Patents Examined by R. J. McCarry, Jr.
  • Patent number: 9625060
    Abstract: A railway car air brake hose support bracket has an upper portion with first and second attachment members, a lower portion and an air hose connector. The first attachment member enters into and engages a portion of an accessible compartment of an uncoupling mechanism housing below the coupler head, and the second attachment member is secured to an air brake hose support lug of the railway car coupler. The air brake hose connector engages an air brake hose assembly and suspends this hose assembly from the railway coupler at a predetermined distance above the rail bed. A method of installing the hose support bracket includes positioning the first and second attachment members, securing them in place, and attaching one or more railway brake hose units to the air hose connector, either before or after this positioning and securing of the upper portion of the bracket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignee: Ireco, LLC
    Inventor: Brian G. Maki
  • Patent number: 9623882
    Abstract: A plurality of side modules include a first module, a second module and a third module extending between the first module and the second module in the carbody longitudinal direction and joined to the first module and the second module. A lower end portion of the first module and a lower end portion of the second module oppose and are joined to a floor bodyshell. A lower end portion of a region of the third module opposes the floor bodyshell, the region being located between the first module and the second module. The lower end portion of the region of the third module is freer with respect to the floor bodyshell than the lower end portion of the first module and the lower end portion of the second module. The third module is supported by the floor bodyshell through the first module and the second module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignee: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kei Uchida, Seiichiro Yagi, Eiichi Kato, Chihiro Okayama, Toshiyuki Hirashima, Akihiro Tada
  • Patent number: 9617688
    Abstract: A rail assembly including one or more rail bodies formed for supporting rolling engagement of a train wheel thereover, the rolling engagement generating vibrations in the rail body. The rail assembly includes one or more boots formed for attachment to the rail body to substantially electrically isolate the rail body relative to ground material. The boot includes a chamber wall for at least partially defining a chamber between the rail body and the chamber wall when the boot is attached to the rail body. The rail assembly also includes one or more inserts positionable in the chamber, at least a part of the vibrations being transmittable to the insert when the insert is positioned in the chamber, for dissipation of at least a proportion of the part of the vibrations in the insert.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: POLYCORP LTD.
    Inventor: Richard Theodore Ellis
  • Patent number: 9617689
    Abstract: A passive switch for a railway track is disclosed. A railway car is moveable along the railway track in a facing direction. The passive switch includes a first track section and a second track section. The first track section includes a first main track, a first diverging track, and a first guard rail. The first guard rail is shaped to guide a first wheel of the railway car from the first main track onto the first diverging track as the first wheel travels in the facing direction within the passive switch. The second track section includes a second main track and a second diverging track. The second main track is shaped to guide a second wheel of the railway car from the second main track onto the second diverging track.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Robert J. Atmur, Thorin Arthur Rogers
  • Patent number: 9611981
    Abstract: Various methods and systems are provided for supplying gaseous natural gas to a rail vehicle. In one embodiment, a method of receiving fuel for use by a first vehicle comprises sending a request from the first vehicle to a remote liquid fuel container to convert a portion of the fuel in the liquid fuel container that is in a first, liquid phase from the first, liquid phase to a second, gaseous phase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2017
    Assignee: General Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Ronald Gene Billig, Taral Shah
  • Patent number: 9605387
    Abstract: The invention relates to a railway work vehicle comprising a chassis supported by a drive mechanism and work devices supported by the chassis. According to the invention, the transportation of material within the work vehicle below and/or above and/or next to the working devices can be improved by using at least one conveyor track on which conveyor bodies for objects or objects forming conveyor bodies, in the form of a parceled goods, can be driven along the working vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: K & K MASCHINENENTWICKLUNGS GMBH & CO. KG
    Inventor: Wolfram Peter Dehmel
  • Patent number: 9598092
    Abstract: A railcar energy absorption/coupling system including a cushioning assembly arranged in operable combination with a coupler and a yoke. The cushioning assembly is positioned in a draft pocket defined by a draft sill on a railcar between the front and rear stops. The yoke consists of a back wall along with top and bottom walls which are joined to and axially extending from the back wall toward a forward end of the cushioning assembly. The back wall of the yoke is disposed to contact the rear end of the cushioning assembly. The top and bottom walls of the yoke are operably coupled to a shank portion of the coupler toward a forward end of the yoke. The top and bottom walls of the yoke each include stop members which extend in opposed lateral directions from each other and limit draft travel while maximizing buff travel and limit total combined travel of the energy absorption/coupling system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2017
    Assignee: MINER ENTERPRISES, INC.
