Patents Examined by Bridget Avery
  • Patent number: 9168938
    Abstract: A folding ball trolley having a minimized volume has a frame, a bag and multiple resilient elements. The frame has four stand rods, four top seats, four sliding seats, four wheels, four connecting rod assemblies and four mounting rods. The bag connects to the mounting rods, and the mounting rods pivotally connect to the stand rods. Accordingly, the mounting rods can be rotated relative to the stand rods, such that the mounting rods do not protrude upward to occupy too much space when the ball trolley is folded. Besides, the frame is braced by the resilient elements so a user does not have to stretch his hands between the rods when folding the ball trolley, thereby preventing the hands from being clamped.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2015
    Inventor: Chia-Ling Wang
  • Patent number: 9169812
    Abstract: A vehicular engine assembly includes an engine, a panel, and a snorkel. The panel is associated with the engine and includes a panel surface, a first side wall, and a second side wall. The first and second side walls extend substantially upwardly from the panel surface and define a channel. The channel is configured to receive an elongated member. The snorkel includes an attachment tab having a leg member and a foot portion. The foot portion is adjacent to and overlies at least a portion of each of the first and second side walls. The foot portion cooperates with the first and second side walls to constrain the elongated member within the channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2015
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masayuki Hirukawa, Eric Douglas Moseley, Yoshiyuki Sato
  • Patent number: 9162557
    Abstract: The drive unit (19) according to the invention for light vehicles, in particular bicycles, comprises a wheel unit (20) and a motor unit (21). The wheel unit (20) includes a gear ring (27) and at least one, preferably two support tracks (31, 35) on which the motor unit (21), which is movably supported but circumferentially fixed to the frame (11), runs. In this way, a wheel-support arrangement for the motor unit (21) is provided. As a result, also with extreme light-weight designs as used in connection with bicycles even in sport applications, a correct engagement between the wheel mounted gear ring (27) and drive pinion (45) is achieved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2015
    Inventor: Guenter Lang
  • Patent number: 9145155
    Abstract: Provided is a dynamic shopping cart with collapsible walls. The shopping cart can either be used with the collapsible wall in place or in collapsed position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2015
    Inventor: Rafael Iryami
  • Patent number: 9138632
    Abstract: A wheeled sport apparatus may comprise a platform and first and second sets of wheels disposed on the platform. Each set of wheels may include a center wheel between two outboard wheels and the outboard wheels may be toed outward for defining a turning radius. One or more carrier wheels may be provided between the first and second sets of wheels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2015
    Assignee: Powdr-Woodward PA LLC
    Inventor: William Eric Edginton
  • Patent number: 9126612
    Abstract: A cable reel trolley includes a main body fixed with a carrying unit, and a wheel frame and a third wheel at the bottom, with the third wheel parallel to the wheel frame. The wheel frame has two ends respectively installed with a first wheel and a second wheel. A direction-swaying member is fixed between the wheel frame and the first wheel, able to shift the axial direction of the first wheel so that the trolley can move with the first wheel and the second wheel or with the first wheel and the third wheel optionally. That is, the trolley can travel forward and backward or leftward and rightward, turning vertically in a narrow space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2015
    Inventor: Hsiu-Man Yu Chen
  • Patent number: 9120389
    Abstract: An integrated drive assembly for an electric vehicle, where the power inverter enclosure is separate from the motor and the transmission, and where the power inverter enclosure is coupled to, and separated from, the motor via a plurality of inverter support members. Each of the inverter support members is rigidly coupled to the transmission enclosure and compliantly coupled to the power inverter enclosure using a plurality of flexible bushings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2015
    Assignee: ATIEVA, INC.
