Patents Examined by Drew Brown
  • Patent number: 9630587
    Abstract: A belt buckle feeder (10) comprises a belt buckle (18), a stationary base member (12) to be mounted fixedly on the vehicle and a motor-driven slide (16) movably supported on the base member (12) to which the belt buckle (18) is coupled, wherein the slide (16) encloses the base member (12) at least in portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2017
    Assignee: TRW Automotive GmbH
    Inventors: Wolfgang Holbein, Jens Klaassen
  • Patent number: 9630663
    Abstract: A track system for use with multiple in-line wheels of a vehicle is disclosed. The track includes a plurality of track members linked together forming a loop encircling the wheels. The track members each include a base, sidewalls, and a removable shoe. The shoe can be bolted to the base and can be removed from the base. The shoe can have a rubber pad, a grouser, or another tread.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2017
    Assignee: Ward Equipment, LLC
    Inventor: Curtis Ward
  • Patent number: 9624140
    Abstract: Provided is a gas generating composition that maintains stable ignition performance for a long period. A gas generating composition includes: a gas generating agent including (a) fuel selected from a triazine compound and a guanidine compound, (b) an oxidizing agent including a Combination of (b-1) basic metal nitrate and (b-2) basic metal carbonate, and (c) a binder; and (d) an absorbent. The gas generating agent and the absorbent may not be integrally molded or may be integrally molded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignee: DAICEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoji Fujisaki, Naoki Matsuda
  • Patent number: 9623928
    Abstract: A rolling vehicle includes a pair of left and right front wheels and a pair of left and right arm members swingably supported by the vehicle body on inner sides in the transverse direction and which support the left and right front wheels in a steerable manner on outer sides in the transverse direction. As viewed from the direction along the axis of a support shaft which supports the left and right arm members on the vehicle body, the base portions of the left and right arm members rotatably supported on the vehicle body side overlap with each other, whereas the swinging center axis of the base portion of the left arm and the swinging center axis of the base portion of the right arm, of the base portions of the left and right arm members, are out of alignment with each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Yotaro Mori
  • Patent number: 9623898
    Abstract: A second tooth defining member includes a first portion rotatably supported around a support so as to be movable in the column axial direction and a second portion defining second teeth coming into meshing engagement with first teeth moving together with an upper jacket. A guide mechanism guides the second portion in an inclination direction inclined with respect to an orthogonal direction orthogonal to the column axial direction. The guide mechanism includes a guide shaft supported by the lower jacket, and a guide hole that is slot formed in the second portion and extending in the inclination direction. The guide hole has a first end and a second end. The second end of the guide hole is arranged farther from the second teeth than the first end and above the first end in the column axial direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignee: JTEKT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masayoshi Sakuda, Atsumune Nagatani, Yu Myohoji
  • Patent number: 9616848
    Abstract: A locking assembly for a vehicle steering column includes a shaft. Also included is a slip ring having a plurality of apertures defined by a plurality of aperture walls, each of the aperture walls having a corner, the slip ring surrounding at least a portion of the shaft. Further included is a lock sleeve surrounding at least a portion of the slip ring, at least one of the corners of the plurality of aperture walls frictionally engaging one of an outer surface of the shaft and an inner surface of the lock sleeve to establish a fixed interface on a first side of the slip ring, the slip ring having a second side that establishes a slip interface with one of the shaft and the lock sleeve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: STEERING SOLUTIONS IP HOLDING CORPORATION
    Inventor: Jacob Allen Caverly
  • Patent number: 9610821
    Abstract: An assembly (100) for a vehicle includes two longitudinal members (1, 2) and a crossmember (3) connected therebetween at a connection point (6) of the crossmember (3) to the longitudinal members (1, 2). The crossmember (3) is made predominantly of fiber composite material and the longitudinal members (1, 2) are made predominantly of a metal material. The connection point (6) between the crossmember (3) and the longitudinal member (1, 2) comprises an overlapping region (B), in which a connection segment (8) of the longitudinal member (1, 2), which is predominantly composed of metal material, overlaps at least in some segments with a part of the crossmember (3), which is predominantly composed of fiber composite material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2017
    Assignee: Cosma Engineering Europe AG
    Inventors: Alexander Zak, Rainer Lottes, Stephan Franschitz, Hannes Halbauer
  • Patent number: 9604663