    Inventors: Kenneth A. James, Erich A. Schoedl
  • Patent number: 9592837
    Abstract: An outlet gate assembly includes a body and an elongated discharge opening. An elongated discharge conduit is generally adjacent the discharge opening and is configured to pass material through either of the first discharge end and the second discharge end. A valve assembly controls the flow of material from the discharge opening into the discharge conduit and includes a direct motion component and a lost motion component and a lost motion coupling between the direct motion component and the lost motion component. Each of the direct motion component and the lost motion component is rotatable to move between an open position and a closed position and the valve assembly is operable from either the first end or the second end of the body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2017
    Assignee: SALCO PRODUCTS, INC.
    Inventors: James M. McLaughlin, David A. Oestermeyer, Alex V. Degutis, Joshua J. Chesser, Clayton J. Strand, Matthew C. Huang, William R. Borowski
  • Patent number: 9592844
    Abstract: A locomotive driver's cab allows a locomotive driver a comparatively long time for observing a route by providing the locomotive driver's cab with a front vision display for displaying rail-vehicle-relevant information in the field of vision of the locomotive driver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2017
    Assignee: SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Roland Porsch, Wilhelm Schaeper
  • Patent number: 9586155
    Abstract: The toy vehicle track system includes a first track section, a second track section, a third track section, a trigger configured to initiate a launch of a first toy vehicle and a second toy vehicle, and a toy vehicle launcher operatively coupled to the trigger and configured to launch the first toy vehicle onto the first track section and configured to launch the second toy vehicle onto the second track section upon operation of the trigger. The third track section is configured to receive the first toy vehicle from the first track section and configured to receive the second toy vehicle from the second track section such that the first toy vehicle and the second toy vehicle simultaneously travel on the third track section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignee: Mattel, Inc.
    Inventors: Brian Hong, Glenn Yu, Windsor Williams
  • Patent number: 9583932
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a cable storage device for a charging cable of a rechargeable battery of an electric vehicle. The cable storage device includes a rotatable drum onto which the charging cable can be wound. The drum is mounted in a rotatable manner on a rotationally fixed shaft. The shaft includes an external thread, and the drum includes an internal thread which engages the external thread.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventor: Gerd Zuber
  • Patent number: 9580083
    Abstract: A rail vehicle (10) with fuel consumers (20, 22, 30, 32, 34) and an on board fuel storage and supply system, characterized by a main fuel tank (24) adapted to be installed in a first railcar (12) of the rail vehicle (10), a buffer fuel tank (36) adapted to be installed in a second railcar (14) of the rail vehicle (10), and a fuelling device (38) for transferring fuel from the main fuel tank (24) to the buffer fuel tank (36). Preferred application to internal combustion engine rail vehicles with multiple railcars equipped with multiple diesel engines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: ALSTOM TRANSPORT TECHNOLOGIES
    Inventors: Konrad Steindorff, Klaus Scheller
  • Patent number: 9580089
    Abstract: Lightweight yokes are provided. According to some embodiments, the basic overall appearance of the yoke may be maintained, but the actual material of which it is constructed is changed. According to other embodiments, the yoke is provided with an improved lightweight construction, and, yet other embodiments the yoke may be provided with an improved construction and formed from a preferred material. Yokes may be constructed from cast austempered ductile iron; whereas cast iron has a density, 0.26 lbs/in^3, which is approximately 8% less than steel, 0.283 lbs/in^3, thereby allowing for a reduction in weight over steel. A suitable austempering process is used to produce the austempered metal yoke. Yokes have improved configurations which may require less metal to produce the yoke. Both, the lightweight material and improvements in configuration of the yoke structure may combine to provide a lighter weight yoke.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: PENNSY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Perry Levitt, Zachary Ryan Brook, Manuel Tavares, Wayne H. Murphy, Aaron Stern, Michael J. Schmidt
  • Patent number: 9577418
    Abstract: A cable system has a cable connecting a base device and a travelling body, functions of the cable at least including transmission of signals, a reel device disposed on the travelling body, the reel device having a reel onto which the cable is to be wound, a motor that drives the reel and a rotation sensor that detects a rotation of the reel, a motor controller that controls the motor of the reel device; and an acceleration sensor that is disposed in the traveling body and detects an acceleration in a vertical direction, the motor controller basically opening a motor drive circuit for driving the motor or bringing a supply current to the motor to zero when it is determined that the reel is rotated in an unreeling direction for unreeling the cable based on sensed information from the rotation sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: Topy Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shingo Tsukui, Seiji Oomura, Hidekazu Iwaki
  • Patent number: 9561807
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an elastic coupling (1) between rail vehicle wagons, comprising: an end support (2) or curved head (8) in turn comprising a screwed straight area (5), an intermediate deformation area (6) and an end coupling area (7), the end (8) of the coupling area (7) being curved, an end support (3) or straight head (8?) in turn comprising a screwed straight area (5?), an intermediate deformation area (6?) and an end coupling area (7?), the end (8?) of the coupling area (7?) being straight, and an enclosing case (4) covering the end coupling area (7) of the support (2) and the end coupling area (7?) of the support (3), such that the supports (2) and (3) are attached to one another by draw connection means and by elastic elements. The walls of the intermediate area 6 of the support 2 are curved inwards, and the walls of the intermediate area 6? of the support 3 are curved outwards.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2017
    Assignee: PATENTES TALGO, S.L.
