Patents Examined by Keith Frisby
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Patent number: 10005417Abstract: An occupant protection device configured as an integral bag body including an airbag, the airbag including: a frame duct that includes an upper duct inflated and deployed at a seat upper side of the head of an occupant with a seat front end of the upper duct reaching a seat front side of the head of the occupant in an inflated and deployed state; a front inflating portion that receives gas supplied from a portion of the frame duct that has reached in front of the head, and is that inflated and deployed at the seat front side of the head of the occupant; and a pair of lateral inflating portions that receive gas supplied from the frame duct or the front inflating portion, or both, and that are inflated and deployed at both seat width direction sides of the head of the occupant.Type: GrantFiled: July 15, 2016Date of Patent: June 26, 2018Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Mitsuyoshi Ohno, Yasushi Masuda, Shigeyuki Suzuki, Hiroshi Kato, Shinichi Ishida
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Patent number: 10000177Abstract: An airbag module for protecting an occupant of a vehicle. The module includes an airbag and an inflator for providing inflation gas for the airbag. A diffuser is positioned in the airbag and configured to direct the flow of inflation gas into the airbag. The diffuser includes a main panel and a deflector panel connected together. The diffuser is configured to provide for first and second flow paths for inflation gas to exit diffuser and flow into the cushion. The main panel is folded along a fold line to create two folded portions and the deflector panel is located within the connected folded portions. The deflector panel is located in the first flow path and extends beyond the folded portions of the main panel. The extending portion of the deflector panel forces the inflation gas to change direction.Type: GrantFiled: March 24, 2016Date of Patent: June 19, 2018Assignee: Joyson Safety Systems Acquisition LLCInventor: Russell Joseph Mihm
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Patent number: 9994191Abstract: A gas bag arrangement for a motor vehicle is provided. The gas bag arrangement contains a gas bag which can be deployed for the protection of a person present outside the motor vehicle along at least a section of the outside of the windshield or another portion of an outside of the motor vehicle, at least one pressure reducing device for reducing the internal pressure at least of a partial region of the at least partly inflated gas bag, and a means for moving at least a section of the at least partly inflated gas bag out of the field of view of a vehicle occupant of the vehicle.Type: GrantFiled: January 26, 2012Date of Patent: June 12, 2018Assignee: TAKATA AGInventors: Ingo Kalliske, Dieter Markfort, Walter Kisler, Tobias Pausch, Norman Steinke
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Patent number: 9994192Abstract: A vehicle pop-up hood device includes: a hinge base; a first arm that has a rear end portion coupled to the hinge base, and that has a front portion disposed offset toward the vehicle width direction inner side with respect to the rear end portion; a second arm that is coupled to the front portion of the first arm so as to be capable of swinging, and that moves the hood toward a vehicle upper side; an actuator that spans between the first arm and the second arm, and that lifts the hood from a closed position to a lifted position; and a link mechanism that includes a first link and a second link. A coupling location of the hinge base to the first link is disposed further to the vehicle width direction inner side than a coupling location of the hinge base to the first arm.Type: GrantFiled: August 12, 2016Date of Patent: June 12, 2018Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Sotaro Narita, Yoshinori Uozumi
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Patent number: 9944338Abstract: A collapsible electric scooter, including a base frame enclosing an electric power source, a front assembly rotatably secured to the base frame, where the front assembly includes at least one motorized wheel secured to a front riser with a handle bar, a seat assembly removably secured to the base frame; and a rear assembly rotatably secured to at least one axle of the base frame, where the rear assembly includes at least one rear wheel and at least one rear axle support.Type: GrantFiled: January 29, 2016Date of Patent: April 17, 2018Inventor: Mayer Behar
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Patent number: 9933008Abstract: A rack-and-pinion type steering device includes a ball joint for connecting a rack shaft and a tie rod. The ball joint includes a socket and a ball. The socket is provided with a regulated surface allowed to contact a regulating surface of a rack housing, and a screw projecting from the regulated surface to be connected to the rack shaft. The regulated surface includes an intermediate portion having a curved surface shape that recedes from a regulating surface in a longitudinal direction of the rack shaft toward the outer circumference, and the regulated surface has such a shape that a pointed portion toward the regulating surface is less likely to be formed on the regulated surface even if a processing error occurs in the processing for forming the regulated surface of the socket.Type: GrantFiled: April 22, 2015Date of Patent: April 3, 2018Assignee: JTEKT CORPORATIONInventors: Shuji Takahashi, Akihiro Toshima
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Patent number: 9919728Abstract: A shaft comprises two parts. One of these two parts is tube-shaped, and the other is pushed into the tube-shaped part along a main axis. The two parts are fixed to each other for rotation about the main axis and connected to each other in a gliding way along the main axis, by a spline provided between the two parts. One of the two parts comprises a plurality of elongated teeth which are parallel to the main axis and whose cross-sections decrease from the first part towards the second part. Intermediate spaces between neighboring teeth are at least as broad as the teeth. The other of the two parts, at its circumference facing the first part, is made of plastically deformable plastic material, and a counter-profile into which the teeth engage is pressed in the plastic material by intrusion of the teeth during assembly of the two parts.Type: GrantFiled: January 19, 2016Date of Patent: March 20, 2018Assignee: FORD-WERKE GMBHInventors: Markus Braun, Joachim Heidel
