Patents Assigned to Grote Industries, Inc.
  • Publication number: 20200174055
    Abstract: A system for detecting anomalies in electrical wiring in a truck trailer. The system measures and compares current drawn from the truck tractor with the current drawn by a circuit at a particular trailer component or other location in the trailer wiring. If the two current measurements differ in excess of a predetermined threshold, the system can report a wiring anomaly. The location of the anomaly can then be determined by performing the operation for different trailer components thus testing multiple different branches of the trailer power distribution circuit, and using the results of these tests to determine that an anomaly is present, and possibly the location of the issue. The system may then send a notification to a remote computing device, to the truck tractor, or any combination thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 26, 2019
    Publication date: June 4, 2020
    Applicant: Grote Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Sankalp Pampattiwar, Yogesh Kubal, Shengjie Tang, Cesar Perez-Bolivar
  • Publication number: 20200171901
    Abstract: An adapter for use with components of a truck trailer. The adapter may include multiple input terminals corresponding with multiple terminals of a trailer component socket of a trailer, and multiple output terminals configured to electrically connect with corresponding input terminals of a trailer component. The adapter may also include an adapter circuit configured to electrically connect at least four of the input terminals with at least four of the multiple output terminals. The multiple output terminals may include at least two mode selection output terminals configured to provide a mode selection to the trailer component, and the trailer component optionally includes control logic configured to activate and deactivate the trailer component according to the mode selection.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 22, 2019
    Publication date: June 4, 2020
    Applicant: Grote Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Sankalp Pampattiwar, Yogesh Kubal, Shengjie Tang, Cesar Perez-Bolivar
  • Patent number: 10569693
    Abstract: An electric powered lamp is disclosed. The lamp has a base, a light emitting element, and a cover over the light source. A light guide carries light from the light source to a reflective surface in the cover. Light rays run transversely through the cover.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2020
    Assignee: Grote Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Hossein Alisafaee, Chris Billman, Travis Demaree, Cesar Perez-Bolivar
  • Publication number: 20190377017
    Abstract: A vehicle LED lighting outage detection circuit is disclosed for detecting a fault in the LED light and automatically increasing the power drawn from the light power supply in response to the fault. A complementary detection circuit is also disclosed for detecting the increased power draw and signaling a fault to an operator. The increased power draw can be selected to be in the form of a pulse that settles to a lower power draw state after a time to avoid excessive and wasteful power draw. The system can be mounted in a vehicle and, more particularly, to a semi-tractor truck.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 5, 2018
    Publication date: December 12, 2019
    Applicant: Grote Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Timothy W. Brooks, Eric Thorstensen, Christopher Busse
  • Patent number: 10488011
    Abstract: A lamp for the rear of a vehicle is disclosed with a light transmissive cover having a red first illuminated surface area and a clear second illuminated surface area. It has a first LED light emitter located directly beneath the red first area, a second LED light emitter located directly beneath the clear second area, and a third LED light emitter, also located directly beneath said clear second area. The third red LED light emitter is for emitting red light through the clear second area simultaneously with light transmitted through the red first area, whereby the first and second areas are adapted to collectively form a contiguous red illuminated surface area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2019
    Assignee: Grote Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Brian K. Norris, Randall Staggs, Nakul Anand, Shawn S. Smith, Christopher C. Riley, Mark D. Noe
  • Patent number: 10480746
    Abstract: A lamp for the rear of a vehicle is disclosed with a light transmissive cover having a red first illuminated surface area and a clear second illuminated surface area. It has a first LED light emitter located directly beneath the red first area, a second LED light emitter located directly beneath the clear second area, and a third LED light emitter, also located directly beneath said clear second area. The third red LED light emitter is for emitting red light through the clear second area simultaneously with light transmitted through the red first area, whereby the first and second areas are adapted to collectively form a contiguous red illuminated surface area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2019
    Assignee: Grote Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Brian K. Norris, Randall Staggs, Nakul Anand, Shawn S. Smith, Christopher C. Riley, Mark D. Noe
  • Patent number: 10378721
