Patents Examined by Vicky A. Johnson
  • Patent number: 11572125
    Abstract: A clamp assembly for attaching a grip to a bike handlebar is provided. The clamp assembly includes an insertion member that is inserted between the grip and the bike handlebar and has an outer end formed with a jaw structure. A clamping member is disposed into and coupled with the jaw structure. The clamping member is of a C-shaped structure having a first end and a second end that face and correspond to each other and spaced by a spacing distance. With the clamping member being disposed into and coupled with the jaw structure of the insertion member, a fastening member is applied to reduce and shrink the spacing distance between the first end and the second end of the clamping member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2023
    Assignee: OXO PRO PTE. LTD.
    Inventor: Ronny Hoglund
  • Patent number: 11573590
    Abstract: A button structure includes a first component, a second component, and a pressing element mounted on the second component. The first component has a first base portion. The first base portion protrudes outward to form at least one first extending portion. The at least one first extending portion protrudes inward to form a limiting portion. The second component has a second base portion. The second base portion protrudes rearward to form at least one second extending portion. The at least one first extending portion and the at least one second extending portion are connected by a pivoting assembly. The at least one second extending portion protrudes rearward to form a blocking portion. When the blocking portion is pivoted on the first component, the blocking portion is alternatively located to a bottom of the limiting portion and a top of the limiting portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2023
    Assignee: CHENG UEI PRECISION INDUSTRY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Che-Hung Huang
  • Patent number: 11567524
    Abstract: A switch device includes an operating knob on which a tilting operation is performed, a detected portion that tilts with the tilting operation of the operating knob, a detection portion that detects movement of the detected portion, and a substrate on which the detection portion is arranged. The detection portion is aligned in an in-plane direction of the substrate and performs a switching operation upon detection of movement of the detected portion in the in-plane direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOKAI RIKA DENKI SEISAKUSHO
    Inventors: Shohei Mano, Keiji Minami
  • Patent number: 11565766
    Abstract: An operating device is basically provided with a base, a first operating member, a second operating member and an electric operating unit. The base is configured to mount the operating device to a handlebar. The base defines a mounting axis. The first operating member is pivotally arranged with respect to the base around a pivot axis. The second operating member is pivotally arranged with respect to the base around the pivot axis. The second operating member is a separate member from the first operating member. The electric operating unit is configured to be activated in response to a pivotal movement of the first operating member. The first operating member is arranged closer to the mounting axis than the electric operating unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: Shimano Inc.
    Inventor: Kentaro Kosaka
  • Patent number: 11548585
    Abstract: A handguard system for a handlebar of a bicycle is provided and includes a handguard article having a handguard first end communicated with a handguard second end via a handguard center portion, wherein the handguard second end is configured to associate with the handlebar. The handguard system also includes a handguard collar, wherein the handguard collar includes a handguard collar structure which defines a collar cavity configured to contain the handlebar and having a collar cavity diameter CCD which is configurable between a first collar cavity diameter CCD1 and a second collar cavity diameter CCD2. and Additionally, the handguard system further includes a handguard mounting device, wherein the handguard mounting device is configured to securingly associate with the handguard first end and the handlebar, wherein when the handguard article is securingly associated with the handlebar, the handguard center portion is configured to cover a portion of the handlebar.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Inventors: Sean Colsen, Glenn Olsen
  • Patent number: 11548545
    Abstract: A vehicle system including one or more sensors, a steering wheel including a rim and an adjusting mechanism for adjusting a coefficient of friction between a surface of the rim and a driver's hand, and a controller configured to determine whether a deviation factor between a target path and an actual path based on the one or more sensors exceeds a threshold deviation, send a first signal to the adjusting mechanism for operating to a first state in response to determining that the deviation factor exceeds the threshold deviation, the coefficient of friction being decreased when the adjusting mechanism is in the first state, and send a second signal to the adjusting mechanism for operating to a second state in response to determining that the deviation factor does not exceed the threshold deviation, the coefficient of friction being increased when the adjusting mechanism is in the second state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA RESEARCH INSTITUTE, INC.
