Patents Examined by Chi Q Nguyen
  • Patent number: 11584278
    Abstract: A seat includes a seat bottom and a seat back. At least one of the seat bottom and the seat back includes a trim cover having a seating surface and a plurality of individually-controllable massage elements underlying the trim cover. Each of the plurality of individually-controllable massage elements has a surface facing the trim cover, wherein at least a portion of the surface includes a heating layer selectively configured to generate heat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: FAURECIA AUTOMOTIVE SEATING, LLC
    Inventors: Shaun D. Tait, Anne-Isabelle Mallet-Da Costa
  • Patent number: 11585093
    Abstract: A dimmer mechanism is movable by a motor that is powered by solar-charged supercapacitors between a first configuration, in which the dimmer mechanism blocks little of the interior of a skylight tube to maximize light throughput into a room, and a second configuration, in which the dimmer mechanism blocks more of the interior of a skylight tube to reduce light throughput into the room.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: Solatube International, Inc.
    Inventors: David Rillie, Joseph Prenn, Kalen Eidenschink
  • Patent number: 11585087
    Abstract: A wall panel for a quick assemble wall system may include a first upright post and a second upright post. The wall panel may also include a lower stretcher for connecting the first upright post to the second upright post and an upper stretcher for connecting the first upright post to the second upright post. The wall panel may include at least one frame for placement within the first vertical post, the second vertical post, the lower stretcher, and the upper stretcher. The wall panel may include a first retractable latch located on the at least one frame, the first retractable latch adapted to engage at least one of the first upright post, second upright post, lower stretcher, or upper stretcher. A frame for a quick assemble wall system and a method of assembling a quick assemble wall system are also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: VARIDESK, LLC
    Inventors: David Patton, Michael Creighton, Ersen Boran, Shuichi Amano, Gary Reuther, Nicholas Max
  • Patent number: 11584544
    Abstract: A cockpit access security system controls changes to a record of personnel authorized to access the cockpit by reference to the state of the aircraft as determined by a plurality of on-board sensors indicating the state of particular aircraft subsystems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Inventor: David Elias Smith
  • Patent number: 11578523
    Abstract: A module for a modular, motorized drive system, in particular for doors, wherein the modular system is designed such that a number of modules arranged linearly one behind the other along a longitudinal axis of the modular system form a functional group of the drive system is provided. The modular system includes at least one of a number of latching elements on a front side of the module orthogonal to the longitudinal axis and a number of receiving elements, which are complementary to the latching elements, on a rear side of the module orthogonal to the longitudinal axis and opposite the front side, wherein the receiving elements are designed to form a mechanical connection to the latching elements of a further module which is arranged with its front side parallel to the rear side of the module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: STABILUS GMBH
    Inventors: Jonathan Keßler, Danniel Lange, Kathrin Kronz, Axel Knopp
  • Patent number: 11572728
    Abstract: An apparatus can be used to control a door for a vehicle. A sensor unit is provided in the door and is configured to sense an object adjacent to a region outside of the door. A controller is configured to calculate a distance at which the object is positioned based on a signal received from the sensor unit and to control the door to be opened while the distance to the object is gradually reduced in a state where the door is closed, such that the object is sensed within a predetermined range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2023
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Corporation
    Inventors: Duck Young Kim, Jung Hoon Park
  • Patent number: 11572732
    Abstract: A vehicle control device includes a power door control unit that executes first power-door-opening control for causing a power door to perform an opening operation, when the power door is in a closed state and a vehicle-interior-situation recognizing unit recognizes a first user who uses a predetermined seat provided in a vehicle, and when a vehicle-surrounding-situation recognizing unit recognizes that a second user who has got off the vehicle approaches the power door corresponding to the predetermined seat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2023
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Ryo Morosawa, Haisong Liu, Akira Nakajima, Kenji Okuma, Hiroaki Maruyama, Yoshikazu Matsuo, Shuto Higashi, Fumiaki Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 11572731
