Patents by Inventor Frank Kleefeldt

Frank Kleefeldt 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: 4733892
    Abstract: A keeper according to the invention is used in combination with a motor-vehicle door post and with a latch fork displaceable in an inward direction toward and an outward direction away from the post on closing and opening of the respective door. The keeper has a U-section sheet-metal frame having flanges secured to the door post and formed with a throughgoing passage open transversely of the directions and having relative to the directions an outer edge. An incompressible but elastomeric damper insert received in the frame has a throughgoing passage aligned with that of the frame, engages inward and outward laterally past the frame, and is formed with a groove opening inward at the outer frame-passage edge. A hard metallic abutment of mushroom section has a central outwardly flared stem snugly received in the groove and tabs outwardly overreaching and overlying the outer frame-passage edge and defining an inwardly convex surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 1987
    Date of Patent: March 29, 1988
    Assignee: Kiekert GmbH & Co. Kommanditgesellschaft
    Inventors: Frank Kleefeldt, Kurt Raffelsiefer
  • Patent number: 4686529
    Abstract: A remote-control lock system has a transmitter that can emit any of a set formed of a multiplicity of differently coded signals, a receiver that can be set to respond to any of the signals, and a lock operable by the receiver when it receives a signal it is set to. The set of signals the transmitter can emit includes a subset formed by a succession of different main signals and another subset formed by a succession of different synchronization signals. The transmitter is initially set to emit on normal actuation a predetermined one of the main signals and on special actuation a predetermined one of the synchronization signals and the receiver is set to respond only to the predetermined one main signal and to the predetermined synchronization signal to operate the lock.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 1984
    Date of Patent: August 11, 1987
    Assignees: Kiekert GmbH & Co. Kommanditgesellschaft, Telefunken Electronic GmbH
    Inventor: Frank Kleefeldt
  • Patent number: 4637239
    Abstract: A vehicular lock system used in combination with a battery has at least one latch settable in an unlocked position, a locked position permitting manual opening only by a key, and an antitheft position preventing manual opening even with the key. An electric servomotor is powered by the battery to displace the latch between at least the antitheft and locked positions. This servomotor is unable to move the latch between the positions when the battery power is below a predetermined minimum. An externally operable control unit is connected between the battery and the servomotor for feeding the battery power to the servomotor for displacing the latch at least between the antitheft and locked positions. A reference signal corresponding to the minimum battery power is compared to the battery power to displace the latch from the antitheft position to the locked position when the battery power falls below the predetermined minimum represented by the reference signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 1985
    Date of Patent: January 20, 1987
    Assignee: Kiekert GmbH & Co Kommanditgesellschaft
    Inventors: Frank Kleefeldt, Peter Bartel
  • Patent number: 4518180
    Abstract: A power door latch for automotive vehicles in which an electric motor drives a crank to move a slider which, in turn, can act upon a toggle linkage and a pawl so that the latch can release a rotary bolt and a toggle linkage can displace the rotary bolt to latch or release a pin of the doorpost. The toggle linkage allows high friction forces to be readily overcome utilizing a low power motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 1982
    Date of Patent: May 21, 1985
    Assignee: Kiekert GmbH & Co. Kommanditgesellschaft
    Inventors: Frank Kleefeldt, Rolf Raetz
  • Patent number: 4440006
    Abstract: A central door-lock system has a plurality of door latches each including a detent displaceable between an open position securing the respective door to the respective doorpost and a closed position permitting the respective door to separate from the respective doorpost, a manual door-opening handle, mechanism including a primary latch member connected to the handle and connectable to the detent and movable between a lock position preventing this handle from displacing the detent between its open and closed positions and an unlock position permitting the handle to displace the detent between the open and closed positions, and a secondary latch member displaceable between a lock position urging the primary latch member into the respective lock position while permitting the primary latch member to move into the respective unlock position, an unlock position permitting the primary latch member to move freely between the respective lock and unlock positions, and an antitheft position positively holding the primar
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 1981
    Date of Patent: April 3, 1984
    Assignee: Kiekert GmbH & Co. Kommanditgesellschaft
    Inventor: Frank Kleefeldt
  • Patent number: 4364249
    Abstract: A central door-lock system has a plurality of door latches each of which is provided with a detent displaceable between open and closed positions for allowing the door to open and for holding it closed. This detent can be acted on by a manual door-opening handle through mechanism including a primary latch member which is connected to the handle and connectable to the detent and which is movable between a lock position preventing the handle from displacing the detent between the open and closed positions and an unlock position permitting the handle to displace the detent between the open and closed positions. A secondary latch member is displaceable between a lock position urging the primary latch member into the respective lock position, an unlock position permitting the primary latch member to move freely between the respective lock and unlock positions, and an antitheft position positively holding the primary member in the respective lock position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 1980
