Patents Examined by Maurice Williams
  • Patent number: 9010795
    Abstract: An improved hitch mechanism is provided that includes an elongated shaft for connecting with a ramp or trailer, and a mating member for connecting with a tow ball of a tow hitch. The mating member includes a chamber disposed therein for housing the tow ball in a first position and in a second position. When the tow ball is in the first position in the chamber, the mating member and the elongated shaft are rigid relative to the tow hitch. When the tow ball is in the second position in the chamber, the mating member and the elongated shaft are non-rigid relative to the tow hitch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Inventor: Teffy R. Chamoun
  • Patent number: 9004523
    Abstract: A tongue weight donut scale includes a tongue weight donut scale body having an upper planar surface, a lower planar surface, and a central opening having an inner diameter, a weight sensor coupled to the tongue weight donut scale body and generating a signal representative of a weight on the tongue weight donut scale, an indicator box converting the signal from the weight sensor into a weight value and providing a weight value output, and a display window displaying the weight value output. The tongue weight donut scale detects the tongue weight of a trailer attached to a trailer hitch ball, when the tongue weight donut scale is installed between the base of the trailer hitch ball and the ball support of a trailer hitch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2015
    Inventor: Roger W. Scharf
  • Patent number: 8991851
    Abstract: A towing system for efficiently and safely pulling heavy vehicles. The towing system generally includes a first member adapted to be attached to a drawbar of a towing vehicle, a second member pivotally attached to the first member, a cam unit mechanically connected to the first member and second member providing a centering force to the second member, and a third member pivotally attached to the second member wherein the third member is adapted to removably attach to a vehicle to be towed. The third member is adapted to be pivoted upwardly into a raised storage position or downwardly to a lowered position by a pivot actuator connected between the third member and the second member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Inventor: Burnell R. Kringstad
  • Patent number: 8991527
    Abstract: A moving device to move across a surface including a motor rolling motion apparatus is disclosed. The moving device is coupled to the motor and has a body with an outer surface. A dense population of fibrils protrudes from the outer surface, with each fibril having a free-end termination configured to establish adhesion to the surface by inter-molecular Van der Waals forces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics S.R.L.
    Inventors: Davide Giuseppe Patti, Daria Puccia
  • Patent number: 8985252
    Abstract: A tractor has hydraulically driven wheels at a cab end and castor wheels at an engine end. Each driven wheels is driven by a hydraulic motor with a continuous adjustment of the motor displacement, with the motor being driven by a pump also having continuous displacement. The motor displacement is controlled by an electronic controller in response to stroking of the speed control lever to manage the displacement to provide required drive torques at different points in the stroke. There is provided an automatic steering system having a guidance controller arranged to receive GPS position information which controls the steering by differentially adjusting the displacement of the motors so that the automatic steering is independent of the manual steering which controls the pumps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignee: MacDon Industries Ltd.
    Inventors: Phil Otto, Don MacGregor, Leonard Bergman
  • Patent number: 8985249
    Abstract: An inverted pendulum type vehicle having a tiltable rider mounting section includes a first travel operation unit and a second travel operation unit, which are disposed with an interval provided therebetween in the longitudinal direction and which are capable of traveling in all directions, and an operation device which outputs a turn command. In the case where the turn command is output from the operation device in a situation wherein at least the first travel operation unit is traveling in the longitudinal direction or at rest, the moving velocity of the ground contact point of the first travel operation unit and the moving velocity of the ground contact point of the second travel operation unit in the lateral direction of a rider are controlled to have velocities that are different from each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shinya Shirokura, Hideo Murakami, Toru Takenaka
  • Patent number: 8973688
    Abstract: A suspension system for cold planer with four tracks is disclosed. The suspension system includes a hydraulic cylinder for each track, an additional bypass valve for each hydraulic cylinder and an additional bypass valve that bypasses the operation of the front control valves that control the elevation of the front tracks during a cutting operation. During transport or roading of the cold planer, the bypass valves are energized by a controller and the energized bypass valves provide communication between the head ends of the left side cylinders and the head ends of the right side cylinders. During roading, the energized bypass valves also provide communication between the rod ends of the front cylinders and between the rod ends of the rear cylinders.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2015
    Assignee: Caterpillar Paving Products Inc.
