Patents Examined by Melody Burch
  • Patent number: 9416840
    Abstract: A gas spring for forming equipment, including a piston received at least partially in a cylinder for reciprocation between extended and retracted positions, and including a throttling passage disposed between the piston and the cylinder in fluid communication between first and second pressure chambers during at least a portion of the reciprocation of the piston. The throttling passage is of variable cross-sectional area, which varies with a length of the passage to at least partially restrict gas flow therethrough in a manner varying with return of the piston toward its extended position to decelerate the piston at a predetermined rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2016
    Assignee: DADCO, INC.
    Inventor: Jason L. Vandine
  • Patent number: 9416844
    Abstract: The invention relates to a functional hydro-elastic element to be lodged in a hydro-elastic joint for damping load vibrations between two structural parts, in particular a wheel suspension and a vehicle body, the functional hydro-elastic element having a longitudinal axis and a circumferential direction around this longitudinal axis. The functional hydro-elastic element has at least one row of hydraulic chambers, extending circumferentially and comprising at least three hydraulic chambers and at least one throttling duct that enables a communication of liquid between each pair of respective circumferentially adjacent hydraulic chambers so that a variation of at least one working volume of the hydraulic chambers due to load vibrations can be balanced by enabling a flow of liquid into at least one of the other hydraulic chambers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2016
    Assignee: Anvis SD France S.A.S.
    Inventors: Franck Renard, Gerard Jandot
  • Patent number: 9416831
    Abstract: Dissimilar aircraft brake systems for use in, for example, an aircraft are provided herein. In this regard, a system is provided comprising a carbon/carbon (“C/C”) rotor disk adjacent to a ceramic matrix composite (“CMC”) stator disk. In various embodiments, a system is provided comprising a CMC rotor disk adjacent to a C/C stator disk.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2016
    Assignee: Goodrich Corporation
    Inventors: Thomas Dwayne Nixon, Steven Thomas Keller
  • Patent number: 9415831
    Abstract: A bicycle hydraulic operating device comprises a bracket, a hydraulic cylinder, a piston, a lever, a fluid reservoir, and a lid. The bracket is configured to be mounted to a bicycle handlebar. The piston is movably disposed within the hydraulic cylinder. The lever is pivotally provided around a pivot axis relative to the bracket and is operatively coupled to the piston to move the piston within the hydraulic cylinder in response to pivotal movement of the lever. The fluid reservoir is disposed on the bracket and having an opening configured to face substantially in a downward direction in a state where the bracket is mounted to the bicycle handlebar. The lid is configured to cover the opening of the fluid reservoir.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2016
    Assignee: SHIMANO INC.
    Inventors: Osamu Kariyama, Tatsuya Matsushita, Keiji Matsueda, Takashi Itou, Masahiro Nakakura
  • Patent number: 9394954
    Abstract: A disc brake assembly having a guide pin disposed in a bore of an anchor bracket such that a guide pin axis is offset relative to a bore axis whereby there is provided at least one defined point of contact between only a portion of the guide pin and a portion of an inner surface of the bore. The guide pin includes a groove formed therein, the groove defines a groove axis which is offset relative to the guide pin axis, and a resilient member is disposed in the groove which is operative to bias the guide pin in the bore such that the guide pin axis is offset relative to bore axis to provide the at least one defined point of contact between only a portion of the guide pin and a portion of the inner surface of the bore.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2016
    Assignees: Kelsey-Hayes Company, Lucas Automotive GmbH
    Inventors: Daniel Smith, Kraig Gerber, Eduardo Morais, Marco Becker, Florian Roessinger, Christian Schroeter, Guido ZenZen
  • Patent number: 9371110
    Abstract: A hydraulic brake master cylinder is provided. The end of the movable barrel away from the outer convex ring is spaced apart or against the first inner convex flange and to adjust the location of one of two flow-through holes to make the use of brake not be influenced by the oil and air inside the first cylinder while rotating the movable barrel through the disposed outer convex ring. Two elastic plates are plugged in the inner conical portion, the outer convex ring between two ends of the inner connecting member is against the third inner convex flange adjacent to the fifth inner threaded portion, and two elastic plates are pressed by the inner conical portion to be fastened and passed through the second end cap, the second piston, the first piston, and the end of the two elastic plates with a brake cable in series.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: Tektro Technology Corporation
    Inventor: Chao Kung Chen
  • Patent number: 9358965
    Abstract: A braking device for the motorcycle is configured to permit actuation control in an interlocking manner of a rear-wheel brake caliper and a front-wheel brake caliper based on an operation of a brake pedal. The braking device includes a hydraulic pressure detector for detecting rear-wheel brake hydraulic pressure caused by the operation of the brake pedal; a determining portion that determines whether or not a detected value by the hydraulic pressure detector is a predetermined value or more; and a hydraulic pressure controller that, when it is determined by the determining portion that the detected value is the predetermined value or more, changes a rising rate of the rear-wheel brake hydraulic pressure to a value lower than a rising rate during a period until the time when the rear-wheel brake hydraulic pressure reaches the predetermined value to control the rear-wheel brake hydraulic pressure, and also controls front-wheel brake hydraulic pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2016
