Patents Examined by Drew Brown
  • Patent number: 9937973
    Abstract: A motorized, fore-aft self-balancing transportation device that may include a single wheel structure with a drive motor, a battery and first and second foot platforms located on opposite sides of the wheel. The device may be uniquely be arranged such that the motor and battery are positioned such that there is space within the wheel envelope for a portion of the foot platform (positioned near or within the envelope), thereby placing the weight of the rider low and close to the center of gravity of the device. Various battery and motor arrangements are disclosed, as are different drive mechanisms and component redundancy to assure safe operation in the event of failure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Inventor: Shane Chen
  • Patent number: 9725063
    Abstract: The present invention provides a horn system (1) for a vehicle, comprising an airbag module (7) and a cover (3) for receiving and covering the airbag module (7), wherein the cover (3) is moveable relative to the airbag module (7), and a horn circuit (17) for producing a warning signal in response to moving the cover (3) relative to the airbag module (7). The horn system according to the present invention is characterised in that it comprises at least one conductive element (21, 22) attached to a housing (8) of the airbag module (7) and displaceable between an assembling position and a holding position, wherein the conductive element (21, 22) is configured to interact with the cover (3) in the holding position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2017
    Assignee: Dalphi Metal Espana S.A.
    Inventors: Angel Collazo, Luis Barandela, Joaquin Grana, Ruben Barros
  • Patent number: 9676242
    Abstract: A suspended axle for a tractor, the axle having a lower link mechanism selectively operable between a first configuration in which the lower links are in fixed relation to the suspended axle and a second configuration in which the lower links are isolated from the suspended axle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: AGCO SA
    Inventor: Bruno Sap
  • Patent number: 9676359
    Abstract: A clip that can be attached to a jump bracket to align the jump bracket and the associated curtain side airbag (CSA) relative to the vehicle for attachment thereto. The clip is configured to be attached to an existing alignment member on the jump bracket and provide more restrained positioning in an alignment opening in the vehicle panel. The more restrained positioning facilitates the alignment of both first and second fastening features on the jump bracket with the associated fastening locations on the vehicle thereby providing a greater and more reliable ease of installation of the CSA. The clip can be configured to provide a datum for the proper alignment of the jump bracket relative to the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
    Inventor: Nora Arellano
  • Patent number: 9676362
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a multi-chambered airbag system employing the use of baffle vents to achieve pressure differentials between the different chambers and methods of using the same.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Zhibing Deng, Krish E. Aekbote, Srinivas Reddy Malapati
  • Patent number: 9676428
    Abstract: A trailer vehicle with a forward storage compartment is provided, which maximizes usable space within the trailer vehicle and offers improved storage for the user. The trailer vehicle comprises a towed vehicle with a front overhang portion extending from the front end thereof. The front overhang supports a fifth wheel kingpin connector, and further comprises an enclosed interior volume above the connector. Along a lower surface of the front overhang, one or more storage doors are provided. The storage doors provide access to the interior of the front overhang. Raising and lowering of the storage doors may be assisted by way of a cable winch or fluid-spring struts. Moreover, the storage doors may support specific items, such as spare tires using a tire saddle disposed thereon. Finally, each of the doors is hinged affixed to the overhang and includes securable latches to maintain the doors in a closed state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Inventor: Greg Jorgensen
  • Patent number: 9676363
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a multi-chambered airbag system employing the use of baffle vents to achieve pressure differentials between the different chambers and methods of using the same.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Zhibing Deng, Krish E. Aekbote, Srinivas Reddy Malapati, Gustavo Morales Cabrera
  • Patent number: 9669791
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to an airbag cover, which comprises at least one door portion adapted to be opened to allow at least a portion of an airbag to be deployed, at least one hinge portion located adjacent to a side of the door portion and being adapted to provide a hinge for the door portion when opening, and at least one reinforcement portion at least partly surrounding the at least one door portion and the at least one hinge portion. The airbag cover comprises a mesh member, a first portion of the mesh member being located in the at least one reinforcement portion and a second portion of the mesh member being located in the at least one hinge portion. The at least one reinforcement portion comprises at least one rib protruding in a first direction (D1). The first portion of the mesh member has a non-planar cross-section by the mesh member being molded into a portion of the at least one rib, such that the mesh member traverses the at least one rib.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignees: INTERNATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE COMPONENTS GROUP GMBH, VOLVO CAR CORPORATION
    Inventors: David Svensson, Bengt Sätterman
  • Patent number: 9669673
    Abstract: A wheel axle suspension of a vehicle, comprises an axle body having a rectangular cross section, a flexible trailing arm extending in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle and crossing the axle body substantially perpendicular, and at least one clamping strap assembly for clamping the axle body and the trailing arm together. The trailing arm has a front spring portion extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and is provided with an axle seating portion adjoining the front spring portion at a rear end thereof. The axle seating portion comprises a longitudinal portion extending substantially in line with the front spring portion, and a downwardly extending portion extending substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal portion. The axle body is received in the axle seating portion with the upper side and rear side facing the longitudinal portion and the downwardly extending portion respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignee: VDL WEWELER B.V.
