Patents by Inventor Donald C. Middlebrook

Donald C. Middlebrook 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: 11318906
    Abstract: A closed or sealed airbag system is described in which a semi-rigid, resilient force distribution plate is positioned proximate a pair of relatively flat inflatable airbags. Once inflated, the airbags retain the gas/fluid provided thereto, while the plate serves to redistribute a point of impact on the system across the entirety of the air bags so as to significantly reduce impact forces that otherwise would have been sustained by the object/person causing the initial point of impact. The airbags and plate are specifically engineered with features to distribute and dissipate force across their entire surface area, resulting in distributed deceleration of point load forces. Additional airbags and plates can be incorporated, including outer most plates on the outer facings of the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Assignee: HY-TEK MFG. CO. INC
    Inventors: John C. Bastian, John D. Jude, David O. Saxon Carver, Donald C. Middlebrook
  • Publication number: 20210078520
    Abstract: A closed or sealed airbag system is described in which a semi-rigid, resilient force distribution plate is positioned proximate a pair of relatively flat inflatable airbags. Once inflated, the airbags retain the gas/fluid provided thereto, while the plate serves to redistribute a point of impact on the system across the entirety of the air bags so as to significantly reduce impact forces that otherwise would have been sustained by the object/person causing the initial point of impact. The airbags and plate are specifically engineered with features to distribute and dissipate force across their entire surface area, resulting in distributed deceleration of point load forces. Additional airbags and plates can be incorporated, including outer most plates on the outer facings of the system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 26, 2020
    Publication date: March 18, 2021
    Inventors: John C. Bastian, John D. Jude, David O. Saxon Carver, Donald C. Middlebrook