    Date of Patent: December 21, 1982
    Assignee: Kiekert GmbH & Co. Kommanditgesellschaft
    Inventor: Frank Kleefeldt
  • Patent number: 4357815
    Abstract: A lock assembly has a tubular secondary lock housing having an inner wall generally centered on an axis and formed with an axially extending and inwardly open groove. A core plug is rotatable in this housing and has a central axially extending and open key-receiving passage. Axially spaced tumblers are exposed at this passage in the plug and are diametrally displaceable therein along a diametral plane between outer positions projecting radially beyond the outer surface and inner positions lying radially within the outer surface. These tumblers are only displaceable into the outer positions when they are radially aligned with the groove and when they are in the outer position and engaged in the groove they block the core from rotating in the housing. The tumblers have respective control edges subdivided at the diametral plane into first edge regions and second edge regions which are out of line with each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 1980
    Date of Patent: November 9, 1982
    Assignee: Kiekert GmbH & Co. Kommanditgesellschaft
    Inventors: Frank Kleefeldt, Horst Brackmann
  • Patent number: 4342209
    Abstract: A central vehicle door-lock system has several door latches each including a detent movable between a lock position securing the door closed and an unlock position allowing the door to be opened by means of a mechanism inside the door latch. Each of these latches is associated with a servoactuator having an actuator that is engaged via this mechanism with the respective detent and that is in turn moved by an operator. This operator, therefore, can move the actuator and with it the latch detent between lock and unlock positions, and the operator itself is movable by a servomotor into an antitheft position. A lock pawl on the actuator can, in the lock position of the actuator and in the antitheft position of the operator, move from a freeing position permitting displacement of the actuator from the lock to the unlock position into a blocking position preventing such displacement to lock up the entire latch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 1980
    Date of Patent: August 3, 1982
    Assignee: Kiekert GmbH & Co. Kommanditgesellschaft
    Inventor: Frank Kleefeldt
  • Patent number: 4320639
    Abstract: A tubular lock housing receives a core plug which is rotatable in the housing about an axis between a pair of angularly offset unlock and antitheft positions and through an intermediate lock position. Pluralities of first and second tumblers are exposed at the key-receiving passage of the plug and are diametrally displaceable therein between outer positions lying radially within the outer surface of the core. Differently bitted first and second keys are engageable in the key-receiving passage with the respective tumblers to displace them into the inner positions. At least one inwardly open first recess is formed in the inner wall of the tubular lock housing in radial alignment with the first tumblers only in one end position of the plug, so that these tumblers engage in the first recess when in the outer positions and thereby prevent angular displacement of the plug from the unlocked position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 1980
    Date of Patent: March 23, 1982
    Assignee: Kiekert GmbH & Co. Kommanditgesellschaft
    Inventors: Frank Kleefeldt, Horst Brackmann
  • Patent number: 4257634
    Abstract: A remote controlled door lock unit includes a motor for driving a worm gear having stop elements at its ends for abutment with a travelling nut; and having tangentially facing stop and counterstop surfaces. The axially moved nut drives the lock actuator. The motor is turned on via a time relay just to drive the nut from one to the opposite stop position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 1979
    Date of Patent: March 24, 1981
    Assignee: Arn. Kiekert Sohne
    Inventors: Frank Kleefeldt, Lothar Krause
  • Patent number: 4165112
    Abstract: A motor-vehicle door latch has an eye-type bolt formed of a U-section piece of sheet steel and having upper and lower sides tapered to each other. A latch housing mounted on the motor-vehicle door has an elastomeric guide forming an upwardly seat having a pair of relatively inclined sides that can fit complementarily over the bolt. A locking fork is pivotal in this latch housing to engage through a vertically throughgoing hole in the bolt and hold it tightly in place.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 1978
    Date of Patent: August 21, 1979
    Assignee: Arn. Kiekert Sohne
    Inventor: Frank Kleefeldt
  • Patent number: 4135377
    Abstract: A system for locking the doors of a vehicle by central command includes a reversible motor driving a worm gear. A traveling nut operated by the worm gear engages a lock-actuating lever through an overload clutch. The overload clutch includes a cam and a cam follower. The cam has a normal central stable position bounded on either side by regions of neutral stability which permit override by small manually applied forces in case the motor or worm gear malfunctions. The system further includes a spring powered mechanism for unlocking the doors in the event of an accident. The spring powered mechanism is tripped electrically by an acceleration-sensing switch, and can be recocked by applying a relatively large force to a plunger located on the window sill.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 1976
    Date of Patent: January 23, 1979
    Assignee: Arn. Kiekert Sohne
    Inventors: Frank Kleefeldt, Lothar Krause