    Inventors: Manuel Ludwig Kuehner, Jaime Camhi
  • Patent number: 11543848
    Abstract: An accelerator device having an organ structure includes a pad, a case, an inside movable mechanism, an arm, and a cover. The pad is pressed by a driver. The case is attachable to a vehicle body and includes a front wall, a rear wall, and an opened side. The inside movable mechanism is housed in the case and includes a shaft, a pedal, and a bias member. The arm penetrates an opening of the case so as to connect the pad to the pedal. The cover covers the opened side. The case on the vehicle body includes a drain passage positioned below a lowest position of a root of the pedal in a movement track while the pedal is moved from an accelerator idle state to an accelerator full-throttle state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Noriyasu Kihara, Haruhiko Suzuki, Yasuhiro Ootaka
  • Patent number: 11530013
    Abstract: A handlebar for controlling a travelling direction of a vehicle. The handlebar comprises: an elongate transverse support for mounting to a vehicle, the transverse support extending substantially along a transverse axis between a first end thereof and a second end thereof; wherein the transverse support comprises a first wake promotion portion configured to promote wake formation downstream thereof relative to one or more adjacent non-wake promotion portions of the transverse support when air flows over the handlebar in a flow direction substantially perpendicular to the transverse axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2022
    Assignee: CYCLESPORT NORTH LIMITED
    Inventors: Andrew Smallwood, Jamie Burrow
  • Patent number: 11524745
    Abstract: A bicycle pedal comprising an openwork body which comprises a front longitudinal wall, a rear longitudinal wall, and a central shaft having a transverse channel configured to receive a spindle fixed to a crank arm. The central shaft provides a connection between an outer side wall and an inner side wall located on the side of the crank arm. The body rotatably mounted about the spindle by at least one bearing. The central shaft extends outwardly toward the outside by two diverging arms delimiting between them a lateral recess provided in the body facing the channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: SRAM, LLC
    Inventors: Benjamin Marinier, Julien Limanton
  • Patent number: 11523952
    Abstract: A system for controlling a wheelchair is disclosed. The system includes an input device that includes a shaft element, a base element, and one or more annular elements. A lower distal end of the shaft element is coupled to the base element, and the shaft element is configured to pivotally move about the lower distal end of the shaft element. A first annular element of the one or more annular elements is circumferentially disposed around the shaft element. The first annular element is coupled to the base element, and the first annular element is configured to rotate about the shaft element. The input device is configured to generate one or more input signals based on a position of the first annular element and a pivotal movement of the shaft element. The one or more input signals are configured to cause a controller to set an operation mode of the wheelchair.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Christopher Lee, Douglas A. Moore
  • Patent number: 11519479
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for manufacturing a centrifugal pendulum (1) as well as a centrifugal pendulum (1) which is manufactured using said method and which comprises pendulum components (13, 14) made of sheet metal, i.e. a pendulum mass support (2) that is arranged about an axis of rotation (d), and pendulum masses (3) that are distributed about the circumference. In order to reduce tool costs and the cost per item, at least one punched blank (9) comprising at least two pendulum components (13, 14) is manufactured, whereupon the pendulum components (13, 14) are separated from one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG
    Inventors: Thorsten Krause, Lothar Moser, Hubert Friedmann, Christian Hügel
  • Patent number: 11512446
    Abstract: Embodiments of a work vehicle magnetorheological fluid (MRF) joystick system includes a joystick device having a base housing, a joystick movably mounted to the base housing, and a joystick position sensor monitoring movement of the joystick relative to the base housing. An MRF joystick resistance mechanism is controllable to vary a joystick stiffness resisting movement of the joystick relative to the base housing in at least one degree of freedom. A controller architecture is coupled to the joystick position sensor and to the MRF joystick resistance mechanism. The controller architecture is configured to: (i) command the MRF joystick resistance mechanism to increase the joystick stiffness when the joystick is moved into a first predetermined detent position to generate a first MRF detent; and (ii) selectively activate a first detent-triggered function of the work vehicle based, at least in part, on joystick movement relative to the first MRF detent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: DEERE & COMPANY
    Inventors: Mark E. Breutzman, Amy K. Jones, Madeline T. Oglesby, Erik W. McWethy
  • Patent number: 11511687
    Abstract: The steering heater 11 is provided on the surface of the skin material 23. The resistance value of the steering heater 11 is set to a level at which a heat quantity for heating the steering wheel 2 to a desired degree according to a voltage supplied from a power supply 32 which will be described later can be secured. The resistance value of the steering heater 11 is 1? or less, or the like, for example. When the resistance value of the steering heater 11 is set to 1? or less, for example, if the power supplied from the power supply 32 is about 13V, the heat quantity of the steering heater 11 is about 170 W and thus can appropriately heat the steering wheel 2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Shotaro Odate
  • Patent number: 11511185
    Abstract: An operation device includes a movable member that is movable within a predetermined range, and a restriction member that is disposed in a state of being movable in a movable direction of the movable member, that restricts the movable range of the movable member by coming into contact with a contact surface of the movable member in the movable direction, and that can be switched between a state of being in contact with a first range of the contact surface and restricting the movable range of the movable member and a state of being in contact with a second range, the second range being different from the first range, of the contact surface and restricting the movable range of the movable member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Yusuke Nakagawa, Ikuo Yamano
