Patents Examined by Gregory A. Blankenship
  • Patent number: 8651566
    Abstract: A vehicle reinforcing structure includes a roof member, a pillar member that has in its upper part an extension part that extends along the roof member, and a reinforcing member that is joined so as to bridge the extension part and the roof member. The reinforcing member has a first welded part welded to the extension part, and a second welded part welded to a front edge of the roof member. The first welded part and the second welded part are provided such that an imaginary area created with straight lines that connect the respective edges of the welded parts substantially fits within the area of the reinforcing member. The reinforcing member further has an open area on the vehicle interior side of the first welded part on the rear side of the second welded part, the open area being in contact neither with the pillar member nor with the roof member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2014
    Assignee: Suzuki Motor Corporation
    Inventor: Kazuyoshi Nakaaki
  • Patent number: 8646830
    Abstract: A vehicle, or a vehicle with electrical or hybrid propulsion, including: an energy reservoir support situated under a floor of the vehicle, the energy reservoir support being fixed between lateral side rails of the vehicle; and a mechanism absorbing a lateral impact, which is mounted in a space situated under the floor of the vehicle between the external bodywork of the vehicle and an energy reservoir.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2014
    Assignee: Renault S.A.S.
    Inventors: Joel Hettinger, Thierry Fillion
  • Patent number: 8646497
    Abstract: A passive tuned vibration absorber is used to attenuate unwanted vibrations in the spokes of a non-pneumatic tire and wheel assembly. Each spoke has a cutaway central portion having a tuned vibration absorber n the form of a protruding member having an axial width and a radial height and the radial height of the protruding member is less than a radial height of the spoke. Additionally, a method of determining the vibrational characteristics of the spokes of a non-pneumatic tire and wheel assembly is included.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2014
    Assignees: Compagnie Generale des Etablissements Michelln, Michelin Recherche et Technique S.A.
    Inventor: Steven M Cron
  • Patent number: 8646824
    Abstract: A trim element is provided. The trim element includes an upper surface extending between a front edge and a rear edge, a holder is arranged on the upper surface and a flap. The flap is rotatably movable around an axis (A) of rotation between a retracted position, in which the flap extends substantially parallel to the upper surface, and an upright position, in which the flap forms a non-zero angle with the upper surface. The flap includes a front edge and a rear edge. The axis of rotation (A) of the flap extends near the rear edge of the flap. The flap pivots towards the rear edge of the upper surface between its retracted position and its upright position. A motor vehicle dashboard is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2014
    Assignee: Faurecia Interieur Industrie
    Inventors: Sergio Da Costa Pito, Christian Brancheriau, Christophe Brunard, Didier Ponthieu, Clement Pinson
  • Patent number: 8646829
    Abstract: A lift gate having a deformable section which allows the lift gate to deform rather than break during a low speed impact event. The lift gate has a deformable section located between an inner panel and an outer panel. The deformable section is able to deform during a low speed impact event against the outer panel, thereby preventing the inner panel from receiving any of the impact. This allows the inner panel to be significantly more rigid than the outer panel and the deformable section, and, therefore, provides the necessary structural support for the lift gate while withstanding collisions on the Impact Zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2014
    Assignee: Magna International Inc.
