Patents by Inventor Gerald N. Schmidt

Gerald N. Schmidt 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: 5320381
    Abstract: According to the invention a vehicle has a panel with an opening through which an air bag is deployed. An air bag deployment door closes the opening in the panel. Upon air bag deployment, the door is forcibly moved out of the opening from a closed position towards an open position by the deploying air bag. A hinge for the deployment door includes a door hinge element carried by the door, and a vehicle hinge element carried by the vehicle. The separate hinge elements have cooperating hinge-forming features which are spaced apart from one another when the door is in the closed position. Upon air bag deployment, the door begins to lift out of the opening and carries the door hinge element into engagement with the vehicle hinge element to hingedly interconnect the cooperating hinge-forming features, thereby anchoring the door to the vehicle and limiting further movement of the door to rotation about an axis defined by the hinge elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 1993
    Date of Patent: June 14, 1994
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventors: William J. Barnes, Joseph P. Spica, Gerald N. Schmidt