Patents Examined by Keith Frisby
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Patent number: 9446642Abstract: A rear axle of a two-track vehicle, including three control arms articulated to a wheel carrier and extending substantially in a transverse direction of the vehicle, and a trailing arm rigidly connected to the wheel carrier and having adequate flexibility in the transverse direction of the vehicle due to its structure or its mounting on the vehicle body. A support spring proportionately supporting the vehicle body with respect to the wheel and a vibration damper connected effectively in parallel with the supporting spring are supported on the wheel carrier without the intermediate arrangement of a control arm articulated to the wheel carrier.Type: GrantFiled: August 14, 2015Date of Patent: September 20, 2016Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AktiengesellschaftInventors: Alfred Stenzenberger, Johann Kettenberger
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Patent number: 9434335Abstract: A dash panel is provided with an air bag of an air bag device in a part facing a space between a front wheel and a front side member. The air bag is configured such that, when gas flows into the air bag from an inflator via a gas passage pipe at the time of a front end collision, the air bag is expanded and deployed between a rear part of the front wheel and the front side member.Type: GrantFiled: October 13, 2014Date of Patent: September 6, 2016Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Yukito Ohmura
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Patent number: 9428133Abstract: An airbag housing can be detachably fixed to at least one abutting wall area via at least one fixing device. The airbag housing has a plurality of tongues protruding laterally outwards on at least two opposing sides. The tongues arranged next to one another on one side are each spaced from the next by the width of at least one tongue. For the tongues of the airbag housing, a fixing frame on the dashboard has corresponding undercuts, and therefore the fixed airbag module is connected to the tongues in a form-locking manner in the undercuts.Type: GrantFiled: March 5, 2015Date of Patent: August 30, 2016Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AktiengesellschaftInventors: Martin Eigenmann, Christian Maurer, Robert Janssen, Dienhung Huynh, Reinhold Schreff
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Patent number: 9421938Abstract: A vehicle interior panel (10) includes a decorative covering (16) with a non-visible tear seam that forms a deployment opening through the covering during airbag deployment. The tear seam is formed by mechanical piercing of a skin layer (20) of the covering using a piercing tool (30) having a compound chamfer (40). Such piercing tools allow the mechanical piercing process to produce non-visible and functional tear seams in polymeric materials and non-polymeric materials such as leather, including materials with relatively low elastic recovery characteristics. Tear seams formed in this manner can offer larger processing windows, lower manufacturing and equipment cost, and/or shorter cycle times when compared to other methods such as laser scoring.Type: GrantFiled: November 21, 2012Date of Patent: August 23, 2016Assignee: Faurecia Interior Systems, Inc.Inventors: Mathew Barr, Aaron S. Wisniewski, Brian Jacobs
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Patent number: 9421995Abstract: A steering device which contracts by an impulse load. A steering device includes an inner column having a cylindrical shape, a base plate having a first hole opened therein, an outer column having a cylindrical shape into which at least a part of the inner column is inserted, and having a slit formed by notching one insertion side end of the inner column, an outer column bracket to tighten the outer column along with a telescopic friction plate, and a connection member provided at a position straddling the first hole and a second hole, and detachably connecting the base plate and the inner column bracket.Type: GrantFiled: October 17, 2014Date of Patent: August 23, 2016Assignee: NSK LTD.Inventors: Masaya Johta, Hideki Kojima, Wataru Hagiwara, Daiki Orihara, Ryoichi Suzuki
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Patent number: 9422014Abstract: An axle lift system and a method of control. The axle lift system may include a liftable axle assembly and an axle securing unit. The axle securing unit may selectively secure the liftable axle assembly in a secured position in which the tires of the liftable axle assembly may not support the vehicle.Type: GrantFiled: February 25, 2015Date of Patent: August 23, 2016Assignee: ArvinMeritor Technology, LLCInventor: Luis Gustavo Schuck
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Patent number: 9421843Abstract: An active suspension apparatus for a vehicle includes a pump configured to adjust movements of a fluid and actuators configured to receive the fluid from the pump and to compensate displacements of coil springs connected to wheels of the vehicle, in which the pump supplies the fluid contained in a cylinder to one of the actuators of left wheels of the vehicle and the actuators of right wheels of the vehicle based on the driving of a motor.Type: GrantFiled: June 10, 2015Date of Patent: August 23, 2016Assignee: MANDO CORPORATIONInventors: Tae Ju Kim, Seong Ho Choi
