Patents Examined by Brian L Cassidy
  • Patent number: 10118631
    Abstract: A combination hand truck and equipment stand to be used by musicians, sound reinforcement companies and sound personnel, lighting companies and lighting personnel, clubs, schools, theaters, concert halls and Houses of Worship for transporting equipment (instrument amplifiers, sound and lighting consoles, speaker enclosures, audio processing racks and general miscellaneous equipment) transforms into a stand for said musical instrument amplifiers, sound and lighting consoles, standard 19? audio equipment racks, stage monitors, loudspeaker enclosures, and storage boxes, etc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2018
    Inventor: Sheldon Jay Gunther
  • Patent number: 10112480
    Abstract: An in-wheel motor unit comprises a housing, a motor, a speed reducer, a hub bearing comprising an inner race and an outer race, and a seal member fluid-tightly sealing a gap between the housing and the outer race. The outer race comprises a cylinder part disposed inside the housing and a flange part fixed to a housing wall surface by one or a plurality of fastening members. The housing has a projecting part with a substantially cylindrical shape extending from a housing opening in an axle inward direction. An outer peripheral surface of the cylinder part abuts against an inner peripheral surface of the projecting part. The seal member is disposed in a groove provided on the outer peripheral surface and extending over a whole periphery of the cylinder part of the outer race.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2018
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hideki Fukudome
  • Patent number: 10106032
    Abstract: A refuse vehicle includes a chassis having an engine, a body assembly, a tailgate pivotally attached to the body assembly, a CNG fuel system having a CNG fuel tank coupled to the tailgate and moveable therewith, the engine configured to be powered by the CNG fuel system, at least one of one a non-structural conduit, a non-structural raceway, and a non-structural channel configured to contain at least one of wiring and a hydraulic line, and an impact mitigation system. The impact mitigation system is a passive system and includes a skeleton. The skeleton includes a plurality of structural frame members positioned to direct impact loads around the CNG fuel tank. The impact mitigation system provides a protected region within which the CNG fuel tank is disposed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: Oshkosh Corporation
    Inventors: Lucas D. Crist, Grant D. Wildgrube, Jarud H. Hoefker, Leslie H. Schwartz
  • Patent number: 10093173
    Abstract: An active grille shutter (AGS) system for a vehicle comprises a housing defining at least one opening, a set of louvers disposed in the at least one opening, wherein a first louver of the set of louvers has a rotational offset with respect to a second louver of the set of louvers, and a louver compensation system connected between an actuator system of the AGS system and at least one of the first and second louvers, the louver compensation system comprising a first rotationally flexible member, wherein the actuator system is configured to rotatably drive the first and second louvers, and wherein the first rotationally flexible member rotatably flexes to compensate for the rotational offset. A grille assembly of the vehicle and/or a side vent assembly of the vehicle could incorporate the AGS system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: SRG Global Inc.
    Inventors: Rob Frayer, Kurt Meier, Kim Wilkinson, Brian Przyjacielski
  • Patent number: 10086891
    Abstract: A modular electric vehicle includes a first body module having a lateral connecting side, a second body module having a lateral connecting side, two first wheels mounted to the first body module, two second wheels mounted to the second body module, and a connection unit. The connection unit includes a first electrical connector disposed at the lateral connecting side of the first body module, and a second electrical connector disposed at the lateral connecting side of the second body module. The first electrical connector is operable to be selectively and electrically coupled to the second electrical connector, so that the first and second body modules can be selectively assembled to form a relatively light electric vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: National Taiwan Normal University
    Inventors: Yi-Hsuan Hung, Cheng-Sian Li, Min-Chen Cho, Hsueh-Chung Han, Chen-Wei Hu, Shao-Wei Chang
  • Patent number: 10077016
    Abstract: A retractable step and side bar assembly that can be used for raised vehicles, such as trucks. The retractable step can be configured to provide for significant reach in a deployed position to allow for a user to enter the raised vehicle. Further, in the stowed position the retractable step can be located within the side bar, thereby providing a low profile as well as an enhanced aesthetic appearance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2018
    Assignee: Lund Motion Products, Inc.
