Patents Examined by Melissa Ann Bonifazi
  • Integrated tailgate hinge and striker assembly
    Patent number: 11198478
    Abstract: An integrated hinge and striker assembly is affixed to one of a first and second vertically aligned sidewalls of a motor vehicle for connecting a tailgate to the motor vehicle. The integrated hinge and striker assembly includes a hinge base, the hinge base being vertically aligned with a first end portion, a center portion, and a second end portion, a hinge extending from the first end portion of the hinge base, a striker extending from the second end portion of the hinge base, and wherein a vertical axis is defined parallel to the hinge base and running through the striker and the hinge. Integration ensures proper operation of a bi-directional hinge that allows the tailgate to be opened to one of two different open positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2021
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Deepamar Singh Sodhi
  • Grille shutter
    Patent number: 11198406
    Abstract: A fragile portion is provided at a portion of a vertical frame bar. When an impact load from under a vehicle is applied to a grille shutter, the impact can be at least partially absorbed as the fragile portion undergoes plastic deformation (including damage). Thus, the impact exerted on a portion of the vertical frame bar other than the fragile portion is mitigated, and a fin can be restrained from coming off a frame. Moreover, the fin can be restrained from coming off the frame by a compact structure, because simply providing the fragile portion at a portion of the vertical frame bar can achieve that.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2021
    Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha, Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shun Totsuka, Kazuki Tsuboi, Ken Komatsubara
  • Opening panel made from plastic, which continues to block the opening in the body shell in the event of an impact
    Patent number: 11198477
    Abstract: Motor vehicle sub-assembly (10) comprising a first part (20) made of plastic material forming an outer bodywork skin, and a second part (30) made of plastic material forming an internal structure to which said first part (20) is attached, characterised in that the second part (30) comprises at least one mechanical reinforcement (40) made of thermoplastic material having a Young's modulus less than that of the plastic material of the second part (30), and a coefficient of elongation at break greater than that of the plastic material of the second part (30).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2021
    Assignee: Compagnie Plastic Omnium
    Inventor: Philippe Coudron
  • Aerodynamic motorcycle umbrella
    Patent number: 11198481
    Abstract: An aerodynamic umbrella includes a dual durometer skeleton forming an aerodynamic rectangular dome of an apex and a plurality of triangles extending from the apex thereof over a motorcyclist. A front triangle portion thereof is attached to a motorcycle at multiple points on a motorcycle handlebar and front end. A waterproof translucent skin is attached to the skeleton and a portion of the skin attached to the front isosceles triangle and a dome portion over a motorcyclist head is transparent. A remainder of the waterproof translucent skin is highly colored for safety purposes. A rear skirt is attached to the rear triangle on a side opposite the apex. The rear skirt portion is wedged between the motorcyclist and a seat of the motorcycle when sat upon by the motorcyclist to provide an adjustable point of attachment of the umbrella to the motorcycle and to the motorcyclist versus a rear spoiler.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2021
    Inventor: Francisco Rayos, Jr.
  • Vehicle lower section structure
    Patent number: 11192590
    Abstract: A battery case is joined to a rocker inner formed toward a vehicle width direction inner side of a rocker. The rocker is provided with rocker outer R/F and rocker inner R/F that respectively form a closed cross-section portion and a closed cross-section portion between themselves and a rocker panel that partitions a closed cross-section portion formed by a rocker outer and the rocker inner in the vehicle width direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Naoki Takahashi, Shin Inoue
  • Vehicle decorative trim part having an injection molded, frontside protective covering
    Patent number: 11173851
    Abstract: A vehicle trim part having an injection molded, frontside protective covering is provided. The part includes a decorative layer having an outer surface which provides the appearance of a desirable material. An injection molded, light-transmissive protective layer is inter-bonded to the decorative layer and is integrally formed from a polymeric material which overlies and protects the decorative layer and provides a desired outer surface finish with little or no need for post-molding machining or polishing. The desired outer surface finish and the outer surface of the decorative layer at the interface between the layers form a reflected light pattern which is visible at the front of the part when lighting illuminates the outer surface finish and the outer surface of the decorative layer from the front of the part. The part may be a vehicle interior trim part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Assignee: Global IP Holdings, LLC
    Inventors: Darius J. Preisler, Christopher A. Heikkila, Scott A. Grajek, Jason T. Murar
  • Impact attenuation structure
    Patent number: 11167706
