Patents Examined by Charles Poon
  • Patent number: 9435392
    Abstract: A parking brake control device for a transport vehicle is attached to a vehicle body including a parking brake (17) of a negative control type for maintaining a state in which rotation of wheels is stopped, the parking brake control device including a control unit (32) for controlling movement of a spool (21) for magnetizing or demagnetizing a solenoid valve (25) to release or actuate the parking brake (17). The control unit (32) includes a stop determining section (33) that determines whether the vehicle body stops traveling, an actuation command section (34) that actuates the parking brake (17) when the stop determining section (33) determines that the vehicle body is stopped, and a release command section (35) that releases the parking brake (17) after elapse of a preset setting time after the actuation of the parking brake (17) is started by the actuation command section (34).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2016
    Assignee: Hitachi Construction Machinery Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshikazu Minoshima, Katsumi Tamura, Takao Kurosawa, Yudai Itai
  • Patent number: 9416837
    Abstract: A compression spring assembly can include a compression spring core and a compression spring shell that can be assembled onto the compression spring core. The compression spring core can include a core body with an outer core wall. The compression spring shell can include a shell body having an inner shell wall. The compression spring shell can be supported on the compression spring core such that the inner shell wall extends along at least a portion of the outer core wall. A method of manufacturing a compression spring assembly is also included.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2016
    Assignee: Firestone Industrial Products Company, LLC
    Inventors: Jakob B Cagle, Albert Steven Phillips
  • Patent number: 9416836
    Abstract: A supporting projection is formed on a resin base plate on which a seat winding portion of a coil spring is fitted. The supporting projection has such rigidity that a distal end portion does not deflect against a spring force applied radially inwards from the seat winding portion of the coil spring. On the other hand, an elastic deflectable area which deflects elastically by the spring force applied radially outwards from the seat winding portion of the coil spring is formed in an area which extends from a proximal end to the distal end portion of the supporting projection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2016
    Assignee: PIOLAX, INC
    Inventor: Toshie Fueki
  • Patent number: 9352827
    Abstract: A hydraulic shimmy damper that resolves drawbacks in several known shimmy dampers, such as damping characteristics that are dependent on oil temperature variations. The disclosed shimmy damper includes a hydraulic compensator (40) having an internal fluid volume that is significantly more important than a fluid volume expelled from the body of the shimmy damper when its piston moves fore and aft. The shimmy damper also includes a hydraulic manifold (30) arranged between the body and the hydraulic compensator and defining a transfer channel between chambers in the piston that is connected to the hydraulic compensator. The manifold receives interchangeable hydraulic cartridge-type valves (CV1,RV1; CV2,RV2) for metering the fluid flowing from the chambers to the transfer channel, and allows the fluid to freely enter the chambers from the transfer channel. The present shimmy damper is therefore much less sensitive to oil temperature variation under intense shimmy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2016
    Assignee: Messier-Dowty Inc.
    Inventor: Marin Besliu
  • Patent number: 9352735
    Abstract: A braking system for a combined tractor-trailer assembly wherein a leading trailer is coupled to a towing tractor and a trailing trailer is coupled to the leading trailer. All of the wheels of the trailers are provided with brakes which may be applied and released in response to the operation of a brake control pedal operated by a driver in the tractor. The brakes also may be applied to the trailing trailer whenever the latter is parked. The brakes of the trailing trailer normally are maintained in applied condition by a spring assisted mechanism when such trailer is parked. Such mechanism normally is disabled by pressurized fluid when the trailer is in service and the pressured fluid is accessible via a valve which simultaneously enables the parking brakes and service brakes simultaneously to be coupled to and uncoupled from the pressure fluid system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2016
    Assignee: Dukay, LLC
    Inventor: Duane R. Lalone
  • Patent number: 9303703
    Abstract: An improved bracket assembly for receiving a brake assembly and a brake actuator is provided. The bracket assembly includes a tube configured to receive a camshaft of the brake assembly and an actuator mounting bracket disposed proximate a first end of the tube. The actuator mounting bracket is configured for coupling to the actuator and defines an aperture configured to receive the tube. The bracket assembly further includes a brake spider mounting bracket disposed proximate a second end of the tube. The spider mounting bracket includes a body defining inboard and outboard sides, is configured to receive a brake spider on the outboard side and defines an aperture configured to allow the tube to extend therethrough. The spider mounting bracket further includes a neck extending from the inboard side of the body that is configured to receive the tube and positions the weld away from the body to reduce stress.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: Bendix Spicer Foundation Brake LLC
    Inventors: Daniel E. Banks, Troy A. Flodin, Bradley T. Wistinghausen, Thomas L. Runels, Brian St. John
  • Patent number: 9303711