    Abstract: A lamp for the rear of a vehicle is disclosed with a light transmissive cover having a red first illuminated surface area and a clear second illuminated surface area. It has a first LED light emitter located directly beneath the red first area, a second LED light emitter located directly beneath the clear second area, and a third LED light emitter, also located directly beneath said clear second area. The third red LED light emitter is for emitting red light through the clear second area simultaneously with light transmitted through the red first area, whereby the first and second areas are adapted to collectively form a contiguous red illuminated surface area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2019
    Assignee: Grote Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Brian K. Norris, Randall Staggs, Nakul Anand, Shawn S. Smith, Christopher C. Riley, Mark D. Noe
  • Patent number: 10344938
    Abstract: A lamp for the rear of a vehicle is disclosed with a light transmissive cover having a red first illuminated surface area and a clear second illuminated surface area. It has a first LED light emitter located directly beneath the red first area, a second LED light emitter located directly beneath the clear second area, and a third LED light emitter, also located directly beneath said clear second area. The third red LED light emitter is for emitting red light through the clear second area simultaneously with light transmitted through the red first area, whereby the first and second areas are adapted to collectively form a contiguous red illuminated surface area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2019
    Assignee: Grote Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Brian K. Norris, Randall Staggs, Nakul Anand, Shawn S. Smith, Christopher C. Riley, Mark D. Noe
  • Patent number: 10151784
    Abstract: A vehicle LED lighting outage detection circuit is disclosed for detecting a fault in the LED light and automatically increasing the power drawn from the light power supply in response to the fault. A complementary detection circuit is also disclosed for detecting the increased power draw and signaling a fault to an operator. The increased power draw can be selected to be in the form of a pulse that settles to a lower power draw state after a time to avoid excessive and wasteful power draw. The system can be mounted in a vehicle and, more particularly, to a semi-tractor truck, or installed as a retrofit system into an existing semi-trailer system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2018
    Assignee: Grote Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Timothy W. Brooks, Eric Thorstensen, Christopher Busse
  • Patent number: 9995780
    Abstract: A vehicle LED lighting outage detection circuit is disclosed for detecting a fault in the LED light and automatically increasing the power drawn from the light power supply in response to the fault. A complementary detection circuit is also disclosed for detecting the increased power draw and signaling a fault to an operator. The increased power draw can be selected to be in the form of a pulse that settles to a lower power draw state after a time to avoid excessive and wasteful power draw. The system can be mounted in a vehicle and, more particularly, to a semi-tractor truck, or installed as a retrofit system into an existing semi-trailer system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2018
    Assignee: Grote Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Timothy W. Brooks, Eric Thorstensen, Christopher Busse
  • Publication number: 20170322249
    Abstract: A vehicle LED lighting outage detection circuit is disclosed for detecting a fault in the LED light and automatically increasing the power drawn from the light power supply in response to the fault. A complementary detection circuit is also disclosed for detecting the increased power draw and signaling a fault to an operator. The increased power draw can be selected to be in the form of a pulse that settles to a lower power draw state after a time to avoid excessive and wasteful power draw. The system can be mounted in a vehicle and, more particularly, to a semi-tractor truck, or installed as a retrofit system into an existing semi-trailer system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 24, 2017
    Publication date: November 9, 2017
    Applicant: Grote Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Timothy W. Brooks, Eric Thorstensen, Christopher Busse
  • Patent number: 9599307
    Abstract: A lamp for the rear of a vehicle is disclosed with a light transmissive cover having a red first illuminated surface area and a clear second illuminated surface area. It has a first LED light emitter located directly beneath the red first area, a second LED light emitter located directly beneath the clear second area, and a third LED light emitter, also located directly beneath said clear second area. The third red LED light emitter is for emitting red light through the clear second area simultaneously with light transmitted through the red first area, whereby the first and second areas are adapted to collectively form a contiguous red illuminated surface area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2017
    Assignee: Grote Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Brian K. Norris, Randall Staggs, Nakul Anand, Shawn S. Smith, Christopher C. Riley, Mark D. Noe
  • Patent number: 9568160