    Inventors: Derk Geert Aalderink, Marten Frank Ciarán Bruinja
  • Patent number: 9669674
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a suspension strut for a motor vehicle with a vibration damper, with a supporting spring and with a height-adjustment device, with which the height of the vehicle body of the motor vehicle can be changed, and wherein the suspension strut has an auxiliary spring having a lower spring characteristic than the supporting spring, by means of which auxiliary spring a residual prestress can be produced in the supporting spring when the vibration damper is extended, and wherein the auxiliary spring is integrated in the height-adjustment device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignee: THYSSENKRUPP BILSTEIN GMBH
    Inventors: Hanno Luczak, Stefan Mages, Markus Wölk
  • Patent number: 9663144
    Abstract: A steering knuckle comprising a bearing connection point for connecting a bearing to the knuckle and comprising a further connection point for connecting the knuckle to a further component. The bearing connection point is formed by a first insert and the further connection point is formed by a second insert, which are joined by a composite body comprising a fiber-reinforced material that is overmolded to the first and second inserts. The bearing connection point and the further connection point are additionally joined by one or more continuous fiber tows that are wound around part of a radially outer surface of the first insert and of the second insert.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignees: AKTIEBOLAGET SKF, SEMCON AB
    Inventors: Gilbert Peters, Richard Schaake, Edo Schramm, Cornelius Petrus Antonius Vissers, Marc Gomez
  • Patent number: 9662949
    Abstract: The invention relates to a longitudinal control arm for connection of an axle tube to a vehicle frame, the longitudinal control arm extending along a longitudinal direction and comprising an arrangement section on a frame side and at least one arrangement section on an axle tube side, a centerline of the arrangement section on the axle tube side being offset by an offset from a centerline of the arrangement section on the frame side when seen at an angle to the longitudinal direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: SAF-HOLLAND GmbH
    Inventors: Rolf Spielmann, Matthias Hoppe
  • Patent number: 9662951
    Abstract: A method for protecting the suspension and frame of a vehicle is provided. The method may include providing a first working mode where the strut is at a fully expanded state, providing a second working mode where the strut is at a partially collapsed state, and providing a fail-safe working mode where the strut is at a fully collapsed state. The method may further comprise alerting the user that the strut is operating in the fail-safe working mode and servicing the strut by placing a fail-safe member into the strut.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: James R. Carlberg, Walter Joseph Laylock, Sunil I. Mathew
  • Patent number: 9663062
    Abstract: Airbags including tethered inflatable chambers are disclosed. The tethered inflatable chambers can include internal tethers that are configured to break when an internal pressure of a tethered inflatable chamber reaches a predetermined value. Methods of forming an airbag fabric including internal tethers are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: Autoliv ASP, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Rohn, Dana Wold
  • Patent number: 9663159
    Abstract: The disclosed technology relate to a device and system that include an outdoor power equipment power unit or cart configured to releasably couple a number of different interchangeable attachments or work implements to a common power unit, where some attachments include and/or require operator presence control, while other attachments do not include and/or require operator presence control. The outdoor power equipment power unit includes a power transfer coupling member operatively coupled to the drive shaft and configured to transfer rotational power to the associated attachment; and an operator presence actuation member operatively coupled to the operator presence control member, the operator presence actuation member configured to rotate in response to user actuation of the operator presence control member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: MTD PRODUCTS INC
    Inventors: Jason R. Ertel, Paul Stephens, Robert Allen, Bill Rabbitt
  • Patent number: 9663060
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a multi-chambered airbag system employing the use of baffle vents to achieve pressure differentials between the different chambers and methods of using the same.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Zhibing Deng, Krish E. Aekbote, Srinivas Reddy Malapati, Gustavo Morales Cabrera, Edward Joseph Abramoski, Djamal Eddine Midoun
  • Patent number: 9656627
    Abstract: A hood bumper for a vehicle includes a foundation, a pair of legs extending from the foundation in a first direction, a support extending from the foundation in a second direction, and a head adhered to the support. At least a portion of the support is a first material and the head is a second material such that the first material is harder than the second material. The support includes first and second portions extending between the foundation and the head which are mirror images. The head is designed to deform and the support is designed to collapse under force. In alternate embodiments, the foundation and/or support are designed to fracture under force. The hood bumper is coextruded so the base and head have fixed heights and cross sections.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Michael J. Gardynik, Thomas J. Joseph, Ed Wilson
  • Patent number: 9643664
    Abstract: An underbody panelling part of a wheel axle near the wheelhouse of a motor vehicle includes a substantially flat main part, a first mounting point provided on the main part, which first mounting point can be rotatably connected to a transverse link of the motor vehicle, and a second mounting point provided on the main part, which second mounting point can be coupled to a wheel carrier or a steering rod. The underbody panelling part can be pivoted about the first mounting point when the wheel carrier is pivoted. A subassembly having the underbody panelling part is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Gregor Tesch, Markus Kohlhuber, Rasmus Leicht, Roland Schmidt, Hubert Scholz, Matthias Hennig, Ludwig Seethaler, Roland Koenig, Markus Fauser
  • Patent number: 9637160
    Abstract: An outer jacket externally fitted over an inner jacket so as to be slidable in an axial direction relative to the inner jacket has a slit extending straight from an opening formed at a jacket end. A recessed portion is formed at an inner edge of the slit such that a slit width at an inside diameter portion of the outer jacket is larger than a slit width at an outside diameter portion of the outer jacket. An amount of recess of the recessed portion in a circumferential direction of the outer jacket continuously decreases from the opening end to an area end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: JTEKT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ryota Okano, Masayoshi Sakuda
  • Patent number: 9630502
    Abstract: A medium-size electric vehicle with a detachable high voltage isolation structure is provided. Due to the detachable high voltage isolation structure, the drawbacks of repairing the high voltage components of the medium-size electric vehicle will be overcome. All of the high voltage components are integrated into the detachable high voltage isolation structure. Consequently, the maintenance worker can repair the medium-size electric vehicle in a safe environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2017
    Assignee: ALEEES ECO ARK (CAYMAN) CO. LTD.
    Inventors: Gordon Ching Chen, Anthony An-Tao Yang