Patents Examined by Daniel Alvarez
  • Patent number: 11660940
    Abstract: A multi-axis hinge mechanism for a vehicle door. The multi-axis hinge mechanism moves the vehicle door laterally and vertically by means of multiple axial rotations. An actuator pivots the door hinges attaching the door to the vehicle to move the door away from the vehicle while a set of gears translates the motion of the actuator into a vertical rotation of the door.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: Karma Automotive LLC
    Inventors: Jorge Sordelli, Herbert Ruisinger, Jacques Flynn, Andre Franco Luis, Andreas Thurner
  • Patent number: 11660944
    Abstract: A vehicle door includes a door panel, a corner piece that is disposed at a door waist portion of the door panel and that includes a protrusion, a weather strip that is disposed to extend along an outer peripheral edge of the door panel and that has a hole portion with which the protrusion is engaged, and a door trim that is disposed to cover the corner piece. The protrusion has a hollow structure and includes an outer peripheral side wall, and an opening is provided in a part of the outer peripheral side wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignees: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventor: Masami Uehata
  • Patent number: 11661779
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a floor pit covering system comprising a cover plate (1) and a pivoting system (2). The pivoting system (2) is adapted for arranging the cover plate (1) in a first end position (P1) or in a second end position (P2) in response to an internal force (FI), or an internal force (FI) and an external force (FE), being applied onto the cover plate (1). The cover plate (1) is arranged in the first end position (P1) when force FE?FI and in the second end position (P2) when force FE>FI. The present invention further relates to a method of operating such a system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: Assa Abloy Entrance Systems AB
    Inventor: Mats Brannstrom
  • Patent number: 11634018
    Abstract: The weatherstrip includes a molded part formed from an elastic material and the molded part has an insert panel embedded therein. The molded part includes: a molded part through hole in which a clip for attaching the molded part to a vehicle body can be inserted; and a thinner portion provided in an outer peripheral portion of the molded part through hole and having a thickness smaller than that of other portions of the molded part in an area of the molded part where the insert panel is embedded in. The insert panel includes a clip through hole provided at a location corresponding to the molded part through hole and having a diameter larger than that of the molded part through hole; and a first additional through hole provided spaced from the clip through hole in an area corresponding to the thinner portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: NISHIKAWA RUBBER CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Haruki Sentani, Satoshi Maesaki
  • Patent number: 11629465
    Abstract: A gate for controlling oncoming traffic on a roadway (e.g. a highway). The gate comprises an arm movable between an extended position in which the arm extends into a given portion of the roadway to inform the oncoming traffic that the given portion of the roadway is closed and a retracted position in which the arm does not extend into the given portion of the roadway and thus leaves open the given portion of the roadway for the oncoming traffic. The gate also comprises a control system comprising an actuator and configured to support the arm and move the arm between the extended position and the retracted position. The arm may be quite long and vertically wide to close more of the roadway and be clearly visible to the oncoming traffic, while the gate may be crash-tested (i.e., compliant with crash-testing criteria), the control system may be compact, and the gate may be reusable and easily repairable if crashed into.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2023
    Assignee: SYSTEMES VERSILIS INC.