    Abstract: A damper includes: an inner cylinder defining an inner chamber, having a slidable contact piston; an outer cylinder outside the inner cylinder and defining a reservoir chamber between the inner outer cylinders; and a damping-force control device controlling damping force by controlling a flow rate of an operating oil between the inner reservoir chambers. The control device includes a valve seat externally, projecting from the outer cylinder, having an opening for a first communicating channel connected to the inner chamber and an opening for a second communicating channel connected to the reservoir chamber, a valve element opening and closing on the valve seat by electromagnetic force, and a cap defining a variable pressure chamber between the cap and the valve element, and integrally holds the valve element and the valve seat. The variable pressure chamber can be connected to the first and the second communicating channels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kiyoshi Nakajima
  • Patent number: 9296321
    Abstract: The invention concerns a vehicle damping device for a vehicle seat (1)/vehicle cabin with a fixed lower part (5) and an upper part (4) vibrating in relation to the lower part (5) and at least one damper (9) arranged in between, where in a damping force-speed diagram, with rising speed (11) of the vibrating upper part (4) in relation to the fixed lower part (5), a damping force (10) of the damper (9) develops such that the damping force (10) in a first speed range (15) has a substantially linear first course (12) with a first gradient and in the second speed range (16, 18) a second course (14, 19) with a second gradient steeper than the first gradient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2016
    Assignee: Grammer AG
    Inventor: Erwin Haller
  • Patent number: 9291222
    Abstract: A brake dust collector for a motor vehicles for collecting brake dust has a dust collecting device with a filter element and a filter receptacle in which the filter element is arranged. The filter element is a shaped filter and has at least two partial sections. The at least two partial sections each have a filter material of a different porosity including a first partial section with a great porosity and a second partial section with a small porosity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignee: MANN+HUMMEL GMBH
    Inventors: Karl-Ernst Hummel, Andreas Beck, Bernhard Huurdeman, Ulrich Dehnen
  • Patent number: 9278498
    Abstract: A brake caliper cover system for existing brake caliper assembly in a vehicle. The brake caliper cover system has a front cover and a back cover. The front cover and back cover are disposed on the front and back sides of a brake caliper assembly, respectively. The front cover and back cover are fastened together about the brake caliper assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2016
    Inventor: Samuel F. Collura
  • Patent number: 9260096
    Abstract: A brake fluid pressure control apparatus for a vehicle includes a parameter calculation unit configured to calculate a rollover detection parameter; and a steering maneuver determination unit configured to determine whether an abrupt steering maneuver is made. The parameter calculation unit is configured to calculate a first composition roll angle as the rollover detection parameter, by combining at a predetermined weight assignment ratio a first roll angle equivalent to an actual roll angle with a second roll angle obtained using a parameter which changes with a phase earlier than the first roll angle, and to calculate the first composition roll angle by changing the weight assignment ratio such that a weight of the second roll angle is higher when the steering maneuver determination unit determines that an abrupt steering maneuver is made than when the steering maneuver determination unit determines that the abrupt steering maneuver is not made.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2016
    Assignees: NISSIN KOGYO CO., LTD., HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kazuaki Miyata, Takeshi Kojima, Tomoyuki Futamura
  • Patent number: 9227612
    Abstract: A hydraulic system for an aircraft includes a brake operation device, a pressure supply, a reservoir, a shut-off valve, and a wheel brake. The shut-off valve is in fluid communication with and is disposed between the pressure supply and the brake valve. The shut-off valve can include a poppet, a first valve seat and a second valve seat. Movement of the poppet is controlled by operation of the brake operation device. The poppet is movable between a first position where the poppet acts against the first valve seat and a second position where the poppet acts against the second valve seat. In the first position, fluid flow is blocked between the pressure supply and the brake valve through the shut-off valve. In the second position, fluid flow is allowed between the pressure supply and the brake valve through the shut-off valve. The wheel brake is in fluid communication with and downstream from the shut-off valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignee: Honda Patents & Technologies North America, LLC
    Inventors: Hiroki Oyama, Michael Joseph Boland
  • Patent number: 9228630
    Abstract: A twin tube damper includes an inner fluid chamber, an outer fluid chamber in fluid communication with the inner fluid chamber and a first fluid circuit that is in fluid communication with the inner fluid chamber. The first fluid circuit includes a primary flow passage and a first bypass flow passage. A second fluid circuit is in fluid communication with the outer fluid chamber and with the first fluid circuit via a common flow passage. The second fluid circuit includes a primary flow passage and a second bypass flow passage. A switchable flow valve is provided for directing fluid flow between the first bypass flow passage and at least one of the common flow passage and the second bypass flow passage, and between the second bypass flow passage and at least one of the common flow passage and the first bypass flow control passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignee: Cane Creek Cycling Components
    Inventor: Joshua Philip Coaplen
  • Patent number: 9228629
    Abstract: A hollow columnar shock absorbing member (1) has an axis (O), a plurality of rectangular walls (1a, 1b, 1c, 1d) extending parallel to axis (O), and a polygonal cross-section perpendicular to axis (O), the shock absorbing member extending in the direction of axis (O) and absorbing externally-applied impact energy while buckling in the direction of axis (O). Shock absorbing member (1) is provided with at least two flanges (2a, 2b, 2c, 2d) protruding from at least two edges (1e, 1f, 1g, 1h) formed by at least two sets of neighboring walls among a plurality of walls, and the at least two flanges are arranged so that the directions of protrusion of the flanges from the edges are directed to the same direction with respect to a circumferential direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignee: NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION
