Patents Examined by Melissa A. Black
  • Patent number: 10343616
    Abstract: A collapsible trunk for use with a vehicle having a wheel well. The trunk comprises a base wall and a side wall pivotally connected thereto. The side wall extends from the base wall and terminates at an upper edge. The side wall and base wall collectively define a storage cavity. The base wall and the side wall each have an expandable portion conformable to the wheel well in response to placement of the base wall and the side wall over the wheel well. The trunk is selectively transitional between a collapsed configuration and a deployed configuration. In the collapsed configuration, the base panels overlap each other, and in the deployed configuration, the plurality of base panels are co-planar to each other. The upper edge of the side wall moves away from the base wall as the trunk transitions from the collapsed configuration toward the deployed configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2019
    Inventor: Nicholas J. Singer
  • Patent number: 10336389
    Abstract: A windscreen assembly (10) for a vehicle 1 is described, comprising:—a windscreen panel group (11, 12) comprising a windscreen panel (11) and a support structure (12) to support the windscreen panel (11); and—a wiper group (20. The wiper group (20) comprises a wiper (13), a drive motor group (14) for actuating the wiper (13), a tank (15) for a liquid and a pump (16) operationally connected to the tank (15). The wiper group (20) is supported by the windscreen panel group (11, 12) and said windscreen assembly (10) is configured to be removably coupled to said vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2019
    Assignee: PIAGGIO & C. S.P.A.
    Inventors: Onorino Di Tanna, Stefano Bartolozzi
  • Patent number: 10336170
    Abstract: A variable belt molding structure for a vehicle door, may include a skin disposed in a fixed quarter window and a rear door window formed in a rear door of a vehicle to have a width that is varied in a longitudinal direction; a carrier portion internally coupled to the skin to maintain air-tightness by being in contact with a window glass of the rear door window; a clip mounted to be internally coupled to the carrier portion and mounted in a door panel of the rear door; and a mounting clip coupled to a fixed quarter window bracket attached to the fixed quarter window.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2019
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Dae Chul Kim, Eui Chan Cho
  • Patent number: 10336378
    Abstract: A vehicle includes a bed and a tailgate. The bed has first and second side panels. The tailgate is rotatably secured to the bed along a horizontal axis and has a plurality of extruded sections that are arranged in a longitudinally extending chain. Each section extends laterally between the first and second side panels. Adjacent sections are secured to each other via hinges that rotate about axes that are substantially parallel to the horizontal axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2019
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Jack Marchlewski, Dragan B. Stojkovic, Jeffrey Gray, Joshua Robert Hemphill, Robert Reiners
  • Patent number: 10337539
    Abstract: An apparatus and system provide drag reduction and energy efficiency for a transport vehicle. Cover sections of transport vehicles are formed to include solar panels comprising photovoltaic cells and dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuator arrays. The vehicle cover also generates electricity to charge onboard battery racks. The cover sections are integral with and shaped to conform with areas such as a trunk lid or roof. Fiber Bragg grating sensors are placed to detect formation of a separation layer. Plasma actuator arrays are actuated either to inhibit formation of the separation layer or to create span-wise waves to reduce skin drag.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2019
    Inventor: Naseem Z Shah
  • Patent number: 10336271
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to bumper beams having a closed cross-section, the closed cross-section being formed by one or more metal plates. The metal plates include a plurality of holes and a plurality of projections, wherein the projections engage with corresponding holes to retain the closed cross-section. The present disclosure further relates to rocker panels having a closed cross-section, the closed cross-section being formed by one or more metal plates, and the metal plates including a plurality of holes and a plurality of projections, wherein the projections engage with corresponding holes to retain the closed cross-section. The present disclosure further relates to methods of manufacturing such bumper reinforcing members and rocker panels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2019
    Assignee: AUTOTECH ENGINEERING A.I.E.
    Inventor: Richard Palisse
  • Patent number: 10337227
    Abstract: The present disclosure generally relates to a two-door closure system for a motor vehicle including a body having an A-pillar and a C-pillar being spaced from one another. According to an aspect of the disclosure, the closure system includes a front door having a front edge that is pivotably connected to the A-pillar. The closure system also includes a rear door that has a rearward edge that is pivotably coupled to the C-pillar of the vehicle body. At least one swivel hinge unit is provided that has a first pivot pin that is pivotably connected to the rearward edge of the rear door, and a second pivot pin for being pivotably connected to the C-pillar of the vehicle body to allow the rear door to initially pivot and translate away from the front door prior to pivoting the rear door between an open and closed position about the second pivot pin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2019
    Assignee: MAGNA CLOSURES INC.
