Patents Examined by Thomas Neubauer
  • Patent number: 9683395
    Abstract: An advanced latch for a main door of an aircraft emergency oxygen container can be manually released by a manual release actuator pin to move the main door to an intermediate test position, while pushing the manual release actuator pin further releases the latch completely, causing the main door to open. The latch also can be operated automatically by utilizing a small, lightweight motor or an equivalent pneumatic actuator mechanism to rotate a gear mechanism of the latch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2017
    Assignee: B/E Aerospace, Inc.
    Inventors: Girish Kshirsagar, Thomas McDonald, Dominic Nadukudiyil
  • Patent number: 9677303
    Abstract: An attachment structure for a door lock device includes (1) a rod provided at an outer side section, that is disposed such that a length direction of the rod is in the vehicle vertical direction, and that is coupled to a door outer handle to move vertically upon operation of the door outer handle; (2) a releasing section provided at an inner side section, that includes a joining section to which the rod is joined from the vehicle width direction outside, and that releases a locked state of the door lock device upon vertical movement of the rod; (3) a restricting section provided at the outer side section, and that restricts movement of the rod toward the vehicle width direction outside and in the vehicle front-rear direction; and (4) a guiding section provided at the releasing section, and that guides the rod into the joining section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yasunori Hirosawa
  • Patent number: 9649126
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing an ultrasonic surgical instrument includes providing an ultrasonic waveguide comprising a blade implement at a distal end thereof, providing an ultrasonic transducer assembly, and providing a hollow sheath sized to receive the ultrasonic blade. The method further includes identifying a motionless node on the ultrasonic waveguide when the ultrasonic transducer assembly is driven at maximum current at a resonant frequency of the ultrasonic transducer assembly, and installing a seal on the waveguide at the motionless node, wherein the seal has an annular groove therein. Installing the seal comprises positioning a first annular seal portion at the motionless node on the waveguide such that a first axial seal portion and a second axial seal portion extend axially in opposite axial directions beyond the first annular seal portion. When compressed, the seal maintains a contact with the waveguide that is less than a contact with the hollow sheath.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: Ethicon Endo-Surgery, LLC
    Inventors: Galen C. Robertson, Kevin L. Houser, Mark A. Neurohr
  • Patent number: 9644403
    Abstract: A system for controlling a locking module for a vehicle door having an electronic latch mechanism is provided. An electronic handle switch is operatively connected to the door and a controller. The electronic handle switch is configured to at least partially control operation of the electronic latch mechanism. The locking module is configured to block the electronic handle switch, thereby preventing the door from being unlatched. The locking module is enabled when one or more predefined operating parameters are met. The controller disables the locking module when one or more entry conditions are satisfied. At least one sensor is operatively connected to the controller, the sensor being configured to indicate one of two states, a first state and a second state. The entry conditions include at least one sensor indicating the second state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Richard J. Lange, Phillip C. Storck, III
  • Patent number: 9644405
    Abstract: A device for preventing unauthorized opening of a door comprises a bracket, a main handle, and a wedge. The bracket is adapted for mounting the device to a door. The main handle is pivotably attached to the bracket. The main handle has a pivot end attached to the bracket and an opposing grasping end. The main handle is selectively pivotably movable upward and downward. The main handle is adapted such that pivoting the main handle upward moves the grasping end toward the door and pivoting the main handle downward moves the grasping end away from the door. The wedge is pivotably affixed to the main handle and biased toward the door when the main handle is in a downward position. The main handle is adapted to push a distal end of the wedge at least partly under a bottom surface of the door when the main handle is pivoted downward.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignee: LOW COUNTRY CREATIVE, LLC
    Inventors: Chris McCann, Scott A. Witthaus
  • Patent number: 9631406
    Abstract: A magnetic gate latch comprises magnetic materials and a latching mechanism attracted into a keeper when the gate latch is closed by a first magnetic force and retained in a unlatched position by a second magnetic force. For example, the latching mechanism comprises a pin without a spring or other biasing mechanism biasing the spring in a direction opposite of a magnet in the keeper assembly. In one example, the pin comprises a magnet on an end of the pin opposite from the keeper assembly, which is attracted toward a ferromagnetic material when the pin is retracted into the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2017
    Assignee: Weldon Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Joel Chartier, Christopher Paradies
  • Patent number: 9617755
