Patents Examined by Kiran Patel
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Patent number: 7722098Abstract: The present invention is a step load bracket having a substantially horizontal portion and a substantially vertical portion connected to the substantially horizontal portion. The present invention also includes at least one support member connected to the substantially vertical portion and the substantially horizontal portion. The support member provides support for a body component of a vehicle having a step, such as a fascia, when a load is applied to the fascia in a vertical direction, but has pre-determined crush characteristics when the fascia suffers from an impact load in a horizontal direction, such as during a rear-end collision.Type: GrantFiled: September 5, 2008Date of Patent: May 25, 2010Assignee: Magna International Inc.Inventors: Scott L. Woods, Robert Avers
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Patent number: 7100967Abstract: A recreational vehicle comprises a slide-out room. A ceiling of the slide-out room comprises at least one window to allow external light into the slide-out room.Type: GrantFiled: February 14, 2003Date of Patent: September 5, 2006Inventor: Brian J. Shea
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Patent number: 7014246Abstract: Foldable tops (1) suitable for convertible vehicles may include a rear window (3) supported within a roof covering (2). A tensioning bow (5) imparts a tension across a rear portion of the roof covering when the foldable top is disposed in a roof closed position. A lower edge (4) of the rear window (3) is supported along a supporting portion of the tensioning bow when the foldable top is disposed in the roof closed position. At least one connector (9) is preferably disposed along the supporting portion between the rear window and the tensioning bow. The at least one connector releaseably engages the lower edge of the rear window with the tensioning bow when the foldable top is disposed in the roof closed position and disengages the rear window from the tensioning bow when the foldable top is opened. The at least one connector preferably comprises a hook portion (10) and a complementary projection (11).Type: GrantFiled: September 9, 2003Date of Patent: March 21, 2006Assignee: Wilhelm Karmann GmbHInventor: Stefan Huedepohl
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Patent number: 6994393Abstract: A trailer including an inner frame that is made of metal, an outer shell that is made of a non-metal and that at least partially surrounds the inner frame, and at least one wheel rotatably secured to the inner frame. In a preferred embodiment, the outer shell is made of a plastic. The inner frame includes a lower frame portion with which the at least one wheel is rotatably secured, and an upper frame portion that supports at least a portion of the weight of the outer shell. Preferably, the upper frame portion includes a middle support member that extends upwardly from the lower frame portion, and a first bar assembly that is hingedly connected to the middle support member. In another embodiment, a second bar assembly is hingedly connected to the middle support member.Type: GrantFiled: January 8, 2003Date of Patent: February 7, 2006Assignee: U-Haul International, Inc.Inventors: Edward J. Votruba, Patrick W. Breslin, Michael H. Dilgard, David L. Simpson, Thomas F. Bone
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Patent number: 6959955Abstract: A storage enclosure includes a base including a top panel extending transversely from a front panel. The base is attachable to a load deck of an open deck vehicle such that an enclosed space is defined by the front and top panels and the load deck. The base includes mounts within the enclosed space that are attachable to a bracket for attaching the base to the load deck. The top panel includes side portions that extend from opposite ends of the front panel, and a removable cover panel is disposed between the side portions. A cage is mounted to the base that defines a cage compartment above the top panel. The cage includes legs that extend through the base and are engaged by locking elements to removably secure the cage to the base. The cage includes frame segments that are releasably connected to one another by release pins.Type: GrantFiled: August 19, 2003Date of Patent: November 1, 2005
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Patent number: 6923498Abstract: A recreational vehicle cover rests on the roof of a recreational vehicle. The cover is lightweight, portable and is easily installed or removed by two people. The cover requires no modification to the recreational vehicle. The recreational vehicle cover is capable of protecting the vehicle from harsh weather and heavy snow. The height of the cover above the recreational vehicle roof can be adjusted to adapt to rooftop obstructions such as air conditioner, skylights and vents and also to accommodate uneven rooflines.Type: GrantFiled: November 18, 2003Date of Patent: August 2, 2005Inventor: Brent Alan Mecham