    Inventors: Jean-François Menier, Vincent Shebib Loiselle, Nicholas Gendron
  • Patent number: 11608659
    Abstract: A door has a latch mechanism, a reinforcement bracket and a jamming bracket within a cavity of the door. The latch mechanism retains the door in a closed orientation and in response to operation of the latch mechanism the door is released for movement to an open orientation. The reinforcement bracket is fixedly attached to structures of the vehicle door. The jamming bracket is fixed to the reinforcement bracket and has a locking portion that extends to an area adjacent to a release lever of the latch mechanism. With the door in a non-deformed state, the release lever is movable between a door opened orientation and a door closed orientation. In response to deformation of the door resulting from an exterior impact force, the locking portion of the jamming bracket moves toward the release lever preventing the release lever from moving to the door opened orientation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Assignee: NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: David Kovie, Venkata Ramana Pavan Nadella, Barathwaj Nagarajan
  • Patent number: 11572726
    Abstract: A vehicle door opening and closing apparatus includes a vehicle door, a rail mounted on a vehicle body having a door aperture, a roller unit mounted on the vehicle door and configured to move along the rail and to allow the vehicle door to open and close in a sliding mode and in a swing mode, a sliding guide extending from a rear edge of the door aperture and extending straightly in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, a swing guide bent from the sliding guide toward an interior of the vehicle body, a center roller unit mounted on the vehicle door and guided along the sliding guide and the swing guide, and a variable stopper mechanism covering an exterior-side opening of the swing guide in the sliding mode and uncovering the exterior-side opening of the swing guide in the swing mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2023
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Corporation
    Inventor: Je Won Choi
  • Patent number: 11566389
    Abstract: A gate for controlling oncoming traffic on a roadway (e.g. a highway). The gate comprises an arm movable between an extended position in which the arm extends into a given portion of the roadway to inform the oncoming traffic that the given portion of the roadway is closed and a retracted position in which the arm does not extend into the given portion of the roadway and thus leaves open the given portion of the roadway for the oncoming traffic. The gate also comprises a control system comprising an actuator and configured to support the arm and move the arm between the extended position and the retracted position. The arm may be quite long and vertically wide to close more of the roadway and be clearly visible to the oncoming traffic, while the gate may be crash-tested (i.e., compliant with crash-testing criteria), the control system may be compact, and the gate may be reusable and easily repairable if crashed into.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: SYSTEMES VERSILIS INC.
    Inventors: Jean-François Menier, Vincent Shebib Loiselle, Nicholas Gendron
  • Patent number: 11560744
    Abstract: The hinge device performs the opening and closing of a door of a vehicle without the door changing orientation. The device has an L-shaped arm provided with two ends attached in a pivotable way, around parallel rotation axes, to respective mounting bodies, one being fixable to the door and the other to the frame of the vehicle. Each body has a concentric pulley body with the respective rotation axis and fixed to a respective mounting body. The device further has a linking mechanism that extends along the arm and has a path formed by a first segment and a second segment that cross at least once.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2023
    Assignee: MASATS, S.A.
    Inventors: Jordi Pujol Oller, Josep Pons Comelles, Jordi Freixa Ortiz
  • Patent number: 11541733
    Abstract: An opening structure includes a lower door having an upper end configured to be rotated and opened with respect to a lower surface of a vehicle body, a garnish unit located on a surface of the lower door, at least a portion of a lower end of the garnish unit configured to be tilted from the lower door, a driving unit extending in a longitudinal direction and configured to apply driving force to the lower door and the garnish unit, a first driver configured to tilt the garnish unit, a second driver configured to integrally pop up the tilted garnish unit and the lower door and to apply opening force thereto, and a hinge arm connecting the first driver and the second driver to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Cornoration
    Inventors: Sudhir Rampalli, Ki Hyun Cho, Chung Hwa Jung
  • Patent number: 11536072
    Abstract: An assistance apparatus for opening and closing a scissor door for a vehicle includes: a door hinge having one side installed at a vehicle body to be rotated vertically through a hinge shaft, and having a door mounted at an opposite side thereof; a gas lifter having a first side installed at the vehicle body, and having a second side installed at the door hinge to assist a rotational force of the door hinge or keep a posture thereof through compression and elongation; and an opening and closing assistance unit for providing the rotational force to the door hinge in interlocking with the pressing operation of a vehicle passenger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation
    Inventor: Jae Seung Lee
  • Patent number: 11535093
    Abstract: Sealing performance is improved without deteriorating appearance. A pillar P side of a roof-side seal lip 34 and a roof R side of a pillar-side seal lip 43 are spaced apart from each other in a transverse direction of a vehicle when a door 110 is open. The pillar P side of the roof-side seal lip 34 is formed so as to be closer to the roof R side of the pillar-side seal lip 43 toward an end of the pillar P side. When the door 110 is closed, the roof-side seal lip 34 comes into contact with the pillar-side seal lip 43.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: Nishikawa Rubber Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shinji Nishikawa, Satoshi Maesaki
