Patents Examined by Kristina R Fulton
  • Patent number: 11719021
    Abstract: An exemplary method generally relates to operating an access control device including a motor, a locking member, and a target component operably connected with the locking member. The motor may be operated to drive the locking member in a first direction from an initial position toward a desired position. When the locking member is blocked from moving beyond a blockage position, a target location of the target component is detected. The motor may then be operated to drive the locking member in a second direction opposite the first direction. The motor may then be operated to drive the locking member in the first direction toward the blockage position while monitoring the location of the target component. As the target component reaches the target location, the motor is supplied with a boost current to drive the locking member beyond the blockage position and toward the desired position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2023
    Assignee: Schlage Lock Company LLC
    Inventors: Vishal S. Kusanale, Avinash K. Vedamurthy, John C. Carpenter
  • Patent number: 11713602
    Abstract: A motor vehicle door lock, such as a motor vehicle bonnet lock includes a locking mechanism which substantially consists of a rotary latch and a pawl. The locking mechanism interacts with a striker element on a bonnet. The lock further has an unlocking/opening mechanism for the bonnet, which mechanism is equipped with a release element provided in the interior of a motor vehicle body. The release element is operated twice to open the bonnet. The locking mechanism is transferred to a pre-latched position after the release element has been operated at least once, with the striker element still being trapped. The bonnet is opened from the pre-latched position by lifting the pawl off the rotary latch with the aid of a power mechanism, said lifting being activated separately.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2023
    Assignee: Kiekert AG
    Inventors: Christian Sturm, Michael Scholz, Holger Schiffer, Bernhard Drost
  • Patent number: 11708710
    Abstract: A glove compartment lock device includes: a base member attached to a glove compartment; a knob member supported by the base member so as to be rotatable around a shaft portion between a closed position and an opened position; an arm member supported at a center portion in a longitudinal direction thereof by the base member so as to be swingable between a locked position and an unlocked position of the glove compartment and configured to come into contact with the knob member at one end portion thereof; and a spring member locked at one end portion thereof to the knob member, locked at another end portion thereof to another end portion of the arm member, and configured to generate a biasing force that rotates the knob member to the closed position and swings the arm member to the locked position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2023
    Assignee: TOYODA GOSEI CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Hiroki Takai
  • Patent number: 11708658
    Abstract: The present invention is a lock system that can be used in the entire sector of white appliances and characterized by comprising a lock bolt (4) that fits into its seat through the stretching of the lock bolt housing (6) by means of the spring (3) located on the body (1) and a mechanism that allows the machine hatch to be closed by restoring the lock bolt housing (2) back to its former position even if the lock bolt housing (2) is in closed position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2023
    Assignee: SERDAR PLASTIK SANAYI VE TICARET ANONIM SIRKETI
    Inventor: Serdar Mustafa Tütek
  • Patent number: 11710592
    Abstract: Provided herein is an improved a bi-stable actuator including a first core component coupleable to a housing, the first core component including a central bore containing a shaft and a shaft spring. The actuator may further include a second core component extending around the first core component, wherein the second core component and the first core component are axially moveable relative to one another, and a third core component extending within the second core component, wherein the third core component and the second core component are axially moveable relative to one another. The actuator may further include a positioning sphere extending through an opening of the first core component, wherein the positioning sphere abuts the second core component when the bi-stable actuator is in a first position, and wherein the positioning sphere abuts a detent of the shaft when the bi-stable actuator is in a second position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2023
    Assignee: Littelfuse, Inc.
    Inventor: Davide Mantoan
  • Patent number: 11702870
    Abstract: A hood latch device for a vehicle is provided. The hood latch device includes a base that is secured to a vehicle body member. In addition, the hood latch device further includes a safety hook, a pawl and a claw, each of which is rotatably coupled to the base. Further, a first spring is coupled to a safety hook and to one end of a pawl that protrudes forward from the base. A second spring is coupled to the base and to the claw.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2023
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Hyeon Woo Cho, Sang Il Kim
  • Patent number: 11702863
    Abstract: A method for detecting a handed configuration of a door includes providing an electronic lock, which includes a latch assembly that includes a bolt movable between an extended position and a retracted position and a motor that is configured to drive the bolt between the extended position and the retracted position. The latch assembly includes a control circuit for controlling the motor to selectively move the bolt, at least one sensor in electrical communication with the control circuit, and at least one orientation indicator. The method includes detecting the presence of the at least one the orientation indicator and identifying a handed configuration based on the detection by the at least one sensor. The method includes driving, by the control circuit, the motor based on the identified handed configuration. The control circuit identifies the handed configuration without moving the bolt between the extended position and the retracted position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2023
    Assignee: Spectrum Brands, Inc.