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Patent number: 6910728Abstract: A door hinge mounting structure for vehicles comprises a bracket having a closed cross-section. A coupling nut is coupled to the bracket via a plurality of flanges and a coupling bolt. The coupling bolt also has a guide portion, such that an easy assembly allows a door hinge to be securely and stably coupled to a door, thereby reducing maintenance of the door hinge assembly and providing a firm support for the door to the vehicle body.Type: GrantFiled: December 30, 2003Date of Patent: June 28, 2005Assignee: Hyundai Motor CompanyInventor: Kyung-Dug Seo
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Patent number: 6908143Abstract: A method of making an energy-absorbing structure in the form of a sheet having a pattern of alternating front and rear projections in front of and behind a median plane with each projection having an end face, a pitch region spaced from the end face, and a transition region therebetween including varying at least one parameter of the structure from the group consisting of local variation in sheet thickness in the pitch region, local variation in slope in the pitch region, geometry of the end face and geometry of the transition region, analyzing the energy absorption characteristics of the structure in response to the variation of the or each parameter, selecting the value of the or each parameter which gives a desired absorption characteristic and making a structure with the selected values of the or each parameter.Type: GrantFiled: February 20, 2003Date of Patent: June 21, 2005Assignee: Cellbond LimitedInventor: Michael Ashmead
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Patent number: 6908127Abstract: A bumper system comprising a metal tubular beam, an energy absorber and mounts. The metal tubular beam has a center section having front, rear, top, and bottom walls. The energy absorber includes a rail having a rear surface with a rearwardly-facing C-shaped recess mateably receiving the tubular beam therein, with the energy absorber being configured to crush and absorb impact energy prior to collapse of the tubular beam. The mounts engage a rear of the metal tubular beam.Type: GrantFiled: October 8, 2003Date of Patent: June 21, 2005Assignee: Netshape CorporationInventor: Darin Evans
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Patent number: 6905164Abstract: A body panel mounting system for a vehicle has panel supports, a hinge bar, a latch bar, a support bracket, fastening collars, fastening brackets, and fasteners. The panel supports are coupled to the body panel and are adapted to receive the hinge bar and the latch bar. The support bracket is attached to the vehicle chassis and is adapted to removeably receive the hinge bar. The fastening collars slideably couple to the latch bar. The fastening brackets are coupled to the chassis of the vehicle and are adapted to receive the fasteners. The fastener couples the latch bar to the vehicle chassis via the fastening collars.Type: GrantFiled: March 19, 2004Date of Patent: June 14, 2005Assignee: Paccar IncInventors: Joseph F. Marrs, Derek L. Davis
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Patent number: 6899377Abstract: An automotive vehicle is provided having a body being assembled by a joining process line from a plurality of workpieces joined into a plurality of subassemblies according to the steps of providing templates arranged in a predetermined alignment to form a process line, with each template being generated from a defined set of standardized task stations which are operative to perform a joining process on a workpiece of the subassemblies, fixturing workpieces in a workpiece presenter provided in the task stations, at least one workpiece presenter including a tooling plate removably connected and precision located on a platform of a workpiece presenter, and sequentially joining the workpieces together to form the body.Type: GrantFiled: September 24, 2002Date of Patent: May 31, 2005Assignee: Ford Motor CompanyInventors: Abid Ghuman, John E. Robertson, James Wayne Lowe, Marsha J. Rosso, Michael W. Pitt
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Patent number: 6896310Abstract: An instrument panel includes, in an exemplary embodiment, a thermoplastic base substrate having a first surface and an opposing second surface, and a door portion defined by a tear seam notch in the first surface of the base substrate. The tear seam notch defines a periphery of the door portion. The instrument panel also includes at least one hinge portion defined by a plurality of tear seam notches in the first surface of the base substrate. Each hinge portion interrupts the door portion tear seam notch so that the door portion tear seam notch is not continuous.Type: GrantFiled: November 13, 2003Date of Patent: May 24, 2005Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Adam Kenneth Trappe, Ronald King, Jessie A. Goyette, Kurt Albert Weiss
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Patent number: 6896311Abstract: A mounting assembly is disclosed for mounting a sun visor to a vehicle panel having opposing faces and an aperture therethrough. The mounting assembly includes a mounting component mountable to the vehicle panel. The mounting component includes a first side having a number of spaced apart retaining members extending therefrom and a second side including at least one catch projecting therefrom. The opposing faces of the panel are gripped between the second surface and the catch to retain said mounting component against the vehicle panel. The mounting assembly also includes a bezel component moveably connected to the mounting component by the retaining members.Type: GrantFiled: September 9, 2003Date of Patent: May 24, 2005Assignee: Crotty CorporationInventors: Eric E. Schultz, Brett E. Drake