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Patent number: 9409543Abstract: Side curtain airbag assemblies for use inside motor vehicles and methods of preparing airbag assemblies are described herein that allow for the deployment of a curtain with varying trajectory. The curtain may be attached to an inflator that is configured to rapidly inflate the curtain from a folded condition to a deployed condition upon signals generated from an activation event, such as a collision or vehicle roll-over. The trajectory of the curtain can be defined as the direction of the curtain being inflated in relation to other components of a vehicle. Different portions of the curtain may have different fold configurations, allowing for tuning of the trajectory upon deployment of each distinct portion of the curtain.Type: GrantFiled: July 10, 2014Date of Patent: August 9, 2016Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.Inventors: Robert C. Steinbrecher, Todd P. Lang, Adam Ludwig
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Patent number: 9403507Abstract: A vehicular interior member assembly includes an interior member main body and an interior part mounted on the interior member main body to cover a seat belt retractor from a vehicular interior side. The interior part includes a main wall portion and a front wall portion extending from the main wall portion toward a vehicular exterior side and being in front of the seat belt retractor. The front wall portion includes a seat belt outlet that is through the front wall portion, and a guide portion on a side opening edge of the seat belt outlet and guiding the seat belt to the seat belt outlet when the interior part is attached to the interior member main body. The seat belt outlet has an elongated opening having a side opening that is open toward the vehicular exterior side.Type: GrantFiled: June 26, 2015Date of Patent: August 2, 2016Assignee: TOYOTA BOSHOKU KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Kazuto Matsubara
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Patent number: 9403573Abstract: An improvement to a hover board provides additional support and balance to an operator of the hover board. The improvement converts a two wheeled hover board, having no structure for an operator to hold onto with the operator's hands, into a three wheeled vehicle with a handle to which an operator may hold onto. A platform member couples to the hover board, while still allowing the hover board controls to function. A handle member extends upwardly from the platform member as a handle. A third wheel depends from the underside of the platform member, where the third wheel provides additional stability.Type: GrantFiled: February 12, 2016Date of Patent: August 2, 2016Inventors: Angelo L. Mazzei, Javier Bustamante
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Patent number: 9403479Abstract: A vehicle having seat belt system is provided. The vehicle includes a D-ring having a light source, a belt strap passing through the D-ring, a tongue connected to the belt strap, a buckle, and a controller programmed to illuminate the light source in response to a detected trigger condition.Type: GrantFiled: August 27, 2014Date of Patent: August 2, 2016Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLCInventors: Mahmoud Yousef Ghannam, Bill Pappas, Abraham G. Philip, Helinda Ho
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Patent number: 9403506Abstract: The present teachings provide for a vehicle seatbelt positioner. The vehicle can include a pillar and seatbelt. The seatbelt positioner can include a cassette, router, and tether. The cassette can be mounted to a first side of the pillar. The router can include a guide body configured to releasably couple the router to the seatbelt. The router can be movable between an extended position in which the router is spaced apart from the pillar, and a retracted position in which the router contacts the pillar. The tether can have a first end coupled to the cassette and a second end coupled to the router. When the router is in the extended position, the tether can extend through an aperture defined by the pillar to a second side of the pillar. The cassette can be configured to retract the tether toward the cassette to position the router in the retracted position.Type: GrantFiled: November 11, 2014Date of Patent: August 2, 2016Assignee: FCA US LLCInventors: Melinda M Denninger, Paul C Tresnak, Rachel Cacossa
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Patent number: 9399482Abstract: An inner tube for a telescopic steering column (8) is provided, with a first end sector (2) for assembling a bearing (9), having a substantially circular cross-section obtained by reducing and drawing, a second end sector (3) and an intermediate sector (4) having a regular polygonal section, provided with longitudinal planar external guiding faces (5), wherein the first end sector (2) comprises a plurality of external flanges (6) emerging longitudinally from its external surface (2a) in axial alignment with at least some of the external guiding faces (5), and a plurality of longitudinal internal recesses (7) penetrating its inner surface (2b), each internal recess (7) extending under one of the external flanges (6); each external flange (6) comprises an essentially planar external surface which is at least partially flush with the external guiding face (5) with which it is aligned.Type: GrantFiled: June 27, 2013Date of Patent: July 26, 2016Assignee: CIE AUTOMOTIVE, S.A.Inventor: Gaizka Urcola Alberdi