    Abstract: An impact structure for attenuating longitudinally-directed vehicle impacts, comprising first and second attenuation plates, where the plates are spaced apart from each other at a mounting region of the impact structure and fixed to each other at an impact region of the impact structure, and the impact region is longitudinally distal from the mounting region. There is an aperture pattern on each attenuation plate, wherein each aperture of the aperture pattern on each attenuation plate has an aspect ratio defined by the maximum size of the aperture in the longitudinal direction divided by the maximum size of the aperture in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction; and the aspect ratio of the apertures of the aperture pattern on each attenuation plate generally increases or decreases in the longitudinal direction between the mounting region and the impact region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2021
    Assignee: Auto IP LLC
    Inventors: Paolo Tiramani, Kyle Denman
  • Injection molded article
    Patent number: 11161467
    Abstract: This injection molded article has a body part and a movable part. The body part has a first stopper part and a second stopper part, while the movable part has a movable body and a first rib and a second rib that are formed to protrude at both widthwise end parts of the movable body. A first groove and a second groove that extend in the depth direction perpendicular to the axial direction of a hinge part, are respectively formed between the movable body and the first rib and between the movable body and the second rib.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroto Oshika, Tomohiko Kawamura, Osamu Ishikawa
  • Folding slanted back soft top assembly for SUV
    Patent number: 11161398
    Abstract: An articulating slanted back soft top assembly for 4-door and 2-door SUVs. A fabric cover is supported by a frame that is at least partially articulatable from at least a closed position to at least one open air position. The frame includes at least one forward fabric support bow member and at least one rearward fabric support bow member. The rear fabric support bow member being positioned when in the closed position in a manner which allows the fabric to clear a sport bar or “roll bar” member of a vehicle in the closed position such that a rear portion of the top is angled from the vertical when viewing the vehicle from the side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: Bestop, Inc.
    Inventors: William H. Haberkamp, Eric D. Getzschman, Jose N. Vigil, Andy Waite, Rick H. Troeger, Blake A. Jensen, James A. Robertson, Ronald Manzanares, George C. Stickles
  • Bumper cross-member
    Patent number: 11148623
    Abstract: A bumper cross-member for a vehicle having an outer shell and an inner shell connected to the outer shell and having a cut-out section which comprises at least one cut-out passing through the bumper cross-member in the x-direction. The bumper cross-member is divided in the z-direction thereof into at least three sections, of which a first and a second hollow chamber section are separated by a cut-out section located between them.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2021
    Assignee: KIRCHHOFF AUTOMOTIVE DEUTSCHLAND GMBH
    Inventors: Alexander Günther, Marco Töller, Maria Schmitt
  • Bumper system
    Patent number: 11148719
    Abstract: In a bumper system, one end portion of a first tube is inserted into first beam holes, and the other end portion of the first tube is inserted into a first plate hole, one end portion of a second tube is inserted into second beam holes, and the other end portion of the second tube is inserted into a second plate hole. The bumper stay is joined to a bumper beam and a vehicle body plate by press-fitting in a state in which the first tube is expanded at the holes and the second tube is expanded at the holes. A first connection rib is in contact with the bumper beam, and a second connection rib is in contact with the vehicle body plate in the same direction as a direction in which the first connection rib is in contact with the bumper beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2021
    Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd.
    Inventors: Toru Hashimura, Taiki Yamakawa
  • System of a sealed and reinforced structural element
    Patent number: 11142254
    Abstract: A system of a sealed and reinforced structural element of a motor vehicle includes: a structural element, which has a cavity with a longitudinal axis; a carrier. A first material for reinforcing the structural element, wherein the first material has a modulus of elasticity of at least 100 MPa; and a second material for sealing the structural element, wherein the second material has a modulus of elasticity of at most 20 MPa.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2021
    Assignee: SIKA TECHNOLOGY AG
    Inventors: Ardi Shehu, Vincent Belpaire
  • Self-regulating vents for vehicles
    Patent number: 11143150
    Abstract: A vehicle is disclosed that includes a hood defining at least one opening, and a vent that is positioned within the at least one opening. The vent is reconfigurable between a closed configuration, in which the vent substantially (if not entirely) prevents air flow through the at least one opening in the hood, and at least one open configuration, in which the vent allows air flow through the at least one opening in the hood. The vent includes an integrated shape memory material such that, upon actuation, the shape memory material deforms to thereby reconfigure the vent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2021
    Assignee: Nissan North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Nanzhu Zhao, Nilesh Dale, Takafumi Fukumoto
  • Vehicle body structure
    Patent number: 11135986