    Inventors: Anthony Nicholas Smith, Eric Charles Bajza, William Franklin Bibb, VI
  • Patent number: 10071757
    Abstract: A cargo trailer system includes a vehicle has a hitch receiver. A trailer is provided and the trailer may be manipulated thereby facilitating the trailer to be urged along a support surface. The trailer may contain cargo thereby facilitating the cargo to be transported. A plurality of wheels is hingedly coupled to the trailer. The plurality of wheels is selectively positioned between a deployed position and a stored position. The trailer is coupled to the hitch receiver when the wheels are positioned in the stored position. Thus, the vehicle carries the trailer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Inventors: Brad Cheatham, Jeffrey Cheatham
  • Patent number: 10066364
    Abstract: A construction machine includes: a cover that covers an engine and a radiator; a radiator fan that is arranged at the rear of a vehicle body frame and discharges exhaust gas toward the rear of the vehicle body frame from the inner space of the cover; an injection device that injects a reducing agent into exhaust gas of the engine; a tank housing section that is arranged at one side of the vehicle body frame, includes an introduction section for introducing outside air, and houses a tank for storing the reducing agent injected by the injection device; and a connection section that is arranged in either the cover or the vehicle body frame and in the tank housing section, connects the inner space of the tank housing section and the inner space of the cover, and allows the outside air and the pipe to pass therethrough, the outside air having been introduced from the introduction section by the suction pressure of the radiator fan, the pipe supplying the reducing agent to the injection device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: KCM Corporation
    Inventors: Yasuo Yamazaki, Takashi Takeyama, Keigo Kikuchi, Akira Shimohira, Keisuke Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 10056812
    Abstract: A three-phase permanent magnet electric motor-generator includes a stator having a plurality of teeth, each provided with a respective electric winding implemented by a conducting wire and with a respective heading polar expansion, divided into groups each one corresponding to a phase, by obtaining at the same time a reduced short-circuit current. The distance between adjacent polar expansions is the minimum one so as to allow the passage of a conducting wire. By identifying a first magnetic circuit comprising two adjacent teeth, the respective rotor and stator yokes, the thicknesses of the respective permanent magnets and the corresponding air gap, and a second magnetic circuit having two adjacent teeth, the respective rotor yokes, the respective halves of the faced polar expansions of said adjacent teeth and the distance between such polar expansions, the magnetic reluctances of the first and second circuit have the same order of magnitude.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: PIAGGIO & C. S.P.A.
    Inventors: Paolo Capozzella, Roberto Bernardini
  • Patent number: 10056829
    Abstract: A power supply device includes a boost convertor configured to perform a boost-up operation to boost a voltage supplied from an input terminal, a connection-assist diode connected in parallel to the boost convertor between the input terminal and an output terminal, and a switching element connected in parallel to the boost convertor and the connection-assist diode between the input terminal and the output terminal. A controller instructs the switching element to open and instructs the boost convertor to perform a boost-up operation for boosting the voltage at the input terminal during a boost-up period. The controller instructs the boost convertor to stop the boost-up operation when the boost-up period elapses. The controller then instructs the switching element to close the switching element. The controller then determines a state of the switching element based on a voltage at the output terminal detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasutaka Tanigawa, Shinichi Yamanouchi
  • Patent number: 10040348
    Abstract: A motorized golfboard with bi-axle four wheel steering controlled by the horizontal force applied to a stability bar extending vertically from golfboard's frame. Steering this way is accomplished using three design features. First, a vertically angled pivot point behind the front wheel assembly and one in front of the rear wheel assembly. Second, structurally, the front and rear axles axles lie beyond the front and rear of the golfboard deck and frame. Third, the pivot points are centered on spring plates extending angularly upward from the horizontal, bottom face of the frame of the golfboard, so as to be disposed at an acute angle with respect to the deck of the golfboard. In combination, these three features work to allow the inboard wheels to move closer together and the outboard wheels to move further apart when the stability bar is forced to the side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2018
    Inventors: Michael Jay Radenbaugh, Robert Anthony Wilk, Starling T Faraon, Dean F Fuschetti, Joseph Israel Wolf
  • Patent number: 10035058
    Abstract: A boot binding system for a splitboard that can include a latch pedal mechanism at an end of a baseplate on which the rider's boot rests. The latch pedal can have a dual function: either to attach each boot binding to a ride mode interface, or to attach each boot binding to a ski tour interface. In a “release position” the latch pedal is disengaged allowing the baseplate assembly to alternate between the ski tour interface and the ride mode interface. In a “lock position,” the rider depresses the latch pedal and locks the boot binding onto the selected interface. The latch pedal is held down by the rider's boot when in the lock position, contributing to the system's lightness and strength.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2018
    Assignee: SPARK R&D IP HOLDINGS, LLC
    Inventor: William J Ritter
  • Patent number: 10023220
