Patents Examined by Melissa A. Black
  • Patent number: 10232885
    Abstract: A vehicle lower portion structure includes a front pillar reinforcement provided to a front pillar and having a lower end portion joined to a panel forming a rocker; and a rocker reinforcement provided to the rocker, joined to the panel, and having a front end that is disposed to face a rear end of the lower end portion from a vehicle rear side, wherein when a collision load is input from a vehicle front side to at least the front pillar, the rear end comes in contact with the front end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2019
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masakazu Shirooka, Yohsuke Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 10232811
    Abstract: A connecting structure is structured to connect a vehicle bumper reinforcement to another portion of a vehicle. The connecting structure includes a first portion having a first part structured for connection to the bumper reinforcement and a second part structured for connection to the other portion of the vehicle. A second portion is coupled to the first portion, the second portion also having a first part structured for connection to the bumper reinforcement, and a second part structured for connection to the other portion of the vehicle. At least one fold is positioned along an edge of the second portion. Through connections between the connecting structure and the bumper reinforcement, collision energy acting on the bumper reinforcement is transmitted to the at least one fold, which then acts to absorb the collision energy acting on the bumper reinforcement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2019
    Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
    Inventor: Paxton S. Williams
  • Patent number: 10227051
    Abstract: A cargo liner for an enclosed vehicle has a water proof flexible material with a central section and a pair of butterfly wings. A number of first attachment points are space along an edge of one of the pair of butterfly wings. A pair of straps is located on a first edge of the central section. A number of adjustable straps each have a second attachment point at a first end of the adjustable straps. A number of suction cups are attached to the adjustable straps. The cargo liner is easily installed, is inexpensive to ship because it can fold down to a small package, and is adjustable to fit a wide variety of vehicles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2019
    Assignee: K&H Manufacturing, LLC
    Inventor: James Donald Koskey
  • Patent number: 10220881
    Abstract: A cellular structure may include a plurality of cells each cell of the plurality of cells having a fourteen-cornered cross section. The fourteen-cornered cross section may include fourteen sides and fourteen corners. Each cell may include a plurality of longitudinal walls extending between a top and a bottom of the cell, the longitudinal walls intersecting to create corners of the cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2019
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Tau Tyan, Yu-Kan Hu, Leonard Anthony Shaner
  • Patent number: 10220749
    Abstract: A center console for a vehicle includes a base, a storage compartment disposed within the base having an upwardly facing opening, and a cover hingedly connected to the base for selectively covering the opening of the storage compartment. The cover includes a first cover portion, a second cover portion, two rods positioned between the first cover portion and the second cover portion, and two reversible sections disposed around the rods. The reversible sections are axially rotatable about the rods between a first position and a second position. When in the first position, the reversible sections present an armrest, and in the second position, the reversible sections present a storage tray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2019
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Brendan Christopher Stiver
  • Patent number: 10214084
    Abstract: A vehicle rear structure is applied to a vehicle, in which at least one of a roof and a rear window is capable of being accommodated in a vehicle body. The structure includes a deflection plate standing upright between a pair of seats on the rear side of the seats, and a light source provided on the lower front side of the deflection plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hirofumi Saka, Naotomo Hashimoto
  • Patent number: 10214082
    Abstract: A vehicle door structure includes a reinforcing member that is extended along a side sill on an inner door panel side of a lower portion of an outer door panel. The reinforcing member has a first side surface that faces the side sill in the vehicle width direction, and a second side surface that extends from the first side surface to the outer door panel, and the first side surface and the second side surface are joined to the inner door panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yusuke Nagaishi, Yukihiro Hamada
  • Patent number: 10207603
    Abstract: A drive system (2) tilt adjusts a back rest (10) of a vehicle seat (1). The back rest (10) is held on a seat base (11) by a fitting (12). An output pinion (24), drivable by a drive motor (20), is provided on the seat back side and interacts with a tooth segment (18) arranged rotationally fixed on the base (11). A pivot movement of the back rest (10) can be carried out by the drive motor (20) while the fitting (12) is unlocked. The output pinion (24) can be uncoupled from the drive motor (20) by a coupling (22). A compensation spring (14) acting between the back rest (10) and the base (11) pre-tensions the back rest (10) in the direction of the non-use position. A vehicle seat (1) with the drive system and a method for operating a drive system (2) are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2019
    Assignee: Adient Luxembourg Holding S.à.r.l.