    Inventors: Michael W. Crane, Gari M. Schalte, Thomas E. Cobb, Norman E. Guschewski
  • Patent number: 8641120
    Abstract: A vehicle storage compartment assembly includes a housing, a lid, a trim member and a plurality of ribs. The housing defines a storage compartment area with a first access opening. A wall within the storage compartment area includes a ledge spaced apart from the first access opening. A first end of the lid is pivotally coupled to the housing to move between an open position in which a second end is spaced apart from the ledge and a closed position in which the second end is located adjacent to the ledge. A flange of the trim member at least partially surrounds a second access opening of the trim member, with the flange extending into the first access opening. A recess is defined by the wall between the flange and the ledge. The plurality of ribs extend from the ledge of the wall toward the flange within the recess.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2014
    Assignee: Nissan North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Zimmerman, Tomoki Oogushi
  • Patent number: 8641133
    Abstract: A high-strength-per-unit-weight spaceframe-like vehicle has a front subassembly, a core frame and a rear subassembly configured to be bolted together, forming a spaceframe core platform. A roof structure assembly of formed, extruded or stamped components is bolted to the spaceframe core platform in a common plane and height. Closure panels common to a vehicle family style are provided, and non-load bearing colored panels defines the vehicle body color. A vehicle assembly method includes bolting together a plurality of subassemblies, bolting a roof structure assembly to the core platform, installing at a plant closure panels common to a vehicle family style, and thereafter installing a series of non-structural colored panels defining the vehicle body color and having only aesthetic and aerodynamic functionalities as the last assembly step in the plant or optionally at the point of sale or the other location outside the plant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2014
    Inventors: Robert Joseph Scaringe, Celyn Morgan Evans, Christopher Wilson Auerbach, Brian James Gase, Adrian N. A. Elliott, Seth Robert Moczydlowski
  • Patent number: 8632122
    Abstract: A floor member is formed by a seat support platform on a rear side and a footrest area located on a front side of the seat support platform, and a cab box is formed by a front panel, a rear panel, a left front side panel, a left rear side panel, a right side panel, and a top panel. A right reinforcing panel is provided at a right side position of the floor member and rises upwardly of the footrest area. The right side panel of the cab box corresponding to this right reinforcing panel is provided with a notched portion for avoiding interference with the right reinforcing panel. Accordingly, since the strength at the right side position of the floor member can be enhanced by the right reinforcing panel, it is possible to prevent deformation such as torsion and distortion when the floor member is tilted up.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2014
    Assignee: Hitachi Construction Machinery Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shougo Kimura, Hajime Ishii, Tomoyuki Tanaka, Hiroshi Tabeta
  • Patent number: 8632108
    Abstract: A crash box for arrangement between a bumper and a longitudinal beam of a motor vehicle body is provided. The crash box is able to be arranged with a fastening profile at least partially overlapping to a mount profile of the longitudinal beam. The crash box has a support element, which penetrates the fastening profile transversely to its profile longitudinal direction (x) and is able to be brought into abutment in a supporting manner with an end section of the mount profile.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2014
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Jens Matuschek, Uwe Eckert, Roland Schirmer, Bardo Braunbeck
  • Patent number: 8628129
    Abstract: Provided is a connection module, which is designed as an extension of a fastening rail and is configured for connection to a vehicle bumper covering. The connection module includes a fastening arm which is configured for locking engagement to a flange of the bumper covering.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2014
    Assignee: Decoma (Germany) GmbH
    Inventor: Volker Holderle
  • Patent number: 8622463
    Abstract: A front region of a vehicle is provided that includes, but is not limited to an upper front region, a middle front region, and a lower front region. The upper front region includes, but is not limited to an engine hood, front regions of mudguards headlamps or driving direction indicators. The middle front region includes, but is not limited to an impact energy-absorbing region and has molding elements in driving direction. The molding elements interact with impact energy-absorbing, yielding structures. The yielding structures are plastically deformable. The lower front region includes, but is not limited to a molding apron. The lower front region is elastically deformable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2014
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventor: Joachim Schaefer
  • Patent number: 8622445
    Abstract: A rub rail assembly for a side wall surface of a vehicle includes a cleat support having a first body portion and a second body portion. The first body portion has a first fastener receiving hole for fastening the cleat support to the side wall surface of the vehicle, and the second body portion has an engagement structure. The rub rail has a hook that is engageable with the engagement structure of the support cleat to permit the rub rail to hang from the support cleat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2014
    Assignee: International Truck Intellectual Property Company, LLC
    Inventors: Robert Portney, Matthew Gschwind