    Inventors: Frank Stoof, Kris Tomaszewski, Roman Cetnar, Kurt M. Schatz, Peter Lance Oxley, James J. Ferri, Jeffrey Richard F. Domenchini, Joseph Scheuring
  • Patent number: 10328822
    Abstract: An improved system to raise and lower a seat by a simplified substantially parallelogram or non-parallelogram motion. By replacing two of the links of a parallelogram seat lift system with an arc, or a straight link as a mechanically defined path for a pivot to follow, space and material can be saved to fit an adjustable seat on an ATV or any type of support system. The system can be useful on many varieties of vehicles and other adjustable supports.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2019
    Inventor: Eugene Edward Bachman
  • Patent number: 10315699
    Abstract: An embodiment of the present invention provides an improved upper arm and shock absorber mounting bracket and a vehicle frame including same, which can reduce the number of components, make assembly convenient, and reduce the number of assembly steps. An upper arm and shock absorber mounting bracket according to an aspect of the present invention comprises: a central supporting portion forming a flat surface portion, on which a shock absorber is supported, by pressing and forming a tube member; side supporting portions formed by being bent downwardly from both sides of the central supporting portion, in which both ends of an upper arm are mounted on the side supporting portions to support the other end of the shock absorber and to be coupled to a wheel; and vehicle mounting portions forming by being bent from the side supporting portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2019
    Assignee: POSCO
    Inventors: Jae-Hyun Kim, Yeon-Sik Kang, Chang-Gyun Jung
  • Patent number: 10315705
    Abstract: A system that mounts a motor vehicle hood on a body of the vehicle includes a guide element to slidably guide the hood relative to the body in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle and a locking element to lock the hood to immobilize the hood relative to the body in a closed position, in which it seals off an engine compartment. The locking element assumes an activated state as a result of a sliding movement of the hood relative to the body in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle in a first direction. The guide element includes a self-centering element to self-center the hood relative to the body in a direction transverse to the vehicle while the hood slides in the first direction, and ensures that the closed position of the hood is a predetermined position in the transverse direction and is constant relative to the body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2019
    Assignee: RENAULT s.a.s.
    Inventors: Silvino Do Nascimento, Philippe Perreux, Patrick Perot
  • Patent number: 10286969
    Abstract: An extensible roof for vehicles such as scooter-type motorcycles is provided. The extensible roof protects the passengers of the vehicle from the inclement climate and is able to be retreated in the front part of the vehicle and to be opened in the case of rain, snow or at the passenger's will, covering him/them totally from said inclement climate by means of the surface formed by different plates of roof linked to each other through a sliding system. The proposed roof is of the type comprising a mobile transparent covering panel, slidable in an upward and downward direction characterized in that when folded, the higher border of said at least one covering panel is below the handlebar of the motorcycle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Inventor: Amadeo José Srabstein
  • Patent number: 10286759
    Abstract: A door inner structure includes a first vertical wall, a second vertical wall, a floor, a lip, and a plurality of vertical ribs. The second vertical wall is disposed laterally inboard of the first vertical wall. The floor extends between and is connected to the first vertical wall and the second vertical wall. The first vertical wall, the second vertical wall, and the floor cooperate to define a storage compartment. The storage compartment has an open end that provides access to the storage compartment. The lip extends from a top edge of the second vertical wall toward the first vertical wall. The plurality of vertical ribs is disposed below the lip and extends from the second vertical wall. Each of the plurality of vertical ribs is connected to an outer surface of the second vertical wall and to an underside surface of the lip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventor: Eliseo Arturo Flores Diaz
  • Patent number: 10279663
    Abstract: A door protection device has a number of stay tabs attached along an edge of a protective layer or pad. Each of the stay tabs has a sharped end or wedge shaped end that is inserted between the window and the weather stripping. Each of the stay tabs also has one or more ribs that face away from the window when inserted. At one end of the protective pad a suction cup is attached. The protective layer may be a heavy fabric or a pad that may include a silicone rubber layer or an ethylene-vinyl acetate layer or a foamed plastic layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2019
    Assignee: K&H Manufacturing, Inc.
