Patents Assigned to Fleet Engineers, Incorporated
  • Patent number: 8876164
    Abstract: A mud flap bracket assembly comprises a functional frame bracket assembly and one or more interchangeable bracket covers. The frame bracket assembly has unitary frame bracket that is formed from a sheet metal blank that is configured to form and integral spring mount and integral slots to mount a frame seat. The frame bracket has integral slots that mount mud flap clips that are adjustable within the slots for mounting mud flaps of different hole configurations. The frame bracket assembly is assembled with integral fasteners and without welds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Assignee: Fleet Engineers, Incorporated
    Inventors: Wesley K. Eklund, Tom Gerst, Gary Roberts
  • Patent number: 8066305
    Abstract: An adjustable fender vehicle has an upper wall with inner and outer side walls. The inner side wall includes an elongated longitudinal clamping edge and an interior wall depends from the underside of upper wall between the inner and outer walls. The interior wall has an elongated longitudinal opening in registry with the elongated longitudinal clamping edge in the inner side wall for receiving a fastener for adjustable mounting of the fender to a vehicle. The inner side wall includes an elongated longitudinal opening in registry with the elongated longitudinal opening in the interior wall and the elongated longitudinal clamping edge is formed in the elongated longitudinal opening in the inner side wall. The elongated longitudinal opening is configured to receive a mounting arm that is adapted to extend through the elongated longitudinal opening to the interior wall. Fasteners on the mounting arm clamp the fender to the mounting arm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2011
    Assignee: Fleet Engineers, Incorporated
    Inventors: Wesley K. Eklund, Gary Roberts, Tom Gerst, Andrew Hartmann, Guido Redaelli
  • Patent number: 7874592
    Abstract: A vehicle fender is mounted to a mounting arm through at least one clamp that is mounted on the mounting arm. The clamp and an edge of the fender have complementary teeth and grooves to adjustably mount the fender to the mounting arm. The fender teeth and grooves are formed in a pocket and the pocket extends beneath the fender panel and receives the mounting arm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2011
    Assignee: Fleet Engineers, Incorporated
    Inventors: Wesley K. Eklund, Gary Roberts, Tom Gerst, Andrew Hartmann, Guido Redaelli
  • Patent number: 7810829
    Abstract: A fender assembly comprising a fender and an adjustable bracket assembly that is adapted to adjustably mount the fender to the vehicle. The bracket assembly includes an arm with a longitudinal axis offset from and a fastener for rotationally mounting the bracket to a vehicle frame through and adjustable link. A vibration decoupler is mounted between the arm and the fender.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2010
    Assignee: Fleet Engineers, Incorporated
    Inventor: Timothy R. Hawes
  • Patent number: 7384071
    Abstract: A fender assembly for a heavy-duty vehicle comprises a fender and clamping members having reciprocal mating elements for adjustably and removably coupling the clamping members and the fender. The clamping members are clamped to inner and outer edges of the fender and are adapted to receive and removably secure a mounting arm that extends from the vehicle. The position of the fender relative to the vehicle can be adjusted by repositioning the clamping members along the inner and outer edges.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2008
    Assignee: Fleet Engineers Incorporated
    Inventors: Andrew Hartmann, Wesley K. Eklund
  • Patent number: 7073804
    Abstract: A fender assembly comprising a fender and an adjustable bracket assembly that is adapted to adjustably mount the fender to the vehicle. The bracket assembly includes an arm with a longitudinal axis offset from and a fastener for rotationally mounting the bracket to a vehicle frame through and adjustable link. A vibration decoupler is mounted between the arm and the fender.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2006
    Assignee: Fleet Engineers, Incorporated
    Inventor: Timothy R. Hawes
  • Patent number: 6796603
    Abstract: A cam-type door latch assembly comprises a handle and an arm assembly terminating in a finger-like cam and pivotal to bring the cam into engagement with a conventional locking pin assembly. The arm assembly is selectively adjustable for lengthening or shortening the arm assembly, thereby adjusting the contact force between the cam and the locking pin and, consequently, the door closing force. The arm assembly comprises a sleeve enclosing a wedge nut and a cam arm having offsetting inclined faces which are tightened against each other with a threaded connector to lock the wedge nut and cam arm in position in the sleeve when the cam has been properly adjusted relative to the locking pin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2004
    Assignee: Fleet Engineers Incorporated
    Inventor: Todd A. Pringnitz
  • Patent number: 6648373
    Abstract: A vibration-decoupling connector for mounting a fender to a support arm, the vibration-decoupling connector comprising an isolator having a first surface for directly contacting either the upper or lower surface of the fender; whereby the isolator dampens vibrations between the support arm and the fender to reduce the transfer of vibration forces between the frame and the fender when the support arm is mounted to the frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2003
    Assignee: Fleet Engineers, Incorporated
    Inventor: Timothy R. Hawes
  • Patent number: 6604724
