Patents Examined by Jason R. Bellinger
  • Patent number: 11975566
    Abstract: A two-piece wheel may have a first section and a second section. The wheel has areas of varying diameter across its width, and the first section and second section are joined at the area of the wheel with the smallest diameter. The first section can be a spoke section with spokes extending from a central hub and the second section can be a barrel section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2024
    Assignee: Vision Composite Products, LLC
    Inventors: Alan Dudley, John P. Mathew, Nick Hall
  • Patent number: 11970225
    Abstract: An endless track for use in propelling a snowmobile. The endless track extends between a first lateral side and a second lateral side and includes an inner drive surface and an outer ground-engaging surface. The inner drive surface includes a plurality of longitudinally spaced inner drive lugs used to drive and rotate the endless track. The outer ground-engaging surface includes a plurality of treads, where each tread extends continuous and uninterrupted along a constant height from the first lateral side to the second lateral side a full width of the endless track.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: Polaris Industries Inc.
    Inventors: Richard H. Bates, Jr., Thomas D. Rager, Jr.
  • Patent number: 11970022
    Abstract: A rim for a braked aircraft wheel includes an outer circular portion whose ends are terminated flanges for receiving a tire. The outer circular portion is connected by a wheel disk to a hub for fitting on an undercarriage axle in order to rotate about an axis of rotation coinciding with a central axis of the rim. The rim is designed to receive the tire on the outside of the outer circular portion and a brake on the inside of the outer circular portion, the outer circular portion presenting on one side of the wheel disk that is to receive the brake, in a plane containing the central axis of the wheel, a profile that has two slopes forming non-zero angles with the central axis, the two slopes extending in the continuation of one another from the wheel disk to the corresponding flange and flaring towards said corresponding flange.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: SAFRAN LANDING SYSTEMS
    Inventors: Pierrick Soubrant, Michaël Arnoux
  • Patent number: 11970224
    Abstract: A mining machine includes a frame having a guide rail, the guide rail having a central portion. The mining machine also includes a shoe having a recessed area that defines a roller path, the shoe further having a drive lug, wherein the central portion of the guide rail is configured to be disposed within the recessed area. The mining machine also includes a cutting tool coupled to the frame and positioned such that the cutting tool is configured to abrasively remove material from the drive lug as the drive lug passes by the cutting tool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: JOY GLOBAL SURFACE MINING INC
    Inventors: Matthew L. Gross, James M. Hutsick, Joseph J. Wirkus, Josh Severson, Ethan Pedretti, James Popp
  • Patent number: 11970023
    Abstract: A vehicle wheel arrangement includes a wheel with a wheel hub and a carrier element for mounting the wheel on a vehicle part and/or for arrangement of a power-transmitting unit. In a joined state of the vehicle wheel arrangement a joining portion of the wheel hub corresponds with a joining portion of the carrier element. In the joined state of the vehicle wheel arrangement, the wheel hub and the carrier element are connected to one another in form-fitting fashion at least in a circumferential direction of a wheel hub axis. The wheel hub includes, in a region of the joining portion, one or more fiber plies with fibers arranged unidirectionally in the circumferential direction of the wheel hub axis. Furthermore, a method can be used to produce a vehicle wheel arrangement having a wheel hub made of fiber-reinforced composite and a carrier element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: ACTION COMPOSITES GMBH
    Inventors: Jens Werner, Michael Dressler, Florian Franke, Christian Köhler, Michael Franke, Sandro Mäke, André Bartsch
  • Patent number: 11951771
    Abstract: Aerodynamic wheel covers may include a hub assembly coupled with a hub of a large vehicle, such as a truck. A base assembly may be coupled to the hub assembly, and a disk assembly may be coupled with the base assembly such that removal and installation of the disk assembly may be accomplished without tools.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: FLOWBELOW AERO, INC.
