Patents Examined by L Lum
  • Patent number: 6988739
    Abstract: A method for electronically servo-assisting a bicycle gearshift to allow compensation for misalignments between the chain of a bicycle gearshift and one or more sprockets of the gearshift, the method including the steps of: driving an actuator of a bicycle gearshift to displace a chain of the gearshift in an axial direction with respect to a gearshift group comprising at least two sprockets; receiving information on the desired alignment between the chain and a predetermined sprocket of the gearshift group; and setting an adjustment variable, of a logic value associated with the gear ratio relative to the predetermined sprocket, to a value corresponding to the displacement carried out in the step of driving the actuator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2006
    Assignee: Campagnolo S.r.l.
    Inventors: Gianfranco Guderzo, Giuseppe Dal Pra′
  • Patent number: 6988740
    Abstract: A suspension device for disposition between a support post of a bicycle and a suspended member, such as a bicycle seat and bicycle handlebars, having an invertible connector body with a support post mounting, a horizontal median and two shoulder surfaces disposed above the median or below the median. The connector body has at least two sleeves with two slide pins slidably mounted in and passing through the two sleeves, and a top bracket and a bottom bracket fixed to top and bottom ends of said slide pins, with two springs disposed between the shoulder surfaces and the brackets and a seat or handlebar mounting connected to the top bracket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2006
    Inventor: Bert Bobrovniczky
  • Patent number: 6988570
    Abstract: The left and right rear drive wheels of a vehicle are controlled independently, and the traveling direction of the vehicle is changed by providing a rotational speed difference between each of the left and right rear drive wheel. A vehicle operator merely designates the turning direction by moving an operation stick, e.g., to the left or right, which will in turn enable an automatic turn at an optimum curvature to be performed which frees the vehicle operator from complicated steering operations. A highly precise and responsive turn is achieved when the left and right independent control is implemented with a PLL control circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2006
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Kesatoshi Takeuchi
  • Patent number: 6986524
    Abstract: A fifth wheel pin box assembly for towing a trailer behind a towing vehicle including a column, a top member secured to the column, a rubber shear spring, a first plate on the rubber shear spring attached to the top member, a skid pad, a second plate on the rubber shear spring attached to the skid pad, a rubber member bonded between the first and second plates, and a pin extending downwardly from the skid pad.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2006
    Inventor: David E. Heitzmann
  • Patent number: 6983945
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a vehicle body structure safeguarding a fuel tank from damage resulting from collisions without greatly increasing the weight of the vehicle. The vehicle body structure includes a front floor under which a fuel cell stack case accommodating a fuel cell stack is disposed, and side sills and floor frames which extend along the sides of the vehicle, and on which a sub-frame for housing a fuel tank is installed. The front face of the sub-frame and the rear face of the fuel cell stack case are flat and oppose each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2006
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Satoshi Kawasaki, Hiroshi Ito, Yoshitaka Sekiguchi, Tohru Ono, Masaru Shibasawa
  • Patent number: 6979011
    Abstract: A motorcycle or bicycle suspension having adjustable side-to-side flexibility. The suspension includes a telescopic fork and a fork bottom which couples the fork to the axle of a wheel. The fork bottom and the fork are stiff in the direction of travel, to avoid flexing under heavy braking. The fork bottom is flexible in the lateral direction, to improve the ability of the tire to stay in contact with the ground when leaned over and cornering over irregular, bumpy ground. The lateral flexibility of the fork bottom is adjustable by tightening or loosening a tension cable which is attached to the ends of the fork bottom and stretched over a fulcrum in the middle of the fork bottom. Tightening the tension cable increases sideways thrust of the fulcrum against the fork bottom, reducing the lateral flexibility of the fork bottom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2005
    Assignee: MotoCzysz
    Inventor: Michael Czysz
  • Patent number: 6979013
    Abstract: A foldable bicycle includes a front wheel, a rear wheel, and a frame assembly that interconnects the front and rear wheels and that has a plurality of elements, which are interconnected by means of a plurality of horizontal pivot pins. Each of the pivot pins is inclined relative to a transverse direction of the bicycle. As such, the bicycle frame can be folded to align the front and rear wheels along a transverse direction of the bicycle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2005
    Assignee: Giant Manufacturing Co., Inc.