    Inventor: James Donald Koskey
  • Patent number: 10272858
    Abstract: A vehicle component includes a main panel extending in a first direction; a plurality of lobes extending in a second direction transverse to the first direction; and a plurality of ridges extending in the second direction. Each ridge extends around a subset of the lobes. Each lobe may be encircled by one of the ridges. The cover may include a plurality of depressions connecting the ridges to the corresponding lobes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Mohammed Shenaq, Sudip Sankar Bhattacharjee, Stephen Noel Pingston
  • Patent number: 10272853
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to an insulation member for a hollow space of a vehicle bodywork. The insulation member comprises an expandable insulation body and a gas-impermeable cover. The cover comprises a yieldable chamber portion enclosing the expandable insulation body, wherein a pressure inside the chamber portion in a non-expanded state of the insulation member is less than atmospheric pressure. The cover further comprises at least one attachment portion adapted for attachment to the vehicle bodywork. The disclosure further relates to a vehicle comprising the insulation member, a use of the insulation member, a method of manufacturing an insulation member and a method of mounting an insulation member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Assignee: Volvo Car Corporation
    Inventors: Martin Hellgren, Thomas Fransson
  • Patent number: 10272966
    Abstract: A windscreen safety assembly comprising a windscreen panel (11), a support arm comprising a first part (12A) of arm for being attached to a vehicle, and a second part (13) of arm attached to the windscreen panel (11), at least one coupling element to rotatably couple the first and second part of arms (12A, 13) so that the second part of arm (13) is suitable to rotate around a rotation axis from a first angular position to a second angular position in a first direction and vice versa in a second direction, at least one blocking element to block the second part of arm (13) in the first angular position in a releasable manner, stop elements positioned between the first and second part of arms (12A, 13) to prevent the second part (13) of arm from rotating in the second direction starting from the first angular position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Assignee: PIAGGIO & C. S.P.A.
    Inventor: Francesco Maffe′
  • Patent number: 10252603
    Abstract: A rear lift gate can be hingedly coupled to a truck cap body and movable between a lowered closed position and a raised open position. The rear lift gate can include a lower margin having a convex shape generally corresponding to an outward or rearward convex upper margin of the tailgate. The rear lift gate can further include a seal strip mounted to an interior side of the lower margin of the rear lift gate. The convex lower margin of the rear lift gate can overlay the convex upper margin of the exterior side of the tailgate with the seal strip of the interior side of the lower margin of the rear lift gate sealing against the exterior side of the convex upper margin of the tailgate when the rear lift gate is in the lowered closed position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: A.R.E. Accessories, LLC
    Inventor: Andrew N. Rohr
  • Patent number: 10248926
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method of delivering consignments, in which, in a distribution center, different consignment chambers of a consignment magazine are loaded with different consignments, in which, during the operation of the consignment magazine being loaded, different consignment chambers are moved one after the other into a receiving position for receiving at least one consignment and then into a storage position for the interim storage of the consignments received, in which the assignment of the loaded consignment chambers to the consignments received in each case in the consignment chambers is documented, in which the consignment magazine loaded with consignments is transferred to a vehicle for delivering the consignments, and in which the consignment chambers loaded with consignments are moved one after the other into a discharging position so that the consignment assigned the respective consignment chamber is discharged for delivery purposes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignee: Deutsche Post AG
    Inventors: Holger Schneebeck, Boris Trendafilov, Sandra Drees, Heike Bischoff, Antje Huber
  • Patent number: 10246142
    Abstract: A structural member for a vehicle projects from a vehicle body. The structural member includes a first airflow surface and a second airflow surface along each of which airflow flows, and an imaging window. The first airflow surface and the second airflow extend between a front edge and a rear edge of the structural member in a front-rear direction of the vehicle body and face away from each other. The first airflow surface has a length longer than a length of the second airflow surface in the front-rear direction. The imaging window is provided in the first airflow surface, and an image of an area outside the vehicle body is captured through the imaging window.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Isamu Nagasawa, Satoru Iwata, Kazuhiro Kaminaga
  • Patent number: 10246140
    Abstract: A method for adjusting a spoiler unit of a spoiler device of a motor vehicle from a first position into a second position includes determining a characteristic value for a positional difference between the first position and the second position and deriving, as a function of the characteristic value, a travel speed of the spoiler unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignee: DR. ING. H.C. F. PORSCHE AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Chris Paulus, Christoph Schenk