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yutaka Nishikawa, Kazuya Takenouchi, Takehiko Nanri, Kazuhiko Tani
  • Patent number: 9353825
    Abstract: A vibration absorbing apparatus is provided which includes a vibration absorbing mechanism equipped with a spring mechanism and an elastic member. The elastic member is made of a non-metallic material and of a cylindrical shape. The elastic member is arranged coaxially with the spring mechanism and has a spring constant in a radial direction thereof which is lower than that in an axial direction thereof. The spring mechanism works to absorb vibration applied thereto in the axial direction thereof. The elastic member works to absorb vibration applied thereto in the radial direction thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2016
    Assignees: DENSO CORPORATION, ADVICS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Takashi Murayama
  • Patent number: 9353810
    Abstract: A disc brake assembly comprises an anchor bracket having a pair of arms, a caliper supported on the bracket and a non-rotatable vehicle component having a pair of lugs, each of the lugs provided with a non-threaded opening formed therethrough. The non-threaded openings receive fasteners installed in threaded openings of the bracket to secure the vehicle component to the bracket. The bracket includes on at least one of the arms a first shoulder at a transition between the first and second portions thereof. The vehicle component includes on at least one of the lugs a second shoulder having a shape which is generally complimentary to the shape of the first shoulder. When the vehicle component and bracket are secured together, selected surfaces of the first and second shoulders contact each other to substantially prevent movement of the bracket relative to the vehicle component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2016
    Assignee: Kelsey-Hayes Company
    Inventors: Eduardo Morais, Daniel Smith, Sky Lintner
  • Patent number: 9328790
    Abstract: A hydraulic shock absorber provides, a ring-shaped flow passage formed continuously along a circumferential direction between an outer circumference of a partition wall member and an inner circumference of an inner tube, in a range from an abutting surface to a screw coupling starting portion of a thread section of the inner tube; an outer side flow passage which is formed to a ring-shaped oil chamber side from a dividing member positioned on an open end surface side of the inner tube and which connects a ring-shaped oil chamber and the ring-shaped flow passage, an inner side flow passage which is formed in the partition wall member and which connects the ring-shaped flow passage and an oil reservoir chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2016
    Assignee: SHOWA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Masao Shimasaki
  • Patent number: 9321436
    Abstract: A “brake-by wire” brake system for motor vehicles, with a brake master cylinder which can be actuated by a brake pedal and has a housing and a piston, which is arranged displaceably in the housing and, together with the housing, delimits a pressure space. The piston of the brake master cylinder is designed as a stepped piston with at least two hydraulic active surfaces A1, A2 of differing size, wherein a first, small active surface A1 is assigned to the pressure space, and a second, large active surface A2 is assigned to a filling space, and, after a closing travel has been overcome, the second, large hydraulic active surface A2 is effective and the active surface A2, A1 are switched over in dependence on a hydraulic pressure in the pressure space and on the pedal force, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. oHG
    Inventor: Lothar Schiel
  • Patent number: 9316282
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an energy absorbing apparatus. Specifically, the apparatus comprises a first disk and a second disk atop the first disk, and a plurality of collapsible arms around the perimeter of the disks connecting the first disk and the second disk, and an elastic material disposed between at least two of the collapsible arms, wherein collapsing of the arms causes the elastic material to stretch, storing kinetic energy from the vertical direction as potential energy in the horizontal direction, wherein release of the potential energy from the elastic material causes the arms to return to an uncollapsed state. Systems utilizing the energy absorbing apparatus, methods of making and methods of using the same are further provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2016
    Assignee: Angel 7 Industries, LLC
    Inventor: Kerry S. Harris
  • Patent number: 9309936
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a sleeve (9) for a disk brake fitted with a caliper slidably mounted in a carrier by means of pins fixed rigidly to the caliper, said sleeve (9) being designed to receive one of said pins in a bore of the carrier. According to the invention, such a sleeve is characterized in that it has ribs (10, 11) on a surface designed to come into contact with the carrier so that said ribs (10, 11) may be deformed in order to increase said contact surface when the sleeve (9) is compressed by an activation of the brake.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2016
    Assignee: CHASSIS BRAKES INTERNATIONAL B.V.
