Patents Examined by James Edward Ignaczewski
  • Patent number: 11286696
    Abstract: A tailgate latch assembly for restraining a striker of a tailgate, which is opened or closed rearward of a vehicle, or for releasing restraint of the striker includes: a pawl configured to be rotated by a drive motor, the pawl being supported resiliently in a direction opposite to a direction of being rotated by the drive motor in a housing; a claw supported resiliently in a direction in which restraint of the striker is released in the housing, the claw being configured to be rotated in a direction opposite to the direction of being supported resiliently when the striker is restrained in the claw; and a memory lever having a first end for supporting a side face of the pawl when the pawl is rotated beyond a predetermined angle by the drive motor and a second end fixed to the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation, PYEONG HWA AUTOMOTIVE CO LTD
    Inventors: Ki-Hyun Cho, Kyung-Min Lee
  • Patent number: 11280115
    Abstract: A device for mechanically preventing the automatic opening of a vehicle door in the event of an object acting thereon includes a mounting clip fixed to an outer door part for an outer door handle. The mounting clip has a door opening mechanism having a balancing mass which is adjustably supported on the mounting clip and operatively connected to the outer door handle and can also be moved from a first operating position into a second operating position and back. A force introduction and locking element is associated with the balancing mass. A movement of the balancing mass from the first operating position into the second operating position can be prevented, limited, and/or reversed by way of the element. When viewed in the direction of movement of the bar the force introduction and locking element is advantageously supported against a door lock housing that is fastened to the vehicle door.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Stefan Weber, Arne Meyer, Sarah Brueggemann, Dennis Neumann
  • Patent number: 11279214
    Abstract: In a driver, supposing that an angular position of the rotator in a state where a coupler coupling a link member and the rotator together is located at a rearmost position is regarded as a reference angular position, a first angular position is an angular position where the rotator is shifted from the reference angular position in a first rotation direction by an angle ?1, and a second angular position is an angular position where the rotator is shifted from the reference angular position in a second direction opposite to the first rotation direction by an angle ?2 smaller than the angle ?1. The driver has a regulating portion which does not allow the rotator to rotate in the second rotation direction from the second angular position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: WEBASTO JAPAN CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Koji Sawahata, Osamu Yoshida
  • Patent number: 11261629
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a safety locking device for interlocking a safety door, having a movable part designed for being fastened to a moving part of the safety door and having a locking element, and a stationary part designed for being fastened to a non-moving part of the safety door. The stationary part includes a receiving section having an opening for the reception of the locking element, where the locking element can be inserted into the receiving section from different insertion directions when the locking element is aligned in the insertion direction. The stationary part includes a latch selectively movable from a locking position into a release position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: SICK AG
    Inventors: Pavel Gerasimov, Stefan Schunke, Julio Sandino Tagaro Plariza
  • Patent number: 11255113
    Abstract: An outer handle device for a vehicle door includes: a base mounted on an outer panel from an inside of the outer panel; an operating handle disposed on an outside of the outer panel and having a support shaft that extends along a swing axis on a support arm part entering the inside of the outer panel from the outside thereof; and a support member that is fitted to the base, engages with the support shaft from a rear, makes a front end of the support arm part abut against an abutment receiving part while the operating handle is swinging, and restrains displacement of the support shaft toward the outer panel. The base is provided with a restricting part that makes contact with the support arm part when the operating handle swings, thus restricting displacement of the operating handle in moving away inwardly from the outer panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2022
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Honda Lock
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Saitou, Tatsuya Ooyama
  • Patent number: 11242701
    Abstract: Provided is a vehicle door lock device having a structure enabling easy mounting of a pivot lever and urging means configured to urge the pivot lever to pivot. The urging means locked to a base member and the pivot lever does not generate an urging force when the pivot lever is positioned at an outside position at which the pivot lever is positioned on one direction side with respect to an in-operation pivoting range, and when the pivot lever pivots from the outside position to the in-operation pivoting range, an elastic deformation piece climbs over a temporary stopper while being elastically deformed, and the urging means locked to the base member and the pivot lever is elastically deformed to generate the urging force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2022
    Assignee: AISIN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Makoto Suzumura, Kenji Okada, Toru Kanazawa, Yasuhiko Sono
  • Patent number: 11236911
    Abstract: Provided is a push-to-open latch for an oven appliance and other household appliances. The push-to-open latch includes an integrated locking device for locking an appliance door in place and initiate a downstream appliance function such as a self-cleaning function. The integrated locking device includes a rotating cam having a latching slot which engages a pawl. The rotating cam also includes a guiding ramp and a catch surface which may be used to engage a latching finger to lock the cam in place. In addition, the locking device may include a locking slide and a locking slide pin that is actuated by a solenoid to engage the cam. Once the appliance door is locked, one or more switches send a signal to the appliance controller to activate the downstream function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: HTI TECHNOLOGY AND INDUSTRIES, INC.
