Patents Examined by San Aung
  • Patent number: 10252477
    Abstract: An apparatus (10) that houses functional components of a mechanical assembly includes a frame component (12) formed of a first material, the frame component (12) bearing primary load, torque or pressure applied to the apparatus (10) during operation of said mechanical assembly. The housing apparatus (10) further includes a composite reinforcement component (130) for resisting forces applied to the apparatus during operation of the mechanical assembly and an enclosure component (80) formed of a second material of lower density than the first material of the frame component (12), the enclosure component (80) covering and sealing at least the functional components of the mechanical assembly from external conditions during operation of the mechanical assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: James F. Stevenson, Douglas J. Steinke
  • Patent number: 10180171
    Abstract: A suspension system includes a first suspension member movable relative to a second suspension member, a fluid reservoir having a volume, the volume variable in response to a relative movement between the first and second suspension members, and a fluid flow circuit having a first end in fluidic communication with the fluid reservoir and a second end in fluidic communication with an isolated suspension location, the fluid flow circuit comprising a first valve, a second valve and a third valve, wherein said first and third valves are in parallel with each other and the second valve is in series with each of the first and third valves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2019
    Assignee: Fox Factory, Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew Laird, William M. Becker
  • Patent number: 10124642
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for a shock absorber having a damping fluid compensation chamber with a gas charge. In one aspect, a partition separates a first chamber portion from a second chamber portion, wherein the first portion of the chamber is at a first initial gas pressure and the second portion of the chamber is at a second initial pressure. A valve separates the first and second chamber portions and opening the valve comingles the first and second chamber portions so that the combined chamber portions are at a third pressure. In another aspect, a piston disposed through a wall is in pressure communication with the gas charge and is biased inwardly toward a pressure of the charge, whereby an indicator is movable by the piston in response to the pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: Fox Factory, Inc.
    Inventor: John Marking
  • Patent number: 10112454
    Abstract: A closing cover assembly for an air spring includes a first portion defining a first internal space constructed and arranged to receive a portion of an air spring. A second portion is integral with and extends from the first portion. The second portion defines a second internal space. A passageway connects the first internal space with the second internal space. A pressure retention valve having a main body is received in the second internal space, with the second portion of the cover defining an outer protective housing for the main body of the pressure retention valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2018
    Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Christian Schallmeier, Garrett M. Pniewski, Sunny Makkar
  • Patent number: 10081250
    Abstract: A cooling fan vane assembly for a resistor grid may include a duct having a substantially round inlet opening, a substantially rectangular outlet opening, and a side wall extending between the inlet opening and the outlet opening shaped to transition from a substantially round shape to a substantially rectangular shape; the inlet opening including a plurality of radially extending turning vanes; and a frustoconical vane positioned in the duct adjacent a downstream side of the plurality of radially extending vanes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2018
    Assignee: DAYTON-PHOENIX GROUP, INC.
    Inventors: Justin P. Widmer, Gabriel E. Widmer
  • Patent number: 10023168
    Abstract: A hydraulic power unit for a braking system of a vehicle, including a first sub-brake circuit or brake circuit and a second sub-brake circuit or brake circuit, a first supply line branching into a first line section having a first circuit separating valve situated therein, and a second line section having a first electrically controllable reservoir separating valve and/or first check valve situated therein, and a second supply line branching into a third line section having a second circuit separating valve situated therein and a fourth line section having a second electrically controllable reservoir separating valve and/or second check valve situated therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
    Inventors: Otmar Bussmann, Matthias Kistner
  • Patent number: 10010894
    Abstract: An apparatus for retarding rotation of a nozzle includes a hollow housing, a rotary shaft within the housing, a rotatable rotor on the rotary shaft free to move axially along the shaft, and a cam assembly coupling the rotor and shaft together in the housing such that rotor rotation on the shaft causes the cam assembly to displace the rotor axially on the shaft in a first direction. A set of springs on the shaft biases the rotor in a second direction opposite the first direction on the shaft. Finally, a viscous fluid disposed between the rotor and the housing generates a drag on rotor rotation with the shaft. Relative rotation of the rotor with respect to the shaft in conjunction with a variable gap between the rotor and housing are used to slow and thus control rotary nozzle speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2018
    Assignee: Stoneage, Inc.
