width of 40 to 100 mm.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 19, 2007
    Publication date: April 23, 2009
    Applicants: TOYOTA BOSHOKU KABUSHIKI KAISHA, TOYOTA BOSHOKU AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Dan WISSNER, Mike HARD, Doug KRUEGER, Katsuhito YAMAUCHI, Yukihide HAMAJIMA, Satoshi NONOYAMA, Tomoki NII
  • Publication number: 20090102270
    Abstract: A seat back for a vehicular seat has a plate member for supporting a back of a pad and an elastic support mechanism for elastically holding the plate member for moving the plate member in a forward and backward with respect to a seat back frame. The plate member includes a first plate portion, a second plate portion positioned on the lower side of the first plate portion, and a third plate portion positioned on the lower side of the second plate portion. The first and third plate portions are more narrow than the second plate portion. The elastic support mechanism includes a rod-shaped elastic bridge member extending horizontally over the seat back frame on the back of the second plate portion. In addition, the elastic bridge member includes a bent portion at the center position as bent along the second plate portion toward the first plate portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 23, 2007
    Publication date: April 23, 2009
    Applicants: TOYOTA BOSHOKU KABUSHIKI KAISHA, TOYOTA BOSHOKU AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Dan WISSNER, Mike HARD, Doug KRUEGER, Katsuhito YAMAUCHI, Yukihide HAMAJIMA, Satoshi NONOYAMA, Tomoki NII