Patents Assigned to Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Corporation
  • Patent number: 7506712
    Abstract: An off-road vehicle includes a frame and a plurality of wheels. An engine powers the wheels. An air intake system supplies air to the engine. The air intake system has an air inlet through which ambient air enters the intake system. The air inlet is positioned higher than the wheels. An air intake duct extends rearward to the engine from the air inlet. At least a portion of the air intake duct is positioned lower than the tops of the wheels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2009
    Assignees: Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha, Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Corporation of America
    Inventors: Eiji Kato, Kazuhiko Izumi, Akira Inui, Norihiko Tanaka, Colby Nash
  • Patent number: 7461851
    Abstract: A vehicle includes a wheel suspension device on a right side and a wheel suspension device on a left side, with the right and left side wheel suspension devices being connected to each other through a rear frame mounted on a body frame. The right and left side wheel suspension devices include a lower arm supported at an inner end of the rear frame so as to extend outward and so as to be pivotally movable in a vertical direction. The right and left side wheel suspension devices also include an upper arm connected to the outer end of the lower arm through a wheel-supporting knuckle and so as to extend outward from the knuckle. The wheel suspension devices are provided with a rear cushion unit connected at one end to the swinging side end of one of the lower and upper arm members. At least one of the inner end of the upper arm and the other end of the rear cushion unit is supported on the rear frame so as to be pivotally movable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2008
    Assignees: Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha, Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: Takashi Yamamura, Katsuhisa Shimizu, Minoru Seto, Tomoaki Ooishi, Craig Smith
  • Publication number: 20080265661
    Abstract: A driveshaft boot protector includes a curved main body, fastening members attached to the curved main body and extending from a main surface thereof, and wall members extending from the main surface of the main body. The fastening members are arranged to be attached to a knuckle assembly of a suspension system for a vehicle. The fastening members are either snap fit members which engage corresponding structures on the knuckle assembly or threaded fasteners. The driveshaft boot protector is removably attached to the knuckle assembly.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2007
    Publication date: October 30, 2008
    Applicant: YAMAHA MOTOR MANUFACTURING CORPORATION OF AMERICA
    Inventor: Bryan M. HARPER
  • Patent number: 7438147
    Abstract: An off-road vehicle includes a frame and wheels. An engine of the vehicle has a crankshaft. A transmission transmits the rotation of the crankshaft to the wheels. A housing houses a transmission mechanism of the transmission. The housing has an air inlet duct through which ambient air enters the housing and an air outlet duct through which the air leaves the housing. The air inlet duct has an inlet opening. The outlet duct has an outlet opening. The inlet and outlet openings are positioned higher than the wheels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2008
    Assignees: Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha, Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Corporation of America
    Inventors: Eiji Kato, Rusty Hayes, Colby Nash, Joel Cheek
  • Patent number: 7410019
    Abstract: An all terrain vehicle includes a body frame and a pair of brackets connected to the main frame. The all terrain vehicle also includes an air intake shroud, a pair of headlights, and an engine cooling apparatus, each of which is mounted directly to the pair of brackets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Corporation of America
    Inventor: Keith Kotrla
  • Patent number: 7380512
    Abstract: A watercraft includes a lower hull, a deck having an opening provided therein, a storage plate, and a storage space defined by a portion of the lower hull, a portion of the deck, and the storage plate. The storage plate has at least one folding line such that the storage plate can be inserted through the opening in the deck when the storage plate is folded along the at least one folding line, and such that the storage plate can be unfolded and installed inside of the hull to define the storage space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2008
    Assignee: Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Corporation of America
    Inventor: Michael Augustin Curtin
  • Publication number: 20080017434
    Abstract: A vehicle includes a combined wet brake and rear gear assembly supported by a pair of frames. The combined wet brake and rear gear assembly includes a housing having at least one gear and a wet brake provided therein. An input shaft is connected to the gear and to the engine of the vehicle. The wet brake is located between one of the pairs of frames and the input shaft in the transverse direction of the vehicle in a top plan view.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 23, 2006
    Publication date: January 24, 2008
    Applicant: YAMAHA MOTOR MANUFACTURING CORPORATION OF AMERICA
    Inventors: Bryan M. HARPER, Andrew METZGER, Bruce YOUNGGREN, Brian WOLF
  • Patent number: 7210723
    Abstract: An article housing device for a small-sized vehicle allows an occupant to easily insert and remove an article while seated on a seat, and is capable of preventing a liquid spilled from a housing portion from dropping down to a floor on which the occupant places his/her foot. A dashboard includes a lateral extended portion and a protruding portion protruding rearward from the lateral extended portion, in which a plurality of housing portions allowing articles to inserted into and removed from above the housing portions are formed in the protruding portion, and at least two of the housing portions are aligned in the vehicle longitudinal direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2007
    Assignee: Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Corporation of America
    Inventors: Yoshiharu Sugawara, Yoshitake Yamada
  • Patent number: 7204733
    Abstract: A duct structure for a watercraft includes a flexible tube for providing an air intake for the watercraft and a flexible member for being disposed on an inner perimeter of a hole in a hull of the watercraft for holding the flexible tube. A convex portion of the flexible tube engages at least one concave portion of the flexible member around substantially the entire circumference of the flexible member, allowing for easy insertion and removal of the flexible tube from the flexible member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2007
    Assignee: Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Corporation of America
    Inventors: Chester Colburn Nash, Michael Augustin Curtin
  • Patent number: 7115008
    Abstract: A shift control mechanism of a small watercraft for selectively shifting between a forward, a neutral and a reverse drive mode includes a first mounting bracket, a second mounting bracket, and a shift control lever having a grip for operating the shift control lever and first and second sides. The shift control lever is disposed between the first and second mounting brackets. The shift control lever is rotatably connected between the first and second mounting brackets via at least two connecting members, the shift control lever is supported on each of the first and second sides thereof by respective ones of the first and second mounting brackets, and at least one of the first and second mounting brackets is mounted on a deck of the small watercraft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2006
    Assignee: Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Corporation of America
    Inventor: Chester Colburn Nash
  • Patent number: 7040245
    Abstract: A hinge assembly for a hatch cover of a watercraft includes a hinge arm having a substantially J-shaped configuration and made of an extruded material, a deck mounting bracket for connecting the hinge arm to a deck of the watercraft, a hatch cover mounting bracket for connecting the hinge arm to a hatch cover of the watercraft, a hinge shaft connecting the hinge arm to the deck mounting bracket, and at least one mounting member connecting the hinge arm to the hatch cover mounting bracket. The hinge arm has a width dimension extending in a longitudinal direction of the hinge shaft that is greater than a thickness dimension extending in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the hinge shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2006
    Assignee: Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Corporation of America
    Inventor: Chester Colburn Nash
  • Patent number: 5031713
    Abstract: A mounting bracket arrangement for use in a golf cart so that an optional roof assembly may be readily added to the vehicle, either at the factory or later on in the field without the need for any special tools or equipment other than conventional hand tools. The support bracket in question underlies the cowl and is affixed at its lower ends to a rigid frame element. The opposite end is adapted to be joined to the roof support rails using bolts or other suitable fasteners extending through cylindrical tubular spacers located in the holes drilled through the thickness dimension of the vehicle's cowl.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 1990
    Date of Patent: July 16, 1991
    Assignee: Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Corporation of America
    Inventor: James M. Criscuolo
  • Patent number: D364590
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 1994
    Date of Patent: November 28, 1995
    Assignee: Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Corporation of America
    Inventor: Izumi Yamashita