    Inventor: Ming-Chang Chen
  • Patent number: 6971466
    Abstract: This torque compensating track drive is designed to provide track drive vehicles with an undercarriage that distributes the weight of the vehicle over the greatest possible area and also ensures that as much of the drive track is in contact with the surface as possible in all driving situations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2005
    Assignee: Sno-Bear Industries, LLC
    Inventor: Tom Lykken
  • Patent number: 6969085
    Abstract: A trailer hitch having a tubular column between a hitch ball and a towing vehicle. A mating shaft with a horizontal retaining plate has a mating shaft fitting removably within the tubular column. A pin through mating openings in the shaft and tubular column maintain the retaining plate above a trailer arm socket mounted on the hitch ball. A guide with a pair of tapered vertical walls forming a horizontal V-shape has a mating shaft which fits alternately in the tubular column to guide a trailer arm into engagement with the hitch ball.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2005
    Inventor: James G. Causey, Jr.
  • Patent number: 6964310
    Abstract: A multi-wheel-driving vehicle including at least three parallel axles each of which is provided on both ends thereof with respective drive wheels and including power dividing means for permitting the rotary speed among the axles, is improved in its effect of braking so that the braking force of fewer brakes is effectively transmitted to all drive wheels of a vehicle according to a simple braking operation by a driver. The power dividing means, for example, a differential gear unit, includes an input member and a pair of output members, like differential side gears, each of which interlocks with at least one of the axles so as to differentially share a driving force received by the input member between the pair of output members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2005
    Inventor: Toshiyuki Hasegawa
  • Patent number: 6962222
    Abstract: A mobile agricultural machine, particularly for use as a combine, which demonstrates improved operational movement and travel performance characteristics, and is capable of easily changing direction during operation, includes right and left travel crawlers, supported by drive sprockets and tension rollers, which are installed on right and left track frames through track rollers. Right and left travel frames are capable of being controllably elevated through crawler elevation arms. Tension rollers provide movement to the travel crawlers in a vertical direction, perpendicular to the ground.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2005
    Assignee: Yanmar Agricultural Equipment Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Toshinori Kirihata
  • Patent number: 6962221
    Abstract: A mobile ice fishing shelter assembly for permitting quick and easy movement of a mobile shelter designed to facilitate ice fishing. The mobile ice fishing shelter assembly is positionable on a vehicle having a seat portion and a drive assembly, and may comprise a shelter assembly for coupling to the vehicle. The cover assembly is adjustable between a retracted position and a deployed position. The seat portion may include at least one pivotable seat member for adjusting a position of a user to selectively facilitate driving the vehicle and fishing to a side of the vehicle while seated on the seat portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2005
    Inventor: Paul Carrette
  • Patent number: 6957824
    Abstract: The specification discloses several embodiments of an interlocking device. The specification discloses a preferred embodiment of an interlocking device having an inner bar slideable within the confines of an outer bar. The outer bar has a first end and a second end. When the inner bar slides towards the second end of the outer bar, a plug, which is attached to the inner bar, is adapted to abut a plug barrier thereby preventing the inner bar from sliding towards the second end. The outer bar of the interlocking device further defines an interlocking member passage and an interlocking member stop. The interlocking device further has an interlocking member attached to the inner bar. When the inner bar slides towards the first end of the outer bar, at least a portion of the interlocking member moves transverse to the sliding axis of the inner bar and into the interlocking member passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2005
    Inventor: Kenneth J. Klar
  • Patent number: 6957822
    Abstract: A tractor unit/trailer combination which is capable of carrying out suspended transport of a heavy duty piece of equipment, with the equipment being coupled at its forward end to the tractor unit and at its rear end to the trailer, and in such a way that the equipment remains suspended above the ground while at the same time forming an articulated connection between the tractor unit and the trailer. The tractor unit has a fifth wheel coupling to which the forward end of the piece of equipment can be coupled. The trailer has an inclined support ramp on which the rear end of the piece of equipment can be supported. A coupling plate is provided which is able to couple the forward end of the piece of equipment to the fifth wheel coupling. Upon uncoupling of the piece of equipment from the tractor unit and the trailer, when it has reached its destination, the trailer can then be coupled directly to the tractor unit so as to form a tractor unit/combination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2005
    Assignee: Extec Screens and Crushers Limited
    Inventors: Paul Douglas, Terence Bratton
  • Patent number: 6955236
    Abstract: A snowmobile ski with a pair of outboard keels and laterally projecting, upwardly slanting, lateral wings attached proximate the outboard keels is disclosed. A ski of this structure has improved flotation and resistance to side slippage in turns.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2005
    Assignee: Starting Line Products, Inc.
