Patents Examined by James E. Ignaczewski
  • Patent number: 11525286
    Abstract: A motor vehicle latch with a locking mechanism comprising a catch and a pawl for catching of the catch and a housing with an inlet slot for a latch holder which can go through the inlet slot into the housing in the event of closure of a door or flap and can be held there by the locking mechanism in such a way that the door or flap cannot open in an unscheduled manner, whereby the housing demonstrates a cover on a side of the housing with the inlet slot which is attached to the housing with the aid of a positive connection produced by suspension. An especially reliable fixing of the cover can thus be facilitated. Furthermore, the invention relates to a mounting procedure for the cover to the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: Kiekert AG
    Inventor: Yuhui Liu
  • Patent number: 11479996
    Abstract: A method for actuating a motor vehicle lock and a locking device for a motor vehicle includes an actuating lever, a lock and a Bowden cable arranged between the actuating lever and the lock, the lock can be actuated by means of the actuating lever and with the aid of the Bowden cable, and a functional unit arranged on the Bowden cable and comprising an electric drive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2022
    Assignee: Kiekert AG
    Inventors: Klaus Götzen, Christian Sturm, Claus Töpfer, Thorsten Bendel, Winfried Schlabs, Tim Sonnenschein
  • Patent number: 11458920
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a stop carried on a glove box lid and a lever including an abutment, a catch and a fulcrum. The lever is displaceable about the fulcrum between a rest position and a deployed position. In the deployed position the catch engages the stop preventing the glove box lid from opening. A method of securing the glove box lid in a closed position in the event of an impact to a motor vehicle is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Yalla Mussa Abushawashi, Marwan Ahmad Elbkaily, Matt James Enciso, Abdelrahim Khal
  • Patent number: 11459802
    Abstract: A vehicle latch assembly includes a housing. Also included is a pawl disposed within the housing, the pawl rotatable between a first angular position and a second angular position. Further included is a bumper operatively coupled to the housing, the bumper having a conical head portion positioned for engagement with the pawl in the second angular position of the pawl.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: INTEVA PRODUCTS, LLC
    Inventors: Oscar Omar Estrada Lazcano, Hector Sanchez, Fernando Chacon, Carlos I. Tostado Bocanegra
  • Patent number: 11441337
    Abstract: A vehicle latch assembly, including: a pawl pivotally mounted to the vehicle latch assembly; a claw pivotally mounted to the vehicle latch assembly; a switch cam lever; a first switch; a second switch, the switch cam lever has a first cam profile configured to engage the first switch and a second cam profile configured to engage the second switch, the first cam profile engaging the first switch; and wherein the second cam profile engages the second switch when the vehicle latch assembly is in a secondary position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2022
    Assignee: INTEVA PRODUCTS, LLC
    Inventors: Daniel Alexander Ney, Donald Michael Perkins
  • Patent number: 11414896
    Abstract: The subject matter of the invention is a lock (1) for a motor vehicle, especially a side door lock, having a locking mechanism (2) with a catch (3) and at least one pawl (4), a release lever (10, 27), which is designed to unlock the locking mechanism (2), an actuating lever (7) for actuating the release lever (10, 27) and an inertia unit with an inertia element (12), which is designed to optionally prevent an actuating of the release lever (10, 27) depending on an actuating speed of the actuating lever (7), and the release lever (10, 27) comprises a first part (10) and a second part (27) which are designed to be coupled together.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Assignee: Kiekert AG
    Inventor: Robert L. Brickner
  • Patent number: 11414898
    Abstract: An automobile door latch device includes: a mesh mechanism; a body; a base; and an operation mechanism disposed on the base, the operation mechanism including: an outside lever configured to receive an operating force of an outside handle to perform open actuation; a first open lever configured to perform open actuation in conjunction with open actuation of the outside lever; a locking/unlocking mechanism; a second open lever configured to perform open actuation in conjunction with open actuation of the first open lever output from the locking/unlocking mechanism; and a fully open release lever configured to perform open actuation in conjunction with open actuation of the first open lever, wherein the fully open release lever is connected to an operating force transmission member configured to transmit the open actuation of the fully open release lever to a fully opening latch device for holding the slide door in a fully open position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Assignee: MITSUI KINZOKU ACT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Keiichiro Okuyama, Toshitaka Matsuoka, Naoki Hanaki, Shigenori Hiramoto, Shintaro Okawa
