Patents by Inventor Clayton J. Hayes

Clayton J. Hayes has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 8408645
    Abstract: An active head restraint for supporting the head of an occupant, includes a shell, and an actuator disposed within the shell, wherein the actuator further includes a spring-biased bar linkage system pivotally coupled to the shell, a radial ratcheting sector coupled to the linkage system, a pawl selectively engaging the sector, and a solenoid drivenly coupled to the pawl, and configured, when activated, to cause the pawl to disengage the sector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Paul W. Alexander, Leigh A. Berger, Michael G. Carpenter, Dale M. Drew, Michael E Kilpinen, Clayton J Hayes, James A Smith
  • Patent number: 8109567
    Abstract: An active headrest for selectively supporting the head of an occupant, includes a shell, and an actuator disposed within the shell, including a bar linkage system drivenly coupled to the shell, so as to adjust the distance or engagement between the shell and head when displaced, and an active material element drivenly coupled to the system, so as to cause or enable the displacement of the system, and preferably further including a ratchet sector/pawl and latch cooperating to present plural achievable deployment positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2012
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Paul W. Alexander, Michael G. Carpenter, Leigh A. Berger, Dale M. Drew, Michael E Kilpinen, Clayton J Hayes, James A Smith
  • Publication number: 20100314918
    Abstract: An active head restraint for supporting the head of an occupant, includes a shell, and an actuator disposed within the shell, wherein the actuator further includes a spring-biased bar linkage system pivotally coupled to the shell, a radial ratcheting sector coupled to the linkage system, a pawl selectively engaging the sector, and a solenoid drivenly coupled to the pawl, and configured, when activated, to cause the pawl to disengage the sector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 2, 2010
    Publication date: December 16, 2010
    Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS, INC.
    Inventors: Paul W. Alexander, Leigh A. Berger, Michael G. Carpenter, Dale M. Drew, Michael E. Kilpinen, Clayton J. Hayes, James A. Smith
  • Publication number: 20100140987
    Abstract: An active headrest for selectively supporting the head of an occupant, includes a shell, and an actuator disposed within the shell, including a bar linkage system drivenly coupled to the shell, so as to adjust the distance or engagement between the shell and head when displaced, and an active material element drivenly coupled to the system, so as to cause or enable the displacement of the system, and preferably further including a ratchet sector/pawl and latch cooperating to present plural achievable deployment positions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 3, 2009
    Publication date: June 10, 2010
    Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS, INC.
    Inventors: Paul W. Alexander, Michael G. Carpenter, Leigh A. Berger, Dale M. Drew, Michael E. Kilpinen, Clayton J. Hayes, James A. Smith
  • Patent number: 5425569
    Abstract: A vehicle seat assembly is provided which, in a preferred embodiment, includes a vehicle seatback frame with at least two spaced-apart rails defining a seating surface therebetween, a flexible seat suspension bridging over and connecting to the spaced-apart rails for supporting the seating surface and including a generally elongated member generally parallel to at least one of the rails, a wire wing reinforcement pivotally mounted at upper and lower ends to the elongated member and extending from the elongated member and having upper stop means and lower means by making contact with the elongated member to limit a maximum angle of the wing reinforcement with respect to the seating surface, and an elastic wing covering the wing reinforcement compliantly returning the wing reinforcement to an angle approximating the maximum angle of the wing reinforcement with respect to the seating surface whenever the wing has been angularly displaced toward the seating surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 1994
    Date of Patent: June 20, 1995
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventor: Clayton J. Hayes