Patents by Inventor Gerard Vincent BALL

Gerard Vincent BALL 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: 10119316
    Abstract: A vehicle sliding door brake assembly configured for attachment to a sliding door mechanism of a vehicle may include a brake member connectable to the sliding door mechanism and configured to rotate about a pivot point, the brake member comprising one or more brake portions for selectively engaging a track of the vehicle so as to provide a braking force. The brake portions may be configured to form an inertial counterweight that urges the brake member to move from a neutral position in which the brake portions are not engaged with the track to an engaged position in which one or more of the brake portions are engaged with the track when a sliding door of the vehicle is subjected to an acceleration exceeding a threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2018
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Brian Westgarth, Stuart Gordon, Gerard Vincent Ball, Stephen Edward Braybrook
  • Publication number: 20170130504
    Abstract: A vehicle sliding door brake assembly configured for attachment to a sliding door mechanism of a vehicle may include a brake member connectable to the sliding door mechanism and configured to rotate about a pivot point, the brake member comprising one or more brake portions for selectively engaging a track of the vehicle so as to provide a braking force. The brake portions may be configured to form an inertial counterweight that urges the brake member to move from a neutral position in which the brake portions are not engaged with the track to an engaged position in which one or more of the brake portions are engaged with the track when a sliding door of the vehicle is subjected to an acceleration exceeding a threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 1, 2016
    Publication date: May 11, 2017
    Applicant: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Brian WESTGARTH, Stuart GORDON, Gerard Vincent BALL, Stephen Edward BRAYBROOK