Patents Examined by Anthony D. Barfield
  • Patent number: 11638482
    Abstract: A wall-proximity reclining seating unit includes: a frame having a back member and a pair of arms, the back member extending between the arms; a backrest; a seat; a first footrest; and a reclining mechanism connected between the frame, backrest, seat, and first footrest. The reclining mechanism comprises a series of pivotally interconnected links and is configured to move the seating unit between: (a) an upright position, (b) a TV position, in which the first footrest is extended in front of the seat and is generally horizontally disposed, and the seat and backrest are moved forwardly relative to the frame between about 2.5 and 4 inches; and (c) a fully reclined position, in which the first footrest remains extended in front of the seat, and the seat is moved forward of its position in the TV position between about 4 and 7 inches.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2023
    Assignee: Ultra-Mek, Inc.
    Inventor: Marcus L. Murphy
  • Patent number: 11634054
    Abstract: In a vehicle seat pad 1, a seating portion has a plurality of bottomless or bottomed holes 10h, and in a horizontal projection plane, a ratio R11U of a total area of under-femoral-region holes in an upper surface of a femoral region-placed portion with respect to an entire area of the femoral region-placed portion, a ratio R12CU of a total area of under-hip holes in an upper surface of an under-hip center portion with respect to an entire area of the under-hip center portion, and a ratio R12SU of a total area of under-hip holes in upper surfaces of a pair of under-hip side portions with respect to entire areas of the pair of under-hip side portions satisfy R11U>R12 CU>R12SU.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: Archem Inc.
    Inventors: Yukiko Yamaguchi, Taisuke Yonezawa, Yoshiyuki Takahashi
  • Patent number: 11618572
    Abstract: An adjustable armrest assembly provides for quick and easy height and tilt adjustments to the armrest. Generally, the armrest assembly disclosed herein includes a base, an armrest, and one or more shafts extending from the base and being pivotably coupled to the armrest. By moving the one or more shafts relative to the base, the height and/or tilt of the armrest relative to the base can be adjusted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2023
    Assignee: B/E Aerospace, Inc.
    Inventors: Sreekanth Koti Ananda Rao, Pavan Kumar Krishna Kumar, Pradeep Acharya
  • Patent number: 11618354
    Abstract: A seat bottom assembly including a seat bottom frame having a front side and a back side, a seat plate having a front side and a back side, webbing stitches, and tear away stitches. The back side of the seat plate is coupled to the back side of the seat bottom frame. The webbing straps are coupled to and extending between the front side of the seat bottom frame and the front side of the seat plate, and tear away stitches connect two points of the webbing straps along a longitudinal axis so that the webbing straps are partially looped at locations of the respective tear away stitches. The tear away stitches separate and increase a length of the webbing straps in response to experiencing a threshold load in a direction perpendicular to the seat plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2023
    Assignee: Energy Management Subsystems LLC
    Inventor: Jeffrey L. Glaub
  • Patent number: 11617444
    Abstract: A frame includes laterally spaced apart first and second support locations. A leaf spring has a longitudinal axis and extends between the first and second support locations. The leaf spring includes opposite first and second ends coupled to the frame along the longitudinal axis. A flexible shell is coupled to the frame at a third support location longitudinally spaced apart from the first and second support locations. The flexible shell is coupled to the leaf spring between the first and second support locations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2023
    Assignee: STEELCASE INC.
    Inventors: Nickolaus William Charles Deevers, Kurt R. Heidmann
  • Patent number: 11618573
    Abstract: An aircraft armrest lifting mechanism generally biases the aircraft armrest toward a raised configuration. A linear actuator applies tension to a cable connected to a portion of an armrest hub connected to an armrest shaft. The portion of the armrest hub extends some distance from the armrest shaft so that the linear actuator applies a moment between an attachment point on the armrest and the armrest shaft that tends to rotate the armrest toward a raised configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2023
    Assignee: AMI Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Douglas E. Hoover
  • Patent number: 11613191
    Abstract: A wheel loader representing a work vehicle includes an operator's seat, an armrest, and a seat operation portion. The armrest is provided lateral to the operator's seat. The seat operation portion controls a position or a posture of the operator's seat. The seat operation portion is attached to the armrest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: KOMATSU LTD.
