Patents Represented by Attorney Reising Ethington, P.C.
  • Patent number: 8162491
    Abstract: The invention related to a rear view mirror using a plastic glass material to combine several functions as fixing and heating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: SMR Patents S.a.r.l.
    Inventor: Bernard Duroux
  • Patent number: 8160547
    Abstract: A system and method for making vehicle originated calls to a telematics service provider or other call center. The method includes identifying a call type associated with a desired wireless communication of speech or data to the call center, and then carrying out one of a number of different call connection processes depending on the call type. For voice channel cellular connections, an in-band modem cellular connection is preferably established in most instances using a connection retry strategy that includes primary, secondary, and possibly tertiary connection attempts. Cell selection can be carried out using an acquisition task, background scan and inter-country PLMN reselection process that are used to select among available PLMNs and base stations. The system and method can be carried out in connection with various cellular system technologies, but is especially suited for use with GSM systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignee: General Motors LLC
    Inventors: Ki Hak Yi, Sethu K. Madhavan
  • Patent number: 8157184
    Abstract: A first expansion valve is provided in an outdoor unit, and a second expansion valve is provided in an indoor unit. A pipe line connects a first joint pipe of the first expansion valve and a second joint pipe of the second expansion valve. When a refrigerant flows in from the second joint pipe and flows out from the first joint pipe, the first and second expansion valves are in a full open state due to pressure of the refrigerant. When the refrigerant flows in from the first joint pipe and flows out from the second joint pipe, the first and second expansion valves are in semi-closed state (flow rate controlling state). In a cooling mode, the second expansion valve expands the refrigerant just before an indoor heat exchanger, and in a heating mode, the first expansion valve expands the refrigerant just before an outdoor heat exchanger. In both heating and cooling mode, a large amount of refrigerant flows through the pipe line to reduce pressure loss.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Saginomiya Seisakusho
    Inventors: Takahito Hayashi, Hideki Sekiguchi, Yutaka Kaneko, Tamami Fukuyasu, Takashi Hirakawa
  • Patent number: 8157183
    Abstract: A first expansion valve is provided in an outdoor unit, and a second expansion valve is provided in an indoor unit. A pipe line connects a first joint pipe of the first expansion valve and a second joint pipe of the second expansion valve. When a refrigerant flows in from the second joint pipe and flows out from the first joint pipe, the first and second expansion valves are in a full open state due to pressure of the refrigerant. When the refrigerant flows in from the first joint pipe and flows out from the second joint pipe, the first and second expansion valves are in semi-closed state (flow rate controlling state). In a cooling mode, the second expansion valve expands the refrigerant just before an indoor heat exchanger, and in a heating mode, the first expansion valve expands the refrigerant just before an outdoor heat exchanger. In both heating and cooling mode, a large amount of refrigerant flows through the pipe line to reduce pressure loss.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Saginomiya Seisakusho
    Inventors: Takahito Hayashi, Hideki Sekiguchi, Yutaka Kaneko
  • Patent number: 8157542
    Abstract: The invention relates to a fuel conveying device for conveying fuel towards an internal combustion engine. The fuel conveying device comprises a housing and a head connected to the housing. Further, a fuel pump is provided, having an electronically commutated brushless motor. The control electronics for the electronically commutated brushless motor of the fuel pump are carried by or arranged within and/or on the head or housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignee: TI Automotive (Neuss) GmbH
    Inventor: Matthias Boutros
  • Patent number: 8157393
    Abstract: A mirror assembly for a motor vehicle includes a base that is fixedly secured to the motor vehicle. A housing is fixedly secured to the base. The housing defines an opening. A mirror is operatively secured to the housing at the opening. The mirror defines a main viewing portion and a spotting mirror portion wherein the main viewing portion and the spotting mirror portion are fabricated from a unitary structure. The mirror is a reflective element and defines a main viewing portion of one curvature and a spotting mirror portion for viewing the blind spot which is defined by having a radius of curvature less than the main viewing portion. Both viewing portions of the mirror are integral to one unitary structure that is fabricated from sheet metal such as steel, stainless steel, or aluminum that may optionally be chrome plated, polished, or anodized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignee: SMR Patents S.a.r.l.