    Inventor: Peter Dore Rawlinson
  • Patent number: 9108497
    Abstract: An apparatus for a vehicle is provided that includes a structural enclosure configured to attach to both first and second spaced battery module housings while spanning the gap between the spaced battery module housings. The structural enclosure is configured to support power electronics and is configured to allow connection of the power electronics to the battery modules through the structural enclosure. A method of servicing vehicles and a method of manufacturing vehicles is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2015
    Inventors: Albert W. Harrison, III, Dave Mleczko, Scott Sabin
  • Patent number: 9102291
    Abstract: A front grille including a rotation plate is attached to the front end of a body. A grille open-state dimension of the rotation plate relative to a shaft is set to be smaller than a minimum distance among distances between the front end of the body and the backside surface of a blade in the front/back direction of the body when the lower end of the blade is in contact with a level surface. In this way, there can be obtained a bulldozer having a front grille that facilitates cleaning, that has excellent durability, and that provides excellent workability in an opening/closing operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2015
    Assignee: KOMATSU LTD.
    Inventor: Kazuki Kure
  • Patent number: 9101816
    Abstract: An inline frame is disclosed for an inline skate, designed to mimic the properties of an ice hockey skate blade on ice. In at least one example embodiment, the inline frame includes at least one first connection part intended to be connected to a boot and at least two wheels positioned essentially in the inline frame's longitudinal direction. An unique thing about the inline frame of at least one embodiment is that it includes an upper chassis section and a lower chassis section which via a coupling element are arranged to be rotatable in the inline frame's longitudinal direction, and that the upper chassis section includes at least one first contact surface and that the lower chassis section includes at least one second contact surface, where at least one of the first contact surface and the second contact surface is curvilinear.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2015
    Assignee: MARSBLADE AB
    Inventor: Per Mårs
  • Patent number: 9105951
    Abstract: A phase-change material is used as part of the thermal management system to assist in maintaining a thermal load, such as a battery pack, within a selected temperature range, thereby reducing the consumption of battery power. The phase-change material may be conditioned to an initial state when the vehicle is on-plug and may be used to heat or cool the battery pack directly or indirectly, thereby reducing the use of an electric battery heater. The phase-change material may be used to heat coolant that flows to the thermal load. In another embodiment the phase-change material may be directly within the battery pack in contact with the cells. The phase-change material may be conditioned via the battery circuit heater when the vehicle is on-plug. The phase-change material may also be recharged during vehicle use off-plug using waste heat from the motor circuit thermal load.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2015
    Assignee: Magna E-Car Systems of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Melinda Anderson-Straley, Neil Carpenter, Greg Fritz, Rick Rajaie
  • Patent number: 9097341
    Abstract: A brake system and method includes a test mode for determining a capacity of the brake system provided on a machine having a hydrostatic drive. A hydrostatic drive target differential pressure range is determined to simulate a test torque. A machine ground speed limit, hydrostatic drive actual differential pressure, and actual ground speed of the machine are determined. An output pressure of the hydrostatic pump is modulated to drive the hydrostatic drive actual differential pressure toward the hydrostatic drive target differential pressure range. A first test fault condition is determined when the actual ground speed exceeds the machine ground speed limit. A second test fault condition is determined when the hydrostatic drive actual differential pressure is outside the hydrostatic drive target differential pressure range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2015
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Lucas Micah Newlon, Bradley John Will, Sudarshan Aravamuthan Maiyur
  • Patent number: 9097223
    Abstract: A part of an air cleaner main body overlapped with vehicle body frames in a side view has a shape in which an upper surface portion of the part is narrower than a bottom surface portion of the part. The air cleaner main body is formed to have approximately uniform gaps along inner surfaces of the vehicle body frames, and the air cleaner main body is inserted from a position below the vehicle body frames and is fixed to the vehicle body frames before mounting an engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2015
    Assignee: SUZUKI MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventor: Koichiro Kawata
  • Patent number: 9090154
    Abstract: Motorized hub for an electrically powered motor vehicle comprising a wheel hub mounted to rotate about a hub axis, and an electric traction unit comprising an external stator connected to a hub carrier and an internal rotor (31) whose axis of rotation is distant from the hub axis. The motorized hub comprises reduction means acting between shaft (33) of rotor (31), friction braking means, and a braking rotor secured to the hub. The reduction means comprise a drive pinion connected to the rotor (31) and a ring gear connected to the hub. A brake shaft passes through the hub carrier to connect the braking rotor to the hub. The reduction means comprise two reduction stages and the hub is mounted so that it can rotate via rolling-contact hub bearings positioned around a stub axle of the hub carrier, the brake shaft passing axially through a cavity of the stub axle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2015
    Assignees: COMPAGNIE GENERALE DES ETABLISSEMENTS MICHELIN, Michelin Recherche et Technique S.A.