    Inventors: Maria Teresa Vicente Corral, Andres Lopez Bonaque, Miguel Angel Moñino
  • Patent number: 9560139
    Abstract: An access point for a communication network is disclosed. The access point may have a communications processor configured to receive signals from a different access point of the communication network, and at least a first attenuator configured to selectively attenuate the signals before they are received by the communications processor. The access point may also have a voltage clamp configured to limit a strength of the signals before they are received by the at least a first attenuator, and a second attenuator configured to attenuate all signals before they are received by the voltage clamp.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: Electro-Motive Diesel, Inc.
    Inventor: Neil Keith Habermehl
  • Patent number: 9555507
    Abstract: A display system is easily attached to the safety bar of a chair on a chair lift system at the beginning of a season. The display system includes brackets formed of rails holding clamp portions that may be fastened together to clamp the display system to a chair, such as to the safety bar across the lap of a rider. At the end of a season, the display system may be removed from each chair, the clamp portions removed, and the display systems stacked. In one simplified system, adjacent displays may be stacked back to back, and such adjacent pairs may be stacked with the displays in adjacent pairs positioned face-to-face. Thus, metal brackets on the backs need not scratch up the reading faces or surfaces. Meanwhile, the displays may be stored in minimal space, with great stability, while minimizing wear and damage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Inventor: Christian R. Ahrens
  • Patent number: 9555720
    Abstract: The transport device for conveying products has several symmetrically configured, movable carriages having inverted U-shape, each carriage having permanent magnets, also has an endless guide rail for guiding the carriages and a linear-motor drive device to drive the carriages. Each symmetric half of each carriage has three running rollers projecting inwardly from sidepieces of the carriage. The three running rollers of the first half rest on first and second guide surfaces on a first side wall of the guide rail, and the three running rollers of the second half rest on first and second guide surfaces on the second side wall of the guide rail. Each guide surface is arranged at an acute angle to a longitudinal center plane of the transport device, and the two guide surfaces of each side wall are at an angle of 80° to 100° to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: Uhlmann Pac-Systeme GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Thomas Aumann, Joerg Riekenbrauck, Wolfgang Krahl, Roberto Linke
  • Patent number: 9540019
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a train control device. The train control device sets an emergency brake pattern and a regular brake pattern as patterns of maximum speed according to the distance to a stopping point, and outputs a braking command when the train speed exceeds the maximum speed. Then, when the maximum speed defined in the regular brake pattern falls below a set speed, the maximum speed of the regular brake pattern is kept constant for a predetermined distance. After that, the maximum speed is gradually reduced toward a stopping point of the emergency brake pattern. This allows a train to make an approach to a fixed stopping position in an automatic train operation even when the fixed stopping position is located farther than a stopping point of the regular brake pattern, and excessive output of an emergency braking command based on the emergency brake pattern can be reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2017
    Assignee: The Nippon Signal Co., LTD.
    Inventor: Keiichi Saito
  • Patent number: 9534278
    Abstract: A rail is provided in which in a range from a surface of a head of the rail to a depth of 30 mm, 95% or more of a structure is composed of a pearlite structure by area %, and in a range with a depth of 20 mm to 30 mm from the surface of the head of the rail, an average grain size of a pearlite block in a transverse section is 120 ?m to 200 ?m.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2017
    Assignee: NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masaharu Ueda, Teruhisa Miyazaki