  • Patent number: 11530563
    Abstract: The invention relates to an automatic door system including a first door leaf of a first door leaf arrangement that can be displaced in the longitudinal direction. A floor-side guide rail arrangement extends in the longitudinal direction and includes a first floor rail arrangement. The at least one first door leaf includes an engagement element which is arranged on an underside of the at least one first door leaf. The at least one first floor rail arrangement includes at least one first floor rail and at least one connection and/or functional element, wherein the at least one connection and/or functional element is arranged on an end side of the at least one first floor rail. The at least one first floor rail includes at least one first guide groove extending in the longitudinal direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2022
    Assignee: AGTATEC AG
    Inventor: Peter Tschanz
  • Patent number: 11525299
    Abstract: A portable pet door is provided. The portable pet door includes a plurality of panels (101) connected in such a manner that allows the pet door to be folded for portability when not in use. The portable pet door may be installed in a sliding door jamb and configured to be held in place via friction from the sliding door (110) and an adjacent door jamb. The portable pet door has a removable flap (102) located at the bottom of the portable pet door. The portable pet door may have a connector (401) located on a top portion of a top panel of the plurality of panels that allows the pet door to be removably secured to a door jamb.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Inventor: Renee Vanderbilt-Kay
  • Patent number: 11511611
    Abstract: A weather strip assembly which is applied to a door of a commercial vehicle for passenger transport is provided. The weather strip assembly includes a body weather strip installed along a circumference of a portion in which a door is installed in a body of a vehicle and brought into contact with the door in two or more portions when the door is closed, and a door weather strip installed in the door along a circumference of the door and brought into contact with the body weather strip when the door is closed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Cornoration
    Inventor: Seung-Young Park
  • Patent number: 11466511
    Abstract: A snap-on safety guard for door gaps preferably includes a jamb split tube and a cover plate. The jamb split tube includes a lengthwise gap. An adjustable jamb split tube includes a first jamb section and a second jamb section. A curved jamb device is retained in a kerf slot of a kerf-style door. A molding lip extends inward from one end of the curved jamb device and a kerf lip extends inward from an opposing end thereof. A U-shaped clip is retained in a kerf slot of a kerf-style door. The U-shaped clip includes a kerf base, an inner kerf lip and an outer kerf lip. The cover plate preferably includes a flat plate with at least one living hinge formed parallel with a length of the cover plate. An inner surface of the cover plate is attached to one of the jamb tubes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Inventor: Adam Curry Chapman
  • Patent number: 11466496
    Abstract: A device configured for opening and closing a charging door may include a guide rail mounted to be long in a charging hole in a longitudinal direction thereof, an actuator configured to provide a driving force, and a charging door engaged to the actuator and configured to be concealed and moved in the charging hole along the guide rail according to the driving force received from the actuator in a state of being closed to open the charging hole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Jae Dong Shin, Seung Jun Yang
  • Patent number: 11414921
    Abstract: A storage device includes a shutter having a vertically divided dome shape formed by cutting a one-end-closed cylindrical shape at two planes, the one-end-closed cylindrical shape being formed by closing an upper end of a cylindrical portion whose axis line is along an up-down direction, an arc-shaped lower portion reinforcing member which has a higher rigidity than the cylindrical portion, a housing, which includes an opening portion, the opening portion being opened and closed by the shutter rotating around the axis line, a bearing portion provided in the housing, which suspends and supports the ceiling surface portion, a lower end support portion, which supports a lower surface of the lower portion reinforcing member at a plurality of locations; and an inner side support portion, which supports an inner peripheral surface of the lower portion reinforcing member at a plurality of locations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takeshi Kikuchi, Yoshinari Matsuyama, Masaki Shikanai, Yuzuka Isobe
  • Patent number: 11359429
    Abstract: The system comprises a lever (2) that is rotatable about a point fixed to the vehicle and articulately joined to the upper edge (6) of the leaf (1); a horizontal guide (3) through which a carriage (4) slides; push-pull means (10,11) that articulately link the upper edge (6) to the carriage (4); and actuation means (12) simultaneously linked to the lever (2) and the carriage (4), which are adapted to distribute their action on the lever (2) and the carriage (4) depending on the force to overcome in order to open and close the leaf (1), such that their action is automatically distributed on the lever (2) when greater power is required to move the carriage (4), this is essentially during the initial opening operation from the end closing position, and during the closing and locking operation from an imminent closing position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2022
    Assignee: MASATS, S.A.
    Inventors: Jordi Pujol Oller, Jordi Freixa Ortiz, Frederic Sole Montoya, Eduard Sisquella Vila