    Inventor: Roger L. DeYoung
  • Patent number: 11220848
    Abstract: An automobile (10) comprising wheels (12) and a body (14) has front lights (16), a front trunk lid (18) above a front trunk (20) for storing luggage, a front windscreen (22), a front occupant steering position (24), a roof (26), a rear windscreen (28), a rear hood (30) above an internal combustion, hybrid or electrical or other drive system (32) and rear lights (34), a latching system (36) being provided in or near the front trunk (20) and has a striker (38) mounted to the front trunk lid (18) and a catch system (40) mounted to the body (14) on mounting brackets (42), the latching system having a striker (50) movable relative to first and second catches (54, 56) which are adapted to cooperate with the striker to limit relative movement therebetween, a single motor (70) being provided to transmit drive through the latching system to drive both of the catches to positions in which movement of the striker is restricted by the catches.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Inventor: John Phillip Chevalier
  • Patent number: 11220779
    Abstract: A door-lock for household appliances, comprising a casing (12) having an opening (14) for the insertion of a hook (15) carried by a door of said household appliance, a cam (16) rotatable relative to the casing (12) about a first axis (A) between a retaining position and a release position, wherein in the retaining position said cam (16) is adapted to lock said hook (15) in a closed door position, a locking slider (20) cooperating with said cam (16) and movable between an unlocking position and a locking position, wherein in the locking position the slider (20) locks the cam (16) in the retaining position, a locking pin (28) for locking the locking slider (20) in the locking position, a door sensing slider (32) movable between an open door position and a closed door position, the door sensing slider (32) having an abutment portion (36) including a top surface (38) and an inclined surface (40) and a door sensing pin (46) elastically biased against said abutment portion (36) of the door sensing slider (32), wher
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
    Inventor: Bojan Bicic
  • Patent number: 11220846
    Abstract: An electric strike having two keepers arranged to pivot about respective shafts extending in a longitudinal direction, a lock lever for locking the keepers in a door-locking position, the lock lever being arranged to pivot about a second shaft extending in a direction that is transverse to the longitudinal direction and parallel to the backside of the strike; and an actuation mechanism for actuating the lock lever. The keepers form side walls of a bolt cavity and are arranged to pivot between a door-locking position and a door-releasing position. Therefore, the bolt may exit the cavity in two directions, e.g., a first direction for a left-handed closure member and a second direction for a right-handed closure member. The strike can thus be mounted in the same orientation for both left-handed and right-handed closure members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: LOCINOX
    Inventor: Joseph Talpe
  • Patent number: 11220836
    Abstract: Provided is a door lock mortise. The door lock mortise includes a structure in which a latch fixing member moves between a latch operating member and a latch cover member when a dead bolt is locked or unlocked. According to the embodiments of the present invention, the door lock mortise including the latch fixing member to have a structural characteristic capable of addressing a problem in that a latch bolt may be moved when the dead bolt is unlocked to release a door lock so that an impact is transmitted only to the dead bolt in a state in which the dead bolt is not unlocked and durability is reduced is disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: SAMSUNG SDS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Sung-Won Yoo, Sang-Han Lee
  • Patent number: 11214984
    Abstract: An electric strike having a keeper arranged to pivot about a shaft extending in a longitudinal direction, a lock lever for locking the keeper in a door-locking position, the lock lever being arranged to pivot about a second shaft extending in a direction that is transverse to the longitudinal direction and parallel to the backside of the strike; and an actuation mechanism for actuating the lock lever. The strike is provided with a bearing element arranged to bear against the lock lever. The bearing element acts as a stop against possible lateral motions of the lock lever. Such motions may be induced by trying to force open the door lock when the lock lever is in the locking position. By providing the bearing element, it is avoided that the forces due to these lateral motions are exerted onto the second shaft that connects the lock lever to the strike.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: LOCINOX
    Inventor: Joseph Talpe
  • Patent number: 11214995
    Abstract: A safety device for a motor vehicle, having a lock holder, a pawl and a rotary latch, wherein the rotary latch has a load arm, a catch arm, an opening direction of rotation, a closing direction of rotation, a pre-latching position and a main latching position, wherein the pawl is latched in on the catch arm in the pre-latching position and is latched in on the load arm in the main latching position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: Kiekert AG
    Inventors: Holger Schiffer, Michael Scholz, Thomas Schönenberg, Ömer Inan
  • Patent number: 11180936
