Patents Examined by Marc Scharich
  • Patent number: 9321507
    Abstract: A two wheel vehicle is propelled by hand-grasped poles. A front wheel on a forward member and a rear wheel on a rearward member align along a longitudinal axis. The forward member pivots about a substantially vertical steering axis. A saddle and footholds support the rider and together with an accessory contact allow the rider to balance and steer the device. The rider's hands do not contact the vehicle but are used to propel the vehicle with the poles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Inventor: Robert B. Dodds
  • Patent number: 9302737
    Abstract: A bicycle gear changing apparatus is basically provided with a controller including memory with a first prescribed shift route for upshifting and a second prescribed shift route for downshifting. The first prescribed shift route defines an order of actuation of at least one of a first gear changing device and a second gear changing device that is different from an order of actuation of at least one of the first and second gear changing devices that is defined by the second prescribed shift route. The controller controls a shifting operation of at least one of the first and second gear changing devices in response to a shift signal and in accordance with one of the first and second prescribed shift routes. The first prescribed shift route includes a least one user settable synchro-upshift point. The second prescribed shift route includes at least one user settable synchro-downshift point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: Shimano Inc.
    Inventor: Mao Kuroda
  • Patent number: 9296446
    Abstract: A human-propulsion-system utilizing an arm lever assembly and a pedal assembly to be adapted to or incorporated into other mechanisms including, but not limited to, wheelchairs and vehicles. The arm lever assembly is reciprocated to provide power and rotated left or right to provide a movement for (steering) control. Both the arm lever assembly and the pedal assembly are operatively connected to a converter, utilizing gears and clutches, that receives the reciprocal movements of the arm lever assembly and the rotational movements of the pedal assembly and converts them into a combined unidirectional output configured to be utilized in combination or independently. The arm lever assembly is further telescoping and offers a range of various leverages by changing the length of the force end when extended and retracted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2016
    Inventor: Kevin Alan Schminkey
  • Patent number: 9290199
    Abstract: An electric power steering system includes: an annular elastic member that is made of resin, that is arranged between an inner end face of a housing and an outer ring of a bearing that supports a cylindrical member that rotates coaxially with a rack shaft, and that supports the cylindrical member such that the cylindrical member is movable in the axial direction with respect to the housing; and a supporting member that restricts axial movement of the cylindrical member within a predetermined range, and that restricts radially inward movement of the elastic member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignee: JTEKT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuki Bando, Ryo Omata
  • Patent number: 9278723
    Abstract: A recumbent vehicle is disclosed, which generally consists of a front, seat and rear chassis. The seat chassis is operatively connected to upper and lower pivot joints, which allow for the seat chassis, and thus the rider, to move independently from the remainder of the vehicle. The upper and lower pivot joints are each comprised of subcomponents such as spherical axial bearings along with a coil to create the independent movement, which manifests itself during turns and when hitting obstacles on the terrain. The rider can control the direction of the recumbent vehicle by using a steering arm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2016
    Assignee: Co2Zero Inc.
    Inventor: Marcel Merette
  • Patent number: 9272727
    Abstract: A steering system includes a rack shaft that extends in an axial direction so as to pass through a housing and including a first rack and a second rack on an outer circumference of the rack shaft. The first rack and second rack are separated from each other in the axial direction. The first pinion shaft includes a first pinion that has helical teeth and meshes with the first rack, and a second pinion shaft includes a second pinion that has helical teeth and meshes with the second rack. The first pinion shaft and the second pinion shaft are on the same side of the rack shaft. A rack bush is between the pinion shafts in the axial direction of the rack shaft, held by the housing so as to support the rack shaft slidably in the axial direction, and limits a movement of the rack shaft in a direction parallel to both of the pinion shafts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2016
    Assignee: JTEKT CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hideo Kometani
  • Patent number: 9259983
    Abstract: An improved aircraft towing apparatus, which is attachable to a small vehicle such as a golf or utility vehicle. The apparatus has a swiveling hitch bar pivotally mounted to a vehicle and a tow bar sleeve pivotally mounted to the center of the hitch bar, with the tow bar sleeve positioned underneath of the hitch bar. The device further comprises an extendable tow bar which is positioned within the tow bar sleeve. The tow bar is slidably insertable into the tow bar sleeve. The tow bar, when not in use, may be slid back through the tow bar sleeve such that the majority of the length of the tow bar is secured out of the way underneath the chassis of the utility vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2016