    Abstract: A reinforced door strike assembly comprises a housing having an opening for admission and retraction of a door latch. At least one keeper arm is movably attached to the housing, and movable between a closed position where the opening is occluded and an open position where the door latch may be released from the opening. A reinforcing bracket is mounted to the housing and further defines the opening. The reinforcing bracket is coupled to the at least one keeper arm and to the housing to hold the at least one keeper arm in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: Hanchett Entry Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Joshua T. Peabody, Francisco Figueroa-Del Pozo, Ryan Matthew Sims, Dominik Scheffler
  • Patent number: 9617766
    Abstract: Latch assembly including a latch arm, having first and second length edges and first and second width edges. The latch arm includes a latch pawl, a pivot connector, and a stabilizing member, positioned in a plane. The latch pawl connected to the first width edge and providing spring force resisting deflection non-parallel to the plane. The pivot connector and stabilizing member formed within an area of the latch arm. The stabilizing member extending distally relative to the second width edge to the pivot connector, and providing spring force resisting deflection parallel to the plane. The component and latch assembly including a component having first and second faces being adjacent and perpendicular. The latch arm rotatably mounted on the second face between latched and unlatched positions. Assembly including an embossment positioned to deflect the latch pawl during latching so the latch arm sits raised upon the embossment in the latched position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Eric A. Eckberg, Jessica R. Eidem, James D. Gerken, Rebeccah J. Vossberg, Daniel A. Wright
  • Patent number: 9605455
    Abstract: A self-contained combination latch and cam lock adapter module affixes to the rear of any lock (keyed or non-keyed) that has a requisite mating feature. The module is alignable in any of four positions (up, down, left, and right) on the back of the lock for latching in any installed position. The module allows a user to slam closed an associated door or drawer without having to rotate the lock into a locked position. The module retrofits in the field by removing and replacing an existing fixed cam. In one embodiment, a mating part is rotationally spring-loaded so that when the key or knob is turned and then released, the module automatically returns to its locked position, ready to be shut.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: CompX International Inc.
    Inventors: John Y. Kamin, Robert E. Dalton, Jr.
  • Patent number: 9587746
    Abstract: A seal assembly for a rotary machine is provided. The seal assembly includes multiple sealing device segments disposed circumferentially intermediate to a stationary housing and a rotor. Each of the segments includes a shoe plate with a forward-shoe section and an aft-shoe section having one or more labyrinth teeth therebetween facing the rotor. The sealing device includes a stator interface element having a groove or slot for allowing disposal of a spline seal for preventing segment leakages. The sealing device segment also includes multiple bellow springs or flexures connected to the shoe plate and to the stator interface element. Further, the sealing device segments include a secondary seal integrated with the stator interface element at one end and positioned about the multiple bellow springs or flexures and the shoe plate at the other end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Rahul Anil Bidkar, Neelesh Nandkumar Sarawate, Christopher Edward Wolfe, Eric John Ruggiero, Vivek Raja Raj Mohan
  • Patent number: 9580941
    Abstract: A handle module is provided for fastening an outer door handle to a motor vehicle door with a modular basic body that in a final assembly state with its outer door handle protrudes through an opening in the outer door panel and comes to lie on the inside of the outer door panel. A giver is mounted on the modular basic body in a manner allowing pivoting or turning can be brought in operational connection with a taker of the door lock via an actuation rod. A shielding device is provided that at least partially encloses the giver at least in some regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Andreas Heberer, Winfried Langendorf, Mark Rosenau, Peter Eduard Schuessler, Joerg Gschweng, Thorsten Luedtke
  • Patent number: 9567779
    Abstract: A lid lock apparatus for a vehicle includes a housing, a moving member supported within the housing, and a biasing member to bias the moving member in a direction in which the moving member engages with the lid member, the biasing member including a coil portion wound in a spiral shape and arranged at a lower side of the moving member so that an axial center of the coil portion is in a skewed position relative to an axis of the moving member, a fixed arm extending from a first end portion of the coil portion to engage with the housing, and a moving arm extending from a second end portion of the coil portion to engage with the moving member, the moving arm being deflected in a circumferential direction of the coil portion relative to the fixed arm by a movement of the moving member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignee: AISIN SEIKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takumi Niwa, Toshihiro Kitamura, Hiroshi Ban
  • Patent number: 9523224
    Abstract: An apparatus for reinforcing a deadbolt lock comprising a pin, a door brace with an orifice for a deadbolt, a base plate with an orifice for engaging said pin with a base plate further being attached to the door brace, a turn knob attached and in rotational communication with a base plate. The turn knob further comprising an orifice for said pin and a deadbolt which can extend through the door brace. When the turn knob is rotated the pin can engage the door brace or base plate and prevent movement of the deadbolt through the door brace.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Inventor: Ron R. Daniels
  • Patent number: 9518410