    Inventor: Douglas J. Wilson
  • Patent number: 8157468
    Abstract: A pivot connection comprising a substantially cylindrical head (14) to be pivotally located into a socket, at least one first surface on the socket that engages one side of the outer surface of the cylindrical head (14), and second surfaces that engage the ends of the cylindrical head (14) on a side substantially opposite to the at least one first surface to thereby retain the cylindrical head (14) within the socket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Inventors: Tim Lynn, Graham Davies, Daniel Flynn
  • Patent number: 8157238
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a stay device for a vehicle comprising a mount having a ball formed protrudely on a front surface thereof and a wire passage formed therein and extended into the ball; a body coupled to the mount through the ball of the mount, the body having a wire passage formed therein; a plate spring provided for pressurizing the body; a body cover for wrapping the body and the plate spring; and a pivot ball assembly having a ball protrudely formed on a rear surface thereof, the pivot ball assembly being coupled to the body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignee: SMR Patents S.a.r.l.
    Inventor: Kyung Jun Lee
  • Patent number: 8155817
    Abstract: A vehicle maintenance event reporting system and method that utilizes a vehicle email notification system in which triggers are used to initiate the generation and transmission of email messages that provide diverse types of dynamic vehicle information to the owner or other authorized subscriber. The email notifications are triggered by different events, some of which are independent of the vehicle (e.g., a monthly trigger), and others of which occur at the vehicle, such as a mileage or low oil life trigger. The notification system builds and sends to the subscriber an email message that contains the dynamic vehicle information. Maintenance service events such as an oil change reset are detected and used to trigger email reporting to the subscriber as well as to transmit the oil change reset event back to a central data system where it is included in a vehicle maintenance record.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2012
    Assignee: General Motors LLC
    Inventor: Christopher L. Oesterling
  • Patent number: 8155849
    Abstract: A hydraulic actuating device (10) for an automotive friction clutch (12), has a master cylinder (14) whose master piston (16) can be impinged upon with a master force (FG) via an actuating mechanism (18) and can be displaced by a master travel (SG), and a slave cylinder (20) with a slave piston (22) which is hydraulically connected in series to the master piston via a liquid column and is functionally linked with a clutch-release member (24) of the automotive friction clutch. The actuating device may be provided with an adjusting unit (26) may have an adjusting piston (28). The adjusting piston is hydraulically connected in series to the master piston and can be impinged upon with a force and displaced via a transmission (30) that is driven by an electric motor. The actuating device further has a control unit (C) which is used to control the adjusting unit especially subject to a master variable (FG; SG).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2012
    Assignee: FTE automotive GmbH
    Inventors: Rainer Porzel, Otto Kadlac, Norbert Oberlack, Karl Peuker, Geza Zsari
  • Patent number: 8146411
    Abstract: A device and method for simulating rotation of a wheel on a vehicle having a rotatable wheel rotation sensor. A motor is coupled to a rotatable portion of the rotation sensor, and is operated to rotate the rotatable portion of the rotation sensor according to a pulse train simulating a wheel skid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation
    Inventors: Craig L. Burgess, Joy Green, Stephen Kissling
  • Patent number: 8147003
    Abstract: A wheel ornamentation that can fit vehicle wheels having different offset dimensions. According to one embodiment, the wheel ornamentation is a two-piece wheel cover that includes center and outer components and an adjustable overlapping junction therebetween, where the adjustable overlapping junction may be partially concealed by an annular flange on one of the components. An adhesive portion may be disposed between overlapping axial ends of the components and can be modified during assembly of the ornamentation to a vehicle wheel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: Big Rapids Products, Inc.
