Patents by Inventor Michael Kolbl

Michael Kolbl 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: 6846032
    Abstract: A covering for the cargo area (3) of a motor vehicle (1), especially for the cargo area (3) of a pick-up truck, having a roll-up element (2) which is opened for loading the cargo area (3) and which can be partially or completely closed when it is desired that the cargo area (3) be covered. The roll-up element (2) has interconnected louvers (4) which are outwardly arched and can be guided at its lateral sides by guide elements (10, 11) with recesses (12) for receiving the roll-up element (2). Additionally, the guide elements (10, 11) can have contact elements (15) for applying outwardly directed pressure to the roll-up element (2), the contact elements having a low friction top surface (16) to facilitate sliding or rolling of the roll-up element over it.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2005
    Assignee: Webasto Vehicle Systems International GmbH
    Inventors: Francois de Gaillard, Michael Kölbl, Peter Mitterbauer, Martin Pollak, Thomas Rudolph
  • Publication number: 20040075305
    Abstract: An openable roof for a motor vehicle having a driver's compartment (10) with a roof cover (12) which can be moved between a closed position and an open position, and a rear wall (14) that can be pivot with respect to the driver's compartment around an axis (24) which runs in the transverse direction of the vehicle, and with a cargo bed (16) which is located behind the driver's compartment. The roof cover (12) and the rear wall (14) are joined to one another to be able to fold in the manner of a hinge, the roof cover being folded in the open position onto the rear wall and the roof cover, and the rear wall being deposited in this position in the area of the cargo bed (16).
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 11, 2003
    Publication date: April 22, 2004
    Applicant: WEBASTO VEHICLE SYSTEMS INTERNATIONAL GmbH
    Inventors: Francois De Gaillard, Martin De Waal, Jean-Luc Guicheteau, Izumi Kimoto, Michael Kolbl, Peter Mitterbauer, Martin Pollak, Claudio Ivano Righetti, Miriam Schonauer, Sigeru Ueki, Bernhard Vecchioni
  • Publication number: 20040051339
    Abstract: A covering for the cargo area (3) of a motor vehicle (1), especially for the cargo area (3) of a pick-up truck, having a roll-up element (2) which is opened for loading the cargo area (3) and which can be partially or completely closed when it is desired that the cargo area (3) be covered. The roll-up element (2) has interconnected louvers (4) which are outwardly arched and can be guided at its lateral sides by guide elements (10, 11) with recesses (12) for receiving the roll-up element (2). Additionally, the guide elements (10, 11) can have contact elements (15) for applying outwardly directed pressure to the roll-up element (2), the contact elements having a low friction top surface (16) to facilitate sliding or rolling of the roll-up element over it.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 9, 2003
    Publication date: March 18, 2004
    Applicant: WEBASTO VEHICLE SYSTEMS INTERNATIONAL GmbH
    Inventors: Francois De Gaillard, Michael Kolbl, Peter Mitterbauer, Martin Pollak, Thomas Rudolph
  • Publication number: 20040051348
    Abstract: An openable motor vehicle roof with a set (20) of several raisable louvers (22) which are arranged in succession in the lengthwise direction of the vehicle, which lie flat side-by-side next to one another in the closed position in order to close the roof opening (10), and which can be pushed into the form of a packet in which they lay parallel to, and on top of, one another in the raised state in order to at least partially clear the roof opening. The roof opening (10) extends to underneath the equator (18) of the motor vehicle in the rear area of the motor vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 11, 2003
    Publication date: March 18, 2004
    Applicant: Webasto Vehicle Systems International GmbH
    Inventors: Francois De Gaillard, Martin De Waal, Jean-Luc Guicheteau, Izumi Kimoto, Michael Kolbl, Peter Mitterbauer, Martin Pollak, Claudio Ivano Righetti, Miriam Schonauer, Sigeru Ueki, Bernhard Vecchioni
  • Publication number: 20030162490
    Abstract: A ventilation cap (3) for a motor vehicle roof (1) for ventilation of the motor vehicle interior (4) and a roof with such a ventilation cap, in which the ventilation cap (3) is formed to be oblong having an air duct with a front air opening (6) and with a rear air opening (7) which discharge above the motor vehicle roof (1), the air duct being flow-connected to the motor vehicle interior (4) via a flow path which is formed in the ventilation cap (3). The motor vehicle roof (1) is formed preferably as a glass roof with at least two glass surfaces (2a, 2b), on which the ventilation cap (3) is mounted essentially a central longitudinal axis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 3, 2003
    Publication date: August 28, 2003
    Applicant: Webasto Vehicle Systems International GmbH
    Inventors: Joachim Klesing, Michael Kolbl, Martin Pollak, Bernd Schleicher, Wolfgang Seifert, Helmut Teschner, Bernhard Vecchioni
  • Patent number: 6517150