    Abstract: A bumper beam of a vehicle body structure (1) is provided with a laterally extending laterally middle part (55) and a pair of end parts (56) each extending from a corresponding lateral end of the middle part in an outboard direction with a certain inward slant with respect to a fore and aft direction, and each end part curves at a laterally middle point thereof so as to have a concave side facing outward with respect to the fore and aft direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2021
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Atsushi Hasegawa, Keiichiro Tsuji, Yusuke Miura, Ryota Yamane, Tomohiro Shimizu
  • Interior trim of a motor vehicle
    Patent number: 11135982
    Abstract: An interior trim covers sections of door cutouts (1a, 1b) of a motor vehicle body facing a floor. The interior trim has a first trim panel (2a) for covering a section (3a) of the first door cutout (1a) facing the vehicle floor, a second trim panel (2b) for covering a section (3b) of the second door cutout (1b) facing the vehicle floor (31), and a third trim panel (8) that extends in the direction of the B pillar between the door cutouts (1a, 1b). The trim panels (2a, 2b, 8) compensate for tolerances during assembly of the interior trim so that the first and second trim panels (2a, 2b) can be shifted relative to each other in the longitudinal direction, and the third trim panel (8) and the first and second trim panels (2a, 2b) can be shifted relative to each other in the vertical direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2021
    Inventors: Alessandra Sorrentino, Stefan Schmitz
  • Sensor protector
    Patent number: 11130460
    Abstract: A sensor protector includes two stays and a thin-plate shaped separate sheet held by the stays. The stays are provided on a bracket. The bracket holds a sensor and is fixed at a predetermined position to an outside panel of the body of a vehicle covered with a bumper cover of the vehicle. The sheet extends such that, in the sensor attached state, the sheet divides/partitions a space around the sensor formed between the outside panel of the body and the bumper cover into an upper space which contains the entirety of the detection surface of the sensor and a lower space which does not contain the detection surface of the sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kenji Furumoto, Takuto Kumashiro, Takashi Unno, Shinji Takeo, Koji Takeuchi
  • Automobile interior component
    Patent number: 11130452
    Abstract: A projecting part is provided at the tip of a flange. With a trim body being tilted down on one of the vehicle front and rear sides, by a portion around one end of the flange being firstly inserted into a groove provided on the vehicle body panel side, the flange and the groove as a whole function as means for determining an initial mount position of the trim body relative to the vehicle body panel. The projecting part is positioned around the one end of the flange firstly inserted into the groove and enters inside the groove preceding the portion around the one end of the flange when an insert position misalignment of the flange relative to the groove occurs. Thus, the projecting part functions as means for correcting the insert position misalignment of the flange.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2021
    Assignee: KASAI KOGYO CO, LTD.
    Inventor: Akiyoshi Horita
  • Vehicle front-part structure
    Patent number: 11124135
    Abstract: A pair of floor-side extensions are provided in the vehicle width direction on the lower surface of at least one of a dash lower panel and a floor panel constituting the floor of a vehicle chamber so as to protrude downward in front of the battery unit front surface with a high voltage cable interposed between the pair of floor-side extension members. A pair of member-side extensions are provided so as to protrude upward at positions facing the pair of floor-side extensions in the vehicle front-and-rear direction on the rear end edge of a suspension member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Akihiro Yamada, Kenshi Tomiki, Yusuke Fujii, Satoshi Kasai
  • Hybrid door module
    Patent number: 11124051
    Abstract: A carrier module for a motor vehicle door assembly having inner and outer panels defining a door panel structure with the inner panel having an opening for selective access to an internal door cavity between the inner and outer panels is provided. The carrier including an outer periphery configured for attachment to the inner panel to substantially close off the opening, and at least one reinforcement member fixed to the carrier, the at least one reinforcement member being formed of a material having a resistance to loading that is greater than a resistance to loading of a material of the carrier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: MAGNA CLOSURES INC.
    Inventor: Philip Grella
  • Clipless roof ditch molding, roof ditch molding assembly therewith and methods of assembly and construction thereof
    Patent number: 11097672
    Abstract: A roof ditch molding, roof ditch molding assembly, method of constructing a roof ditch molding, and method of assembling a roof ditch molding into a roof ditch of a vehicle are provided. The roof ditch molding includes an elongate metal substrate having an outer surface and an inner surface with opposite edge regions extending along a direction of a longitudinal axis between opposite ends. The inner surface faces and delimits an elongate channel extending between the opposite ends. The opposite edge regions are spaced from one another for snapping receipt of a plurality of fasteners therebetween, thereby eliminating the need for supplemental fastening features to fixedly secure the roof ditch molding within the roof ditch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2021
    Assignee: Magna Exteriors Inc. Com
    Inventors: Kelso C. F. Shaw, Emil Chiru, Christopher Marsh