Patents Assigned to Warn Industries
  • Patent number: 11958727
    Abstract: One illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure may include a snatch ring pulley assembly including a pulley wheel body and a deformable retention feature affixed to the pulley wheel body. The pulley wheel body includes a rope saddle portion, a first outer wheel portion, and a second outer wheel portion substantially parallel to the first outer wheel portion. The deformable retention feature is affixed to the first outer wheel portion and extends toward the second outer wheel portion. The deformable retention feature extends uniformly around a circumference of the first outer wheel portion and extends substantially perpendicular to the first outer wheel portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: WARN INDUSTRIES, INC.
    Inventor: Michael Douglas Costa
  • Patent number: 11319197
    Abstract: Systems are provided for fairleads, including a frame. The frame includes a first opening and a second opening. The first opening extends through the frame from a front-facing surface of the frame to a rear-facing surface of the frame. The second opening extends through the frame from the front-facing surface of the frame to the rear-facing surface of the frame. A cable extends through the first opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Assignee: WARN INDUSTRIES, INC.
    Inventors: Darren G. Fretz, Eric Vaughn
  • Patent number: 11167963
    Abstract: Methods, apparatus, and systems are provided for rigging interfaces couple to winch cable terminals that protect outer surfaces of fairleads and rigging devices as connections between objects. In one example, a rigging interface may include curved surfaces adapted to nest against a fairlead. In another example, a rigging device may have one or more removable elements allowing for coupling of the device to other objects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2021
    Assignee: WARN INDUSTRIES, INC.
    Inventors: Darren G. Fretz, Jackson C. Wang
  • Patent number: 11104557
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for adjusting operation of a motor of a winch. In one example, a system for a winch includes a controller adapted to adjust operation of a motor of the winch based on one or more of and/or each of a winch load limit, a motor temperature, a distance of a hook coupled to an end of a rope of the winch to a winch fairlead, and an amount of rope wound onto a drum of the winch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: WARN INDUSTRIES, INC.
    Inventors: Bryan Averill, Darren Fretz, Kevin Talmadge, Ian Wendler
  • Patent number: 11001482
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for a winch including a motor and a contactor assembly coupled around the motor. In one example, the contactor assembly is coupled around and in face-sharing contact with a portion of an outer surface of the motor. Additionally, the contactor assembly may include two or more coils spaced apart from one another within the contactor assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2021
    Assignee: WARN INDUSTRIES, INC.
    Inventors: Darren G. Fretz, Bryan Averill, Clark Brumet, Thomas Paasch, Kevin Christensen
  • Patent number: 10781085
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for a winch including a motor and a contactor assembly positioned within a same housing. In one example, the contactor assembly is positioned at an end of an armature of the motor and may include a controller configured to control winch component operation. The contactor assembly is electrically coupled to the armature via a plurality of electrically conductive brushes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2020
    Assignee: WARN INDUSTRIES, INC.
    Inventors: Darren G. Fretz, Bryan Averill, Clark Brumet, Thomas Paasch, Kevin Christensen
  • Patent number: 10774469
    Abstract: A fid is made of separate components that can be easily assembled and disassembled by the user. In this manner the fid components can be easily stored or transported and then assembled when needed to create a fid of sufficient length to splice a synthetic rope or other types of rope. The fid includes an elongate shaft or needle with a first that tapers to a point. The opposing end of the shaft may be machined to form a connection structure. A coupler may have an elongate form with two opposing ends along a center axis. One end of the coupler removable attaches to the needle at the connection structure. The second end of the coupler permanently attaches to a rope holder, which may take the form of a cylindrical, helically wound braid of thin wire cable forming a wire basket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2020
    Assignee: WARN INDUSTRIES, INC.
    Inventor: Michael Douglas Costa
  • Patent number: 10767821
    Abstract: Systems are provided for a fairlead, and in particular to fairlead including an integrated lighting system. In one example, a fairlead may comprise a frame, the frame including a central, first opening and a second opening disposed above the first opening. The second opening may house an integrated lighting system, the integrated lighting system including a plurality of lights.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignee: WARN INDUSTRIES, INC.
