Patents Examined by Victor MacArthur
  • Patent number: 9593765
    Abstract: An electronic auto shift lever, and more particularly, a smart touch type electronic auto shift lever configures a shift operating unit of the auto shift lever. The auto shift lever includes a touch screen and provides a predetermined shift pattern to a user to perform a shift operation by an input through the touch screen, in which the user is allowed to arbitrarily change the shift pattern to provide various shift patterns corresponding to a user's taste, in an auto shift lever of an automatic transmission vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2017
    Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company
    Inventors: Eun Sik Kim, Jeongseop Lee
  • Patent number: 9586156
    Abstract: A gear mechanism having a shuttle gear adjacent both an auxiliary gear and an action gear and a cam plate, having a shuttle lock adjacent the shuttle gear and including a cam follower riding back and forth along a first cam pathway with an action element in mechanical communication with the action gear. A motor operates the shuttle gear with rotation of the motor in a first direction rotating the shuttle gear into engagement with the auxiliary gear, activating the shuttle lock to maintain the engagement throughout a predetermined rotational range of the cam plate and rotating the cam plate back and forth driving controlled back and forth movement of the auxiliary elements, with rotation of the motor in a second direction rotating the cam plate beyond the predetermined range releasing the shuttle lock.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignee: Hasbro, Inc.
    Inventors: John J Russo, Richard J Maddocks, Paul Nicholas Paulson
  • Patent number: 9581226
    Abstract: A barrel cam rudder pedal system is provided. The system includes an outer housing with a chassis assembly carried by the outer housing. A barrel cam arrangement is rotationally mounted within an interior space of the chassis assembly. A pair of pedal assemblies is mechanically coupled to the barrel cam arrangement such that linear movement of either of the pair of pedal assemblies results in a rotation of the barrel cam arrangement about a central longitudinal axis defined by the barrel cam arrangement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: Woodward MPC, Inc.
    Inventors: Anton A. Petrou, Maciej J. Piotrowski
  • Patent number: 9562551
    Abstract: A locking device for mechanical pieces, particularly for pieces subjected to mechanical processing or similar, comprising at least one hollow body that forms a sliding seat, a movable stem that is accommodated slidingly partially within the sliding seat of the hollow body and radial expansion elements which are interposed between the hollow body and the movable stem, the radial expansion elements being adapted to mutually lock the hollow body and the movable stem, the movable stem protruding partially from the hollow body with the hollow body and the movable stem jointly associable, at their free ends, by way of elements for connection, respectively, to a mechanical piece to be processed or a fixed part of a machine with which the mechanical piece is to be processed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2017
    Assignee: FCS SYSTEM SRL
    Inventor: Almerino Canuto
  • Patent number: 9556954
    Abstract: A method for performing a shuttle shift with a transmission of a work vehicle is disclosed, wherein the transmission includes an input shaft, a counter shaft and a plurality of driven shafts extending generally parallel to the input and counter shafts. The method may include disengaging a clutch associated with a first directional gear of a directional shaft of the plurality of driven shafts. The first directional gear may be configured to rotate the directional shaft in a first direction. Additionally, the method may include engaging clutches associated with at least two gears of at least one secondary driven shaft of the plurality of driven shafts to reduce a rotational speed of the directional shaft and, after the rotational speed of the directional shaft is reduced, engaging a clutch associated with a second directional gear of the directional shaft such that the directional shaft rotates in a second direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: CNH Industrial America LLC
    Inventors: Yanming Hou, Garth Harvey Bulgrien
  • Patent number: 9556890
    Abstract: An elastic alignment assembly includes a first component having a first engagement surface. Also included is a second component having a second engagement surface and is configured to be mated with the first component. Further included is a receiving feature formed in at least one of the first engagement surface and the second engagement surface. Yet further included is a protrusion comprising a first sidewall and a second sidewall, the protrusion extending away from at least one of the first engagement surface and the second engagement surface, the protrusion formed of an elastically deformable material to elastically deform at a first interface and a second interface upon contact with the receiving feature, wherein the first interface is located proximate the first sidewall and the receiving feature, and wherein the second interface is located proximate the second sidewall and the receiving feature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Joel Colombo, Michael D. Richardson, Steven E. Morris
  • Patent number: 9551151
    Abstract: A coupling apparatus presses conical members having curved surfaces in a direction perpendicular to reinforcing bars by using hydraulic pressure, thereby considerably reducing working time for coupling reinforcing bars, completely securing the reinforcing bars and increasing compressive and bending strength. It is possible to stably carry force from the conical members through external force dispersion medium members to reinforcing bar securing members. Accordingly, there is a structural advantage of effectively preventing the displacement and the loosening of the coupled reinforcing bars.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Inventor: Jong-youl Lee