    Abstract: A method includes predicting an environmental condition at a location to which a vehicle is travelling, the environmental condition including at least one of water, dust, and pollution, determining that an object within the vehicle is at a distance greater than a threshold distance from an unobstructed window of the vehicle, and then actuating the unobstructed window to a closed position based on the environmental condition and the object being at the distance from the window greater than the threshold distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2023
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: David Michael Herman, Ashwin Arunmozhi, Michael Robertson, Jr., Tyler D. Hamilton
  • Patent number: 11571994
    Abstract: A car seat configured to be fastened to a vehicle, includes a seat shell and a belt guide disposed at the seat shell to redirect a belt set of the vehicle for rerouting the belt set along a deviation path from an original path. When the belt set is not engaged with the belt guide, the belt set is routed along the original path. When the belt set is engaged with the belt guide, the belt set is routed along the deviation path from the original path. The rerouted belt set improves the symmetry of forces encountered by the vehicle and also improves the kinetics of the car seat during a crash. A break-away feature in the belt guide advantageously absorbs forces at different times during a crash.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2023
    Assignee: WONDERLAND SWITZERLAND AG
    Inventors: Gregory Sellers, Curtis M. Hartenstine
  • Patent number: 11566463
    Abstract: A vehicle door presenter actuator, including: an extension bar that is driven outward from the door presenter actuator by a nut that threadingly engages a power screw operatively secured to a motor of the vehicle door presenter actuator; and a barrel cam that is pivoted into contact with a switch as a pin of the nut slides within a cam path of the barrel cam as the nut drives the extension bar outward from the vehicle door presenter actuator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: INTEVA PRODUCTS, LLC
    Inventors: Luis Arturo Melendez Valdez, Hector Sanchez, Estrada Eduardo, Donald Michael Perkins
  • Patent number: 11565501
    Abstract: A floor panel including at least one substrate and a top layer, where the substrate includes at least one first layer of a first thermoplastic material and a second layer of a second thermoplastic material. The second layer is adjacent to a first side of the first layer and the second layer provides the floor panel with its underside. The first layer is characterized by a first colour with saturation value S1 in the HSL colour space and the second layer is characterized by a second colour with saturation value S2 in the HSL colour space, where S1 is less than S2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: FLOORING INDUSTRIES LIMITED, SARL
    Inventor: Kristof Van Vlassenrode
  • Patent number: 11566430
    Abstract: A plurality of ventilation elements, vents, slots, or gap elements or similar features that are applied to, or machined into, one or more sides or faces of exterior siding products, such as lap siding, panel siding, vertical siding, horizontal siding, flat (or non-overlapping) siding, flap siding, decorative trim, trim system components or other forms of panels or cladding materials. When the exterior siding product is installed, the ventilation elements, vents, slots, or gap elements or similar features provide a built-in air and water gap to facilitate and increase water drainage and air circulation behind the siding or panel, thereby minimizing water storage in the space behind the product and lowering the equilibrium moisture content of the siding itself. The ventilation features are incorporated into the corresponding product in-line or during the manufacturing process, and do not require any further work during assembly or construction on-site (e.g.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: LOUISIANA-PACIFIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Lance Olson, Jarrod Kevin Line
  • Patent number: 11555331
    Abstract: A barrier control system running a program thereon, the barrier control system including a main body, a control unit disposed within at least a portion of the main body to execute the program to control operations of the main body, and at least one control device connected to the control unit to control operations of the main body through the control unit based on the program.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2023
    Inventor: William D. Johns
  • Patent number: 11549303
    Abstract: A vehicle control device includes a power door control unit that: when a getting-off-intention of a user is recognized by a getting-off-intention recognizing unit, determines whether a door-opening-prohibition condition of a predetermined door is satisfied based on a surrounding situation of a vehicle recognized by a vehicle-surrounding-situation recognizing unit; and executes power-door-automatic-opening control, the power-door-automatic-opening control causing a power door to perform an opening operation when the door-opening-prohibition condition is not satisfied, the power-door-automatic-opening control prohibiting the opening operation of the power door when the door-opening-prohibition condition is satisfied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Ryo Morosawa, Haisong Liu, Akira Nakajima, Kenji Okuma, Hiroaki Maruyama, Yoshikazu Matsuo, Shuto Higashi, Fumiaki Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 11549300