    Inventor: Hans Hohlrieder
  • Patent number: 9254878
    Abstract: The invention relates to a mobile robot, exhibiting an omnidirectional wheeled support vehicle (1) having numerous omnidirectional wheels (13) and drives for driving the omnidirectional wheels (13), a robot arm (2), exhibiting numerous, successively disposed links (3-7) and drives for moving the links (3-7), and a positioning device (17), designed to position the robot arm (2), which can be automatically moved on the support vehicle (1), in relation to the support vehicle (1), and a drive dedicated to the positioning device (17) for moving the robot arm (2) in relation to the support vehicle (1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2016
    Assignee: KUKA Roboter GmbH
    Inventor: Alois Buchstab
  • Patent number: 9248855
    Abstract: Disclosed is a steering system which is capable of ensuring that a wheeled excavator travels straight while being driven on a paved road. The steering system for wheeled construction equipment includes: a hydraulic oil pump; a steering motor connected to the hydraulic oil pump; a steering valve controlling the operation of the steering motor; a steering handle operating the steering motor and the steering valve according to steering manipulation by the driver; and a steering cylinder steered by the manipulation of the steering handle. The steering system further includes an idle mode control unit which converts working mode into a steering mode not having straight line driving recovery performance when working mode, in which working and driving are enabled, is selected, and which converts exclusive driving mode into a steering mode having the straight line driving recovery performance through a signal input when the exclusive driving mode, in which only driving is enabled, is selected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2016
    Assignee: VOLVO CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT AB
    Inventors: Hyung-Seok Park, Sung-Yong Jo
  • Patent number: 9248713
    Abstract: A safety chain engaging device for a towing vehicle having a gooseneck hitch attached with a rail of the towing vehicle is shown and described. The safety chain engaging device may include a first bracket configured to be secured with the rail of the towing vehicle, and a second bracket attached with the first bracket, the second bracket including a plate member spaced from the first bracket. The safety chain engaging device may also include at least one safety chain engaging member secured with the plate member, where the safety chain engaging member is configured to be laterally spaced from the rail upon securement of the first bracket with the rail.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2016
    Assignee: Cequent Performance Products, Inc.
    Inventors: Lynn H. Mida, Gail R. Matheus
  • Patent number: 9248880
    Abstract: Provided is a frame structure particularly useful for bicycles and the like. In one embodiment, the frame structure includes a top, a bottom, a front end and a rear end, a first frame side element and a second frame side element. The first frame side element and the second frame side element are in juxtaposed spaced relationship via a plurality of frame spacer elements and define an inner space between the first frame side element and the second frame side element, each one of the first frame side element and the second frame side element being in the form of a double walled panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2016
    Assignee: KETER PLASTIC LTD.
    Inventors: Efraim Haimoff, Nir Apelbaum
  • Patent number: 9221514
    Abstract: The invention is directed towards a scooter comprising a frame, a front wheel carried by the frame, a rear wheel carried by the frame, a pair of reciprocating pedals attached to the frame, a drive assembly for transferring force from the reciprocating pedals to the rear wheel comprising: a pedal cam having a plurality of openings at various distances from the rotational center of the pedal cam; a drive pin extending from one of the reciprocating pedals and is received on one of the openings; and, a gear shifting cable attached to the drive pin causing the drive pin to engage with one of the openings so that the pedal cam is rotated by the movement of the pedal so that based upon the opening engaged, the rotational power output that the pedal cam ultimately exerts on the rear wheel is varied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Assignee: Zike, LLC
    Inventors: Nathan A. Scolari, George Reiter
  • Patent number: 9217237
    Abstract: The present invention aims to reduce the costs of construction machine by providing a side frame that can be shared by a plurality of construction machines of different models. A left side frame has: a cab support portion for supporting a cab; a cooler support portion provided behind the cab support portion to support a cooler; and a tank support portion provided between the cab support portion and the cooler support portion to support a tank. The tank support portion is configured to allow one of a first tank and a second tank that is different from the first tank in size in the right-and-left direction to be selectively attached to the tank support portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2015
    Assignee: KOBELCO CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Keisuke Shimomura, Yasuhiko Shimazu
  • Patent number: 9212892