    Inventors: Pascal Champion, Jan Vinck, Pascal Nocera, Eric Lemoine
  • Patent number: 9309943
    Abstract: A pendulum support is particularly suited for supporting an engine unit. The support has two mutually spaced-apart fixing elements for connecting two bodies that can be displaced in relation to one another. The fixing elements are elastically interconnected. The object is to provide a pendulum support with a high degree of deflection that is cost-effective to produce. The base body has two base body elements, which are interconnected by at least one elastic shear element. At least one of the base body elements is formed with a cavity, wherein one area of the other base body element is contained with a degree of deflection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2016
    Assignee: Trelleborg Automotive Germany GmbH
    Inventors: Arndt Graeve, Manfred Hofmann
  • Patent number: 9308906
    Abstract: An electrical parking brake system and method for a commercial vehicle includes a valve device, which connects a compressed-air supply with a spring brake cylinder without an intermediate connection of a hand brake valve. The valve device aerates the spring brake cylinder in a first switching state and deaerates the spring brake cylinder in a second switching state. The system further includes a pressure sensor, which measures a pressure on the compressed air supply side, and an electronic control unit for directly or indirectly controlling the valve device, acquiring a signal supplied by the pressure sensor, and acquiring an indicator signal for the presence of an individual in a cab of the vehicle. The valve device can only be transferred to its first switching state by the control unit if the pressure on the compressed air supply side exceeds a pressure threshold value and if the presence of an individual in a cab of the vehicle is indicated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2016
    Assignee: KNORR-BREMSE Systeme fuer Nutzfahrzeuge GmbH
    Inventor: Eduard Hilberer
  • Patent number: 9303715
    Abstract: A damper assembly is disclosed that includes a tubular member, a rod, a primary piston, a secondary piston, and a seal. The tubular member includes a sidewall and a cap positioned at an end of the sidewall. The sidewall and the cap defining an inner volume. The rod extends within the inner volume of the tubular member. The primary piston defines a contact surface and is positioned within the inner volume and coupled to an end of the rod. The secondary piston defines a central aperture and a channel. Engagement of the primary piston and the secondary piston forms a flow conduit between the channel and the contact surface. The seal is disposed between an outer surface of the secondary piston and the sidewall such that a flow path is formed through the central aperture and the flow conduit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: Oshkosh Defense, LLC
    Inventors: Patrick S. Dillman, Erik S. Ellifson, Aaron J. Rositch
  • Patent number: 9297433
    Abstract: A parking brake actuator generates and applies a braking force to a vehicle wheel by converting a rotation movement of a screw member which is rotated by an electric parking brake driving device into a translatory movement and transmitting the converted translatory movement to a piston to push a brake pad to a disc by the piston. The electric parking brake driving device includes an electric motor and a reduction gear mechanism which transmits the driving force of the electric motor to the electric parking brake driving device. The reduction gear mechanism includes a pinion gear fixed to an output shaft of the electric motor, a first gear shaft rotatably supported on a first bearing member provided on a gear body and a first wheel gear formed on the first gear shaft and engaging the first wheel gear to thereby reduce the speed of driving force of the electric motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2016
    Assignee: ADVICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Morimasa Takewaki, Yuichi Takeo, Kosuke Sakai, Masakazu Ozawa, Katsuhiko Takasu
  • Patent number: 9297430
    Abstract: A park brake system for an electric motor actuator is provided. The system may comprise a wrap spring that may rotatably engage the shaft. In this regard, the system may be configured to exert a radial force on a shaft of the electric motor actuator to lock the actuator. Moreover, in various embodiments, the system may be bi-stable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2016
    Assignee: GOODRICH CORPORATION
    Inventors: David Drennen, Harald Klode, Kevin Rehfus
  • Patent number: 9284999
    Abstract: A disc brake assembly having a guide pin disposed in a bore of an anchor bracket such that a guide pin axis is offset relative to a bore axis whereby there is provided at least one defined point of contact between only a portion of the guide pin and a portion of an inner surface of the bore. The guide pin includes at least one slot having a member, which is formed separate from the guide pin, and disposed therein to bias the guide pin in the bore thereby offsetting the guide pin axis relative to the bore axis. The member includes a first member formed from an elastomeric material and a second member formed from a metal material, wherein the second member is configured to retain the member in the slot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2016
    Assignees: Kelsey-Hayes Company, Lucas Automotive GmbH
    Inventors: Kraig Gerber, Guido Zenzen
  • Patent number: 9279466
    Abstract: A pad retainer of a vehicle disc brake includes: a pair of retainer portions mounted in pad guide grooves; a connecting piece connecting the pair of retainer portions together; and pad returning portions configured to bias the friction pads to a side opposite to the disc rotor. Each of the pad returning portions includes an elastic loop portion formed into an arc shape by bending a narrow elongated piece, which extends in a direction opposite to the disc rotor from an inner side in a disc radial direction of a deep side piece of the retainer portion, and then back towards the disc rotor; and a holding portion extending from a bent-back end of the elastic loop portion towards the disc rotor and configured to hold a lug piece of the friction pad.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2016
    Assignee: NISSIN KOGYO CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Yasutaka Miura