  • Patent number: 9541186
    Abstract: A housing accommodates a motor and a deceleration mechanism. The deceleration mechanism includes a support axis extending perpendicularly to an output shaft of the motor. The housing includes a case and a cover. The case is in a bottomed tubular shape to have an accommodation chamber and a holder portion. The holder portion surrounds a bottom of the accommodation chamber and is in contact with the motor. The cover is mounted to the case to surround an opening of the case and to form a hollow portion with the holder portion to accommodate at least the motor. The motor and the deceleration mechanism are mountable into the accommodation chamber through the opening in one direction from a side of a mounting surface of the case, on which the housing is to be affixed to a support portion of an affixing member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2017
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Shogo Kanzaki
  • Patent number: 9534421
    Abstract: An engaging mechanism includes an engaging member and an engaged member freely detachably engageable with the engaging member. The engaging member includes an engaging main part and an engaging claw part formed on the engaging main part, both resiliently deformable. The engaging claw part has an inwardly curved engaging surface defined by a first curvature continuous curve. The engaged member includes an engaged part engageable with the engaging claw part and having an outwardly curved engaged surface defined by a second curvature continuous curve. The engaging surface and the engaged surface contact each other at a linear contact area at a time from when the engaging claw part and the engaged part are in engagement with each other through to when the engaging claw part is disengaged from the engaged part. A curvature of the engaging surface at the linear contact area is smaller than a curvature of the engaged surface at the linear contact area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2017
    Assignee: AKUSESU CORPORATION
    Inventor: Katsuzo Kamada
  • Patent number: 9534418
    Abstract: Concrete mounting apparatuses, concrete connector installation assemblies, and methods of installing a concrete mounting apparatus are disclosed. In some embodiments, the concrete mounting apparatus may include a mounting base that is planar and is configured to be supported on concrete. The mounting base may include a plurality of apertures sized to receive one or more fasteners. The apparatus may additionally include an attachment member attached to, or formed with, the mounting base. The apparatus may further include a support member configured to be supported on the mounting base. The support member may include a hole configured to receive at least a portion of the attachment member, a plurality of holes that is adjacent to the attachment member when the attachment member is received in the hole, and one or more spaced fins configured to receive one or more rails of the fence.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2017
    Inventor: Stanley George Wallulis
  • Patent number: 9534681
    Abstract: With a wave gear device, the gears employ homothetic curve tooth profiles AD, BE. Furthermore, a transposition is applied to the external teeth along the tooth trace such that the movement loci M2, M3 of the external teeth in a section perpendicular to the axis, from the aperture end to the inner end, share the movement locus M1 of the aperture end and bottom portion thereof, and a continuous meshing of the teeth in the tooth trace direction is achieved. Furthermore, the tooth bottom rim thickness of the aperture end of the external teeth is optimized using a modified Goodman diagram, and a tooth bottom rim thickness which takes into account the relationship between the tooth profile and the transmitted torque from the aperture end to the inner end is employed for the flexible external gear.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2017
    Assignee: HARMONIC DRIVE SYSTEMS INC.
    Inventor: Shoichi Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 9528580
    Abstract: A linear actuator includes a housing (100), a base plate (200) disposed in the housing (100), and two actuating mechanisms (310, 320) disposed on the base plate (200) and received in the housing (100). Each actuating mechanism (310/320) comprises a motor (311/321), a transmission assembly (312/322), a screw rod (313/323), and a supporting block (314/324). Two motors (311, 321) and two transmission assemblies (312, 322) are disposed on the base plate (200). Two motors (311, 321) are kinetically connected to two assemblies (312, 322), respectively. One end of the screw rod (313/323) is connected to and rotated by the transmission assemblies (312/322). The other end of the screw rod (313/323) is screwed to the supporting block (314/324). Thus, two supporting blocks (314, 324) are driven to move in the housing (100).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Assignee: TIMOTION TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Chou-Hsin Wu
  • Patent number: 9512674
    Abstract: An expandable fence gate frame assembly for providing an expandable frame for constructing a fence gate includes a first end assembly, a second end assembly, and an expansion assembly coupled between the first end assembly and the second end assembly such that the first end assembly and the second end assembly are positionable at a selectable distance apart with the expansion assembly extending between the first end assembly and the second end assembly. A first board connector is coupled to the first end assembly and a second board connector is coupled to the second end assembly such that the first end assembly and the second end assembly are designed to support a cross board extending between the first end assembly and the second end assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2016
    Inventor: John G. Keudell
  • Patent number: 9506544
