Patents Examined by Brodie Follman
  • Patent number: 8955628
    Abstract: A vehicle comprises front and rear wheels, a passenger cell, and an engine, wherein the engine is located entirely aft of the foremost extent of the passenger cell, the engine having a cooling circuit, further comprising a radiator that is in fluid communication with the cooling circuit, the radiator being located aft of the front wheel centers and in front of the engine, and in an airflow path that extends from an underside of the vehicle to an exit on a rear face of the vehicle, wherein the airflow path is ducted at least in a portion around the radiator. This arrangement succeeds in placing the radiator close to the engine, thereby avoiding long conduit paths and their associated weight. The ducting causes a region of high pressure on the face of the radiator, and the exit on the rear face of the vehicle opens into the low pressure region behind the vehicle, so that air is drawn along the flow path, through the radiator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2015
    Assignee: Gordon Murray Design Limited
    Inventor: Ian Gordon Murray
  • Patent number: 8950535
    Abstract: A work vehicle includes a vehicle frame, a radiator, an engine, a first post-treatment apparatus, a second post-treatment apparatus, and a bracket. The engine is provided in front of the radiator. The first post-treatment apparatus and the second post-treatment apparatus are positioned in front of the radiator and treat exhaust from the engine. The bracket is positioned in front of the radiator and is elastically supported by the vehicle frame. The bracket supports the engine, the first post-treatment apparatus, and the second post-treatment apparatus. Both the highest position of the first post-treatment apparatus and the highest position of the second post-treatment apparatus are no higher than the highest position of the radiator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2015
    Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
    Inventors: Muneo Harada, Naoto Ikeda, Akihiko Sakamoto
  • Patent number: 8939454
    Abstract: Scooters including a body having a rider platform, a rear wheel, and a front wheel pivotally supported by the body about a steering axis. In some scooters, the axle of the front wheel is positioned rearward of the steering axis, and in some scooters the steering axis extends upwardly and divergently away from the rider platform. Some scooters include a steering stabilizer configured to bias the front wheel toward a neutral, or straight, steering configuration. Some scooters include a steering stabilizer that is configured to dampening the pivoting of the front wheel and/or limit an angle of pivot of the front wheel. Some scooters include a rear truck. Some scooters include a rider platform that extends beneath, or closer to a ground surface, than the tops of the scooters' front and/or rear wheels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2015
    Assignee: Acorn Products, LLC
    Inventors: Scott H. Stillinger, Kathryn Kelsey Anne Stillinger
  • Patent number: 8939453
    Abstract: A utility hand truck that includes an upright frame having a top end that includes a handle, elongated spaced apart vertical posts, a bottom end that includes a base support plate and spaced apart wheels at the bottom end; a front bucket; securing members that are for removable attachment of the front bucket between the elongated spaced apart vertical posts, and the base support plate; and a rear foot board that is constructed and arranged for support from the upright frame and disposed between the spaced apart wheels. The bucket scoops material at ground level while the rear foot board is useable in pushing the bucket forward and in tilting the upright frame and bucket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2015
    Inventor: Paul V. Ficociello
  • Patent number: 8936126
    Abstract: A vehicle battery pack mounting structure that suppresses vibrations of a floor panel while making a shock absorbing space between the battery pack and vehicle exterior members large by effectively utilizing a space between coil springs. The battery pack mounting structure includes a pair of left and right side members and a cross member for supporting the battery pack. A pair of left and right coil springs is installed at these side members and function as suspension members. The battery pack is installed inside an opening of a floor panel between the coil springs, and also between the coil springs, a front portion of the battery pack has a tapered outer surface that becomes narrower as it enters deeper into a space between the coil springs. The opening of the floor panel also has a tapered edge shape.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2015
    Assignee: Suzuki Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Kunihiro Nitawaki, Atsushi Horiuchi
  • Patent number: 8936268
    Abstract: An apparatus for traversing loose, granular material includes a frame and a rotatable traction device connected to the frame. The outer surface of the rotatable traction device includes spaced apart curvilinear or angular traction ridges and spaced apart curved or angular valleys, each valley being between a pair of adjacent traction ridges, thereby forming curved or angular shovel-like elements. Each shovel-like element has a leading curved or angular surface and a confining curved or angular surface. Rotation of the rotatable traction device results in rotation of the shovel-like elements through the loose, granular material. Each shovel-like element enfolds a portion of the loose, granular material bordering the leading curved or angular surface of the shovel-like element, and the confining curved or angular surface of the shovel-like element confines at least part of the enfolded portion of the material, thereby confining and restricting displacement of the enfolded portion of the material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2015