    Inventor: Satoshi Hirose
  • Patent number: 9222540
    Abstract: A shock absorber includes a shock absorbing member being to be rotated around an axis and having an outer circumferential surface being in contact with an end portion of a member that moves back and forth with respect to the shock absorbing member, the shock absorbing member having at least one of elasticity and viscosity against an movement of the member, each of the elasticity and viscosity changing in accordance with a rotation angle of the shock absorbing member around the axis, and a device that changes the rotation angle of the shock absorbing member to adjust at least one of the elasticity and the viscosity against the member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Assignee: FUJITSU LIMITED
    Inventor: Hiroshi Hidaka
  • Patent number: 9221433
    Abstract: The present invention is a safety braking system for a hand-pushed rollator, which allows the user to engage different operation modes: a park mode, a walk mode, and a brake mode. The present invention comprises a wheel mechanism, a cable assembly, and a handlebar mechanism. The wheel mechanism allows a wheel to rotate during walk mode, to engage the wheel with a parking brake during park mode, and to engage the wheel with a friction brake during brake mode. The wheel mechanism pivots the parking brake and the friction brake on a lever in order to switch between the different operation modes. The handlebar mechanism allows the user to shift between the different operation modes and is engaged to the wheel mechanism through the cable assembly. The handlebar mechanism uses two levers that are pushed and pulled by the user in order to shift between the different operation modes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Inventor: Thomas F. Dunlap
  • Patent number: 9199660
    Abstract: A false-brake prevention device includes a wheel shaft, a positioning structure, a protruding pillar, a wheel hub rotatably disposed on the wheel shaft, a brake base connected to the wheel shaft, and a brake pedal pivotally connected to the brake base and having a brake lever for engaging with a brake tooth structure of the wheel hub. The positioning structure is formed on one of the brake pedal and the brake base, and has lock and release slots and an elastic portion formed therebetween. A first return region is connected to a transition region and formed on a side surface of the elastic portion with a gradually reducing height from the transition region to the lock slot. The protruding pillar is formed on the other one of the brake pedal and the brake base for pushing the elastic portion and for engaging with the lock slot or the release slot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2015
    Assignee: Wonderland Nurserygoods Company Limited
    Inventor: Jianhui Cheng
  • Patent number: 9180842
    Abstract: A multi-plate disc brake has interleaved rotatable and non-rotatable brake discs (11) within a brake housing (13) and a ball and ramp type brake actuator (12) comprising first and second relatively rotatable annular actuator discs (20, 21) with actuator balls (22) therebetween located in circumferentially ramped pockets (20a, 21a) on opposing faces of the actuator discs. A wedge-shaped actuator member (23) has an actuating means (24A, 24B) to displace the actuator member between confronting abutments (20b, 21b) on the respective actuator discs to relatively rotate the discs to cause the balls to rise up the ramped pockets and hence expand the actuator axially to move the brake discs (11) into engagement. Cooling oil is supplied into the brake housing through the wedge-shaped actuator member (23) when the brake is engaged.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignee: AGCO International GmbH
    Inventors: Eduard Schnur, Klaus Bayer
  • Patent number: 9169884
    Abstract: A brake assembly for a mobile machine is disclosed. The brake assembly may have a stationary housing forming a coolant inlet and a coolant outlet, a rotatable member, and a disc stack disposed within a cavity at least partially formed by the stationary housing and the rotatable member. The disc stack may have a plurality of friction plates operatively coupled to the rotatable member and a plurality of separator plates interleaved with the plurality of friction plates and operatively coupled to the stationary housing. The brake assembly may also have a piston disposed within the cavity and configured to compress the disc stack, and a seal located at an axial interface between the stationary housing and the rotatable member and downstream of the disc stack relative a flow of coolant from the coolant inlet to the coolant outlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2015
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: David C. Hoots, Barry D. Bliss
  • Patent number: 9169891
    Abstract: A shock absorbing device includes a cylinder. A partition wall member is inserted into the cylinder to be free to slide and partitions an interior of the cylinder into two operating chambers. A passage connects the two operating chambers. A free piston is inserted into a pressure chamber to be free to slide and partitions the pressure chamber into one chamber that communicates with one operating chamber via a one side flow passage and another chamber that communicates with the other operating chamber via another side flow passage. A spring element generates a biasing force for suppressing displacement of the free piston relative to the pressure chamber. One or both of a bypass flow passage that connects the other chamber and the one operating chamber and a bypass flow passage that connects the one chamber and the other operating chamber is provided. A relief valve is provided in the bypass flow passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2015
    Assignee: KAYABA INDUSTRY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takashi Teraoka, Tatsuya Masamura