    Inventor: Chasen Beck
  • Patent number: 11702869
    Abstract: A latching assembly providing two options or systems for electric release output and timing, while keeping the two systems as common with one another as possible. A vehicle latching assembly, including: a housing; a release lever pivotally mounted to the housing; a first gear train for actuating the release lever, the first gear train includes a first worm and a first release gear the first worm meshingly engages the first release gear; and a second gear train for actuating the release lever, the second gear train being interchangeable with the first gear train, the second gear train includes a second worm and a second release gear the second worm meshingly engages the second release gear, wherein the second gear train applies a greater amount of force to the release lever than the first gear train.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2023
    Assignee: INTEVA PRODUCTS, LLC
    Inventor: Daniel Alexander Ney
  • Patent number: 11692379
    Abstract: A latch assembly comprises an exterior housing, a door latch, a plunger, a resilient member, and an external lever pivotally mounted on an outer face of the exterior housing. The external lever comprises a first leg, a second leg disposed at an angle relative to the first leg, and a pivot mount disposed between the first leg and the second leg. The plunger is maintained in the latched position when the external lever is in a latched position by the resilient member, whereby an entry door cannot be unintentionally shifted from the closed position. The plunger is displaced from the latched position to the unlatched position when the external lever is rotated from the latched position to the unlatched position by the second leg bearing against the plunger, whereby the entry door is free to be shifted from the closed position to the open position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Assignee: BAUER PRODUCTS, INC.
    Inventor: Bruce C. Bacon
  • Patent number: 11692378
    Abstract: Provided is a vehicular door outer handle device including a handle body having a housing recess, a handle cover covering the handle body from the outside, a base member fixed to a vehicle door, and a support arm connected to one end in a longitudinal direction of the handle body and rotatably supported by the base member via a support shaft. A slit through which a harness connected to an electronic component housed in the housing recess is inserted is formed in the one end of the handle body and in the support arm. Although there is provided the slit that facilitates assembly work of the harness, reduction in strength is prevented while avoiding an increase in the number of parts. A handle cover 14 is integrally provided with a first reinforcing portion 55 that is fitted into a slit 51 so as to contact, or to approach and face, both side surfaces of the slit 51.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA HONDA LOCK
    Inventors: Masatoshi Yoshida, Kyohei Yanagita, Shinichi Kuroki
  • Patent number: 11692380
    Abstract: A window lock system includes a sash lock and at least one tilt latch. The sash lock includes a first housing, a lever, a cam, a slide plate, and at least one actuator movable via the lever. The tilt latch includes a second housing configured to be slidably mounted on a window sash and an independent bolt slidingly coupled to the first end of the second housing. A drive bar couples the at least one actuator and the second housing together. The sash lock is movable between at least a locked position, an unlocked position, and a tilt position by rotating the lever. When the sash lock is in the tilt position, the at least one actuator retracts relative to the first housing and via the drive bar retracts the first end of the second housing of the tilt latch relative to a side surface of the window sash.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Assignee: Amesbury Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Allen Rickenbaugh, Tyler Welbig, Chad Kramer, Gary E. Tagtow
  • Patent number: 11686133
    Abstract: The opening control includes a handle pivotally mounted on a support prone to adopt a pushed position, an intermediate rest position and an ejected position as well as electrical and mechanical means for driving in movement the handle and coupled with the handle of the vehicle such that the application of a predefined force on the handle causes the mechanical or electrical activation. It includes a hard point crossing means configured to define a pattern of evolution of a value of a force applied on the handle as a function of a push-in stroke of the handle between its rest position and the pushed position, including a crossing of a hard point separating first and second portions of the stroke.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: AKWEL VIGO SPAIN SL
    Inventors: Delmiro Javier Couto Maquieira, Alberto Diez Estevez, Javier Casal Gomez, Jose Oscar Vazquez Carballo, Julio Garcia Rodriguez
  • Patent number: 11686135
    Abstract: A pre-hung door and casing retention device and a method of latching and unlatching a pre-hung door and casing. The door includes a tubular body configured to be receivable in a door lock cylinder opening and a door latch opening. A male portion has an extending post with a plurality of teeth extending from at least one side of said post, the male portion receivable in a latch bolt opening and the door latch opening. An elongated engagement portion has a first end fastened in the tubular body, an opposed second end extending from the tubular portion and a protrusion engaging teeth on the male portion when inserted into the tubular portion and wherein the protrusion is disengaged from the teeth when a withdrawal force is exerted on the engagement portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Inventor: B. Jack Smith
  • Patent number: 11686131