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Patent number: 9914426Abstract: An airbag system for a motor vehicle includes an airbag arrangement with at least one airbag and a gas generator for filling the airbag arrangement. A base body includes two end regions, and an ignition element protrudes from the base body between the two end regions. The folded airbag arrangement in a packed state envelops at least one of the end regions in multiple layers on one part of its outer periphery.Type: GrantFiled: March 3, 2016Date of Patent: March 13, 2018Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLCInventors: Carsten Glaser, Markus Fischer
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Patent number: 9821833Abstract: An energy absorbing member is fixed to an outer periphery of an inner column, extends in a front-rear direction and is introduced into a slit of an outer column. During a secondary collision, a tightening rod is displaced forward together with the outer column, so that the energy absorbing member is vertically restrained to the tightening rod and the inner column from a up-down direction, is crushed by the tightening rod and generates impact absorption load.Type: GrantFiled: November 9, 2015Date of Patent: November 21, 2017Assignee: NSK LTD.Inventor: Ko Yamamoto
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Patent number: 9809080Abstract: A damper assembly for a vehicle suspension system includes a primary damper and a secondary damper. The secondary damper includes a housing having a wall that at least partially surrounds at least a portion of the primary damper, the volume between the wall and the primary damper defining a chamber, and the wall defines an aperture. The secondary damper also includes a piston positioned within the chamber, a conduit defining a flow path that includes the aperture, and a valve disposed along the flow path. The primary damper is configured to provide a base damping force and the secondary damper is configured to provide a supplemental damping force that varies based on the position of the piston within the chamber.Type: GrantFiled: February 19, 2016Date of Patent: November 7, 2017Assignee: Oshkosh Defense, LLCInventors: Erik S. Ellifson, Patrick S. Dillman, Jason J. Zuleger, Aaron J. Rositch, Robert K. Sollenskog
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Patent number: 9738321Abstract: An arrangement and method are provided for enabling rotation movement between a tandem or caterpillar axle and a body of a vehicle. This type of vehicle includes at least one body part that is provided with a tandem or caterpillar axle. At least one body part includes a main body and an auxiliary body connected to it to rotate around the longitudinal axis of the vehicle or an essentially parallel axis thereto. The tandem or caterpillar axle is connected substantially rigidly to the main body, and the body part has at least one actuator for controlling the rotation movement between the main body and auxiliary body. In this way, changes in the position and motion status of the auxiliary body, especially in relation to the rotation around the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, are arranged to cause in the actuator a pushing or pulling motion that steers the auxiliary body to a rotation movement for the purpose of arranging the auxiliary body to a substantially horizontal position.Type: GrantFiled: June 3, 2014Date of Patent: August 22, 2017Assignee: PONSSE OYJInventor: Pentti Hukkanen
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Patent number: 9694842Abstract: A first plate of a stationary bracket has long holes which extend parallel to a column movement direction, and through which large-diameter portions of suspension bolts are passed. The inner circumferences of the long holes include: recessed curved surface portions of end portions in a direction opposite to the column movement direction; first inner edge portions which are on the side of a middle position between the long holes; and second inner edge portions. In a secondary collision, when the one suspension bolt slides over the first inner edge portion of the long hole, for example, a gap is formed between the other suspension bolt and the second inner edge portion of the long hole.Type: GrantFiled: July 16, 2014Date of Patent: July 4, 2017Assignees: JTEKT CORPORATION, TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Eiji Tanaka, Susumu Imagaki, Atsushi Tano, Hiroshi Kawakami, Kenji Imamura
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Patent number: 9669790Abstract: A roof headliner structure in which a curtain airbag for a vehicle is housed, includes the curtain airbag attached in a folded state along a roof side rail, a roof headliner, a pillar garnish including a clip seat, and a tether clip attached to the clip seat. The curtain airbag is covered from a vehicle cabin side with the roof headliner and the pillar garnish. The pillar garnish is attached to a pillar of the vehicle by the tether clip. The roof headliner has an extension portion extended so as to be positioned in the pillar garnish. The roof headliner is fitted at the extension portion to the clip seat.Type: GrantFiled: December 8, 2015Date of Patent: June 6, 2017Assignee: TOYOTA BOSHOKU KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Shin Inami
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Patent number: 9663061Abstract: A center side impact airbag module that is mountable to upper and lower locations of a vehicle seat includes an inflatable airbag cushion, a first tether, and a second tether. The first tether has a first end configured to connect to one of the airbag cushion, a mounting member and the vehicle seat at the upper location of the vehicle seat and a second end connected to a forward portion of the airbag cushion. The second tether has a first end configured to connect to one of the airbag cushion, the mounting member and the vehicle seat at the lower location of the vehicle seat and a second end connected to the forward portion of the airbag cushion.Type: GrantFiled: April 30, 2015Date of Patent: May 30, 2017Assignee: TK Holdings Inc.Inventor: Russell Joseph Mihm