    Inventors: Darren G. Fretz, Craig A. Clark, Bryan Averill
  • Patent number: 10766749
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for an externally actuatable pulling tool assembly. An example system may include a drum enclosing an externally actuatable input drive shaft, an output driven shaft, and a torque-limiting device positioned in-between the externally actuatable input drive shaft and the output driven shaft. The output driven shaft may be coupled to a transmission with a ring gear, the ring gear meshing with a plurality of teeth on an output end of the drum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignee: WARN INDUSTRIES, INC.
    Inventors: Darren G. Fretz, Adam K. Reiner, Bryan Yoder, Shao-Hua Lin, Mei-Ling Cheng, Wei-Chen Lin, Timothy D. Krueger, Steven W. Shuyler
  • Patent number: 10662036
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for a winch including a motor and a contactor assembly positioned within a same housing. In one example, the contactor assembly is coupled to the motor and includes two or more coils spaced apart from one another within a contactor housing of the contactor assembly and a brush assembly including a plurality of brushes surrounding a rotational axis of the motor and arranged axially to the motor armature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: WARN INDUSTRIES, INC.
    Inventors: Darren G. Fretz, Bryan Averill, Clark Brumet, Thomas Paasch, Kevin Christensen
  • Patent number: 10625995
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for a winch including a rotatable tie structure. In one example, a winch may include a tie structure coupled to a top side of a winch. Notches formed in main cross rails of the tie structure enable rotation of the tie structure relative to a housing of the winch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignee: WARN INDUSTRIES, INC.
    Inventors: Eric Vaughn, Darren G. Fretz
  • Patent number: 10618783
    Abstract: A winch includes a motor having a motor housing including a motor case and an integrated first drum support attached to the motor case for closing an end of the motor case. A gear reduction unit is drivingly attached to the motor and has a gear housing including a gear case and second drum support attached to the gear case. A tie plate is connected to the first and second drum supports. A control unit is removably mounted to the tie plate. A rotatable drum is supported by the first and second drum supports.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2020
    Assignee: WARN INDUSTRIES, INC.
    Inventors: Darren G. Fretz, Bryan M. Averill, Steven W. Shuyler, Bryon M. Borntrager, Kyle A. Hartelt, Glenda M. Steele
  • Patent number: 10618784
    Abstract: A winch is provided including a rotatable drum and a gear train drivingly connecting a motor to the rotatable drum. The gear train includes a clutch that is operable to be disengaged to allow the rotatable drum to free spool. A clutch actuator is provided for disengaging the clutch and the clutch includes a pivoting pawl having a first end that engages a clutch dog of a planetary ring gear and the clutch actuator includes an electro-magnetic solenoid having a plunger that engages a second end of the pivoting pawl.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2020
    Assignee: WARN INDUSTRIES, INC.
    Inventors: Bryan M. Averill, Oliver Heravi, Jeff Walston, Garrett F. Pauwels, Kevin M. Christensen
  • Patent number: 10562743
    Abstract: Systems are provided for a fairlead, and in particular to a hawse fairlead. In one example, the fairlead may include a wear insert positioned within a first opening of a fairlead frame configured to guide a rope and/or cable. The wear insert may be constructed from a denser material than the frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2020
    Assignee: WARN INDUSTRIES, INC.
    Inventor: Darren G. Fretz
  • Patent number: D880431
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignee: WARN INDUSTRIES, INC.
    Inventors: Darren G. Fretz, Christopher J. Boudreau, Thomas R. Paasch
  • Patent number: D898089
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: WARN INDUSTRIES, INC.
    Inventors: Darren Fretz, Eric Vaughn, Jackson Wang, Clark Brumet, Michael Thilavanh
  • Patent number: D898321
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: WARN INDUSTRIES, INC.
    Inventors: Darren G. Fretz, Eric Vaughn, Jackson C. Wang
  • Patent number: D898322
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: WARN INDUSTRIES, INC.
    Inventors: Darren G. Fretz, Eric Vaughn, Jackson C. Wang
  • Patent number: D1001351
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2023
    Assignee: Warn Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Brent Riley
  • Patent number: D1008888
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: WARN INDUSTRIES, INC.
    Inventor: Brent Riley