Patents Examined by Noah Horowitz
  • Patent number: 11692379
    Abstract: A latch assembly comprises an exterior housing, a door latch, a plunger, a resilient member, and an external lever pivotally mounted on an outer face of the exterior housing. The external lever comprises a first leg, a second leg disposed at an angle relative to the first leg, and a pivot mount disposed between the first leg and the second leg. The plunger is maintained in the latched position when the external lever is in a latched position by the resilient member, whereby an entry door cannot be unintentionally shifted from the closed position. The plunger is displaced from the latched position to the unlatched position when the external lever is rotated from the latched position to the unlatched position by the second leg bearing against the plunger, whereby the entry door is free to be shifted from the closed position to the open position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Assignee: BAUER PRODUCTS, INC.
    Inventor: Bruce C. Bacon
  • Patent number: 11674341
    Abstract: A vehicle door latch apparatus has a latch that is engaged with a striker; a ratchet member rotatably supported by a ratchet shaft and that has a pawl portion, wherein the pawl portion is movable between a latch engaging position, where the pawl portion can face a full latch engaging portion of the latch, and a latch releasing position, where the pawl portion is not in contact with the full latch engaging portion, wherein release component force is generated in a latch releasing direction when latch return force is applied in a releasing direction at the latch engaging position, and the ratchet member is pushed out from the latch engaging position to the latch releasing position by the release component force; a ratchet restraint that is arranged on a side of the ratchet member and that can be moved about a pin between a block position and a release position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: MITSUI KINZOKU ACT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Katsuyuki Ishiguro, Hirotaka Nishijima, Takuya Kakumae, Shintaro Okawa, Makoto Kaburaki
  • Patent number: 11667369
    Abstract: A locking mechanism for a door panel to be positioned within and out of blocking relationship with an opening. Mechanism includes a deadbolt rotatably connected to the wall and having a curved configuration and a locking bracket connected to the door panel. The locking bracket extends from the door panel in an angular direction with respect to a plane of door panel. With door panel in a closed position and deadbolt in a first position, the locking bracket extends through the curved configuration. Deadbolt is in blocking relationship with the locking bracket in a direction along a plane of the door panel and is not in blocking relationship in a direction along the locking bracket. With door panel in closed position, deadbolt is in a second position not in blocking relationship with the locking bracket permitting door panel to move in a direction along a plane of the door panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Timothy P. Gallagher, Jr., James J. Kunda
  • Patent number: 11668121
    Abstract: A motor-driven door ratchet includes a catch part configured to lock a vehicle door to a vehicle body by being caught by a striker mounted on the vehicle body. A door locking and release part includes a main motor and is configured to allow the catch part to be locked or released from the striker. An inside emergency operation lever is connected to an inside handle installed in the vehicle door and is configured to be rotated by receiving a manipulation force to allow the vehicle door to be opened by applying torque to the catch part. An outside emergency operation lever is connected to an outside handle installed in the vehicle door and is configured to be rotated by receiving a manipulation force to allow the vehicle door to be opened by applying torque to the catch part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation, Pyeong Hwa Automotive Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jinwoo Nam, Kyoung Taek Kwak, Jungho Han, Hyuk Noh, Jung-Ho Park, Ki Ryun Ahn, Jin-Bok Lee, Ji-Woo Joo
  • Patent number: 11639620
    Abstract: A vehicular door handle device includes: a main body portion being disposed on an outside surface of a door panel of a vehicle, extending in a predetermined direction, and including a hollow portion in an intermediate portion in the extending direction; a touch sensor being housed in the hollow portion for detecting a change in capacitance, and being connected to a control device that controls an opening mechanism for setting a closed vehicular door in an openable state; a frame portion including a shaft portion that extends in the predetermined direction and rotatably supports the main body portion; and a fixing mechanism for fixing the main body portion to the frame portion. Fixing of the main body portion to the frame portion by the fixing mechanism is temporarily released, and the opening mechanism is configured to be driven by rotating the main body portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2023
    Assignee: AISIN CORPORATION
    Inventor: Masaki Yoshino
  • Patent number: 11608661
    Abstract: A motor vehicle door lock which is equipped with a locking mechanism substantially comprising a catch and pawl. Furthermore, a locking pin is provided for interaction with the locking mechanism. Furthermore, there is a damping element for a locking mechanism component and/or the locking pin. Finally, the configuration includes at least one spring which is assigned to the locking mechanism. According to the invention, the spring at least partially abuts the damping element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Assignee: Kiekert AG
    Inventors: Bryan Bishop, James A. Svoboda
  • Patent number: 11608664
