Patents by Inventor Austin Gerding

Austin Gerding has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9909660
    Abstract: One implementation of a vehicle power transfer unit (PTU) housing, such as that for an automobile, has an oil feed passage extending through one of its walls and at its interior. The oil feed passage delivers oil to gears, bearings, and/or other components equipped inside of the PTU housing and suspended above an oil bath in the PTU housing. Oil of the oil bath is thrown about by rotating gears and makes its way through the oil feed passage and to the gears, bearings, and/or other components. With the oil feed passage, the PTU housing does not rely solely on oil sloshing and splashing and being slung around inside of the PTU housing as the technique for getting oil to the gears, bearings, and/or other components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: GKN Driveline North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Toaso, Jr., Austin Gerding, Les Heeren, Tony Arden
  • Patent number: 9903420
    Abstract: In at least some implementations, a disconnect assembly for a power transfer unit includes a cam and a cam follower. The cam is driven for rotation and has a cam surface that is inclined relative to an axis of rotation and a void spaced from the cam surface. The cam follower has a cam engagement surface and is arranged to be engaged by the cam surface so that the cam follower is displaced axially during at least a portion of the rotation of the cam. One or both of the cam and the cam follower includes an interface surface provided at an angle to the axis of rotation to control axial movement of the cam follower during at least a portion of the rotation of the cam when the cam surface is not engaged with the cam engagement surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignee: GKN Driveline North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel Engerer, Austin Gerding, Tony Arden, Rick Ohsiek, Samuel Oram, Joseph Palazzolo
  • Publication number: 20170051822
    Abstract: One implementation of a vehicle power transfer unit (PTU) housing, such as that for an automobile, has an oil feed passage extending through one of its walls and at its interior. The oil feed passage delivers oil to gears, bearings, and/or other components equipped inside of the PTU housing and suspended above an oil bath in the PTU housing. Oil of the oil bath is thrown about by rotating gears and makes its way through the oil feed passage and to the gears, bearings, and/or other components. With the oil feed passage, the PTU housing does not rely solely on oil sloshing and splashing and being slung around inside of the PTU housing as the technique for getting oil to the gears, bearings, and/or other components.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 9, 2015
    Publication date: February 23, 2017
    Inventors: Robert Toaso, JR., Austin Gerding, Les Heeren, Tony Arden
  • Publication number: 20160061274
    Abstract: In at least some implementations, a disconnect assembly for a power transfer unit includes a cam and a cam follower. The cam is driven for rotation and has a cam surface that is inclined relative to an axis of rotation and a void spaced from the cam surface. The cam follower has a cam engagement surface and is arranged to be engaged by the cam surface so that the cam follower is displaced axially during at least a portion of the rotation of the cam. One or both of the cam and the cam follower includes an interface surface provided at an angle to the axis of rotation to control axial movement of the cam follower during at least a portion of the rotation of the cam when the cam surface is not engaged with the cam engagement surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 14, 2014
    Publication date: March 3, 2016
    Inventors: Daniel Engerer, Austin Gerding, Tony Arden, Rick Ohsiek, Samuel Oram, Joseph Palazzolo
  • Publication number: 20070259725
    Abstract: A drivetrain that includes a drivetrain component, a flange structure, a yoke flange, a female guide portion and a male guide portion. The drivetrain component has a shaft that is rotatable about an axis. The flange structure is fixedly but removably coupled to the shaft. The female guide portion is directly coupled to one of the shaft and the yoke flange. The male guide portion is directly coupled to the other one of the shaft and the yoke flange. The male guide portion engages the female guide portion to thereby align the yoke flange to the axis. The yoke flange and the flange structure are fixedly but removably coupled to one another. A method of fabricating a drivetrain is also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 3, 2006
    Publication date: November 8, 2007
    Inventors: Austin Gerding, Salvatore Grupido, Marc Menosky, Thomas Oldenburg
  • Publication number: 20070204453
    Abstract: A method for attenuating vibration in a driveline having a shaft assembly that transmits torque between first and second driveline components. The shaft assembly can have a hollow shaft member and at least one liner. The liner has a mass and a stiffness that are tuned such that the liner is a tuned resistive absorber for attenuating shell mode vibrations as well as at least one of a tuned reactive absorber for attenuating bending mode vibrations and a tuned reactive absorber for attenuating torsion mode vibrations. The tuned liner is inserted into the shaft member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2006
    Publication date: September 6, 2007
    Inventors: Zhaohui Sun, David Schankin, Dumitru Patrascu, Austin Gerding