Patents Examined by Brandon C. Stallman
  • Patent number: 5910193
    Abstract: A brake lever device includes a handle having a lever pivotally coupled to the base. The lever includes a groove and two or more notches communicating with the groove. A cable coupler includes a rod slidably engaged in the groove and to be engaged with either of the notches. A post is rotatably engaged in the lever and has a notch for allowing the rod to be moved to engage with the other notch when the notch is faced toward the notches. The rod may be stably retained in the notches when the notch of the post is faced away from the notches.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 1997
    Date of Patent: June 8, 1999
    Assignee: Tektro Technology Corporation
    Inventor: Zen Ming Chen
  • Patent number: 5908101
    Abstract: An apparatus for transmitting power from a motor to a movable member comprises a drum connected to the movable member, a cam member rotated around a center shaft by the motor, a clutch member displaced from a standby position to a full engagement position through an initial engagement position when the cam member is rotated, a return spring for urging the clutch member from the full engagement position toward the standby position, and a brake member for applying a predetermined frictional resistance to the clutch member. The clutch member moves the brake member from a braking position to a non-braking position when the clutch member is moved from the initial engagement position toward the full engagement position. The cam member has a cam face which moves the clutch member from the standby position to the full engagement position and a holding face which disables the clutch member from returning from the full engagement position to the standby position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 1997
    Date of Patent: June 1, 1999
    Assignee: Mitsui Kinzoku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Mitsuhiro Watanabe
  • Patent number: 5906140
    Abstract: A bicycle brake lever assembly attachable to a handlebar, comprising a lever pivotally attached to a brake housing, the housing having a substantially continuous hoop of material across the top and sides of the housing maximizing the flexural and torsional stiffness of the braking lever assembly. Impact loads from collisions With natural objects are transmitted from the brake lever through the housing to the handlebar, the housing being significantly more rigid to sustain transverse loading delivered by the lever. The housing providing a cable insertion slot on a shielded surface projecting substantially onto a plane substantially orthogonal to the bicycle handlebar.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 25, 1999
    Assignee: SRAM Corporation
    Inventor: Timothy J. Smith
  • Patent number: 5904065
    Abstract: A fully enclosed cam-actuated drive device for providing both lift and translational movements, incorporating protection against damage in either horizontal or vertical overload situations, achieved by providing optional spring protection along the vertical and/or horizontal axes, a roller gear cam for lift motion, a barrel cam for translational motion, translation guide rods, a translational carriage assembly slidably received on the translation guide rods, an input drive shaft, and vertical lift rods. The device may be configured as a walking beam device to impart a U-shaped output motion, or alternatively a closed box-shaped motion, as desired. A split carriage assembly reduces backlash of the device and a sliding dust cover prevents foreign objects from entering the drivers cam-actuated internal operating structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 18, 1999
    Assignee: Emerson Electric Co.
    Inventors: Frank H. Koller, Don G. Sandrock
  • Patent number: 5901617
    Abstract: A pedal has a housing with first and second oppositely disposed ends and a socket-shaped support between the ends which serves as a heel to toe axis and multi-directional pivoting support. A rotatable shaft positioned within the housing has a first end connectable to a crank. A pedal frame contains a ball-shaped extension that is press fit into the socket-shaped support for heel to toe axis and multi-directional pivoting. A cushion pad is adhesively attached to the shaft housing and seperated from the underside of pedal frame by a separation sheet made from a slippery material to let the pedal frame rotate in different directions with minimal friction from the cushion pad.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 11, 1999
    Inventor: Dana P. Hervig
  • Patent number: 5896777
    Abstract: In a control lever fixing mechanism, a shift lever and a shaft are inserted into through-holes of two side plates of a control lever. A lockup plate is inserted into a space defined by the two side plates of the control lever. The control lever and the shift lever are pulled upward by screwing a nut to a bolt of the control lever from the outside of the control lever. Thereby, the shift lever, the shaft and the control lever are brought into close contact with one another and fixed firmly as a unit, preventing angle deviation relative to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 1997
    Date of Patent: April 27, 1999
    Assignee: Mannoh Kogyo Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Akira Tazai
  • Patent number: 5881606
    Abstract: A handlebar clamping device includes a clamping body, a conventional C-clamp for clamping the body to a vertical steerer tube on the steering fork of the bicycle, and a recessed clamping surface for clamping the body to the handlebar. The recessed area of the body of the clamp includes a first semi-cylindrical clamping surface situated between a pair of tapered inner walls. The device further includes a cover member which has two outwardly projecting prongs which define a second semi-circular clamping surface, and further define a pair of tapered outward walls. The outward protruding prongs on the cover member are inserted into the recessed area of the clamping body so that the first and second tapered outer walls are in opposing surface to surface contact with the first and second tapered inner walls on the clamping body, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 16, 1999
    Assignee: Trek Bicycle Corporation
    Inventor: Brian Anthony Roddy
  • Patent number: 5879262
    Abstract: Power transmitting device wherein power received from drive source (22) through an input member (44) is distributed to two side gears (12, 14) engaging respective pinions (16, 18), so as to permit differential rotation of the side gears, through differential case (10) which houses the side gears and rotatably supports the pinions, and through a partition wall (42) which is interposed between the side gears so as to be rotated with the input member and the differential casing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 9, 1999
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akihiko Ikeda, Mitsuru Ohba, Tomoyuki Kano, Shinji Ogawa
  • Patent number: 5876303
    Abstract: Disclosed is a hydraulic control system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 2, 1999
    Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company
    Inventor: Pyunghwan Yu