Patents by Inventor Wayne E. Gruben

Wayne E. Gruben 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: 6089305
    Abstract: A curtain guiding assembly for an industrial door is disclosed. The curtain guiding assembly is provided with a resilient member disposed adjacent the leading edge of a door curtain. The resilient member is substantially untensioned when no external force is applied to the door curtain and is adapted to at least partially conform to or at least partially deflect about encountered obstacles. The resilient member becomes tensioned upon application of an external force less than a first predetermined threshold and returns to its substantially untensioned state upon removal of the external force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2000
    Assignee: Rite-Hite Holding Corporation
    Inventors: Wayne E. Gruben, Peter S. Schulte, James P. Schwingle
  • Patent number: 5957187
    Abstract: An omni-directional breakaway guide assembly for use in conjunction with an edge member in an industrial door. The guide assembly comprises a guide extension for engaging guide members to guide the door in a plane, and an edge member portion coupled to the edge member. The breakaway guide assembly includes a releasable coupling between the guide extension and the edge member portion. Upon application of a sufficient force on the edge member at least one of the edge member portion and the guide extension portion deforms to allow the edge member portion to breakaway from the guide extension portion. Such breakaway may occur for forces applied in a variety of directions to the edge member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 28, 1999
    Assignee: Rite-Hite Holding Corporation
    Inventors: Wayne E. Gruben, Peter S. Schulte, James P. Schwingle
  • Patent number: 5944086
    Abstract: A curtain edge tensioning assembly comprised primarily of a portion of the curtain extending across the leading edge of the door. The curtain portion is releasably coupled to a guide extension extending beyond the leading edge of the door and engaging guide members to guide the door in a plane. The guide extensions also engage the guide members to restrict the guide extensions from moving toward the center of the curtain. The releasable coupling between these horizontally restricted guide extensions and the resilient member places a tension on the curtain portion. The curtain portion is thus stretched across the door, and serves as a wind retention bottom bar or edge that also substantially conforms to or deflects around an obstruction, thus preventing or minimizing damage to the door, the bottom bar and the obstruction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 1996
    Date of Patent: August 31, 1999
    Assignee: Rite-Hite Holding Corporation
    Inventors: Wayne E. Gruben, Peter S. Schulte, James P. Schwingle
  • Patent number: 4208929
    Abstract: An electronically controlled transmission system includes an engine driven torque converter driving a planetary gear transmission. The torque converter is lockable by a lockup solenoid valve to provide a direct through drive and the planetary gear transmission is shiftable among a plurality of gear ratios by selected operation of solenoid operated valves which control power to clutch- and brake-selected transmission gears. An automatic electronic control provides for a "work" mode of transmission operation wherein a shift control provides for manual shifting over a first set of selected gear ratios and for automatic, speed dependent shifting over a second set of selected gear ratios while torque converter lockup inhibition is provided for both sets of ratios.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 1976
    Date of Patent: June 24, 1980
    Assignee: Deere & Company
    Inventors: Dean L. Heino, Wayne E. Gruben