Patents by Inventor Frank Levern

Frank Levern 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).

  • Publication number: 20050133335
    Abstract: A friction clutch arrangement includes a clutch housing mounted to a flywheel, a pressure plate, a clutch disk mounted on a transmission shaft, and a diaphragm spring which loads the pressure plate toward the flywheel to engage the clutch. A disengagement device includes a sliding sleeve which is axially displaceable on the shaft to introduce a disengagement force to the clutch spring via an force action point, thereby producing a characteristic curve of disengagement force versus disengagement travel of the sleeve. During disengagement, a compensation device introduces a compensation force counter to the pressing force in a predefined section of the characteristic curve, thereby reducing the disengagement force in the predefined section. A switchable force transmission device changes the effective force transmission ratio of the pressing force and the disengagement force during disengagement in a predetermined manner, thereby optimizing the disengagement stroke of the pressure plate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 13, 2004
    Publication date: June 23, 2005
    Inventors: Andrzej Szadkowski, Frank Levern, Andreas Gebauer