    Inventor: Jeffrey D. Bruce
  • Patent number: 8145379
    Abstract: A system and method for communicating vehicle diagnostic data via an inactive telematics unit. A serious diagnostic condition detected in the vehicle is used to trigger a call from the telematics unit to a call center using a cleared number. During the call, diagnostic data can be transmitted to the call center and a temporary number can be provided by the call center to the telematics unit to permit temporary communication. Additional diagnostics can be run and reported using this temporary number.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: General Motors LLC
    Inventor: Steven P. Schwinke
  • Patent number: 8143763
    Abstract: A linear piezoelectric nano-positioner includes an armature configured to be translated along a longitudinal axis and having oppositely-disposed bearing surfaces and oppositely-disposed piezo surfaces, bearing sets engaged with the bearing surfaces of the armature to translatably support the armature, and piezoelectric elements engaged with the piezo surfaces of the armature to translate the armature along the longitude axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: RHK Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Sergiy Pryadkin, Zhouhang Wang, Gennady Royzenblat, Xun Pan
  • Patent number: 8141454
    Abstract: A cable assembly may include a cable, a connector and a retainer coupled to the connector. The connector may be carried by the cable and include a reduced diameter portion and a head extending from the reduced diameter portion with at least a portion that is larger than the reduced diameter portion. The retainer may be coupled to the connector and include a body with a cavity and a tip that defines an opening leading to the cavity. In assembly, the head is received within the cavity with the reduced diameter portion extending out of the cavity and into the opening. The opening is noncircular and has a minimum diameter that is smaller than at least the largest diameter portion of the head so that at least a portion of the tip radially overlaps the largest diameter portion of the head to retain the head within the cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Dura Automotive Systems, LLC
    Inventors: Gregory P. Ruhlander, Donald G. Gordy
  • Patent number: 8141348
    Abstract: A method of controlling dosing of a hydrocarbon fuel into the exhaust gas of a combustion engine upstream of a particulate filter when the exhaust gas temperature into an oxidation catalyst upstream of a particulate filter has dropped below the light-off temperature of the catalyst.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Detroit Diesel Corporation
    Inventors: Matthew T. Baird, Amr M. Radwan, Kevin D. Sisken, Bryant C. Pham
  • Patent number: 8141880
    Abstract: There is provided a high pressure sealing apparatus including: a top adapter including a packing receiving recess having an inverted V-shaped section; a bottom adapter including a packing supporting wall having an inverted V-shaped section; packing members each having an inverted V-shaped section, and interposed between the top adapter and the bottom adapter; and backup rings each having an inverted V-shaped section, and alternately overlapped with the packing members. The packing members are made of hard synthetic resin. A deformation allowing gap is formed on at least two facing walls of a top wall or a bottom wall of the packing member, and a bottom wall of the top adapter, a top wall and a bottom wall of the backup ring, or a top wall of the bottom adapter to be closed owing to compaction force in an axial direction X.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Inventors: Shigeo Ando, Masao Ando, Toyoroku Ando
  • Patent number: 8145225
    Abstract: A system and method for making vehicle originated calls to a telematics service provider or other call center. The method includes identifying a call type associated with a desired wireless communication of speech or data to the call center, and then carrying out one of a number of different call connection processes depending on the call type. For voice channel cellular connections, an in-band modem cellular connection is preferably established in most instances using a connection retry strategy that includes primary, secondary, and possibly tertiary connection attempts. The system and method can be carried out in connection with various cellular system technologies, but is especially suited for use with GSM systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: General Motors LLC
    Inventors: Sethu K. Madhavan, Ki Hak Yi
  • Patent number: 8141856
    Abstract: A pallet load stand and manipulator allows a pallet to receive a workpiece and the workpiece to be clamped to the pallet while the pallet is in a horizontal position. Once the workpiece has been clamped to the pallet, the pallet may be rotated to a vertical position so that the pallet may be loaded onto a machine tool that operates on a workpiece with the pallet in the vertical position. The pallet may also be rotated to an intermediate position, similar to an artist's easel, in which the pallet is held in an inclined position, between the horizontal and vertical positions by positive locating assemblies and positive stops.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: MAG IAS, LLC
    Inventors: Peter L. Mischler, Noel D. Nichols, Robert R. Hornby
  • Patent number: D657718
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Carl J Zipfel, Michael J Gillam, Matt McNerney