Patents by Inventor Melinda M Denninger

Melinda M Denninger 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: 9403506
    Abstract: The present teachings provide for a vehicle seatbelt positioner. The vehicle can include a pillar and seatbelt. The seatbelt positioner can include a cassette, router, and tether. The cassette can be mounted to a first side of the pillar. The router can include a guide body configured to releasably couple the router to the seatbelt. The router can be movable between an extended position in which the router is spaced apart from the pillar, and a retracted position in which the router contacts the pillar. The tether can have a first end coupled to the cassette and a second end coupled to the router. When the router is in the extended position, the tether can extend through an aperture defined by the pillar to a second side of the pillar. The cassette can be configured to retract the tether toward the cassette to position the router in the retracted position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2016
    Assignee: FCA US LLC
    Inventors: Melinda M Denninger, Paul C Tresnak, Rachel Cacossa
  • Publication number: 20160129878
    Abstract: The present teachings provide for a vehicle seatbelt positioner. The vehicle can include a pillar and seatbelt. The seatbelt positioner can include a cassette, router, and tether. The cassette can be mounted to a first side of the pillar. The router can include a guide body configured to releasably couple the router to the seatbelt. The router can be movable between an extended position in which the router is spaced apart from the pillar, and a retracted position in which the router contacts the pillar. The tether can have a first end coupled to the cassette and a second end coupled to the router. When the router is in the extended position, the tether can extend through an aperture defined by the pillar to a second side of the pillar. The cassette can be configured to retract the tether toward the cassette to position the router in the retracted position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 11, 2014
    Publication date: May 12, 2016
    Inventors: Melinda M. Denninger, Paul C. Tresnak, Rachel Cacossa
  • Patent number: 9308889
    Abstract: The present teachings provide for a seatbelt positioner for a vehicle that includes a pillar and seatbelt. The seatbelt positioner can include a receiver, a router, and a tether. The receiver can be coupled to the pillar. The router can include a guide body and a stowage member. The router can be movable between a stowed position and an extended position. The guide body can be configured to releasably couple the router to a chest restraint of the seatbelt. When the router is in the stowed position the stowage member can couple the guide body to the receiver. The tether can have a first end coupled to the router and a second end coupled to the receiver. When the router is in the extended position the tether biases the router in a direction toward the receiver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2016
    Assignee: FCA US LLC
    Inventors: Melinda M Denninger, Paul C Tresnak, Rachel Cacossa