    Abstract: A ball screw device or linear motion guide device has a seal member preventing dust and dirt from entering into a movable member of a linear motion guide device and seals out fine dust, dirt or like by surely contacting a seal to a shaft member without providing a large margin to the seal. The seal member includes a body portion mounted to the movable member and a lip portion contacting an outer portion of the shaft member, the lip portion has an oblique surface having an axial section inclining with respect to its axial direction, the body portion has an urging member urging the lip portion in a diameter direction of the shaft member and a reinforcing portion reinforcing the body portion. The urging member is located on the reinforcing portion side than the tip end of the lip portion in the axial sectional shape of the lip portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2016
    Assignee: THK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Katsuya Iida, Soshi Miyahara, Hideo Saito, Toshiaki Kadono, Masahiko Yoshino, Tsutomu Togashi, Eri Kameda, Futoshi Nakamura
  • Patent number: 9494041
    Abstract: In a part-fastening structure, one of respective threads of a first nut member for fastening a first part and a second nut member for fastening a second part, is a right-hand thread, and the other is a left-hand thread. The members are connected together by a connecting member against relative rotation. Thus, rotation of the first member in its loosening direction acts in a direction of fastening the second member via the connecting member, and rotation of the second member in its loosening direction acts in a direction of fastening the first member via the connecting member, so that looseness of both the members is prevented, while reducing the number of locking parts to minimize an increase in an axial dimension.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2016
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masayuki Fukutani, Kenichi Senda
  • Patent number: 9487145
    Abstract: A locking mechanism associated with a handrail is provided. A pair of slots is provided on opposite side surfaces of the housing. Each of the side surfaces is adjacent to the side open end. A bracket is affixed to any one of the side surface of the housing. A locking member is pivotally coupled to the bracket. The first arm of the locking member is configured to selectively engage with the pair of slots to retain the handrail in the upright position. On exerting a force in an upward direction on a second arm of the locking member the first arm is selectively released from the pair of slots to allow the handrail to move from an upright position to a collapsed position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2016
    Assignee: CATERPILLAR UNDERGROUND MINING PTY. LTD.
    Inventor: Sunil Koshy
  • Patent number: 9482254
    Abstract: A telescopic rod includes a large-diameter rod segment, a small-diameter rod segment, and a clamping unit. The large-diameter rod segment is telescopically joinable to the small-diameter rod segment, and includes a uniform-dimension main region, a marginal region, and a dimension reducible region which has left and right grip areas defined by an elongated gap and proximate and distal transverse slots communicated with the elongated gap. The clamping unit is displaceable between an untightened state and a tightened state, where the dimension reducible region is squeezed by the clamping unit such that the left and right grip areas tightly and evenly grip the small-diameter rod segment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Inventor: Hsin-Yuan Lai
  • Patent number: 9481094
    Abstract: An arm member has: a first rod and a second rod each of which has a rod side joint portion which is assembled with the counterpart joint portion; and a connecting member which interconnects the two rods. The assembled state of the rod side joint portion with the counterpart joint portions is released by separating the two rods from each other for a predetermined distance or more. The connecting member includes: a first connecting piece disposed on the first rod; a second connecting piece disposed on the second rod; a spring member which is installed between the two connecting pieces and biases the two rods in directions to approach each other; and a regulating member that regulates displacement of the two rods in the departing directions, so that the distance between the two rods becomes less than the predetermined distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: YAMAHA HATSUDOKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Akifumi Hirano
  • Patent number: 9481307
    Abstract: A locking mechanism associated with a handrail is provided. A pair of slots is provided on opposite side surfaces of the housing. Each of the side surfaces is adjacent to the side open end. A bracket is affixed to any one of the side surface of the housing. A locking member is pivotally coupled to the bracket. The first arm of the locking member is configured to selectively engage with the pair of slots to retain the handrail in the upright position. On exerting a force in a downward direction on a second arm of the locking member the first arm is selectively released from the pair of slots to allow the handrail to move from an upright position to a collapsed position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: CATERPILLAR UNDERGROUD MINING PTY. LTD.
    Inventor: Sunil Koshy
  • Patent number: 9482255
    Abstract: Dual directional latch devices or connectors are described wherein a first connector component and a second connector component have a first latched position and a second latched position when moving in a first direction and wherein movement in a second direction is also possible when a restriction feature is overcome. As described, opposing magnetic forces, pneumatic pressure, spring force, and a crushable force may be incorporated so that further movement in the second direction must overcome the restriction feature. The dual direction latch devices may be used with articles of manufacture such as with implantable medical devices, door panels, airplane panels, and drilling devices to name a few.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: Bal Seal Engineering, Inc.
    Inventors: Derek Changsrivong, Rob Sjostedt, Hugh Cook, Rick Dawson