    Abstract: A steering system includes: an upper bracket that supports a column jacket so that the column jacket is pivotable about a central shaft; a pair of first tooth rows that are supported by the upper bracket and are arranged side by side in an axial direction; and a tooth member that is pivotable together with the column jacket and is movable in a right-and-left direction. The tooth member has second teeth that are formed in two locations spaced apart from each other in the axial direction and that can mesh with the pair of the first tooth rows. The tooth tip angle of first teeth in one first tooth row of the pair of the first tooth rows is different from the tooth tip angle of the first teeth in the other first tooth row that is more distant from the central shaft than the one first tooth row.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: JTEKT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiromitsu Tomiyama, Hidenobu Tanaka, Masayuki Nagaoka
  • Patent number: 9604672
    Abstract: A rear sub-frame supporting a portion of left and right suspension devices on the rear side is connected to left and right rear side frames. A pair of left and right braces, the front end portions of which are joined to side sills and the rear end portions of which are joined to a middle area of the rear sub-frame in the vehicle width direction, are provided. Support recesses that swingably support control arms of the suspension devices are provided on the rear sub-frame. Intermediate areas of the left and right braces are each connected to a corresponding one of the left and right support recesses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kanji Kaneko, Kazuya Kimura, Yuki Matsubara
  • Patent number: 9598126
    Abstract: An automatic auxiliary axle control system is disclosed for a load-transporting motor vehicle having two or more primary axles and one or more auxiliary axles wherein the control system detects a noncompliant axle carrying weight condition when the weight of the vehicle acting on any one of the primary axles exceeds a prescribed maximum allowable axle carrying weight assigned to that axle and also when the weight acting on any group of the axles arranged consecutively exceeds a prescribed maximum allowable axle group carrying weight assigned to that axle group. And the control system on such detection effects auxiliary axle usage that results in no maximum allowable axle carrying weight and maximum allowable axle group carrying weight being exceeded provided the current gross vehicle weight does not exceed a prescribed maximum allowable gross vehicle weight determined by all of the axles and the current center of gravity of the vehicle is located within a certain compliance-manageable range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2017
    Inventors: Brooks Strong, Joshua Cayne Fisher
  • Patent number: 9592784
    Abstract: An air bag is configured such that, at the time of expansion of the air bag, the air bag partially breaks a seat cover and then jumps out of a seat while the air bag pushes aside a first unfolding portion and a second unfolding portion so as to jump out from a jump-out portion. The first unfolding portion and the second unfolding portion are separated from each other by the jump-out portion. At least part of the jump-out portion, the first unfolding portion, and the second unfolding portion are placed in succession without providing any gap therebetween, when viewed from that front side of the seat pad which faces an outside of the seat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2017
    Assignee: TOYOTA BOSHOKU KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takeshi Ushiyama, Hideo Sahashi
  • Patent number: 9592854
    Abstract: There is provided a vehicle front portion structure including (1) a suspension member having (i) a front cross member and a rear cross member, and (ii) a side rail that couples vehicle width direction outside end portions of the front cross member and the rear cross member, (2) a lower arm whose vehicle width direction outside end portion is coupled to a front wheel and whose vehicle width direction inside end portion is coupled at least to a front side coupling portion and a rear side coupling portion of the suspension member, and (3) a weak portion that is formed in the front cross member on the vehicle width direction inside of a coupling point at which the lower arm and the front side coupling portion are coupled to each other and that is to be broken by a load input from the vehicle body front side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2017
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Naoyuki Ishii
  • Patent number: 9592782
    Abstract: A utility vehicle includes front and rear ground-engaging members configured to contact a ground surface, a drivetrain assembly operably coupled to the ground-engaging members, and a frame supported by the ground-engaging members and extending along a longitudinal axis of the utility vehicle. The utility vehicle also includes a rear cargo bed assembly supported by the frame and extending over a portion of the rear ground-engaging member. The rear cargo bed assembly has a rear platform with at least a first seating position. Additionally, the utility vehicle includes a rear cab frame assembly with an upright position and a collapsed position. The vehicle has a first height from the ground surface when the rear cab frame is in the upright position and a second height from the ground surface less than the first height when the rear cab frame is in the collapsed position. The second height is 72-84 inches.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2017
    Assignee: Polaris Industries Inc.