    Inventors: Akihiro Koshi, Masahiko Hamaguchi, Hirofumi Wada, Naoki Kimura
  • Patent number: 11597522
    Abstract: A passenger seat or group of seats includes a tray table set into the armrest on either side of the associated seat, the tray table capable of translating lengthwise along the armrest and pivoting between a stowed configuration and a deployed configuration. In the stowed configuration, the tray table extends vertically above the armrest and may be stowed between (and partially behind) the associated seat and an adjacent seat, serving as a partial barrier between the two seats. In the deployed configuration, the tray table extends horizontally across the associated seat for use by the occupying passenger. The tray table is padded on its underside to provide the passenger with head and shoulder support when in the stowed configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2023
    Assignee: B/E Aerospace, Inc.
    Inventor: Ian L. Frost
  • Patent number: 11597520
    Abstract: A component positioning system and method are configured to facilitate positioning of a component (such as a seat assembly) on a seat track within an internal cabin of a vehicle. The component positioning system and method include a component, and a position indicator coupled to a portion of the component. The position indicator emits a proper position indication when the component is in a proper position in relation to the seat track. The position indicator emits a remedial position indication when the component is not in the proper position with respect to the seat track.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2023
    Assignee: THE BOEING COMPANY
    Inventors: James Jason Salmon, Jeffrey Scott Roberts, Patrick William O'Neill
  • Patent number: 11591091
    Abstract: An armrest assembly for seats on an aircraft includes a mount bracket and a leaf that is movable relative to the mount bracket. A hinge pin interacts with at least a portion of the mount bracket and the leaf. The leaf rotates about the hinge pin to raise and lower the armrest assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2023
    Inventor: Ralph Lipsey Barnett
  • Patent number: 11589678
    Abstract: A chair includes a base and a back coupled to the base. The back includes a pair of back supports extending from the base and a back panel coupled to the pair of back supports. Each back support is configured to exhibit a first bending stiffness when bent to a first stop point, and exhibit a second bending stiffness when bent beyond the first stop point, the second bending stiffness being greater than the first bending stiffness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2023
    Assignee: HNI TECHNOLOGIES INC.
    Inventors: Jay R. Machael, Douglas A. Schroeder
  • Patent number: 11584531
    Abstract: An aircraft is disclosed with a fuselage including a cabin delimited by a cabin floor and having crew quarters. The crew quarters include an upper portion above a floor plane defined by the cabin floor and a lower portion beneath the floor plane. The crew quarters include a seat adjustable between a sitting configuration and a berthing configuration. A method of transitioning a crew member of an aircraft to a berthing configuration in a crew quarters is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Inventors: Alexandre Galin, John Ferneley, Thomas Ahn, Siddhartho Konstantin Banerjee
  • Patent number: 11584530
    Abstract: A stowable armrest extension rotates or translates from the armrest and deploys into one or more horizontal extensions. Linking elements connect the movement of various components to direct, restrict, and automate deployment. A central column may isolate the butterfly leafs to prevent incidental contact between neighboring passengers. An actuator may apply a force to deploy the stowable armrest extension, either when a release is activated or when a top cap is moved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: B/E Aerospace, Inc.