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Patent number: 6896320Abstract: The present invention describes a hollow structural body such as an automotive unibody or frame rail that is reinforced with a reinforcing material such as a polyurethane foam by inserting into a portion of the structural body a bulkhead-containing insert, which, in combination with the structural body at the place of insertion, creates a containment region for the reinforcing material. Uncured reinforcing material can then be added to the containment region and cured. The present invention solves a problem in the art by providing structural reinforcement to be easily and precisely placed within the structural body to provide, for example, enhanced crash resistance or improvements in acoustical properties.Type: GrantFiled: January 15, 2003Date of Patent: May 24, 2005Assignee: Dow Global Technologies Inc.Inventor: Scott Kropfeld
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Patent number: 6893072Abstract: A cover system for covering a cargo area of a vehicle. The cover system includes an elongate track assembly and a cover assembly. The track assembly is mountable to an upper surface of a pair of sidewalls of a vehicle and the cover assembly is retractably mounted to the track assembly. At least one drive assembly is mounted to the cover assembly for retractably moving the cover assembly between first and second positions.Type: GrantFiled: June 25, 2003Date of Patent: May 17, 2005Inventor: Jomoko Graves
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Patent number: 6890011Abstract: An energy-absorbing bumper with a structural part of foam material or the like which is arranged underneath an outer skin or shell, supports the outer skin or shell in a flexible manner and is arranged between a collision contact zone of the outer skin or shell and a rear side of the bumper.Type: GrantFiled: October 7, 2002Date of Patent: May 10, 2005Assignee: DaimlerChrysler AGInventors: Eduardo Arvelo, Gary Brown, Thomas Frank, Klaus Rathje, Maya Ziegs
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Patent number: 6883860Abstract: A kit of parts including shortened side panels and a roof panel is provided for installation on a highway truck tractor which is being converted from a sleeper cab configuration to a day cab configuration. The kit of parts is particularly useful when converting an integral sleeper cab which requires that the frame and floor be shortened before installation of the components of the conversion kit. When the replacement components are provided in the form of a kit, conversions from sleeper cab to day cab can readily be accomplished in a cost effective manner to realize many benefits recognized with conversion from sleeper cabs to day cabs already being done with non-integral types of sleeper cabs.Type: GrantFiled: December 2, 2003Date of Patent: April 26, 2005Assignee: East Side Heavy Truck CollisionInventor: Darryl Budge
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Patent number: 6883858Abstract: There is disclosed a reinforcement member with a carrier member and a reinforcement material disposed on the carrier member. The carrier member includes one or more first body members disposed at angles relative to one or more second body members. The carrier member also preferably includes connector members interconnecting the body members. The body members of the carrier are preferably arranged in a zig-zag configuration, which can collapse in an accordion-like manner.Type: GrantFiled: August 21, 2003Date of Patent: April 26, 2005Assignee: L & L Products, Inc.Inventor: William J. Barz
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Patent number: 6880881Abstract: A support structure of a motor vehicle, e.g., a passenger car, having a floor which, in the longitudinal vehicle direction, evolves into an upwardly extending end wall, and having an extension which is attached to the end wall by longitudinal members. The production of the support structure may be simplified by arranging the longitudinal members as profiles having a constant cross-section in their longitudinal direction, their longitudinal profile direction being inclined relative to the longitudinal vehicle direction.Type: GrantFiled: February 27, 2003Date of Patent: April 19, 2005Assignee: DaimlerChrysler AGInventors: Olivier Boulay, Wolfgang Fussnegger, Hans-Peter Wunderlich
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Patent number: RE38766Abstract: A modular fold-out camping unit so designed as to be carried largely by a vehicle's hitch receiver for transportation while independently supported to the ground with height adjustable legs while in use. The standard is comprised of a, largely hitch supported, load-carrying base plate, supported by a regular or extended hitch arm, creating the floor, or part of the floor, of the camper, with optional additional floor boards attached with hinges as to be unfolded into an extended floor area whereupon an enclosure in form of a semi permanent tent structure is erected.Type: GrantFiled: January 20, 2003Date of Patent: August 2, 2005Assignee: Frederick R. Bauer, Jr.Inventor: Ronny Bernt Karlsson