    Inventor: Craig M. Steffen
  • Patent number: 8973696
    Abstract: To provide a motorcycle in which a distinction between a main harness and ABS pipes can be easily made to enhance flexibility of packaging design of the motorcycle and to facilitate operations for assembly and piping, thereby improving productivity of the motorcycle. A main harness 50 for supplying electric power from a battery 61 to multiple electric components 62 to 67 is arranged on one side in a right-to-left direction of a vehicle 10, and ABS pipes 101, 102 and 106 for transmitting a hydraulic pressure to a brake caliper 74 are arranged on the other side in the right-to-left direction of the vehicle 10.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2015
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Akira Hamauzu, Tetsuo Takeshige, Kotaro Fujiyama
  • Patent number: 8973947
    Abstract: A protective plate can be mounted to a fuel tank without using costly melt bonding and insert blow molding. A mounting recess is formed in the peripheral wall of a fuel tank (1) formed by blow molding, and a fixing element (3) for fixing a protective plate (2) to the fuel tank (1) can engage with the mounting recess. The mounting recess is open in two directions, that is, in the direction of mold removal in the blow molding and in the direction of the thickness of the protective plate which direction is generally perpendicular to the direction of the mold removal. The fixing element comprises a first clip (6) provided with elastic leg sections (62) fitted in the mounting recess in the direction of the mold removal, and also comprises a second clip (7) provided with elastic leg sections (72) penetrating through the protective plate and fitting in the first clip in the direction of the thickness of the protective plate. The protective plate is sandwiched between the first and second clips.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2015
    Assignee: Yachiyo Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuji Yoshizawa, Ryutaro Inaba
  • Patent number: 8967315
    Abstract: A kit for converting a motorcycle into a police motorcycle includes right and left-side drop bars, a rear drop bar, and a front impact guard. The kit further includes right and left-side saddlebags that open in a clamshell position or in a side-opening position. A controller compartment positioned above and between the saddlebags contains a controller for operation of the various electrical components of the police motorcycle, including visual and audio effects. The kit also includes flashers integrated into the front headlight and front handlebar risers that raise the handlebars sufficiently to allow a rider to sit upright, instead of prone, for better observation of the surroundings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2015
    Inventor: George Lescallett
  • Patent number: 8960354
    Abstract: A combination structure of bicycle frame and motor hub includes a bicycle frame, a motor hub, and an elongated axle. One can extend, from one side of the bicycle frame, the elongated axle through a through hole of the bicycle frame and the motor hub, and then with one hand, a tail end of the elongated axle can be fastened into an internal thread hole of the bicycle frame. This will facilitate assembly of the components of the motor hub and the bicycle frame. Besides, when screwing or unscrewing the elongated axle, since the elongated axle has passed through the through hole and the internal thread hole opposing each other at the bicycle frame, the motor hub will not fall accidentally, and convenience can be assured for maintenance staff during proceeding of maintenance work.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignees: Fairly Bike Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Mystromer AG
    Inventors: Sheng Shan Lin, Yu Chi Yu
  • Patent number: 8925950
    Abstract: A bicycle having a frame with two sections spaced apart at a distance, one section a left and one a right section, three connection respectively for a saddle, crank and front fork connected to the left and right sections. A rear fork is connected to the frame by a rotatable connection having an axis, and the rear fork can rotate from an extended position to a folded position where a wheel affixed to the rear fork inserts between the left and right sections. The rear fork may also have a series of links and a shock absorber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2015
    Inventor: Mauro Falzari
  • Patent number: 8919489
    Abstract: Connection terminals are provided for electrically connecting sensor terminals and through holes provided on a control substrate, and a control unit is provided with a frame of synthetic resin for holding the control substrate. The frame of synthetic resin is provided with: a connection terminal holding portion for holding one ends of the connection terminals connected to the through holes partially insert-molded and the other ends protruding outwardly from the frame of synthetic resin; and guide openings for guiding and making the sensor terminals insert therethrough so that the sensor terminals protruding from the outer circumference of the reduction gearbox extend to the position where the sensor terminals are connectable with the other ends of the connection terminals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2014
    Assignee: NSK Ltd.