    Inventors: Jason K. Raska, Daniel P. Strobach, Daniel L. Goffman, Jonathan M. Hetland, Alex F. Kass, Carlos A. Villafan Rojas, Richard R. Maki, Jed P. Leonard, Aaron T. Luoma
  • Patent number: 9592732
    Abstract: A dual-independent powertrain for a vehicle includes a transmission enclosure that houses a first transmission and a second transmission that are mechanically decoupled from each other. The enclosure includes a central frame, a first enclosure cover that interfaces with the central frame to collectively define a first transmission region on a first side of the central frame, and a second enclosure cover that interfaces with the central frame to collectively define a second transmission region on a second side of the central frame. The first transmission is housed within the first transmission region, and the second transmission is house within the second transmission region. Each transmission includes a motor-interfacing shaft that interfaces with a respective electric motor, a drive-interfacing shaft that interfaces with a respective drive wheel of a vehicle, and a multi-stage gear train mechanically coupling the motor-interfacing shaft and the drive-interfacing shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2017
    Assignee: ARCIMOTO, INC.
    Inventors: Mark Douglas Frohnmayer, James Kevin Jordan, Paul Clark, Adrian Hawkins
  • Patent number: 9586611
    Abstract: A steering system includes an outer jacket including a pair of clamped portions disposed on both sides of a slit, an inner jacket coated with an insulating coating layer all along an outer periphery of the inner jacket except for a predetermined area, an upper bracket that supports the clamped portions and that is fixed to a vehicle body, and a clamping mechanism including a clamping shaft that is supported in clamping shaft insertion holes in the clamped portions so as to be energized. The steering system further includes a conductive elastic member including a first portion engaged with one of a slit inside portion of the clamping shaft positioned in the slit and the predetermined area so as to be energized and a second portion that slide-contacts the other of the slit inside portion and the predetermined area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignee: JTEKT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masayoshi Sakuda, Ryota Okano, Michi Kikuiri
  • Patent number: 9586457
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an active rotary stabilizer and a stabilizer bar link assembly for a vehicle, which particularly may increase a degree of design freedom for a lower side of a vehicle body, improve ride comfort for a passenger, enhance durability of an actuator, and reduce the occurrence of noise caused by a backlash when the actuator is operated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignee: HYUNDAI MOBIS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Jin Moo Jeon, Jun Sung Park
  • Patent number: 9586552
    Abstract: A seat back for a vehicle includes a frame and a deployable device. The deployable device includes a back panel fixed to the frame, a front panel opposite the back panel, and a cavity between the back panel and the front panel. The seat back includes an inflator in communication with the cavity of the deployable device. The deployable device is formed of a plastic material. During a frontal impact of the vehicle, the deployable device may be inflated from an undeployed position to a deployed position to absorb impact from an occupant of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Michael James Whitens, Dean M. Jaradi, Iskander Farooq, Mohammed Omar Faruque
  • Patent number: 9580035
    Abstract: A vehicle seat has an airbag module arranged in a seat bottom cushion. The seat bottom cushion is covered by a cover and comprises at least a first, relatively softer, “comfort” foam element adjacent to the cover and a second, relatively harder or firmer, “protective” foam element. The airbag module is positioned within a cavity defined in and by the second foam element so that it is at least partially surrounded by the harder second foam to protect the airbag module from downward forces applied to the seat bottom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Markus Koelsch, Michael Goesch
  • Patent number: 9582907
    Abstract: Autonomous vehicles use various computing systems to transport passengers from one location to another. A control computer sends messages to the various systems of the vehicle in order to maneuver the vehicle safely to the destination. The control computer may display information on an electronic display in order to allow the passenger to understand what actions the vehicle may be taking in the immediate future. Various icons and images may be used to provide this information to the passenger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew Timothy Szybalski, Luis Ricardo Prada Gomez, Philip Nemec, Christopher Paul Urmson, Sebastian Thrun
  • Patent number: 9572298
    Abstract: A mower includes: a left panel positioned on a left side of a driver's seat. The driver's seat is positioned rearward of a mower unit. A display unit is arranged in an area of the left panel. A line linking a left front corner area of the mower unit and a top center portion of a seat back of the driver's seat passes through the display unit. The display unit is arranged so that a screen of the display unit faces the top center portion of the seat back.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: KUBOTA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masaki Takaoka, Masato Asahara