Patents Examined by Zachary L Kuhfuss
  • Patent number: 10752266
    Abstract: An axlebox for a railway vehicle, having a housing provided with a through bore extending along a central axis, a bearing unit housed in the bore, and a back cover. The back cover and housing are fixed together by special manufactured shapes so as to minimize spare parts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2020
    Assignee: Aktiebolaget SKF
    Inventors: François Champalou, Thierry Le Moigne
  • Patent number: 10745866
    Abstract: A tie plate picker for extracting tie plates from ties such as railroad cross ties. Pistons driving arms are arranged to be moving in directions toward a vertical center line when they are extending out of cylinders.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2020
    Assignee: TIENERGY LLC
    Inventor: Steve Berglund
  • Patent number: 10742070
    Abstract: An apparatus comprises a first induction section comprising a first core and a first coil on the first core. A second induction section comprises a second core and a second coil on the second core. The first core comprises rail extensions, where at least two of the rail extensions extend from opposite ends of the first core. The second core comprises shoe portions located at respective ones of the rail extensions, where a gap is provided between each of the rail extensions and respective ones of the shoe portion. The second induction section is configured to move relative to the first induction section in a path along the extensions. The first induction section is configured to induce current in the second induction section, including when the second core moves relative to the first core along the extensions, to provide a contactless induction coupling between the first induction section and the second induction section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2020
    Assignee: Persimmon Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Martin Hosek, Sripati Sah
  • Patent number: 10729986
    Abstract: For the vehicles of an interactive fairground ride, in particular a rollercoaster, control consoles are proposed which are equipped with a control button and a display unit and are assigned to each passenger. These control buttons and, if appropriate, the display units of all the control consoles, are connected by means of a transmitter, by radio or by cable, to an evaluation and control unit which detects the reaction times for all passengers and calculates a mean value, the collective reaction time, therefrom. A signal for starting the vehicle is not generated until after the expiry of the collective reaction time. In a fairground ride of this kind, the emphasis is on the interaction between all the passengers of a vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2020
    Assignee: Mack Rides GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Stephan Schrade
  • Patent number: 10730540
    Abstract: A system for selectively disabling highway crossing equipment includes a timer for controlling a maximum out of service time for the highway crossing equipment, a switch for controlling disablement of the highway crossing equipment, and control circuitry responsive to the timer and the switch. The control circuitry disables the highway crossing equipment in response to an input received from the switch before the maximum out of service time has been reached and re-enables the highway crossing equipment in response to a subsequent input from the switch received before the maximum out of service time has been reached. The control circuitry places the highway crossing equipment in a failsafe condition when the maximum out of service time has been reached without receiving the subsequent input from the switch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2020
    Assignee: BNSF Railway Company
    Inventor: Joseph Daniel Schnell
  • Patent number: 10731302
    Abstract: Guide rail support (10) intended to withstand forces (F) exerted in a direction (T) transverse to a railway track on a guide rail (5) extending in a longitudinal direction (L) of the railway track. The guide rail comprises: a front face (31) in the transverse direction for supporting the guide rail (5) or an attachment part (23) of the guide rail, a lower face (33) in a third direction (V) substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the transverse direction, wherein the lower face transversely comprises at least one front section (43) and one rear section (45), and at least one reinforcement rib (35) transversely linking the front face and the rear section. The rear section and the front section respectably define, in a contact plane (P) of the lower face with the rail support, two distinct contact surfaces (47, 49) separated by a section (51) of the contact plane and devoid of any contact with the lower face, while the reinforcement rib spans the said section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2020
    Assignee: VOSSLOH COGIFER
    Inventors: Francesco Barresi, Christophe Koebel
  • Patent number: 10717449