  • Patent number: 8622485
    Abstract: An inner peripheral end portion of an annular back peripheral portion forming a front flange portion, an opening end portion of a front bead seat portion and a back surface portion of a wheel disc are joined to each other by a first welded portion and a second welded portion. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the front flange portion from being repeatedly elastically deformed by loads generated while the automobile is running. In addition, it is possible to mitigate a stress concentration generated on the front flange portion and the first welded portion and the second welded portion. Thus, an automobile wheel can exhibit high durability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2014
    Assignee: Central Motor Wheel Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Katsuya Chashiro
  • Patent number: 8616603
    Abstract: An operator ride enhancement system that is coupleable to the frame of a vehicle includes a counterweight platform moveably coupled to the frame, and a resilient member engaged with the frame and the counterweight platform. The mass of the counterweight platform is configured to be approximately at least equal to a total mass supported by the counterweight platform during operation of the vehicle. The operator ride enhancement system attenuates and/or inhibits movement of the counterweight platform during operation of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2013
    Assignee: The Raymond Corporation
    Inventor: Joseph Thomas Yahner
  • Patent number: 8616609
    Abstract: The present invention prevents a lock pin from coming out of a lock hole even if a fuel lid locked in a bolted manner by intrusion of the lock pin into the lock hole is pushed toward a vehicle body. A second lock hole is formed in an inner peripheral wall of the lock hole and a protruding portion formed on the lock pin is engaged in the second lock hole when the fuel lid is pushed toward the vehicle body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2013
    Assignees: Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd., Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masahiro Ogata, Shinjiro Tomida, Tomohiro Shirai, Masayuki Suzuki, Masayuki Noda, Masahiro Nakazato
  • Patent number: 8616620
    Abstract: A yard tractor incorporating a fluid cylinder pressurized by fluid from a control valve actuated by a switch accessible from the driver's seat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2013
    Assignee: SSA Terminals (Long Beach), LLC
    Inventors: Stephen Clark, Robert P. Kelly
  • Patent number: 8608252
    Abstract: A spoke of a bicycle rim has a spoke body having a connecting end and a threaded segment formed on the connecting end. The threaded segment has multiple first thread sections and at least one second thread section. The first thread sections have a major radius, a minor radius and a pitch. The at least one second thread section is formed between the first thread sections to form at least one loosen-proofing section between the first thread sections and has a major radius, a minor radius and a pitch. The major radius of the second thread section is smaller than the major radius of the first thread sections. The minor radius of the second thread section is larger than the minor radius of the first thread sections. The pitch of the second thread section is the same as that of the first thread sections.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2013
    Inventor: Yi-Chuan Ling
  • Patent number: 8608231
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a vehicle structural frame with an overlap-barrier-impact deformation scheme, the frame has: a rail defining a first longitudinal axis; a first energy absorption device defining a second longitudinal axis outside of the first longitudinal axis with respect to a vehicle; and a connector extending between the rail and the first energy absorption device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2013
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Andres Gonzalez Mendivil, Bhimaraddi Venkaraddi Alavandi, Adrian Diaz, Ranny Hamameh, Kirk D. Rasmussen
  • Patent number: 8608219
    Abstract: A vehicle tailgate is provided with a rack having a transverse cross-member extendable vertically between raised and lowered positions with telescoping supports. A powered cable-drive is connected to the supports move the cross-member between the raised and lowered positions. When the rack is in the lowered position, the cable-drive and supports are concealed within the tailgate and the cross-member forms at least a portion of a top surface of the tailgate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2013
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Gordon M Platto, David Michael Lechkun, Paul Geoffrey Roberts, Terry Lee Steller, William K. Moore
  • Patent number: 8596704
    Abstract: A closure for a storage compartment of a motor vehicle including an electromagnet having an armature wherein the armature can by moved by excitation of the electromagnet, and wherein a movement of the armature can be transmitted to a locking element which, due to a restoring force of a spring, is in a locked position for the storage compartment when the electromagnet is not energized, a means for generating an electric current for exciting the electromagnet, and means for measuring the electric current flow used for exciting the electromagnet, wherein the means for generating the current are designed to control the electric current such that, after turning on the current after measuring when a maximum current is reached and subsequent dropping below said maximum current, the current is reduced to a predetermined minimum value, wherein the minimum value is such that the armature is held in its position against the spring force acting on the armature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: Faurecia Innenraum Systeme GmbH
    Inventors: Bernhard Sielhorst, Vincent Chevroton, Christophe Pignon