    Inventors: Patrick Marro, Daniel Walser
  • Patent number: 9085315
    Abstract: A toboggan steering and breaking device employs a first mounting bracket, a first steering blade; a first steering lever; a second mounting bracket; a second steering blade; and a second steering lever. The first mounting bracket mounts to a toboggan deck. The first mounting bracket restrains the first steering blade. The first steering lever is configured to push the first steering blade through a first void in the deck of the toboggan. The second mounting bracket mounts to the toboggan deck. The second mounting bracket restrains the second steering blade. The second steering lever is configured to push the second steering blade through a second void in the deck of the toboggan.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2015
    Inventor: Edward H. Schultz, Jr.
  • Patent number: 9085226
    Abstract: A hybrid vehicle which is driven using the power of an engine and the power of a drive motor which is driven by an electric power supplied from a battery module, the vehicle including: a propeller shaft which is disposed below a floor panel in a vertical direction of the vehicle extending in a fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, and is configured to transmit the power of the engine and the power of the drive motor to a rear wheel; and a battery pack having the battery module, the battery pack being disposed below the floor panel so as to cover the propeller shaft. The battery pack has a recess formed in a fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, and the propeller shaft is housed in an air guide duet defined by the floor panel and the recess of the battery pack.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2015
    Assignee: FUJI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroshi Matsuda, Toshiaki Naruke, Minoru Iida
  • Patent number: 9079600
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a medi-spa service cart having improved storage, convenience and portability properties. The cart includes a castered base, a selectively extensible tubular vertical support and, affixed to the upper end of the support, a principal service tray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2015
    Inventor: Nancy A. Houlihan
  • Patent number: 9073539
    Abstract: A vehicle connectable to an auxiliary power unit capable of energizing a pair of fail-safe brakes that arrest rotation of a pair of electric transaxles mounted to the vehicle. Each brake has an external connector and requires electrical power to assume a non-braked state that permits free rotation of an electric motor engaged to the brake and incorporated in each of the electric transaxles. The auxiliary power unit having first and second circuits and first and second connectors compatible with the external connectors of one of the brakes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2015
    Assignee: Hydro-Gear Limited Partnership
    Inventors: Ivan Eugene Fox, Brian Laymon
  • Patent number: 9033350
    Abstract: Air traveling is a daily procedure, people need to move quickly within and around airports with their luggage. The invention, hereafter called “SkateTrolley ”, is a luggage designed to be used as a standard trolley or the traveler can ride luggage rather than carrying it. SkateTrolley has a platform with steerable rear wheels that can be pulled out to be ridden in a skateboard manner and a pull out driving stick that drives the front wheel in a scooter way while the content of the luggage remains in place. The design is developed to minimize weight, the suitcase shell acts as a frame and maximize maneuverability thought the double steering effect. SkateTrolley can be built in different sizes, one will fit the carryon luggage airline requirements. Note: FIG. 5 represents the invention the most.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2015
    Inventor: Federico Porri
  • Patent number: 9033087
    Abstract: A probe-holder carriage includes a frame which can slide over a highly magnetically permeable support surface and at least one permanent magnet able to interact magnetically with, and couple the robot to, the surface. The permanent magnet is positioned so that one pole grazes the surface and faces the surface at a minimum distance from it. The frame defines a central housing which can support at least one probe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2015
    Assignee: Tecnomac S.R.L.
    Inventor: Arturo Lama