    Abstract: An actuating drive for motor vehicle applications, in particular for a motor vehicle lock comprising an actuating drive, for realizing different functional positions, includes an electromagnetic rotary actuator with a rotor and a stator, in particular a coil carrier, a drive lever, wherein the drive lever can be moved to different functional positions by the rotary actuator, and means for latching the drive lever in the functional position, wherein the drive lever interacts with a switching lever in such a way that, after a functional position of the drive lever is reached, a moment which stabilizes the functional position can be introduced into the drive lever by the switching lever.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: Kiekert AG
    Inventors: Christian Sturm, Claus Töpfer
  • Patent number: 11674341
    Abstract: A vehicle door latch apparatus has a latch that is engaged with a striker; a ratchet member rotatably supported by a ratchet shaft and that has a pawl portion, wherein the pawl portion is movable between a latch engaging position, where the pawl portion can face a full latch engaging portion of the latch, and a latch releasing position, where the pawl portion is not in contact with the full latch engaging portion, wherein release component force is generated in a latch releasing direction when latch return force is applied in a releasing direction at the latch engaging position, and the ratchet member is pushed out from the latch engaging position to the latch releasing position by the release component force; a ratchet restraint that is arranged on a side of the ratchet member and that can be moved about a pin between a block position and a release position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: MITSUI KINZOKU ACT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Katsuyuki Ishiguro, Hirotaka Nishijima, Takuya Kakumae, Shintaro Okawa, Makoto Kaburaki
  • Patent number: 11674340
    Abstract: An emergency mechanism for manually opening a powered door that includes a hold-close latch that holds the door in a closed position. During the manual operation, a manually operated handle for actuating only the hold-closed latch is manually moved from a non-actuating position to an actuating position, which actuates the hold-close latch to release the door from the closed position. The handle is held in the actuating position until it is moved back to the non-actuating position during a subsequent powered operation, thus allowing a user to move the door to an opened position using both hands.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Brandon C. Roeder, Steven R. Thiele
  • Patent number: 11674333
    Abstract: An electronic locking device to secure linear transitioning or sliding doors. The electronic lock may include a bolt driven by a motor between a locked or extended position and an unlocked or retracted position. The bolt may be coupled to a sled, the sled moved by the motor between a forward position, placing the bolt in the locked position, and a rearward position, placing the bolt in the unlocked position. The motor may drive a drive screw to move the sled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: Accuride International Inc.
    Inventors: Charles Milligan, Todd Watanabe
  • Patent number: 11674343
    Abstract: A multi-axial catch comprises a mount and a catch body coupled to the mount. The mount affixes the catch to a frame and the catch body has a recess to position a latch head of a latch within the recess to engage the latch with the catch. The catch can include a cam to form the recess. The catch rotates around a rotation axis in response to a longitudinal motion of the latch. The catch body is coupled to the mount to allow the catch body to rotate around a pivot axis in response to a transverse motion of the latch. The catch includes an elastic coupler to position the catch in a rotational at-rest position and an elastic coupler to position the catch-body in a transverse at-rest position. The recess allows the latch head to move laterally, in response to a lateral motion of the latch, within the catch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Budy Notohardjono, Richard M. Ecker, Suraush Khambati, Shawn Canfield
  • Patent number: 11668124
    Abstract: A latch mechanism includes a hook body having a hook body load bearing plate; a hook mechanism, the hook mechanism having a hook with a threaded shaft, the shaft defining a longitudinal axis with respect to the hook body; an adjustment mechanism configured to adjust an axial position of the hook with respect to the hook body; and a bearing block, the bearing block having a block load bearing plate disposed between the adjustment mechanism and the hook body load bearing plate, the bearing block including a first boss configured for engagement with the adjustment mechanism, a second boss configured for engagement with the hook body plate aperture, an inner diameter hole that allows the hook shaft threads to engage with the adjustment mechanism but provides suitable clearance within the second boss inner diameter to prevent the hook shaft threads from bearing out as required in Aerospace design.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignee: Rohr, Inc.
    Inventors: Paul F. McMahan, David Louis Lipson, Jamie Salazar, Jose Roberto Aguilar
  • Patent number: 11668121
    Abstract: A motor-driven door ratchet includes a catch part configured to lock a vehicle door to a vehicle body by being caught by a striker mounted on the vehicle body. A door locking and release part includes a main motor and is configured to allow the catch part to be locked or released from the striker. An inside emergency operation lever is connected to an inside handle installed in the vehicle door and is configured to be rotated by receiving a manipulation force to allow the vehicle door to be opened by applying torque to the catch part. An outside emergency operation lever is connected to an outside handle installed in the vehicle door and is configured to be rotated by receiving a manipulation force to allow the vehicle door to be opened by applying torque to the catch part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation, Pyeong Hwa Automotive Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jinwoo Nam, Kyoung Taek Kwak, Jungho Han, Hyuk Noh, Jung-Ho Park, Ki Ryun Ahn, Jin-Bok Lee, Ji-Woo Joo