  • Patent number: 11504201
    Abstract: A surgical device for providing haptic feedback includes a housing having a cavity defined therein configured to receive a finger of a user and an elongated shaft configured to extend through the housing and into the cavity and configured to support a spring thereon and a pressure contact. A fluid-filled sensor is included that has a plurality of tubes configured to extend from the cavity, each tube includes a fluid-filled bladder at both ends thereof joined by a fluid channel therebetween. Each tube is configured to contain a fluid therein such that when a user's finger is engaged between the fluid-filled bladder at the proximal end of the tubes and the pressure contact, changes in pressure in the fluid-filled bladders at a distal end of the tubes is correspondingly registered in the fluid-filled bladders at the proximal end of the tubes providing haptic feedback to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: COVIDIEN LP
    Inventors: Daniel A. Joseph, John A. Hammerland, III, Duane E. Kerr
  • Patent number: 11505337
    Abstract: The gyroscopic impulse motor rigidly attaches to a superstructure. The gyroscopic impulse motor transfers a plurality of independent torqueing forces to the superstructure. By independent is meant the amount of force applied by any first independent torqueing force is independent of the amount of torqueing force applied by any second independent torqueing force generated by the gyroscopic impulse motor. By independent is further meant that the selected direction any first independent torqueing force is independent of the selected direction of any second independent torqueing force generated by the gyroscopic impulse motor. By controlling the amount and direction of the plurality of independent torqueing forces applied by the gyroscopic impulse motor to the superstructure, the superstructure can be rotated. By properly aligning the amount and direction of the plurality of independent torqueing forces applied by the gyroscopic impulse motor, a net propulsive force can further be generated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Inventor: Clay Plemmons
  • Patent number: 11505917
    Abstract: In embodiments, a work vehicle magnetorheological fluid (MRF) joystick system includes a joystick device. The joystick device includes, in turn, a base housing and a joystick, which is rotatable relative to the base housing and which is biased toward a joystick return position. An MRF joystick resistance mechanism is controllable to vary an MRF resistance force impeding movement of the joystick relative to the base housing, while a controller architecture is coupled to the MRF joystick resistance mechanism. The controller configured to: (i) selectively enable an operator adjustment of the joystick return position by a work vehicle operator; and (ii) when enabling the operator adjustment of the joystick return position, command the MRF joystick resistance mechanism to maintain the MRF resistance force at a predetermined level until the operator adjustment of the joystick return position is terminated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: DEERE & COMPANY
    Inventors: Brett S. Graham, Alex R. Vandegrift
  • Patent number: 11499292
    Abstract: In embodiments, a work vehicle magnetorheological fluid (MRF) joystick system includes a joystick device, an MRF joystick resistance mechanism, and a controller architecture. The joystick device includes, in turn, a base housing, a joystick, and a joystick position sensor. The MRF joystick resistance mechanism is controllable to selectively resist movement of the joystick relative to the base housing. The controller architecture is configured to: (i) when detecting operator rotation of the joystick in an operator input direction, determine whether continued joystick rotation in the operator input direction will misposition the work vehicle in a manner increasing at least one of work vehicle instability and a likelihood of work vehicle collision; and (ii) when determining that continued joystick rotation will misposition the work vehicle, command the MRF joystick resistance mechanism to generate an MRF resistance force deterring continued joystick rotation in the operator input direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: DEERE & COMPANY
    Inventors: Todd F. Velde, Madeline T. Oglesby, Lance R. Sherlock, Benjamin P. Koestler, Mark D. Anderson, Aaron R. Kenkel, Doug M. Lehmann, Craig Christofferson, Kenneth Franck, Christopher J. Meyer
  • Patent number: 11492063
    Abstract: An operating device comprises a base member and an operating member. The base member includes a base body and a mounting part. The mounting part includes a mounting contact surface contactable with a tubular part of the human-powered vehicle in a mounting state where the mounting part couples the base body to the tubular part of the human-powered vehicle. The base member includes a first contact surface and a second contact surface. The first contact surface is contactable with the tubular part of the human-powered vehicle in the mounting state. The first contact surface is spaced apart from the mounting contact surface in an axial direction. The second contact surface is contactable with the tubular part of the human-powered vehicle in the mounting state. The second contact surface is spaced apart from the mounting contact surface and the first contact surface in the axial direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Assignee: SHIMANO INC.
    Inventor: Kohei Obuchi
  • Patent number: 11492061
    Abstract: A handle protection device configured for a personal mobility, which is mounted on an upper end portion of a steering shaft may include a handle member disposed with a grip portion at opposite sides of the handle member, includes a first protection member mounted on an external surface of the handle member between the grip portion and the steering shaft, a protection cover configured to enclose and accommodate the grip portion and one or more components provided on the grip portion and including a coupling end portion at a first end portion of the protection cover and detachably coupled to the first protection member and an opening through which a hand of a user enters and exits, and a second protection member fixed to a second end portion of the protection cover opposite to the coupling end portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Corporation
    Inventors: Yocheol Jang, Donghee Seok, Duck Young Kim, Ilsun Song, Hee Jin Ro