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Patent number: 9650079Abstract: A kart includes a chassis having a pair of substantially parallel tubular rails extending longitudinally and connected to one another at each end by at least one transverse tubular element. The kart chassis includes, in the front portion thereof, at least two substantially flared-U-shaped tubes positioned facing one another and assembled in the middle portion such as to form an X-shaped structure between the tubular rails, and at least two substantially rectilinear tubes disposed on each side of the X-shaped structure and each having a first end solidly connected to one of the tubular rails and another end solidly connected to a central portion of the X-shaped structure.Type: GrantFiled: April 17, 2014Date of Patent: May 16, 2017Assignee: SODIKARTInventor: William Gergaud
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Patent number: 9643646Abstract: A vehicle steering knuckle includes a body part to which an axle is attached, an arm portion including one end integrally connected with an outer periphery of the body part and spreading outwardly from the body part along an extending axis, and a connecting portion configured to be connected with a vehicle component. The arm portion includes a first portion, a second portion, and a hollow portion. The first portion including a peripheral wall configured to enclose around the extending axis. The second portion including a peripheral wall including an opening partially opened around the extending axis. At a cross-section intersecting the extending axis, an end portion of the peripheral wall of the second portion on a side of the opening includes an enlarged portion which is enlarged in width as compared with side portions adjacent to the end portion.Type: GrantFiled: November 4, 2014Date of Patent: May 9, 2017Assignees: HITACHI METALS AMERICA, LTD., HITACHI METALS, LTD.Inventors: Aaron Conner, Rick Bowen, Ronald Walker, Satoru Shiozawa
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Patent number: 9643647Abstract: A vehicle steering knuckle includes a body part to which an axle is attached, an arm portion including one end integrally connected with an outer periphery of the body part and spreading outwardly from the body part along an extending axis, and a connecting portion configured to be connected with a vehicle component. The arm portion includes a first portion, a second portion, and a hollow portion. The first portion including a peripheral wall configured to enclose around the extending axis. The second portion including a peripheral wall including an opening partially opened around the extending axis. At a cross-section intersecting the extending axis, an end portion of the peripheral wall of the second portion on a side of the opening includes an enlarged portion which is enlarged in width as compared with thickness of side portions adjacent to the end portion.Type: GrantFiled: October 6, 2015Date of Patent: May 9, 2017Assignees: HITACHI METALS AMERICA, LTD., HITACHI METALS, LTD.Inventors: Aaron Conner, Rick Bowen, Ronald Walker, Satoru Shiozawa
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Patent number: 9637172Abstract: Upon a rear-end collision of a vehicle, an arm section(s) of a cross member of a rear suspension member on the rear side of the vehicle, which is(are) positioned in a low-strength region in a vehicle-body strength distribution, undergoes crush deformation together with a corresponding rear side member(s). Deformation of the part of the rear suspension member other than the arm sections, which is positioned in a high-strength region in the vehicle-body strength distribution, is suppressed, so that a high voltage component mounted in the high-strength region is protected.Type: GrantFiled: October 20, 2014Date of Patent: May 2, 2017Assignee: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.Inventors: Kenji Sagara, Takeo Ehara
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Patent number: 9637196Abstract: A vehicle height adjustment apparatus includes a spring, an adjustor, a storage chamber, a pump, and a flow path switching unit. The adjustor includes an accommodation chamber which accommodates liquid, and adjusts the length of the spring according to the amount of liquid in the accommodation chamber. The pump includes a cylinder. The flow path switching unit includes a first communication path through which the inside of the cylinder communicates with the storage chamber, a second communication path through which the inside of the cylinder communicates with the accommodation chamber, and a third communication path through which the accommodation chamber communicates with the storage chamber. The flow path switching unit switches the flow path of the liquid according to an amount of electric current supplied to the flow path switching unit.Type: GrantFiled: September 10, 2015Date of Patent: May 2, 2017Assignee: SHOWA CORPORATIONInventor: Yosuke Murakami
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Patent number: 9623833Abstract: An airbag apparatus is provided with a shaped, out-of-position (OOP) flap configured to alter a trajectory of an inflatable air cushion during deployment. The apparatus includes an airbag module with an inflator assembly. The inflatable cushion is folded in a deflated arrangement with the airbag module, defining a major surface facing a direction of deployment. The OOP flap is shaped to cover only a partial region of the major surface. The OOP flap may include a first portion with a first end fixed to the airbag module or the inflatable cushion; and a second portion with a second end opposite the first end, remaining free from attachment. The second portion has at least one fold or cut-out at the second end and is positioned overlying the partial region of the major surface, thereby leaving at least a section of the major surface free from contact with the OOP flap.Type: GrantFiled: September 18, 2015Date of Patent: April 18, 2017Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.Inventor: Paul J. Podzikowski