    Abstract: A lamp is disclosed. The lamp has a housing, at least one light source in the housing, and a reflector. The reflector has a light reflective surface facing said light source. The reflector and its light reflective surface is movable with respect to said light source along a path-of-movement to reflect at least a portion of light from the source to provide an adjustable, generally forwardly directed light beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignee: Grote Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard E. Turley, Jr., Rob E. Reese
  • Patent number: 9496639
    Abstract: An electrical connection adapted for providing an electro-mechanical connection through a hole in a wall of a wheeled vehicle is disclosed. It includes an interior cable that meets SAE standard J560 and which includes an interior plug portion that has a 6-around-1 female electrical connector array. The electrical connection also includes a socket that meets SAE standard J560 and is adapted via a male interior 6-around-1 electrical connector array to provide an electrical connection to the interior cable. A gasket member is separately formed from the interior plug portion and includes a central opening sized and shaped to receive through it a connection of the interior cable plug and the socket. The gasket forms an uninterrupted water seal with the exterior side of the wall of the wheeled vehicle. One or more guide members are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2016
    Assignee: Grote Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Darren L. Harmon, Alfredo Haros Hernandez, Leoncio Trejo Aguilar, Gumaro Carrizales Espinosa
  • Patent number: 9285110
    Abstract: A lamp assembly for attachment to a vehicle, comprising a lamp which includes a housing having an axially extending member, the axially extending member extendable through an opening in a vehicle mounting panel and below the vehicle mounting panel. An anti-theft collar is included around at least a portion of the axially extending member, the collar being securable to said axially extending member. The collar has a first set of projections to snap fit attach to the vehicle mounting panel at a first depth and a second set of projections to snap fit attach to the vehicle mounting panel at a second depth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2016
    Assignee: Grote Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Cary D. Branstetter
  • Patent number: 9187032
    Abstract: A lamp and lamp driver are disclosed, in which single intensity marker lamps that are desired to be flashed can be connected to a lamp driver employing an exclusive OR (XOR) logic circuit. In one application, this lamp driver is coupled to a vehicle turn function wire and marker function wire, and a plurality of marker lamps in a row can be of the same style, but one lamp can be flashed in the row of marker lamps. In some embodiments, if all of the marker lamps are on, the lamp being driven by the XOR driver circuit will flash out of sequence with the turn signal flash. If all of the marker lamps are off, the lamp being driven by the XOR driver circuit will flash in sequence with the turn signal flash. Other embodiments are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2015
    Assignee: Grote Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Timothy W. Brooks
  • Patent number: 9174503
    Abstract: An environment-activated automatic shut-off switch is disclosed. The disclosed embodiments allow power to be removed from a trailer auxiliary power circuit when the environment-activated automatic shut-off switch senses that the trailer is being put into motion. The disclosed embodiments of the environment-activated automatic shut-off switch do not require external control signals, such as those received from a vehicle tractor, in order to effectively control the trailer auxiliary power circuit and to ensure that the trailer ABS circuit has dedicated power while the trailer is in motion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2015
    Assignee: Grote Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Don Gramlich, Timothy W. Brooks, Luigi Tavernese, Giovanni Tavernese
  • Patent number: 9078328
    Abstract: A vehicle lighting outage detection circuit is disclosed having a plurality of parallel branches connected at a common positive reference node. Each parallel branch comprises a branch resistor and a current controlled branch switching device connected in series. A constant current source is connected to the positive reference node and configured to deliver a substantially constant current to the positive reference node. The cathode of a zener diode is connected to the positive reference node. When current to a predetermined number of the branch resistors is interrupted due to the failure one or more LEDs connected to the control inputs of the branch switching devices, the voltage at the positive reference node increases beyond the breakdown voltage of the zener diode. In such a condition, excess current flow to the anode of the zener diode to supply an outage detection signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2015
    Assignee: Grote Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Nakul Anand
  • Patent number: D859704
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2019
    Assignee: Grote Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Brian K. Norris, Randall Staggs, Mark D. Noe
  • Patent number: D865234
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2019
    Assignee: Grote Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Brian K. Norris, Randall Staggs, Mark D. Noe