    Inventors: Curtis L Craven, Gerald Kent Craven
  • Patent number: 8936120
    Abstract: A hybrid utility vehicle is provided. The hybrid utility vehicle may include right and left front wheels suspended from a vehicle body. The hybrid utility vehicle may further include a front differential gear device coupled to the right and left front wheels via a pair of front axles, respectively, the differential gear device including an input shaft extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the front axles. The hybrid utility vehicle may further include a front electric motor positioned at a front portion of the vehicle body and coupled to the input shaft of the front differential gear device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2015
    Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Izumi Takagi
  • Patent number: 8936261
    Abstract: A child carrier apparatus can comprise a base frame having a tube segment that is affixed with an attachment fixture, and a detachable seat including a tubular support, and a coupling element mounted at a side segment of the tubular support. The inclination of the tubular support is adjustable relative to the coupling element, and the coupling element is configured to detachably locked with the attachment fixture via a latch to hold the seat with the base frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2015
    Assignee: Wonderland Nurserygoods Company Limited
    Inventor: Jialiang Yuan
  • Patent number: 8936122
    Abstract: An agricultural tractor having its engine longitudinally spaced along its frame from the operator cabin features at least two heat exchangers carried on the frame at a position located longitudinally between the operator cabin and the engine to perform air-cooling of at least one fluid associated with the engine. The two heat exchangers are arranged in parallel so as to each accept an intake stream of ambient air that is independent of a discharge stream of exhaust air from the other heat exchanger. Accordingly, each heat exchanger uses the coolest air possible to maximize the cooling potential of the system. The discharge stream of air from the heat exchangers is exhausted rearward to avoid recirculation of this heated air as the machine moves forward, and to direct the exhaust air past the engine for further cooling effect.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2015
    Assignee: MacDon Industries Ltd.
    Inventors: Don MacGregor, Jann Peter Garbald
  • Patent number: 8936128
    Abstract: A wheel loader comprises an engine, an exhaust gas post-processing device, an engine room, a top plate, a cooling room, a partition wall, and a drainage mechanism. The exhaust gas post-processing device is disposed above the engine in the engine room and includes a diesel particulate filtering device and a selective catalyst reduction catalyst device. The top plate has a sloping part with a height that decreases toward the rear, and a first ventilation part that includes a plurality of through-holes formed in the sloping part. The top plate defines an upper plane of the engine room. The cooling room accommodates a cooling unit and is disposed to the rear of the engine room, separated by the partition wall. The drainage mechanism is disposed below the first ventilation part, and configured to drain water entering the engine room from the first ventilation part to the outside of the engine room.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2015
    Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
    Inventor: Yasutaka Numa
  • Patent number: 8936129
    Abstract: Provided is an electric vehicle that realizes a light electric straddled vehicle using a motor with a small size, and optimizes the left and right weight balances in the width direction of the vehicle with respect to the vehicle body centerline. The electric motor (250) is disposed inside a swing arm (124) of a cantilever type at a position overlapping a projection area of a rear wheel WR when seen from the side portion of the vehicle body. The motor driver (216) is disposed inside the swing arm (124) so that the vehicle body centerline (C) passing through at the front side of the vehicle body in the rear wheel (WR). The position (G2) of the center of gravity of the motor driver (216) is disposed to be offset in the direction opposite to the offset direction of the electric motor (250) with respect to the vehicle body centerline (C).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2015
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Koichiro Honda, Hideaki Nakagawa, Masahide Mimura, Hiroshi Iwakami, Kazuo Sato, Keiichiro Niizuma
  • Patent number: 8936252
    Abstract: The invention relates to a safety binding for skiing, including a toe piece that includes a body mounted to slide vertically relative to a front mounting base connected to the ski and defining an upper stop for a boot; a device for adjusting the vertical position of the body, which can be manipulated by the skier in the area of the upper portion of the body; at least one lever pivotally mounted relative to the body about a substantially vertical axis between a retaining position and a release position of a boot; and a spring mounted transversely in the body and biasing the lever toward its boot-retaining position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2015
    Assignee: Salomon S.A.S.
