Patents by Inventor Carl Brent Gaufin

Carl Brent Gaufin 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).

  • Fifth wheel locking mechanism
    Patent number: 9327782
    Abstract: A fifth wheel includes a top plate having a throat that is adapted to receive a kingpin of a trailer. The fifth wheel is equipped with a locking mechanism including a jaw slidably connected to the top plate and slidable between a closed position where the jaw blocks passage of a kingpin out of the throat of the fifth wheel and an open position where a kingpin may pass into and out of the throat of the fifth wheel. The jaw has an edge adapted to engage a kingpin positioned in the throat of the fifth wheel when the jaw is in the closed position. A bias device urges the jaw towards the closed position. The fifth wheel further includes a mechanism for moving the jaw between the open and closed positions. Further, the top plate of the fifth wheel is configured to allow service and/or replacement of the jaw from the top of the fifth wheel while it is assembled to a vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2016
    Assignee: Fontaine Fifth Wheel
    Inventors: Steven Michael Alldredge, Robert Todd Shelton, Charles Leon Rosato, Timothy Norman Johnson, James H. Adams, Robert Keith Laney, Carl Brent Gaufin, Thomas David Hewer
  • FIFTH WHEEL LOCKING MECHANISM
    Publication number: 20150158535
    Abstract: A fifth wheel includes a top plate having a throat that is adapted to receive a kingpin of a trailer. The fifth wheel is equipped with a locking mechanism including a jaw slidably connected to the top plate and slidable between a closed position where the jaw blocks passage of a kingpin out of the throat of the fifth wheel and an open position where a kingpin may pass into and out of the throat of the fifth wheel. The jaw has an edge adapted to engage a kingpin positioned in the throat of the fifth wheel when the jaw is in the closed position. A bias device urges the jaw towards the closed position. The fifth wheel further includes a mechanism for moving the jaw between the open and closed positions. Further, the top plate of the fifth wheel is configured to allow service and/or replacement of the jaw from the top of the fifth wheel while it is assembled to a vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2014
    Publication date: June 11, 2015
    Applicant: Fontaine Fifth Wheel
    Inventors: Steven Michael Alldredge, Robert Todd Shelton, Charles Leon Rosato, Timothy Norman Johnson, James H. Adams, Robert Keith Laney, Carl Brent Gaufin, Thomas David Hewer