    Abstract: A steering angle sensor for a vehicle including a steering angle sensor housing, a first gear, a rotation transmitting portion, a second gear meshing with the first gear, a third gear meshing with the first gear or the second gear, first and second magnetoresistance effect elements to detect first and second rotation angles as rotation angles of the second and third gears, respectively, and a biasing member disposed in the steering angle sensor housing to bias the first gear toward the second gear, wherein the first and rotation angles are combined to determine an absolute steering angle indicative of an amount of rotation of a steering wheel when the steering wheel is rotated from a neutral position in which a steerable road wheel is oriented to a straight ahead direction of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2015
    Assignee: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS STEERING, LTD
    Inventors: Naoki Takayanagi, Tatsuyoshi Maruyama, Kiyotaka Shirakubo, Kohtaro Shiino
  • Patent number: 9205752
    Abstract: The present invention is an electrically driven cart. The cart allows one person to do the job of many. The cart features silent running, exceptional power on demand and ergonomical design. The applications for the present invention uses are limitless. They do include big game hauler, farming applications, vendor uses, outdoor uses, indoor uses and many others. The electrically driven cart features variable speed control for either hand, remote speed control, winch, wheel lockouts, front and rear lighting, charge indicator, convenient control panel and a detachedly mounted pneumatic tire. The cart is light weight and can easily be handled by one person in any of the arenas mentioned prior.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Inventor: Jeffrey R. Bentz
  • Patent number: 9199693
    Abstract: A driving unit and a battery-assisted bicycle include a stopping assist control without making a rider feel uncomfortable. The driving unit includes a crankshaft to which pedals are to be connected, a torque detector that detects a torque generated at the crankshaft, and an assist control stopping unit that stops an assist control based on an amplitude of a torque detected by the torque detector while the crankshaft rotates in a prescribed rotation angle range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2015
    Assignee: YAMAHA HATSUDOKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Nobuyasu Arimune, Satoshi Kamiya, Masanori Negoro
  • Patent number: 9200699
    Abstract: A differential mechanism regulating device which is mechanically connected to two manipulators is miniaturized. When a first cable and a second cable are pulled, a collecting member moves its position. As a result of this movement, the collecting member tilts a portion of an arm by way of a rod. As a result, a differential lock is released. The operation of the first cable and the operation of the second cable can be merged by the collecting member, and it is sufficient to connect only a collecting transmission member to the arm. The connection between the arm and the collecting transmission member can be simplified thus realizing the miniaturization of the differential mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2015
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Koji Sato, Koshi Hayakawa
  • Patent number: 9199685
    Abstract: An inverted pendulum type vehicle includes a vehicle body frame; a main wheel including a plurality of rotatable driven rollers arranged to form a ring, and a pair of left and right driving disks supported for rotation on the vehicle body frame. Each of the driving disks includes a plurality of rotatable driving rollers, disposed for contact in a twisted relationship with the driven rollers. The vehicle also includes a pair of left and right driven pulleys provided on outer sides of the driving disks, and a pair of left and right driving units, attached to the vehicle body frame above the main wheel, and including motors having output power shafts to which driving pulleys are attached. Endless transmission members interconnect the driving pulleys and the driven pulleys. The left and right driving units are disposed in an vertically offset relationship from each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2015
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masahiro Shimizu, Yoshinobu Shiomi, Yoshinari Takemura, Wataru Yada, Yusuke Muto, Yuhi Nakagawa
  • Patent number: 9187143
    Abstract: There is provided a vaporized fuel control device for a straddle type vehicle that can prevent a situation that liquid fuel in a fuel tank flows into an engine and a situation that oil in the engine flows into the fuel tank while adapting the vaporized fuel control device to the layout of the straddle vehicle. A vaporized fuel passage 110 is disposed so as to have an uppermost portion X at some position thereof between the fuel tank 35 and the engine E, and the uppermost portion X is disposed at a higher position than the fuel upper limit level of the fuel tank 35, the oil upper limit level in the engine E and a footrest portion 44.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2015
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Inaoka, Kazuo Fujihara, Shuji Hirayama, Takeo Igari, Toshinao Takigawa
  • Patent number: 9174667
    Abstract: A steering force assisting device that includes an electric motor and includes independent two sets of motor driving circuit and control unit, and the electric motor includes coils having the same polarity and different motor characteristics, the coils being wound around each of teeth of a stator of the electric motor. The motor characteristics are a high speed/low torque characteristic and a low speed/high torque characteristic, and may be selected on the basis of the running condition of a vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2015
    Assignee: JTEKT CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hiroshi Suzuki