    Abstract: A power latch apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes a rotary cam that is rotatably connected to a cam shaft and includes a cam groove, a transmission rod that is slidably connected to the cam groove and pressed and moved as the rotary cam rotates, and a claw to which the transmission rod is rotatably connected and that is pressed by the movement of the transmission rod to rotate about a claw shaft. The claw includes a claw recess that limits a striker movement that fits into the claw recess during a cinching operation, and a pawl to prevent the claw from rotating in a release direction in which a release operation of separating the striker from the claw recess is performed, or rotates about a pawl shaft while being pressed by the rotary cam, the pawl to allow the claw to rotate in the release direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2021
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation
    Inventor: Duck Young Kim
  • Patent number: 11174661
    Abstract: A motor vehicle door latch, in particular a tailgate latch, which is equipped with a locking mechanism comprising a catch and a pawl. Furthermore, a triggering element working on the pawl is provided for which is set up at least to lift the pawl. Furthermore, a memory element, which at least guarantees an unimpeded opening movement of the catch when the pawl is lifted. The memory element maintains the pawl in its elevated position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Assignee: Kiekert AG
    Inventors: Robert J. Hunt, Adrin Wagner, Patrick Mullins, Ruben Reyna
  • Patent number: 11174657
    Abstract: A motor vehicle door lock having a locking mechanism substantially comprising a rotary latch and pawl as locking mechanism components. In addition, at least one lever is implemented as a constituent part of an actuating and/or locking lever chain. The motor vehicle door lock also has at least one bearing pin for supporting the relevant locking mechanism component and/or the lever in a housing. Also provided is a bearing sleeve, which can be inserted into an opening in the locking mechanism component and/or the lever and is built up from at least two sleeve elements for the bearing pin. According to the invention, one sleeve element has a socket reaching through the opening. The socket engages in a substantially dimensionally stable manner in a plug receptacle of the other sleeve element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Assignee: Kiekert AG
    Inventor: Thomas Badewicz
  • Patent number: 11168498
    Abstract: A hood latch for a motor vehicle is provided. The hood latch includes a lift lever, a pawl, a ratchet, a control lever and an actuator. The control lever has a first cam surface and a second cam surface. The actuator is configured for actuation in response to a signal detected by a sensor. The actuator is actuatable in response to the signal to move into engagement with the control lever to bring the first cam surface into operable engagement with the pawl to move the pawl out of locked engagement with the ratchet, whereupon the second cam surface is brought into engagement with the lift lever to rotate the lift lever into engagement with a striker, fixed to a hood of the motor vehicle, to move the hood to a partially open state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2021
    Assignee: MAGNA CLOSURES INC.
    Inventors: John Distefano, Csaba Szente
  • Patent number: 11162283
    Abstract: A vehicle lid lock device includes a locking member for locking a lid provided on a vehicle, a housing member in which an insertion hole is formed into which the locking member is inserted and which houses the locking member enabled to move backward and forward; and an annular seal member that is housed in a housing portion of the housing member and that seals a gap between an inner surface of the insertion hole of the housing member and an outer surface of the locking member. The seal member includes a main body including an inner peripheral surface with an inner diameter larger than an outer diameter of the locking member, and a lip portion that protrudes radially inward from the inner peripheral surface of the main body and that is in slide contact with the outer surface of the locking member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: Johnan Manufacturing Inc.
    Inventors: Yuta Sakurai, Koji Sasaki
  • Patent number: 11131124
    Abstract: An opening device for a motor vehicle latch with a trigger which can be moved from a starting position into an opening position for pivoting of a triggering lever from a starting position into an opening position and which is connected with an inertia component by a deflectable knee lever, with a blockade lever, which can be moved by deflection of the knee lever from a starting position into a blocking position, whereby the movement of the triggering lever into the opening position is prevented when the blockade lever is in its blocking position, whereby the knee lever is deflected by excessive acceleration of the trigger and the blockade lever is thus moved into its blocking position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2021
    Assignee: Kiekert AG
    Inventors: Robert J. Hunt, Robert S. Pettengill, Thorsten Nottebaum
  • Patent number: 11124996
    Abstract: An exemplary trim assembly includes a mounting bracket and a lever pivotably mounted to the mounting bracket. The lever is pivotable between an actuated position and a deactuated position, and is biased toward the deactuated position. A bumper is mounted to the mounting bracket and engages the lever when the lever is in the deactuated position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: Schlage Lock Company LLC
    Inventors: Bhargav Yalamati, Steven Verderaime, Adam M. Litwinski, Sundar Raj Dore Vasudevan