    Abstract: A cover unit, for closing the roof opening in the solid skin of a motor vehicle roof, having a cover element, composed of an at least partially transparent plastic, and a reinforcing frame, for example, made of metal, which extends along the side edge of the cover element, and which bears a seal which surrounds the side edge of the cover element for contact against an essentially vertically running roof-mounted sealing surface. The reinforcing frame is cemented, using a flexible cement, to the cover element such that the cover element can move, in the transverse direction, relative to the reinforcing frame in order to enable thermal expansion of the cover element. The seal has a roof sealing area, contacting a roof-mounted sealing surface, which is substantially unaffected by thermal expansion of the cover element, and the seal has a cover sealing area for compensation of thermal expansion of the cover element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2003
    Assignee: Webasto Vehicle Systems International GmbH
    Inventors: Francois De Gaillard, Michael Kölbl
  • Patent number: 6378208
    Abstract: A process for producing a motor vehicle body part, especially a motor vehicle roof, which is built in a sandwich construction having layers including an outside shell (10) made of a foam material having an outside skin, and an inside shell (11) that is a prefabricated component. Initially, the foam material is placed into a first mold half (16) of a mold tool, the foam material being applied to the shaped outer skin which is placed in the second mold half (17) of the mold tool. Next, the two mold halves (16, 17) are closed and the foam material is allowed to cure at an elevated temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2002
    Assignee: Webasto Vehicle Systems International GmbH
    Inventors: Michael Kölbl, Francois De Gaillard
  • Publication number: 20020033581
    Abstract: A sealing profile (1), especially for a sliding roof seal, with a deformation-stiff base area (2) which can be fixed on a component or a sliding roof cover (8), and an elastic sealing area (3) which arches over the base area (2) with the formation of a hollow chamber (12), the elastic seal area (3) having a coating (18) which contains an aliphatic polyurethane to improve the sliding properties of the elastic seal area (3). Furthermore another component of the coating (18) is a carbodiimide cross-linker, especially in a proportion of, for example, 5-8%. The coating (18) can contain N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone as another component.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 30, 2001
    Publication date: March 21, 2002
    Inventors: Dennis Rinse Nolles, Michael Kolbl, Thomas Schroferl
  • Publication number: 20020021032
    Abstract: A cover unit, for closing the roof opening in the solid skin of a motor vehicle roof, having a cover element, composed of an at least partially transparent plastic, and a reinforcing frame, for example, made of metal, which extends along the side edge of the cover element, and which bears a seal which surrounds the side edge of the cover element for contact against an essentially vertically running roof-mounted sealing surface. The reinforcing frame is cemented, using a flexible cement, to the cover element such that the cover element can move, in the transverse direction, relative to the reinforcing frame in order to enable thermal expansion of the cover element. The seal has a roof sealing area, contacting a roof-mounted sealing surface, which is substantially unaffected by thermal expansion of the cover element, and the seal has a cover sealing area for compensation of thermal expansion of the cover element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 23, 2001
    Publication date: February 21, 2002
    Inventors: Francois De Gaillard, Michael Kolbl
  • Patent number: 6338526
    Abstract: A cover of an openable motor vehicle roof with a cover plate, an edge gap seal, and a peripheral plastic frame which is foamed or injected onto an edge side of the cover plate. The cover is provided with at least one heating element which is integrated into the plastic frame. In one embodiment, the heating element is a heating wire that is clipped into a recess provided on the plastic frame. In another embodiment, a reinforcing frame is embedded in the plastic frame and the heating element is attached to the reinforcing frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2002
    Assignee: Webasto Vehicle Systems International GmbH
    Inventors: Hans Jardin, Michael Kölbl
  • Patent number: 5408228
    Abstract: An electronic milbus repeater circuit for expanding the capacity of a two-wire bus used for the transmission of data. By means of logic circuitry of the Milbus repeater according to the invention, data received by the Milbus repeater is distributed between the secondary Milbus and the Milbus repeater's own internal bus according to the coded address and subaddress of each data transmission.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 1993
    Date of Patent: April 18, 1995
    Assignee: Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm GmbH
    Inventors: Jurgen Wnendt, Siegfried Scheer, Michael Kolbl