    Abstract: An outside handle of a door of a vehicle that opens a latch, including a rotatable flap that sits flush against an outer panel of the vehicle in a closed position and that provides an opening to an interior of the handle in an open position, and a rotating lever behind the outer panel, movement of the lever opening the latch of the door. The handle is arranged such that the flap rotates to the open position when the door is unlocked and rotates to the closed position when the door is locked.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2016
    Assignee: AISIN TECHNICAL CENTER OF AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Stephanie Vasi, Eric Archambeau, Mike Howlett, Patrick Stewart
  • Patent number: 9512924
    Abstract: An inner peripheral surface (10C) of an elastic seal (10) having a U-shaped cross section and made of rubber is supported by a guide ring (20) having a flat cross-sectional shape and made of synthetic resin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2016
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI CABLE INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Yasuji Uesugi, Atsushi Hosokawa
  • Patent number: 9512652
    Abstract: In an opening/closing operation device for a vehicle open/close door, a handle and a lever for transmitting an unlock operation force to a latch mechanism are turnably supported by an open/close door, and one end portion of the lever is brought into contact with a contact surface formed in the handle. In the contact surface, at least a portion to be in contact with the one end portion of the lever at an initial stage of the manipulation of the handle is formed in an inclined manner or curvedly: in a way that makes the portion situated more forward in a movement direction, in which the contact surface moves in response to the turn of the handle, as the portion comes closer to a rotary fulcrum of the lever in a direction along a plane orthogonal to the movement direction such that the portion intersects the plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2016
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Honda Lock, Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tatsuro Ono, Hiroto Fujiwara, Yuichi Nakamura, Yuichiro Yamaoka, Masatoshi Adachi
  • Patent number: 9506564
    Abstract: A plurality of concave portion to be spaced apart from each other in a circumferential direction through a pillar portion is formed in an inner circumferential side of a side surface of a seal ring mounted in a shaft groove formed in an outer circumferential surface of a shaft. The concave portion including a deepest portion, and two inclined portions, connects the inclined portion positioned at an opposite side in a rotational direction and the adjacent pillar portion with a curved surface having a shape convex, and further, makes a width in the circumferential direction of the inclined portion of the rotational direction side smaller than a width in the circumferential direction of the inclined portion of the opposite side in the rotational direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2016
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA RIKEN
    Inventors: Junya Nagai, Mika Saito, Tomoya Shibano
  • Patent number: 9506278
    Abstract: A modular multi-point lock system that is both simple to install and easy to service. By inserting the lock case into a recess for containing the lock case that is located in the edge of the door, the shootbolt drive mechanism located within the lock case will engage first and second shootbolts respectively installed into recesses in the top and bottom of the door that communicate with the recess for containing the lock case, without requiring a manual interconnection to be made between the lock case and shootbolts. Similarly, the lock case can be removed from the door without removing the first and second shootbolts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2016
    Assignee: HOPPE Holding AG
    Inventor: Daniel D. Mattrisch
  • Patent number: 9506276
    Abstract: A closing device pivots on a vehicle body between a closing position and an opening position, such as a rear flap of a motor vehicle, with a closing element on the body side and an opposite closing element on the flap side for locking and unlocking the flap and with at least one ejection element. A plunger can be moved in a guide at least between a working position and a rest position, which upon movement into a working position can be tensioned against the force of a tensioning device. The plunger interacts with the flap for the manual opening and closing through the at least partial relaxing of the plunger. The plunger is lockable and unlockable through a locking device in a locking position in which it is tensioned at least as far as to the working position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2016
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Wolfgang Rasel, Gregor Zoledzki, Peter Kahler, Hans Geiser, Heiko Dietrich
  • Patent number: 9487976
    Abstract: A door locking device includes a supporting frame, a latch rotationally carried about a first axis by the supporting frame, a receiver for a locking tooth of the latch and first elastic element for rotating the latch between a first steady position in which, in use, with the door being closed, the tooth of the latch engages the receiver, and a second steady position, in which the tooth does not engage the receiver. The supporting frame is shaped to be fixed, in use, to one side of an access opening of the electric household appliance, integral with a casing of the latter; and the receiver has at least one seat carried, in use, by an edge of the door facing, in use, the side of the access opening provided with the supporting frame; moreover, the first axis is transversally movable with respect to itself, relatively to the supporting frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2016
    Assignee: ILLINOIS TOOL WORKS INC.
    Inventors: Gianbattista Ala, Pierluigi Carli