    Abstract: Vehicle door latch apparatus has; latch that engages strike and that rotates from an unlatched position to a full-latch over rotating position; ratchet member that is rotatably supported by ratchet shaft, wherein ratchet member has pawl portion that is movable between a latch engaging position, where pawl portion can face full-latching engaging portion of latch, and a latch releasing position, where pawl portion is not engaged with full-latching engaging portion; and ratchet restrainer that is positioned on a side of ratchet member and that restrains ratchet member. Ratchet member is configured to be pushed out from latch engaging position to a latch releasing position by release component force F2 that acts on ratchet member in a latch releasing direction, wherein release component force F2 is generated when latch returning force that acts on latch is applied to ratchet member at the latch engaging position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Assignee: MITSUI KINZOKU ACT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hirotaka Nishijima, Shintaro Okawa, Katsuyuki Ishiguro, Shunsuke Tamura, Hibiki Ogura
  • Patent number: 11608660
    Abstract: A motor-vehicle lock has a latch mechanism, catch, has and an actuating lever, of which the actuation from a starting position into an actuating position makes it possible to disengage the catch, wherein the motor-vehicle lock has a crash element, which can be adjusted from a normal state into a crash state, in which the crash element blocks the actuating lever in a blocking position or uncouples it from the catch, wherein the crash element is coupled to the actuating lever such that, when the actuating lever is actuated at an actuating speed above a limit actuating speed, the crash element latches in the crash state. With the crash element latched in the crash state, a restoring action of the actuating lever into the starting position causes the latching action to be reversed and the crash element to be adjusted into the normal state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Assignee: Brose Schliessysteme GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Ludger Graute
  • Patent number: 11591832
    Abstract: A vehicle door lock device includes: a latch that has a full latch claw portion and a half latch claw portion, engages with a striker attached to a vehicle body during a closing operation of a vehicle door, is rotatable between an unlatch position and a full latch position, and rotates from the unlatch position to the full latch position; a pawl that is rotatable between an engagement position and a disengagement position, is pressed by the full latch claw portion to rotate in a direction from the engagement position toward the disengagement position, and engages with the full latch claw portion by rotating from the disengagement position to the engagement position; a block lever that is rotatable between a restriction position and a non-restriction position; and a half latch lever that is rotatable between an operation position, and a non-operation position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2023
    Assignee: AISIN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Naoki Kajigai, Yasuaki Tanino, Kazunori Kojima, Takumi Hayashi, Yasuhiko Sono
  • Patent number: 11585126
    Abstract: A vehicle door lock structure includes: a housing; an active lever supported by the housing to be displaceable relative to the housing between locked position where the active lever prohibits opening of a vehicle door by a door opening operation of a door operation handle provided on the vehicle door and an unlocked position where the active lever allows the opening of the vehicle door by the door opening operation of the door operation handle; and a spring configured to selectively hold the active lever at either the locked or unlocked position. The housing includes a held portion held by the spring. The spring includes: locked-position and unlocked-position holders respectively holding the held portion such that the active lever is held at the locked and unlocked positions. The active lever includes a spring holder that holds the spring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: AISIN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yusuke Yamada, Masanari Iwata, Yoshiki Odaka
  • Patent number: 11578509
    Abstract: An outside door handle assembly for a vehicle includes a grip cover, a grip body that is provided hinge-rotatable outward in a width direction of the vehicle in an outer panel of a vehicle door, and is engaged with the grip cover, and a balance weight that is included in the grip body to be hinge-rotatable in an opposite direction of a hinge-rotation direction of the grip body with respect to a hinge rotation point on an extension line of the grip body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Soonchan Kwon, Jungmin Jo
  • Patent number: 11542726
    Abstract: Surface mount electric strikes according having a housing with an opening for a door latch bolt. First and second opposing latches are movably mounted to the housing and operable to open or block the lack bolt opening. First and second keepers can be in the housing each of which is arranged to cooperate with a respective one of the first and second opposing latches to block or not movement of its latch. A single actuating device is also in the housing and is controlled by an electrical signal. It is arranged to operate on the first and second keepers and is moveable in the housing between two positions. One or more mode control screws can be included that engages the actuating device through the housing and are movable between at least two screw positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Inventors: David Christian Moen, Gilbert D. Bolanos, Jr., David Geringer
  • Patent number: 11542729
    Abstract: The system includes a bracket, a handle pivotally mounted about a handle axis and including a main gripping branch and a secondary branch each extending on either side of the handle axis, a safety device configured to block an ejection of the handle towards its open position in the event of an impact. The device includes a blocking pawl elastically biased into a position of blocking the pivoting of the secondary branch according to a handle ejection direction and at least one lever for releasing the secondary branch in the ejection direction, the release lever being configured to drive the pawl, against its elastic biasing force, into a release position of the secondary branch, consecutively to a manual mechanical action of pushing in the handle from its flush position and/or to the triggering of an electric actuation for ejecting the handle from its flush position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: AKWEL VIGO SPAIN SL