    Inventors: Sambasiva Rao Kodati, Abhishek Choudhary
  • Patent number: 11569859
    Abstract: Furniture pieces which incorporate load-bearing or non-load bearing structures in which water or other material may be stored. By incorporating such storage capacity within furniture, a user may take advantage of space that would otherwise be unused or unusable to unobtrusively and conveniently store an emergency water supply or other desired material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Inventor: Tonia Walstad Miller
  • Patent number: 11560076
    Abstract: A seat back pad 70 has a groove 73 for tucking a skin material therein, formed at borders between a central portion 71 and side portions 72. A hole (slot hole 74) is formed in a bottom of the groove 73 along the groove 73. A tuck-in wire 76 for tucking the skin material in includes a plurality of tuck-in portions 76A provided along the groove 73, and a connecting portion (detour portion 76B) detouring around the hole and connecting the tuck-in portions 76A. With this configuration, when an upper body of an occupant P subsides into a seat back S2 in a rear-end collision of a vehicle, the central portion 71, defined by the groove 73 as a border, is easily and sufficiently moved rearward relative to the left and right side portions 72. Furthermore, the tuck-in wire 76 is not exposed through the hole, and thus adhesion between the seat back pad 70 and the tuck-in wire 76 can be improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2023
    Assignee: TS TECH CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takamasa Adachi, Tsutomu Matsuzaki, Masayuki Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 11554699
    Abstract: A cushion having a fibrous foam architecture. The cushion has a trim cover and a number of fibrous layers attached to the trim cover. One or more structural properties of a fibrous layer can be controlled to differ from that of other layers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2023
    Assignees: Tesla, Inc., PIANA NONWOVENS. LLC
    Inventors: Forrest Wen Liau, Stefan Kuzmanovski, Jorge C. Fialho, Andrea Piana, Eric McCann, Mehran Jafari, Andy Hollis, Helias Andriessen
  • Patent number: 11553799
    Abstract: An ergonomic chair (300) comprising a seat (310), a lower leg support (320), a chest support (330), and a hip support (360); the seat (310) for supporting the posterior thigh (11) and/or buttocks (12) of a seated user (10), the seat (310) being configured to urge the hip of a seated user (10) in a forward direction; the lower leg support (320) for supporting the anterior side of the lower legs (14) of the seated user (10); the chest support (330) for supporting the chest (15) of the seated user (10) in a forward leaning position of the seated user (10); the hip support (360) is configured to support the anterior hip of a seated user (10) as the seat (310) urges the seated user's (10) hip forwardly towards the hip support (360).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2023
    Assignee: Native Bionics Scandinavia AB
    Inventors: Mikael Signarsson, Martin Bolter, Martin Kramberg, Izabela Cierlik
  • Patent number: 11548641
    Abstract: An airplane seat device includes at least one functional unit that is configured at least for a locking, a controlling and/or a movement of at least one airplane seat element, wherein the functional unit includes at least one actuatable shape-memory element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: RECARO Aircraft Seating GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Christoph Hennrich, Alfons Stachel, Sinisa Malekovic, Tim Klaus
  • Patent number: 11548348
    Abstract: A seating assembly includes a seating surface extending over at least one of a seat and a seatback. The seating assembly also includes a fluid mover and a fluid transfer member including a fluid inlet portion and a fluid outlet portion. The fluid inlet portion is coupled to the fluid mover, and the fluid outlet portion is proximate the seating surface. The fluid mover is selectively operable to release a pressurized fluid through the tube so that the release of the pressurized fluid at the outlet cools a seating assembly occupant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Alan George Dry, Johnathan Andrew Line, Marcos Silva Kondrad, Kevin Wayne Preuss
  • Patent number: 11548643
    Abstract: Disclosed is a height adjustable seat pan assembly such as for use in an aircraft cabin attendant seat. The assembly includes a seat pan supported between spaced frame members defining guide tracks including successive pivot positions each corresponding to a different seat pan height. The seat pan is movable between a deployed condition and a stowed condition in which the seat pan stows generally vertically below a backrest to provide a low profile seat in the stowed condition. Features provided on opposing sides of the seat pan interact with the successive pivot positions in the guide tracks, and the seat can be repositioned to a different pivot position to change the seat pan height. Pivoting motion of the seat pan between the stowed and deployed conditions locks or unlocks the seat pan relative to its aligned successive pivot position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: B/E Aerospace, Inc.
    Inventors: Nikhil Anthony Saldanha, Naveen B. Lokanatha