  • Patent number: 11408204
    Abstract: An electric door strike assembly includes a housing and at least one keeper arm. The housing has an opening for admission and retraction of a door latch. The at least one keeper arm has a latch portion and is mounted on the housing. The at least one keeper arm is movable between a closed position, where the opening is occluded by the latch portion, and an open position, where the door latch may be released from the opening. The latch portion may include a bifurcated member having inside and outside legs arranged in spaced parallel relation so as to define a gap therebetween. The gap is configured to receive a latch plate of an interlocking latch mechanism when the at least one keeper arm is in the closed position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2022
    Assignee: Hanchett Entry Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Joshua T. Peabody, Dan Van Dusen, John Brennan
  • Patent number: 11408208
    Abstract: A latching device with a blocking device that is capable of preventing unintentional opening of a door or a flap in the case of a crash. The blocking device includes a pyrotechnic gas generator. The pyrotechnic gas generator triggers in the case of a crash and moves a blocking element into a blocking position which prevents opening of the locking mechanism of the latching device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2022
    Assignee: Kiekert AG
    Inventors: Robert J. Hunt, Scott Brown, Octavian Cimpean, Jeff Duncan
  • Patent number: 11391061
    Abstract: Latch assemblies and systems are disclosed. One latch includes a latch and a receiver. The latch has a housing and a pin extending from the housing. The pin is mounted for longitudinal movement along a pin axis. The latch further includes a motor coupled to move the pin longitudinally. The receiver defines an aperture extending along a receiver axis and positioned to receive the pin of the latch. The receiver has a retainer biased toward the receiver axis. The latch assembly has an open position in which the pin is extended distally along the pin axis and received in the aperture, and a latched position in which the pin is retracted proximally along the pin axis while the retainer is engaged with the pin. One latch system includes a plurality of latch assemblies configured to move to the latched position after all latch assemblies are in the open position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2022
    Assignee: Southco, Inc.
    Inventors: David Minnich, Christopher Todd Gahring, Jr., Robert Speers
  • Patent number: 11365568
    Abstract: A vehicle door lock apparatus (1) includes latch and actuating housings (9, 7) that are fixed between outer and inner panels (3, 4) of a vehicle door (2). A connector fitting section (80C) is exposed through an open window (4H) in the inner panel (4) toward a vehicle interior side of the inner panel (4). A movable member (50) includes a second end (52) that projects out of the actuating housing (7), passes through an opening (80H) in the actuating housing (7) and also passes through the open window (4H) toward the vehicle interior side, where it is coupled to a link member (C3). The connector fitting section (80C) and the opening (80H) are covered by a single umbrella-shaped blocking member (89) that contacts the actuating housing (7) and the inner panel (4) around at least an upper side of the peripheral edge of the open window (4H).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2022
    Assignee: ANSEI CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masaharu Takagi, Satoshi Yamaji
  • Patent number: 11274470
    Abstract: An exemplary trim assembly comprises a housing assembly, a cam rotatably mounted to the housing assembly, a lift finger slidably mounted in the housing assembly such that the cam is operable to linearly drive the lift finger between a deactuated position and an actuated position, and a locking mechanism operable to selectively retain the lift finger in the deactuated position. The locking mechanism includes an interface member engaged with the lift finger such that movement of the lift finger moves the interface member between a home position and an offset position, a blocking member operable to selectively prevent movement of the interface member from the home position, and a driver configured to move the blocking member between a blocking position and an unblocking position to thereby lock and unlock the trim assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2022
    Assignee: Schlage Lock Company LLC
    Inventors: Paul R. Arlinghaus, Jack R. Lehner, Jr., David V. Toloday, Suresha Chandrasekhara, John Stalter, Marlin Austin