    Inventors: Delmiro Javier Couto Maquieira, Alberto Diez Estevez, Jose Oscar Vazquez Carballo
  • Patent number: 11536055
    Abstract: A closing device for a motor vehicle includes a locking mechanism having a rotary latch and at least one pawl, a trigger lever, with the locking mechanism being unlocked by the trigger lever, and a blocking component which is arranged on the closing device for blocking a movement of the trigger lever when a load acts on the motor vehicle from the outside. The blocking component can be guided in the closing device in a movable manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: Kiekert AG
    Inventors: Michael Strathmann, Rolf Siemensmeyer
  • Patent number: 11530556
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a hand grippable inside handle. Some forms of the present disclosure may include an upper grip handle and a lower grip handle which are coupled to an inner side of a door of a vehicle, a grip type inside handle having an upper portion engaged with the upper grip handle and a lower portion engaged with the lower grip handle, and an inside handle rod installed inside the grip type inside handle and configured to pivot with the grip type inside handle about an axis in a length direction when the grip type inside handle is pivoted, thereby operating a latch device of the door.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2022
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, KIA Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Jae-Min Ryu, Yong-Dae Seo
  • Patent number: 11525289
    Abstract: A latch assembly for a motor vehicle closure system having a latch mechanism, a latch release mechanism and a power cinching mechanism. The latch mechanism is operable in a released state when a closure panel is located in an open position, in a secondary closed state when the closure panel is located in a partially-closed position, and in a primary closed state when the closure panel is located in a fully-closed position. The cinching mechanism interacts with the latch mechanism to establish the secondary closed state and is actuated for shifting the latch mechanism from its secondary closed state into its primary closed state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: MAGNA CLOSURES INC.
    Inventor: Francesco Cumbo
  • Patent number: 11525288
    Abstract: A motor vehicle locking system for a door or hatch, comprising a locking mechanism with a rotary latch and a pawl for latching the rotary latch, a drive pulley for an electrical opening means, which drive pulley can be rotated in a motorized manner in an operating direction for tripping the locking mechanism, and a return spring for rotating the drive pulley in the direction opposite the operating direction, wherein the drive pulley can be rotated in the operating direction without being influenced by the return spring or at least without spring load. Therefore, higher loads can be moved by the drive pulley.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: Kiekert AG
    Inventors: Holger Schiffer, Michael Scholz, Ă–mer Inan, Michael Herrmann
  • Patent number: 11512510
    Abstract: A closure latch assembly for a motor vehicle closure panel includes a housing; a ratchet pivotably mounted for movement between striker capture and a striker release positions; a release lever, and a pawl assembly. Pawl assembly includes a first and second pawls. First pawl is pivotably mounted to housing for movement about a first pivot axis between ratchet checking and ratchet releasing positions in response to movement of release lever. Second pawl is pivotably mounted to first pawl for movement about a second pivot axis spaced from first pivot axis. Second pawl is engaged with ratchet locking surface while first pawl is in the ratchet checking position to releasably maintain ratchet in the striker capture position. Second pawl is pivotal relative to first pawl about second pivot axis when first pawl pivots toward the ratchet releasing position to allow ratchet to pivot to the striker release position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: MAGNA CLOSURES INC.
    Inventor: Franco Giovanni Ottino
  • Patent number: 11473343
    Abstract: A vehicle door includes an actuator for operating a latching mechanism. An actuator cable extends between the actuator and the latching mechanism. A cable housing slidably receives the actuator cable. The actuator cable is operable within the cable housing between extended and retracted positions. A cable bracket secures the cable housing to a frame member in a secured position. A clip assembly attaches to the cable housing and slidably engages the actuator cable upon operation of the actuator. The clip assembly engages the cable housing at a first side of the cable bracket and engages the actuator cable at a second side of the cable bracket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventor: Constantin Manolescu
  • Patent number: 11459805
    Abstract: A latch mechanism includes a first and second latch body. The first and second latch body respectively includes a first and second base, a first and second latch portion and a first and second acting portion. The first latch body disposes through the second base. The second acting portion is pivoted to the second base. The second latch portion is disposed on the rotational path and limited to the first latch portion. The second acting portion includes a first and a second pushing structure. When the second acting portion is rotated along the rotational path, the second latch portion is pushed by the first pushing structure such that the second latch portion is disengaged from the first latch portion, and then the first acting portion is pushed by the second pushing structure such that the first latch body is disengaged from the second latch body in a releasing direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: MOBILITY HOLDINGS, LIMITED
    Inventors: Joakim Uimonen, Eric Yi-Hung Lin