    Inventors: Allen Roberts, Joseph Brigham Hokanson
  • Patent number: 6951344
    Abstract: A bicycle including a frame member provided with a front wheel mounted on a shaft and a rear wheel mounted on a shaft, a saddle provided with a stepped tube for adjustably receiving the saddle to a rear portion of the frame member, a handlebar assembly rotatably attached to a front portion of the frame member, a fork assembly extending through the front portion of the frame member, said fork assembly being connected at one end to the handlebars and at the other end to the front wheel, a front fender and rear fender operatively associated with the frame member and extending over the front and rear wheels, respectively, a pair of pedals extending from opposite sides of the frame member, sprocket wheels connected to the pedals and the rear wheel, a drive chain for engaging the sprocket wheels, wherein the front portion of the frame member terminates in a tubular end that receives the fork assembly and the handlebars, and a lower portion of the frame member separates into two leg members which extend along opposi
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2005
    Assignee: Magic Toys Do Brasil Industria E Comercio Ltda.
    Inventor: Joaquim Matias De Oliveira
  • Patent number: 6948583
    Abstract: Steering equipment is provided with a transmission shaft (4) mounted so that it can turn within a steering column (2), and with a control device (8) for actuating an operating unit; the control device (8) being provided with a switch (9) and a control member (18), which has substantially the shape of the sector of a circle and can move between an operative position, a resting position in which the control member (18) sets itself about a longitudinal axis (3) of the steering column (2), and a position of actuation of the switch (9).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2005
    Assignee: CNH America LLC
    Inventors: Franco Mazzucchi, Andrea Carreri, Enrico Sedoni, Eugenio Sereni
  • Patent number: 6948584
    Abstract: A steering system, e.g., a hydraulic rack and pinion steering system for motor vehicles, includes a steering handle for prescribing a steering intention, a pressure medium source and a control valve device for controlling a flow of pressure medium to and from a servomotor in order to deflect vehicle wheels. The control valve device has a closed center, and a pressure medium accumulator is provided for producing and/or assisting a flow of pressure medium to and from the servomotor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2005
    Assignee: ZF Lenksysteme GmbH
    Inventors: Martin Budaker, Wilfried Leutner, Helmut Knoedler
  • Patent number: 6945343
    Abstract: The invention is a motorized trailer wheel mounted to a trailer tongue jack which has a single power source such as 12-volt battery-powered electric motor and gear reducer. The motor drives a pinion gear which engages a circular rack mounted to the wheel. Operation of the motor is controlled by an electrical switch assembly which can switch among OFF, FORWARD, and REVERSE positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2005
    Inventors: Mickal Moreau, Tommy Tullos
  • Patent number: 6945342
    Abstract: A track drive undercarriage device, a kit for the device, and a method of using the same are described attached to a chassis of a heavy construction work vehicle for operationally connected to a transmission and drive shaft of the construction vehicle. The device is operationally attached to the vehicle for providing increased the traction and stability of the heavy construction work vehicle when maneuvering the vehicle off-road. The device includes the interconnected elements of: a pair of support braces, a base plate, four shock absorbers, four axles, a pair of torque bars, and four spindles. The kit includes the unconnected components of the device. The method of using includes the steps of acquiring, adjoining, affixing, connecting, joining, obtaining, procuring, receiving, securing, and wrapping.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2005
    Inventor: John D. Hill