    Inventor: Colton Andersen
  • Patent number: 10012282
    Abstract: A flow of hydraulic oil induced by sliding movement of a piston in a cylinder is controlled by a damping force generating mechanism to generate a damping force. A flow of hydraulic oil from a casing of the damping force generating mechanism toward a reservoir is regulated by a passage groove formed on the bottom of the casing so as to be directed downward in the reservoir. Thus, the hydraulic oil is efficiently supplied to a base valve from the damping force generating mechanism even when the hydraulic oil is sucked from the reservoir into a cylinder lower chamber through a passage in the base valve during the extension stroke of a piston rod. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a sharp reduction in pressure in the lower part of the reservoir and hence possible to suppress the occurrence of aeration and to obtain stable damping force characteristics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2018
    Assignee: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Yusei Kimura, Yohei Katayama, Naofumi Harada, Satoshi Shimazaki
  • Patent number: 9982747
    Abstract: In one or more embodiments, a damper hub assembly includes a hub with a through-aperture defined by an aperture wall and to receive therein a portion of a crankshaft, the aperture wall including face and back surfaces and a wall surface positioned there-between, and an insert contacting the face and back surfaces and the wall surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventor: Rick L. Williams
  • Patent number: 9976617
    Abstract: A coned-disc spring device, spring assembly, methods of making the same, and methods of assembling a spring system are disclosed. Such a device includes a first end defining a first opening and a second end defining a second opening, wherein the diameter of the second opening is larger than the diameter of the first opening. The device also includes a lip portion at the second end of the device adjacent to and at least partially encircling the second opening and protruding substantially perpendicular to the plane defined by the second opening such that when a portion of a second spring member having a first groove portion is received within the second opening, the first lip portion is received within the first groove portion to optimally align the second spring member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2018
    Assignee: MW Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark W. Campbell, Kelly L. Falls, Donald E. Paul
  • Patent number: 9976618
    Abstract: A cylindrical vibration-damping device including: an inner axial member; an outer cylindrical member; and a main rubber elastic body connecting the inner axial member and the outer cylindrical member. A pair of protruding portions are provided that protrude from the inner axial member on both sides thereof in an axis-perpendicular direction, and each protruding portion has a tapered shape thinning out toward its tip, and elastic connecting portions are constituted by the main rubber elastic body that connect both faces in a thickness direction of each protruding portion of the inner axial member to respective opposing faces of the outer cylindrical member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2018
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RIKO COMPANY LIMITED
    Inventor: Shimpei Eguchi
  • Patent number: 9970496
    Abstract: A wheel hub and brake rotor assembly is disclosed which is resistant to corrosion via cathodic protection. One or more sacrificial anodes may be mounted on the hub and/or the rotor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2018
    Assignee: Kodiak Products Co., Inc.