    Inventors: Norbert Heeg, Eckhard Kirch
  • Patent number: 10189520
    Abstract: A modular system for a vehicle, in particular a motor vehicle, whereby the vehicle is to be provided with a selected instrument panel and at least one selected door, which can be arranged on the vehicle in a pivotal manner in order to close or release a vehicle door opening adjoining the instrument panel, whereby the modular system has at least two different instrument panels and/or at least two different doors for selection, whereby each instrument panel has a first joint region, and each door has a second joint region which corresponds to the first joint region such that each first joint region and the respective second joint region always form the same joint in the closed position of the door.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2019
    Assignee: Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Joerg Hinkfoth
  • Patent number: 10183623
    Abstract: A tailgate assembly includes a tailgate and a step subassembly having a rail, a step carried on the rail and a pivot subassembly connecting the rail to the tailgate. That pivot subassembly includes two pivot pins. A molding is also carried on the rail.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2019
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Venkatesh Krishnan, Thomas Michael Herline
  • Patent number: 10183639
    Abstract: A bumper for a motor vehicle includes a cross member which is made of light metal alloy and configured as hollow profile to define an interior space and which has a top beam and a bottom beam, with the top beam and/or bottom beam having a recess defined by a marginal area in the form of a collar oriented into an interior space of the cross member. Arranged at an end of the cross member is a crash box formed with a flange sized to overlap at least one region of the cross member in motor vehicle longitudinal direction. A spacer is arranged in the interior space of the cross member and has a chamfer for formfitting engagement by the collar. A fastener is configured for passage of the recess and thereby extending in a motor vehicle vertical direction through the flange of each crash box and the spacer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2019
    Assignee: Benteler Automobiltechnik GmbH
    Inventors: Gaurav Ahuja, Sivanathan Prasoody
  • Patent number: 10183625
    Abstract: A center console for a vehicle is disclosed that includes a base, a storage compartment disposed within the base having an upwardly facing opening, and a cover hingedly connected to the base for selectively covering the opening of the storage compartment. The cover includes an outer cover section and an adjustable center cover section disposed within the outer cover section. The adjustable center cover section is movable between a first position and a second position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2019
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Brendan Christopher Stiver
  • Patent number: 10180025
    Abstract: A power optimizer system for power closure panels includes a closure panel power actuator system comprising at least a motor operatively connected to a vehicle closure panel. A controller is configured to determine an optimal electrical current draw for the power actuator system according to one or more inputs relating at least to a vehicle battery status, a vehicle ambient temperature, a vehicle grade, and a vehicle climate control system status. Methods of modeling/optimizing the appropriate electrical current draw for power closure systems operating in varying voltage, temperature, grade, and climate control system conditions relative to a vehicle, or other similar mechanisms are also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2019
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies LLC
    Inventor: Greg Alan Conner
  • Patent number: 10179502
    Abstract: A rain shield system for inhibiting rain from entering a vehicle includes a vehicle that has a doorway and a door. A shield is coupled to the vehicle. The shield is selectively positioned in a deployed position having the shield extending between the doorway and the door when the door is opened. In this way the shield inhibits rain from entering an interior of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2019
    Inventor: Mohamed Hija
  • Patent number: 10173617
    Abstract: The invention relates to a bumper arrangement with a crossmember and two crashboxes which are in each case connectable on one side to the crossmember on an outer region thereof and are arrangeable on the other side on a vehicle-side longitudinal member. It is distinguished in that the crossmember has a hollow chamber profile with a hollow chamber which is round at least in sections in cross section, which hollow chamber profile is arranged in a crossmember longitudinal axis running perpendicularly to the vehicle center longitudinal axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignee: BENTELER AUTOMOBILTECHNIK GMBH
    Inventors: Frank Rabe, Christian Handing, Mirko Paare, Elmar Mollemeier
  • Patent number: 10173575
    Abstract: A modular bumper attachment system configured to be attached or mounted to the bumper of a vehicle or base member. The modular bumper attachment system may include a first attachment member and a second attachment member, each attachment member having a receiving member and an aperture defined by an outer wall that is configured to encompass the bumper of a vehicle. The system may also include one or more support members that are removably attached to the receiving member of each attachment member. The support member may have a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is removably attached to the receiving member. The second end of each support member may extend in a generally outward direction from the base member and include one or more connectors configured to removably attach a hammock, tent, awning, storage container, cooler, etc. to the support member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Inventor: Dustin Tyler
  • Patent number: 10174952
    Abstract: A tailgate food preparation assembly includes an assembly trailer; a main storage bin carried by the assembly trailer; a mobile storage bin carried by the assembly trailer adjacent to the main storage bin, the mobile storage bin having a pair of front frame corners; and a storage bin hinge pivotally connecting the mobile storage bin to the assembly trailer at one of the pair of front frame corners. The mobile storage bin may be positional between a forward, storage and transport position and a rearward, food preparation position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Inventors: William Russell King, Kay D. King
  • Patent number: 10173620
    Abstract: A protection device (100) for a vehicle chassis includes a first flange plate (211) obliquely disposed to a rear side of a beam (10); a second flange plate (221) having a front end face abuts against a rear end face of the first flange plate (211), and connected to the first flange plate (211) through a bolt; a left side plate (222) and a right side plate (223) provided in perpendicular to a rear end face of the second flange plate (221); a connecting plate (224) having a left end connected to the left side plate (222) and a right end connected to the right side plate (223), and arranged close to front ends of the left side plate (222) and the right side plate (223); and a bearing member provided to the rear end face of the second flange plate (221) and located between the left side plate (222) and the right side plate (223).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignee: BEIQI FOTON MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Lainian Tang, Liyan Ding, Changyu Tan
  • Patent number: 10173729
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a vehicle pillar structure including: a pillar portion extending along a vehicle transverse direction outer side end portion of a windshield glass, the pillar portion including: a pair of side portions configuring a vehicle transverse direction inner side and outer side portion of the pillar portion and being configured by an opaque material, and transparent portions provided between the pair of side portions and being configured by a transparent material; reinforcing portions configured by an opaque material, spanning between the pair of side portions, formed integrally with the transparent portions, and reinforcing the pillar portion; and upper surfaces and lower surfaces of the reinforcing portions extending along a vehicle longitudinal direction, or inclining toward a vehicle lower side on progression towards a vehicle longitudinal direction outer side, as seen in a cross-section viewed from a vehicle transverse direction inner side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shin Terada, Yoshinori Yamada, Chikashi Takeichi
  • Patent number: 10160371
    Abstract: A vehicle rack for hauling one or more personal recreational vehicles is provided. A vehicle rack may be adjustable to allow one or more personal recreation vehicles to be stored above a vehicle's cargo area allowing the vehicle to also tow a trailer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignee: Frost Contracting, INC.
    Inventor: Richard J. Frost