    Inventor: Mikihiko Tsunoda
  • Patent number: 8910951
    Abstract: A caster wheel arrangement includes a base; a yoke rotatably mounted to the base via a kingpin; at least a first caster wheel rotatably mounted to the yoke; and an assist arrangement moveably mounted to the yoke. The assist arrangement facilitates travel of the caster wheel arrangement over a surface transition (e.g., a gap, a rise, etc.). Non-limiting example assist arrangements include a leading wheel, a leading variable radius wheel, a trailing wheel, a step member, and combinations thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2014
    Assignee: Smarte Carte, Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel Leigh Otterson, Matthew Charles Burk, Daniel Edwin Maleitzke
  • Patent number: 8905420
    Abstract: A wheelchair comprising: three or more ground-engaging wheels; and a user seat, the user seat forming a structural member or monocoque on which the ground-engaging wheels are supported; wherein at least one of the wheels is connected to the seat by a support member, the length of the support member being adjustable during use. Also provided is a wheelchair or other wheeled vehicle, wherein at least one ground-engaging wheel is connected to a pivotable hub, and the said wheel is adjustable. Also provided is a wheelchair, wherein a ground-engaging wheel on each side of the wheelchair is provided with a brake. Also provided is a wheelchair or other wheeled vehicle in which one or more ground-engaging wheels are provided with ratchet means. A coupling arrangement for releasably joining two structural members is also provided. Also provided is a wheelchair including a rear castor with a detent mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Inventor: Michael J. Spindle
  • Patent number: 8894082
    Abstract: A bicycle having rotatable drive member in the form of a hollow drum (22) with pedals (48, 49). Each pedal is mounted in a foldable manner to a crank arm (24, 25) which in turn is mounted to the drum (22) by a pivoting mechanism (26, 27) allowing the pedals to be moved between an operative configuration in which each pedal projects outwardly from the drum (22), and an inoperative configuration in which each pedal (48, 49) and each crank arm (24, 25) is contained within the interior of the drum (22). The bicycle can thus be used as a training aid without the use of pedals, or in a conventional manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2014
    Assignee: Early Rider Limited
    Inventor: Andrew Loveland
  • Patent number: 8876135
    Abstract: There is disclosed a combined-drive bicycle which can increase a driving speed and the beneficial effects of exercise and simultaneously to give fun to a rider. The combined-drive bicycle includes a handle assembly configured to steer a front wheel, the handle assembly comprising a crank handle to generate a handle motive force and a first gear rotated by the rotation of the crank handle, a pedal assembly configured to transmit the handle motive force and a pedal motive force generated by pedals to a rear wheel selectively or simultaneously, and a motive force transmission part to transmit the handle motive force to the pedal assembly, irrelevant to the steering of the handle assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Inventor: Hakyoon Kim
  • Patent number: 8876138
    Abstract: The present invention provides a wheelchair device configured to reduce the likelihood that a user might fall out of a wheelchair. The device includes a wheelchair frame, a lever, and a seat cushion, whereby the seat cushion is flexible and configured to sink into a recessed and angled orientation when occupied by a user. The sunken seat cushion serves to encourage a user to attain proper posture and further serves to reduce the chances that a user might fall forward out of the seat. The lever of the present invention is attached to the underside of the wheelchair device and comprises a handle portion and a flat base portion with a curved upper surface. A forward actuation of the handle results in the lever rotating about the wheelchair, causing the base to contact and lift the seat cushion to a level that facilitates the exiting of the wheelchair device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Inventor: Francis Wilde
  • Patent number: 8875835
    Abstract: A vehicular rear wheel steering device includes a housing, a rod being non-turnable with respect to the housing and movably supported in an axial direction of the rod, and a conversion mechanism arranged between the rod and the housing to convert a rotation of a rotational drive device to a drive force in the axial direction. The housing includes a tubular first bush disposed at a first end and a tubular second bush at a second end. Each bush is slidably engaged to an outer periphery of the rod and supports the rod to be movable in the axial direction. A rod supporting rigidity of the first bush is lower compared to that of the second bush. The first bush is arranged with an elastic body that deforms in a radial direction of the rod. The second bush is arranged with an inner periphery protrusion at which the rod tilts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Assignee: Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoichi Fujinori, Hiromitsu Kageyama, Hajime Tanaka, Kenji Hayashi, Koichi Nishimura, Kenjiro Nagata, Naoki Yamaguchi, Akiya Taneda
  • Patent number: 8864162
    Abstract: A towed vehicle having two towing modes has a first set of wheels positioned on a first axis defining an operative position supporting a frame. A second set of wheels is positioned on a second axis, perpendicular to the first axis. The second set of wheels has a lowered operative position and a raised inoperative position. When the second set of wheels is in the lowered operative position, they lift the first set of wheels off the ground to an inoperative position. A first towing connection is provided for connecting the frame to a tow vehicle when the first set of wheels are in the operative position. A second towing connection is provided, perpendicular to the first towing connection, for connecting the frame to the tow vehicle when the second set of wheels are in the operative position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignee: Renn Mill Center Inc.
    Inventors: Douglas A. Hilsabeck, Peter Verhoog