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Patent number: 9399487Abstract: A vehicle body front portion structure is provided with a suspension member, a vertical wall and a protruding member. A side portion of the suspension member is disposed at a vehicle body lower side of a front side member. The vertical wall is formed at the suspension member and includes a coupling portion to which a vehicle width direction inner side end portion of a lower arm is coupled, which lower arm supports a front wheel. The protruding member is fastened to a fastening portion provided in the vertical wall, at a vehicle width direction outer side relative to the coupling portion, so as to protrude to the vehicle width direction outer side relative to the front side member in plan view.Type: GrantFiled: March 9, 2015Date of Patent: July 26, 2016Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Daisuke Fujita
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Patent number: 9382966Abstract: A vehicle body reinforcement unit includes a reinforcement member disposed between a pair of frame portions of a vehicle body and including a pair of displacement members that is displaced relative to each other in association with a relative displacement of the pair of frame portions, the reinforcement member including a damping mechanism that applies a damping force to a relative operation of the pair of displacement members.Type: GrantFiled: June 18, 2014Date of Patent: July 5, 2016Assignee: AISIN SEIKI KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Nobuhisa Nakajima, Morito Oshita, Fumio Kojima, Takashi Kondo
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Patent number: 9381886Abstract: An airbag apparatus that prevents a reverse flow of a gas between chambers to allow internal pressures of the chambers to be maintained. The airbag apparatus includes: a cushion portion with a divided internal space including a first chamber and a second chamber; a deflector surrounds a periphery of an inflator with a first gap therebetween to cover a gas ejection port of the inflator. The deflector has a first end portion projecting in a longitudinal direction and forming a space between the first end portions of the deflector and the inflator. A cloth cylindrical member surrounds a periphery of the deflector with a second gap therebetween. The cylindrical member projects from the first end portion of the deflector by a predetermined length so as to allow the first gap and the second gap to be covered in the first end portion side of the deflector.Type: GrantFiled: May 29, 2013Date of Patent: July 5, 2016Assignee: AUTOLIV DEVELOPMENT ABInventors: Yoshiyuki Kato, Koichi Miyagi
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Patent number: 9376085Abstract: An active bolster mounts at an interior trim surface of a passenger compartment in an automotive vehicle. A plastic-molded front wall deploys in a deployment direction toward a passenger in the passenger compartment. A plastic-molded bladder member is joined along an outer perimeter with the front wall by a hot weld seam to form an inflatable bladder. The bladder member includes at least one substantially circumferential pleated baffle. An inflator couples an inflation gas into the inflatable bladder in response to a crash event of the vehicle. The pleated baffle forms a plurality of at least five vent openings including at least one stress relief vent juxtaposed to a peak stress region of the hot weld seam and a plurality of tuning vents which are concentrated at a lowest restraint-force region of the inflatable bladder.Type: GrantFiled: March 17, 2015Date of Patent: June 28, 2016Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLCInventors: Kaitlin M. Cischke, Stacey H. Raines, Nicholas A. Mazzocchi
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Patent number: 9376082Abstract: A housing for an airbag module includes an extrusion incorporating a body portion and a cover extruded integrally with the body portion so as to form a single monolithic unit. At least one endcap formed separately from the extrusion is operatively coupled to an end of the extrusion so as to seal the end.Type: GrantFiled: July 21, 2014Date of Patent: June 28, 2016Assignee: TK Holdings Inc.Inventor: Douglas L. Osterfeld
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Patent number: 9371086Abstract: The present invention relates to a steering column for a vehicle and a steering apparatus having the same. According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent loads transmitted to the steering column from being concentrated to a part of the steering column, to uniformize the distribution of operation force of the adjusting lever, and to prevent the deformation and damage of the steering column when the driver operates the steering wheel by maintaining the bearing forces of the upper tube and the lower tube at the time of tightening and releasing the adjusting lever for a tilt or telescope operation while increasing the rigidity of the entirety of the steering column.Type: GrantFiled: January 5, 2015Date of Patent: June 21, 2016Assignee: MANDO CORPORATIONInventor: Jong Han Kim
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Patent number: 9364377Abstract: A wheelchair suspension comprises a frame, at least one pivot arm, at least one front caster, at least one rear caster, a stabilizing system, and a sensor. The pivot arm is coupled to the frame. The front caster is coupled to the pivot arm. The rear caster is coupled to the frame. The stabilizing system is coupled to the frame and the pivot arm. The sensor is arranged such that tipping of the frame causes actuation of the stabilizing system to at least partially resist further movement of the frame.Type: GrantFiled: September 15, 2014Date of Patent: June 14, 2016Assignee: INVACARE CORPORATIONInventors: Gerold Goertzen, William A. Null, Robert L. Cuson