    Inventors: Joshua Butler, Kyle Walker
  • Patent number: 11945260
    Abstract: A tractor or trailer axle replacement spindle and seal ring assembly includes a spindle with an elongate cylindrical body having bearing surfaces and threads. The seal ring is a shorter cylindrical component having an opening sized to achieve an interference fit with the spindle. The exterior surface of the spindle and the interior surface of the ring seal include complementary oblique, shoulders bounded by regions of constant diameter. The spindle also includes a shoulder or flange at its end opposite the threads which positively axially locates the seal ring thereon. When the two components are to be assembled, the seal ring is heated to several hundred degrees Fahrenheit and slid onto the spindle until the seal ring contacts the shoulder or flange on the spindle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Inventor: James L. Ebert
  • Patent number: 11946509
    Abstract: The wheel hub fastener has a planar body formed of a sheet of resilient metal or material having a selected thickness between top and bottom surfaces to allow sufficient engagement of the axle spindle thread with which it is to be used and the compression washer, castle-nut, and cotter pin. The bolt circle pattern of smaller holes allows ample grease to the bearing assembly, should a greasing device be used. The outer diameter, inner diameter as well as the bolt circle diameter and placement, will vary depending upon the diameter of the respective spindles and races for the various bearing sizes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Inventor: Johnny F Powell, Jr.
  • Patent number: 11938752
    Abstract: An omnidirectional wheel whose outer circumference surface is formed by pluralities of rollers, and includes a rotating part that rotates around a rotation axis. A plurality of supports are arranged in a circumferential direction of the rotating part and each mounted on the rotating part. The rollers include a plurality of first rollers and a plurality of second rollers. Each support has a first arm supporting one end side of a corresponding first roller of the plurality of first rollers, and a second arm supporting the other end side of the corresponding first roller. A corresponding second roller of the plurality of second rollers is supported by the first arm of one of two supports that are adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction and the second arm of the other one of the two supports.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: WHILL, Inc.
    Inventors: Shuntaro Sugimoto, Kazuo Bando, Satoshi Nakagawa
  • Patent number: 11932330
    Abstract: A track for traction of an off-road vehicle such as an agricultural vehicle, a construction vehicle, a snowmobile, or another vehicle operable off-road. The track is mountable around a track-engaging assembly including a drive wheel for driving the track. The track is elastomeric to be flexible around the track-engaging assembly. The track includes an inner surface for facing the track-engaging assembly, a ground-engaging outer surface for engaging the ground, and a plurality of traction projections projecting from the ground-engaging outer surface. The track may have various features to enhance its traction, its floatation, and/or other aspects relating to use and performance of a track system of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: Camso Inc.
    Inventors: Marc Favre, Jake Dalphond
  • Patent number: 11932060
    Abstract: A chassis mounted energy extraction and delivery system. In one embodiment, a gravity-referenced, external tire inflation facility is integrated into an aerodynamic fairing mounted on the chassis of a vehicle. In one other embodiment, a torsion bar coupled between a hub-mounted energy extraction or delivery facility and a selected portion of the chassis provides a cross-referenced fixed point of reference. In a dual-axle embodiment, a first end of the torsion bar is coupled to the hub of one axle and a second end of the torsion bar is coupled to the hub of the other axle. In a single-axle embodiment, the second end of the torsion bar is coupled to the chassis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: FLOWBELOW AERO, INC.
    Inventors: Joshua Butler, Kyle Walker, Redza Shah, Zane McCarthy, Michael O'Connell, Aaron McGraw
  • Patent number: 11932331
    Abstract: A traction improvement device provides increased traction to a tracked vehicle. The traction improvement device has two opposing brackets that are connected to opposite edges or flanges of a track of a tracked vehicle. A chain extends between the brackets. At least one of the brackets is a tensioner bracket that is configured to adjust the tension of the chain. The tension adjustment provides tension to the chain extending between the brackets, securing the traction improvement device on the outer surface (or gripping surface) of the track.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: Chains for Tracks, Inc.
    Inventor: James Paul Hamblin
  • Patent number: 11926174
    Abstract: A casting system includes a casting for an automobile vehicle having an interior section. Multiple central portions are individually positioned in one of multiple areas of the interior section completely encapsulated by a metal of the casting. An insert member is positioned in individual ones of the multiple central portions, the insert member having a higher melting point than a melting point of a metal of the casting the insert member displaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Frank D. Risko, Lora Dawn Herron
  • Patent number: 11912063
    Abstract: An arrangement of wheels for a bi-directional vehicle may decrease the drag coefficient for the vehicle regardless of a direction of travel of the vehicle. A pair of wheels, each wheel of the pair having a configuration of fins to promote a desired aerodynamic effect, when located at a leading end of the vehicle promotes airflow laterally outboard of the vehicle body. In contrast, the same pair of wheels, when located at a trailing end of the vehicle promotes airflow laterally inboard of the vehicle body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: ZOOX, INC.