    Abstract: A monorail vehicle includes a chassis supporting a vehicle body that includes a passenger floor, a first side wall, and a second side wall and first and second propulsion systems. Each propulsion system includes an electric motor and a drive wheel coupled to a rotor of the electric motor. Each electric motor and the drive wheel coupled to the rotor of the electric motor are positioned on both sides of an imaginary plane extension of the passenger floor. First and second shells cover portions of the first and second propulsion system. The first shell is positioned proximate to the first side wall and defines a first space between the second side wall. The second shell is positioned proximate to the second side wall and defines a second space between the first side wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2020
    Assignee: Bombardier Transportation GmbH
    Inventors: Peter Edward Timan, Hans Peter Trotsch, Martin Bazant, Daniel Martinez-Anon-Perez, Alexander Bauer
  • Patent number: 10717452
    Abstract: A handcart for manually conveying objects on a pair of railroad rails includes a first structure having a first end and a second end, the first end having a first opening therein, a second structure attached to the first support bar such that a frame is formed between the first and second structures by one or more crossbeams, and a first wheel assembly having a first wheel and a first axle extending therefrom, the first axle detachably locked via the first axle positioned in the first opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2020
    Inventor: Myles E. Paisley
  • Patent number: 10710618
    Abstract: A mounting arrangement (100) includes an attachment member (102) for attachment to an end of a post (114), a connecting member (104) coupled to the attachment member (102), and a plurality of fastening elements (110) coupling the connecting member (104) to the attachment member (102), each fastening element (110) comprising a longitudinal axis (110A), longitudinal axes (110A) of the plurality of fastening elements (110) being substantially parallel to each other. The connecting member (104) is coupled to the attachment member (102) in a direction defined by the longitudinal axes (110A) of the plurality of fastening elements (110), wherein the attachment member (102) and the connecting member (104) comprise mating cylindrical surfaces (118, 140) which allow a tilting motion of the connecting member (104) about a rotating axis which is perpendicular to the longitudinal axes (110A) of the plurality of fastening elements (110).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2020
    Assignee: SIEMENS MOBILITY, INC.
    Inventors: Richard C. Bohme, Carrie Williamson, Nicholas Torris
  • Patent number: 10710746
    Abstract: An unmanned aerial vehicle system includes a ground station including a case, a power supply housed in the case, and a tether having a first end and a second end opposite to the first end. The first end of the tether is coupled to the case. The unmanned aerial vehicle system also includes a module including smart battery authentication circuitry configured to be coupled to the second end of the tether. The module is configured to be connected to an unmanned aerial vehicle. The smart battery authentication circuitry enables the unmanned aerial vehicle to receive power from the power supply housed in the case when the module is connected to the unmanned aerial vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2020
    Assignee: Stabilis Inc.
    Inventors: Manuel Lombardini, Joseph Koehler, Rashad Moarref
  • Patent number: 10703394
    Abstract: A method of producing an electrode-equipped plate spring of a railcar bogie includes: a resin removing step of partially irradiating a surface of fiber-reinforced resin, prepared by including electrically conductive fibers in resin, of a plate spring with a laser beam to partially remove the resin and partially expose the electrically conductive fibers; and an electrode forming step of attaching an electrode to an exposed region formed by partially exposing the electrically conductive fibers of the fiber-reinforced resin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2020
    Assignee: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takehiro Nishimura, Yousuke Tsumura, Masayuki Mitsue, Teruhisa Nakaoka, Fumihide Inamura, Katsuyuki Kawashima, Akira Todoroki, Yusuke Nishio
  • Patent number: 10683018
    Abstract: The zip line rail system can be connected to a challenge course, a zip line, a zip track system, or any combination thereof. The zip line rail system of the present invention can have two rails that a member slide's two wheels rollably engage with, and the zip line rail system can be configured in any of a variety of directions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2020
    Assignee: JIMI IP, LLC
    Inventor: Sean Horihan
  • Patent number: 10683020
    Abstract: A device for transmitting data and/or signals between a first car body of a multi-member vehicle mechanically connected a second car body. The device includes an interface element having at least one optical fiber transmission medium for a line-connected communication system of the vehicle. The interface element displaceable in the longitudinal coupling direction relative to a coupling head of the first car body from a first position, wherein the interface element with the optical fiber is fully accommodated in the coupling head of the first car body, into a second position and vice versa, wherein in the second position of the interface element, at least the frontal end region of the interface element projects from the coupling head of the first car body to establish a data connection between the optical fiber and a contact terminal of a coupling head of the second car body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2020