    Inventors: Jean-François Merino, Laurent Marechal
  • Patent number: 8936130
    Abstract: An electric forklift includes: a drive unit including a unit case including a gear housing supporting a motor with an output shaft in a right and left direction and housing a gear train; and shaft housings protruding in the right and left direction from the gear housing, each of which houses a drive shaft, and each of which supports a wheel, wherein the drive shafts rotate via the gear train; support members, base end portions of which are rotatably engaged with outer peripheral portions of the shaft housings, and tip end portions of which are connected to a body frame so that the shaft housings are supported by the body frame via the support members; and a link portion between the gear housing and the body frame for preventing relative rotation of the unit case and the body frame about shaft centers of the drive shafts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2015
    Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Hirashita, Takayuki Mashiko
  • Patent number: 8936258
    Abstract: An apparatus for transporting articles between working locations is provided. The apparatus includes wheels mounted towards the bottom of the apparatus for rotation about an axis to provide rolling support for the apparatus and a manually engageable pulling handle. The pulling handle and the ground engaging wheels are arranged to enable a user to manually pull the pulling handle generally rearwardly so as to tilt the apparatus rearwardly to a tilted rolling movement position, thereby enabling the user to roll the apparatus to a desired location by pushing or pulling the pulling handle in a desired direction. The apparatus also includes a frame and at least one or more mount structures adjustably connected to the frame. The apparatus further includes a plurality of containers connected to the mount structures, where at least one of the containers are of a different configuration from another one of the containers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2015
    Assignee: The Stanley Works Israel Ltd.
    Inventors: Sharon Bar-Erez, Gil Vilkomirski
  • Patent number: 8936259
    Abstract: A hand trolley with a load tray movably connected with wheel sets includes a handle frame, two wheel sets and a load tray. The handle frame has two pivotal connecting portions used to connect with the wheel sets and the load tray. The wheel sets are provided with an acting surface mutually co-working with an acting surface of the load tray. The wheel sets can be unfolded as the load tray is pushed down, and it can be folded as the load tray is pulled up. Thus the hand trolley is able to make the load tray and the wheel sets folded or unfolded simultaneously, easy to be stowed away.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2015
    Inventor: Hai-Ming Tsai
  • Patent number: 8936256
    Abstract: There is provided a walker apparatus. The walker apparatus has a pair of spaced-apart, arc-shaped support members. The walker apparatus includes a pair of elongate pivot rods operatively connected to respective ones the support members. The walker apparatus includes a laterally-foldable seat. The seat pivotally connects to the support members via the pivot rods. According to one aspect, each support member has an apex. The elongate pivot rods operatively connect to respective ones of the apexes of the support members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2015
    Assignee: Evolution Technologies Inc.
    Inventor: Julian Liu
  • Patent number: 8936266
    Abstract: A retractable vehicle step is attachable to a rear portion of a vehicle or truck. The vehicle step facilitates access to a cargo hold of the vehicle. Advantageously, the vehicle step provides clearance space relative to a tailgate of the vehicle by displacing a stepping member of the vehicle step in a generally lateral direction. The vehicle step desirably has a covered and protected biasing mechanism for transitioning between retracted and extended positions of the stepping member. Another advantage is that the vehicle step is readily attachable to the vehicle using already existing connection members, thereby generally eliminating or mitigating the need for customized retrofitting and avoiding undesirable installation cost and time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2015
    Assignee: Lund Motion Products, Inc.
    Inventors: Horst Leitner, Anthony Smith
  • Patent number: 8936220
    Abstract: A shaped plastic exhaust system for a fuel cell vehicle. In one embodiment, the exhaust system employs integrally molded bundle clips that support vehicle brake lines and/or a fuel supply line. An exhaust flow section can be formed into any suitable shape for a particular vehicle design, including a flat rectangular shape giving the exhaust system a low profile. The integral bundle clips can be provided every so often along the exhaust flow section, or can extend the complete length of the exhaust flow section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2015
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventor: Jörg Schulze
  • Patent number: 8936121
    Abstract: A heat exchange block (1) for a motor vehicle, includes at least one heat exchanger (2, 3, 4), wherein the block (1) is intended to be disposed behind a front grille (6) of a vehicle and to be traversed by air originating from an opening in the grille. The block includes a group of louvers (13) that can move between an open position and a closed position in order to modulate the flow of air (A) passing through the heat exchanger (2, 3, 4) and a channel (9) that can be disposed between the opening in the grille and the heat exchange block (1). The heat exchange block is suitable for any motor vehicle, but, in particular, hybrid and electric vehicles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2015
    Assignee: Valeo Systemes Thermiques
    Inventors: Frederic Vacca, Ngy Srun Ap, Jacques Sigonneau, Manuel Henner, Bruno Demory
  • Patent number: 8936269
    Abstract: A retractable frame structure for tandem trailer includes a bottom frame, which allows adjustment between an extended position for two-seat seating arrangement in a fore-to-aft manner and a retracted position for one-seat seating arrangement, a front frame and a rear frame detachably coupled together and respectively pivotally connected to the front and rear sides of the bottom frame for allowing collapsing of the tandem trailer to reduce space occupation when the tandem trailer is not in use, two wheel brackets respectively bilaterally mounted at the rear side of the bottom frame for supporting a respective wheel, and a trailer bar pivotally connected to one lateral side of the bottom frame for coupling to a bicycle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2015
    Inventor: Cheh-Kang Liu