    Inventor: William E. Glidewell
  • Patent number: 9970502
    Abstract: An annular spring assembly includes an annular spring, an annular first container including a first well and an annular second container including a second well. The first well and second well open towards one another and hold the annular spring therebetween. The second well is configured to telescopically receive the first well when the annular spring is compressed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2018
    Assignee: Firestone Industrial Products Company, LLC
    Inventor: James R. Myers
  • Patent number: 9958025
    Abstract: A structure for attaching a cooling fan includes: a fan attachment plate interposed between a ventilation cover of a servomotor and the cooling fan and having a cut-out hole; and a tubular vibration-proof member supported by the cut-out hole of the fan attachment plate and fixed to the ventilation cover.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: SANYO DENKI CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Daigo Kuraishi
  • Patent number: 9920799
    Abstract: The disk brake device comprises a caliper body including a cylinder part and a pawl part having a notch section connected together by a center bridge and side bridges with notch sections each interposed between the center bridge and side bridges, a support including guide pin guiding parts each interposed between the cylinder part and pawl part, guide pins respectively slidable to the guide pin guiding parts, and an outer side brake pad threadedly engaged with such surface of the pawl part as is opposed to a rotor on the rotor turn-in and turn-out sides of the notch section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Assignee: AKEBONO BRAKE INDUSTRY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Toshifumi Maehara, Shintaro Izaki
  • Patent number: 9915316
    Abstract: A system for mitigating vibration of a mass may include an elastic membrane enclosing at least one interior space and having an outer surface, where at least a bottom portion of the outer surface is coupled to a transportable supportive surface, and at least a top portion of the outer surface supports a load. The system may further include at least one port coupling the outer surface to the at least one interior space, where the port provides a source of fluid ingress into the interior space and fluid egress out of the interior space. The system may additionally include granular material distributed within the at least one interior space, where a packing density of the granular material is adjustable between a first jammed state having a first packing density of granular materials and a second jammed state having a second packing density of granular materials to accommodate different loads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2018
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Joseph Kuczynski, Kevin M. O'Connell, Chelsie M. Peterson, Mark D. Plucinski, Timothy J. Tofil
  • Patent number: 9906099
    Abstract: A brake system, especially for a generator, including a rotor assembly, a stator assembly and a rotation axis is disclosed. The rotor assembly includes an outer portion which is located radially outward of the stator assembly. The outer portion includes a brake disc, and the stator assembly comprises at least one frictional member operatively configured for frictionally engaging at least a portion of the brake disc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignee: SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Uffe Eriksen, Jens Anton Agerskov Veng
  • Patent number: 9897161
    Abstract: A negative stiffness structure for vibration isolation, shock mitigation, and/or signal processing includes a flexible tensile member and a curved compressive member. A first end of the tensile member is attached to a first structure. A first end of the curved compressive member is coupled to a first structure and a second end of the curved compressive member is coupled to a second end of the flexible tensile member. A length of the tensile member is greater than a length of the compressive member. A tip of the negative stiffness structure is configured to exhibit a negative stiffness mechanical response to a load applied to the tip. The negative stiffness mechanical response acts in a direction orthogonal to the length of the tensile member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2018
    Assignee: HRL Laboratories, LLC
    Inventors: Christopher B. Churchill, David W. Shahan, Geoffrey P. McKnight, Guillermo A. Herrera
  • Patent number: 9896072
    Abstract: A brake device (10) includes a service brake valve (16) that produces an actuation-dependent pressure at a service brake valve outlet (20) when an operating means (18) is actuated. The brake device (10) includes a brake actuator (40) with a brake actuator inlet (39). The service brake valve outlet (20) is connected to the brake actuator inlet (39) via a pressure connection (14). The pressure connection (14) includes a directional control valve (24) and a check valve (30). The check valve (30) is bypassed in a first valve position of the directional control valve (24) to allow a fluid flow from the brake actuator inlet (39) to the service brake valve outlet (20) and a fluid flow through the check valve (30) from the brake actuator inlet (39) to the service brake valve outlet (20) is largely prevented in a second valve position of the directional control valve (24).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2018
    Assignee: WABCO GmbH
    Inventor: Gerd Roters
  • Patent number: 9897162
    Abstract: An apparatus is provided for vibration damping and isolation. The apparatus includes an annular spring portion including a resilient member that is substantially equally resilient in two dimensions, an annular bellows portion including at least two pairs of diametrically opposed bellows providing damping in the two dimensions, and a rigid connection member coupling the annular spring portion and the annular bellow portion in parallel to one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2018
    Assignee: HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventors: Kevin Witwer, Tim Daniel Barber, Stella Silvana Dearing, Ken Young