    Assignee: VOITH PATENT GMBH
    Inventor: Markus Narberhaus
  • Patent number: 10676110
    Abstract: According to some embodiments, a compression strut comprises a first strut body comprising a threaded end and a hollow end, and a second strut body comprising a threaded end and a shaped end. The hollow end of the first strut body is slidably coupled to the shaped end of the second strut body. A spring is disposed between the first strut body and the second strut body configured to resist longitudinal compression of the compression strut. The first strut body is rotationally coupled to the second strut body so that rotation of the first strut body also rotates the second strut body and rotation of the second strut body also rotates the first strut body. A first ball end is threaded to the first strut body and a second ball end is threaded to the second strut body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2020
    Assignee: Trinity Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Kenneth W. Huck
  • Patent number: 10668640
    Abstract: An apparatus for punching holes in posts in a transportation environment where the offset between the holes in the post and a vehicle running surface of a vehicle is constant over a transportation route. The apparatus has a frame and a hole forming assembly separate from one another, such that the hole forming assembly may be adjusted relative to the frame. The hole forming assembly can be adjusted relative to the frame and can be set at a specific offset between a location where the holes are to be formed in a post and the vehicle running surface. Once the offset is set, the apparatus maintains this offset for every post punched along the transportation route, so that there is a constant offset between the holes punched in the posts and the vehicle running surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2020
    Assignee: Minnich Manufacturing Company, Inc.
    Inventor: Troy Kingan
  • Patent number: 10665118
    Abstract: A traffic control preemption system monitors an operating state of a railroad crossing, without requiring an interface with railroad crossing equipment, and communicates information to a traffic controller of an adjacent signalized roadway intersection to improve vehicular traffic flow at the railroad crossing. The traffic control preemption system is configured to make real time health assessments of preemption system functionality and provide a degree of redundancy and failsafe operation to the traffic control system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: THE ISLAND RADAR COMPANY
    Inventor: Thomas N. Hilleary
  • Patent number: 10662921
    Abstract: The invention utilizes a ski lift for wind power generation outside of the ski season. The carriers on the ski lift are replaced by wind catching structures that pull the haul rope either uphill or downhill, depending on the prevailing wind. The haul rope rotates the electrical drive motor of the ski lift, causing it to generate electrical energy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: BIGFIELD TMI
    Inventor: Markku Isoaho
  • Patent number: 10647310
    Abstract: An end hose support assembly for a rail car is disclosed. The end hose support assembly may include a rear support bracket configured to be removably engaged within a yoke and the support assembly may constrain the lateral and vertical movement of a portion of the trainline.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2020
    Assignee: TTX Company
    Inventors: Keith Songer, Joseph M. Hettinger, Jason H. Rounds, Jason Reiling, Jennifer Mak, Andres Montoya, George Vermesi, Chris Munn
  • Patent number: 10647336
    Abstract: A method and a system for checking the correct rail position of a guide member of a guided vehicle. The system is based on the use of an electrical switch designed to cooperate with a guide member of the vehicle guided by at least one guide rail. The switch has two states, respectively a first state and a second state. In one of the states the electrical switch is open and in the other state the electrical switch is closed. The switch is mounted on a load-bearing structure such that it is able to interact with the guide member. The switch is able to switch from the first state to the second state by interacting with at least one part of the guide member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2020
    Assignee: Siemens Mobility SAS
    Inventor: Luciano Consoli
  • Patent number: 10644492
    Abstract: A cart for storing and transporting an electrical cord of up to 500 feet in length to be unwound over a parcel of ground. The cart includes a cord spool having a pair of circular spool sides together bounding space for storing the electrical cord. The cart also has a plurality of female electrical sockets, a circuit breaker, a power on-off switch, a power-on indicator light, and a short male cord to plug into a power cord to provide power to the female electrical sockets. The cart also has a support frame to rotatably support the cord spool, and a pair of wheels to roll across the parcel of ground while supporting the electrical cord. Also included is a frame handle to enable a user to tilt the support frame onto the pair of wheels, and for pushing or pulling the cart over the ground while unwinding the electrical cord.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Inventor: Ralph Carl Magno