    Inventors: Christopher William Labadie, Timothy David Kentley-Klay
  • Patent number: 11912064
    Abstract: A road wheel for a tracked vehicle includes a first rim half and a second rim half operatively connected to the first rim half. The first rim half includes at least a first portion that is angled away from the second rim half. The second rim half includes at least a first portion that is angled away from the first rim half. A hollow cavity is formed between the first portion of the first rim half and the first portion of the second rim half.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: Hutchinson S.A.
    Inventors: Peter Hobe, Lars Johan Resare, Christopher Renson, Olivier Noblanc, Michael Hartman
  • Patent number: 11904630
    Abstract: A bicycle hub and spoke arrangement is provided. The bicycle hub and spoke arrangement includes a bicycle axle supported for rotation by a hub shaft. A plurality of flanges extend radially from the hub shaft. Each of the plurality of flanges has a plurality of apertures. A plurality of spokes, each having a first end, an opposing second end and a body extending therebetween. The second end of each of the plurality of spokes is connected to an outer rim. The first end of each of the plurality of spokes is connected to one of the plurality of circumferentially oriented apertures of the plurality of flanges in a manner such as to create three areas of contact between the first end of each of the plurality of spokes and the associated flange, thereby strengthening a J bend area of the spoke and address spoke failure and shimmy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2023
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Inventor: Rolf Dietrich
  • Patent number: 11898588
    Abstract: A tip assembly includes a tip including a body having a narrow tip portion, a broad attachment portion that defines a concave surface, an interior disposed between the broad attachment portion and the narrow tip portion, and a cavity that leads from the concave surface toward the interior. A retention bolt that is heated includes a tapered region, and a shaft extending from the tapered region, terminating at an externally threaded end. The cavity of the tip is at least partially complimentarily shaped to the tapered region of the retention bolt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventor: Douglas C. Serrurier
  • Patent number: 11884342
    Abstract: A component for a track-type machine comprises a body, a through-bore extending through the body forming an inner wall, and a bushing located in the through-bore. The bushing comprises a bearing surface, an outer surface engaging the inner wall, a flange extending from the outer surface and extending into the inner wall, and retention features located in the outer surface proximate the flange. The retention features comprise voids in the bushing filled-in by material of the body. Methods of manufacturing a component for a track-type system comprises casting-in-place a bushing with a flange and retention features into the component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Benjamin I. Jones, Benoit Abello, David J. Hakes
  • Patent number: 11878552
    Abstract: Provided is a wheel (6a) in which a disk (62) includes a first rib (62a) extending in a radial direction, and protruding out on one side in a direction of a central axis a1. A hub (61) of the wheel (6a) includes a first blade portion (61d1) extending in the radial direction. At least one of a pair of side surfaces of the first rib (62a) is inclined relative to a plane including the central axis a1 of the disk (62), and the first blade portion (61d1) is fixed to the inclined side surface on one side of the central axis a1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshihiro Kawahara, Tomoki Murozono, Yasuhiro Toguchi, Nobuyuki Shibutani
  • Patent number: 11878551
    Abstract: An omnidirectional wheel and a scooter having an omnidirectional wheel are provided. The omnidirectional wheel includes: a hub; support members, in which the support members are circumferentially distributed on the hub, each of the support members has a first mounting surface and a second mounting surface disposed oppositely, the first mounting surface is provided with a first mounting shaft, the second mounting surface is provided with a second mounting shaft, and a distance between a first axis of the first mounting shaft and a wheel center of the hub is less than a distance between a second axis of the second mounting shaft and the wheel center of the hub; first rollers, in which at least one of the first rollers is rotatably disposed on each first mounting shaft; and second rollers, in which at least one of the second rollers is rotatably disposed on each second mounting shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: ANHUI JBH MEDICAL APPARATUS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Xiuyu Shi, Lei Yang