    Abstract: A spring-biased mudflap bracket assembly includes a hollow tube with a mounting plate at a proximate end and a frame seat mating to the mounting plate and yieldably biased into contact with the mounting plate by a spring mounted at one end within the hollow tube and to the frame seat at another end. A vibration-absorbing gasket can be mounted on an outer surface of the frame seat to abut the vehicle frame. A double-headed bolt mounts the spring to the hollow tube. The frame seat has three apertures in alignment, a central one of the apertures having a spacing to an upper aperture different than a spacing to a lower aperture, and a pair of mounting fasteners are received in two of the three apertures for mounting the frame seat to a vehicle frame. A concave perimetrical channel in the frame seat mates with a complementary convex annular projection on the mounting plate to form a pivot socket for the mounting plate with respect to the frame seat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2003
    Assignee: Fleet Engineers, Incorporated
    Inventors: Timothy R. Hawes, Wesley K. Eklund
  • Patent number: 6484984
    Abstract: The invention relates to a bracket-mounting assembly for mounting a bar bracket to a vehicle frame, the bar bracket being adapted to carry vehicle accessories such as a mudflap. The bracket-mounting assembly attaches to a vehicle frame via a single bolt passed through a penetration in the vehicle frame and threadably connected to the bracket-mounting assembly by a central threaded hole in the bracket-mounting assembly. The bracket-mounting assembly further includes a generally vertically-oriented shaft opening for receiving a portion of the bar bracket and supporting the bar bracket with respect to the vehicle frame. The bracket-mounting assembly includes a rotation-resisting connector for inhibiting rotation of the bracket-mounting assembly relative to the vehicle frame about the axis of the bolt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2002
    Assignee: Fleet Engineers Incorporated
    Inventor: Timothy R. Hawes
  • Patent number: 6471228
    Abstract: A bracket assembly for mounting an accessory on a vehicle. The bracket assembly comprises a frame-mounting block, an accessory-mounting plate, and a rotation-resisting fastener. The frame-mounting block has an inner face adapted to abut a vehicle frame, an outer face spaced from the inner face, and a frame-mounting opening passing through the frame-mounting block transverse to the inner face for receiving a frame-mounting fastener. The accessory-mounting plate has an inner face oriented toward a vehicle frame when the bracket is mounted to the vehicle frame, spaced outwardly from the inner face of the frame-mounting block to accommodate a bolt head, and an accessory-mounting opening in the accessory-mounting plate for receiving a fastener for an accessory. The rotation-resisting fastener is mounted to the bracket and is adapted to resist rotation of the bracket about an axis passing through the frame-mounting opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2002
    Assignee: Fleet Engineers, Incorporated
    Inventor: Timothy R. Hawes
  • Patent number: 6435462
    Abstract: A universal mudflap bracket mount for mounting a mudflap bracket to a vehicle frame, the bracket mount comprising a frame-mounting block having two opposing surfaces and a frame-mounting opening passing through the frame-mounting block transverse to the surfaces, a bracket-mounting plate having opposing faces, the bracket-mounting plate faces being parallel, at least one of the block surfaces being spaced outwardly from one of the plate faces to accommodate a bolt head, and openings in the bracket-mounting plate for receiving two fasteners of a mudflap bracket, at least one of the openings being arcuate in shape for adjustment of the angular position of the bracket mount with respect to the mudflap bracket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2002
    Assignee: Fleet Engineers, Incorporated
    Inventor: Timothy R. Hawes
  • Patent number: 6431605
    Abstract: A conspicuity reflector mounting assembly for mounting on a truck fender in an orientation perpendicular to a road surface in compliance with DOT regulations comprises a plate having a flat panel surface for mounting a conspicuity reflector, and a mounting assembly adapted to mount the plate to a fender-mounting post at an orientation perpendicular to a road surface. The conspicuity reflector can be mounted to the flat panel surface. A truck fender is shown having a conspicuity reflector mounting assembly mounted theron.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2002
    Assignee: Fleet Engineers, Incorporated
    Inventors: Jerry G. Miller, Timothy R. Hawes
  • Patent number: 6081966
    Abstract: A hinge and roller assembly for use in a roll-up door including a pair of leaves each forming a portion of a bearing socket, a bushing mounted in the bearing socket, a shaft slidably mounted in the bushing. The shaft mounts a roller on one end and the roller is adapted to roll in a track. A spring is mounted between the shaft and the bushing to bias the shaft axially toward the track. A releasable retainer on the bushing removably retains the bushing in the socket. Preferably, each of the leaves includes a plate through which the hinge is mounted to the door and an integral strap which is bent into a circular shape to define a portion of the socket and is attached at a distal end to the plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2000
    Assignee: Fleet Engineers, Incorporated
    Inventors: Steve A. Antekeier, Jerry G. Miller
  • Patent number: D595427
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2009
    Assignee: Fleet Engineers Incorporated
    Inventors: Gary Roberts, Tom Gerst
  • Patent number: D595428
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2009
    Assignee: Fleet Engineers, Incorporated
    Inventors: Gary Roberts, Tom Gerst