    Abstract: A cart ski system for urging a cart along a granular support surface includes a cart that may be rolled along a support surface. The cart has a set of rear wheels and a set of front wheels. A pair of skis is provided and each of the wheels is positioned in a corresponding one of the skis. Each of the skis slides along the support surface when the support surface is comprised of a granular material thereby enhancing urging the cart along the granular material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Inventor: Avedis Samuelian
  • Patent number: 10024208
    Abstract: A work vehicle includes a vehicle body frame supported on a ground surface by wheels, a reinforcing plate provided in the vehicle body frame, an oil equipment using oil, and a drain pan configured to receive and discharge the oil discharged from the oil equipment. The reinforcing plate defines a drain hole extending vertically therethrough. A tilted face is provided in a face of the reinforcing plate. The tilted face extends with a downward inclination from a dropping point on the reinforcing plate for the oil discharged from the drain pan to the drain hole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: KUBOTA CORPORATION
    Inventors: David Spitz, Hideki Aoki
  • Patent number: 10005366
    Abstract: A system includes a rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) having an enclosure, battery cells, contactors, a first pair of high-voltage interlock (HVIL) ports, and female blind-mate electrical sockets selectively connected to the battery cells via the contactors. The battery cells and contactors are within the RESS enclosure. The system includes a high-power distribution module (HPDM) having another enclosure, male blind-mate electrical pins, a second pair of HVIL ports engagable with the first pair, ring-terminal connections connected to the blind-mate electrical pins and connectable to high-current components, and HV280 electrical connectors electrically connected to one or more of the male blind-mate electrical pins. The male blind-mate electrical pins insert directly into and engage with the female blind-mate electrical sockets of the RESS enclosure. A vehicle includes the system, a transmission, and an electric machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2018
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Konking Wang, Brendan M. Conlon, Leo F. Schwab, Alexander M. Bilinski, Stephen G. Heien
  • Patent number: 9988969
    Abstract: A fluid management system for a cooling module of a vehicle air conditioning system. The cooling module includes a first heat exchanger in fluid communication with a liquid cooling system of the vehicle and a second heat exchanger disposed upstream of the first heat exchanger and in fluid communication with the vehicle air conditioning system, wherein the fluid management system minimizes an inlet fluid temperature of the second heat exchanger of the cooling module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2018
    Assignee: HANON SYSTEMS
    Inventors: Alexandru Orest Dziubinschi, David C. Letteer
  • Patent number: 9975415
    Abstract: Various methods and systems are provided for an electric motor arrangement in a chassis of a battery electric vehicle. In one embodiment, a front chassis for a battery electric vehicle comprises a structural frame including two parallel sidewalls and a first portion of a vehicle articulation joint and an electric motor coupled between and in face-sharing contact with each of the two parallel sidewalls.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2018
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Patrick Lee Jansen, Gregory Benton Badders, Paul Deahl
  • Patent number: 9969254
    Abstract: A powertrain system is described, and includes an internal combustion engine having a crank member, a torque machine having a rotatable shaft member, and a transmission having an input member and an output member. The crank member of the internal combustion engine is couplable to the input member of the transmission. The rotatable shaft member of the torque machine is couplable to the crank member of the internal combustion engine at a first gear ratio. The rotatable shaft member of the torque machine is couplable to the input member of the transmission at a second gear ratio. The first gear ratio is less than the second gear ratio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2018
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventor: Alan G. Holmes
  • Patent number: 9970223
    Abstract: An articulating prop to prop panels in an open position is disclosed. In one embodiment, the prop includes a protrusion that rests in a groove to lock members of the articulating prop in position. An external force causes the articulating prop members to rotate into a locked position. In another embodiment, an additional latch is disclosed which further locks the articulating prop in a locked position. An external force causes the articulating prop member to rotate out of a locked position. Shapes and interfaces of handles of the articulating prop are disclosed. Openings and pivotal axes of members of the articulating prop are also disclosed herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2018
    Inventors: David R. Hall, Stephen R. Hall, Christopher Johnson, Eric Magleby
  • Patent number: 9963171
    Abstract: An electrically driven vehicle comprises: a body frame arranged in a holding compartment formed in front of a passenger compartment; a suspension member fastened to the body frame in the holding compartment through a rear side fastening structure; and a fuel cell stack supported on the suspension member through a rear side mount at a position in front of the rear side fastening structure. When a serious collision occurs, the fuel cell stack moves rearward and strikes the fastening structure whereby the fastening structure breaks and thereby suspension member separates from the body frame and the fuel cell stack moves downward and heads toward the inside of the shelter space between the holding compartment and a road surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2018
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hideo Nagaosa