Patents by Inventor Robert Kitten

Robert Kitten 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: 7712485
    Abstract: A control lever (10) is provided with a grip (12), which in a joint (14) having two degrees of freedom is supported in a housing (11) and can be switched from an initial position in various directions for activating shift elements (18, 19), whereby spring elements (41, 42) are provided for returning the grip (12) to its initial position, and with a functional device for overcoming a pressure point during the activation and/or for retaining a desired shift position. In order to provide functional devices in greater numbers in a gearshift lever of this type without requiring substantially more installation space or substantially higher costs, provision is made that the functional device is constituted by an electrically controllable hydraulic arrangement (35), which connects to diametrically opposing shift elements (18, 19), which can be activated by the grip (12) in two opposing directions of motion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2010
    Assignee: Coactive Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Kitten, Joachim Meyer-Quade, Henning Koschke
  • Publication number: 20080098846
    Abstract: A control lever (10) is provided with a grip (12), which in a joint (14) having two degrees of freedom is supported in a housing (11) and can be switched from an initial position in various directions for activating shift elements (18, 19), whereby spring elements (41, 42) are provided for returning the grip (12) to its initial position, and with a functional device for overcoming a pressure point during the activation and/or for retaining a desired shift position. In order to provide functional devices in greater numbers in a gearshift lever of this type without requiring substantially more installation space or substantially higher costs, provision is made that the functional device is constituted by an electrically controllable hydraulic arrangement (35), which connects to diametrically opposing shift elements (18, 19), which can be activated by the grip (12) in two opposing directions of motion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 4, 2007
    Publication date: May 1, 2008
    Inventors: Robert Kitten, Joachim Meyer-Quade, Henning Koschke