    Abstract: The invention relates to a control device for controlling an externally-powered window lifter with anti-trap protection for a motor vehicle window. A control device of this type is designed to determine that an operating element for closing the window is actuated and, in response thereto, the window is moved in the closing direction. The control device is further designed to determine that the functional activity of the anti-trap protection is no longer guaranteed. In the case of a control device and in the event that it has been determined that the functional activity of the anti-trap protection is not guaranteed, the window lifter is actuated in response to the actuation of the operating element in such a way that the window is moved at a lower displacement speed in the closing direction when compared with the displacement speed with guaranteed functionality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Alexander Koenig
  • Patent number: 11542742
    Abstract: A gatebox system for delivering fire retardant fluid from a firefighting aircraft. A first and second gate opening are formed through a lower portion of a gatebox. The gates are hingedly connected along edges of the openings. One or two drive shafts in the gatebox are rotatable in gates-closing and gates-opening directions. Crank arms are fixed to the drive shafts and coupled to the gates by connecting links, which define an over-center geometry while the gates are at a closed position, such that weight of the fluid on the first gate induces torque on the drive shaft in the gates-closing direction. Rotation of the drive shafts in the gates-opening direction enables control of the fluid flow from the hopper according to an angular position of the drive shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Inventor: Victor D. Trotter
  • Patent number: 11542743
    Abstract: Automatic vehicle window control systems and methods are provided herein. An example method includes determining a first operating height of a first window of a vehicle, determining a second operating height of a second window of the vehicle, comparing the first operating height with the second operating height, and selectively adjusting the first operating height or the second operating height to be substantially equal to one another when the first operating height and the second operating height are not substantially equal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Justin Bennie, Mahmoud Yousef Ghannam
  • Patent number: 11536063
    Abstract: A door control device stops a door such that the door does not come into contact with an obstacle existing in a rotation range of the door. The door control device includes: a distance calculation unit configured to calculate a distance from the door to the obstacle; a speed calculation unit configured to calculate an actual speed of the door; a braking force setting unit configured to set a braking condition indicating transition of a braking force applied to the door; a speed estimation unit configured to estimate transition of an estimated speed of the door from start of braking until the door stops; and a braking force correction unit configured, during braking, to correct a braking force such that the braking force is increased, or reduced, when a time gradient of the actual speed is gentler than, or steeper than, that of the estimated speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: AISIN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ryu Miyashiro, Kosuke Kito
  • Patent number: 11533891
    Abstract: An animal door unit comprising a front panel, a left rear panel, a left guide, a right rear panel, and a right guide, wherein the front panel comprises an entrance; and a door plate having a plurality of guide holes, the door plate configurable in a retracted state and an open state, wherein, in the retracted state, the door plate traverses the entrance, and wherein, in the open state, the door plate does not traverse the entrance. The animal door unit may include a motor disposed within a module case; and a sprocket in rotational communication with the motor, wherein the sprocket interfaces with the plurality of guide holes, such rotational movement of the sprocket inducing linear movement in the door plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Inventor: Jure Marki{hacek over (c)}
  • Patent number: 11536074
    Abstract: A drive arrangement configured to pivot a tailgate pivotally coupled to a vehicle body, between an open position and a closed position and including a freewheel mechanism, a drive shaft, and a motor. The freewheel mechanism may be rotatably coupled to the vehicle body and defining an opening provided with an inner periphery that includes a first cam element and a second cam element. The drive shaft may be fixed to the vehicle body and extending into the opening. The drive shaft may define an outer periphery that includes a third cam element and a fourth cam element. A motor may be coupled to the freewheel mechanism and may be configured to rotate the freewheel mechanism so that the first cam element engages the third cam element to pivot the tailgate from the closed position towards the open position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: Brose Fahrzeugteile SE & Co. Kommanditgesellschaft, Bamberg
    Inventors: Heino Schalyo, Christoph Haberberger, Vitali Wendland