Patents by Inventor Ian Patterson

Ian Patterson 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: 10703286
    Abstract: A vehicle body structure having a cargo structure, a retractable step and a handle assembly. The cargo structure has a floor, a first side wall and a tailgate. The retractable step is installed to the cargo structure beneath the floor and the first side wall and adjacent to the tailgate. The handle assembly has a base and a grip handle extending from the base. The base is attached to an upright surface of the first side wall. The base is shaped and contoured such that the grip handle is positioned adjacent to and spaced apart from an upper surface of the first side wall within the cargo area above the floor and above the step. An individual using the step to enter the cargo area grabs the grip handle for assistance in stepping up into the cargo area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2020
    Assignee: Nissan North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Ian Patterson, Martin Petersen
  • Publication number: 20200189437
    Abstract: A cargo area structure has a retractable step installed to the cargo area structure beneath a floor and a first side wall thereof. A handle assembly has a base and a grip handle supported to the base. The base is attached to an upright surface of the first side wall. The base also has a position locking mechanism configured such that in response to manual operation of the position locking mechanism, the grip handle is movable from a stowed orientation and an in-use orientation such that in the in-use orientation the grip handle is positioned such that an individual using the step to enter the cargo area grabs the grip handle for assistance in stepping up into the cargo area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2018
    Publication date: June 18, 2020
    Inventors: Ian PATTERSON, Martin Petersen
  • Patent number: 10632928
    Abstract: A vehicle body structure includes a vehicle cargo structure and a handle assembly. The vehicle cargo structure has a floor and a first side wall at least partially defining a cargo area at a rearward end of a vehicle. The handle assembly has a base and a grip handle. The base is attached to the first side wall above the floor within the cargo area. The grip handle is movable relative to the base between a stowed orientation in which the grip handle is at a location lower than an upper surface of the first side wall and a gripping orientation in which at least a portion of the grip handle extends higher than the upper surface of the first side wall. With the grip handle in the gripping orientation an individual entering the cargo area grabs the grip handle for assistance in stepping up into the cargo area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Assignee: Nissan North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Ian Patterson, Martin Petersen
  • Publication number: 20200115938
    Abstract: This disclosure relates to a motor vehicle having a door check mechanism. An example motor vehicle a pivotable door, a door check mechanism including a bar, wherein the door check mechanism is configured to hold the door open in a fully open check position, and a retarder assembly configured to oppose opening of the door beyond the fully open check position by applying a force generated by a non-linear surface of the bar.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 8, 2019
    Publication date: April 16, 2020
    Inventors: Brian Westgarth, Jack Whitehurst, Rob Swann, Ian Patterson
  • Publication number: 20200080353
    Abstract: This disclosure relates to a motor vehicle having a door check mechanism. An example motor vehicle includes a door pivotable between fully open and fully closed positions, and a door check mechanism including a bar having a helical groove and at least one check hold recess along the helical groove.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2019
    Publication date: March 12, 2020
    Inventors: Brian Westgarth, Ian Patterson, Rob Swann, Jack Whitehurst
  • Patent number: 10519701
    Abstract: A vehicle door check mechanism includes a bellows to act as a pneumatic retarder to prevent a high load from being transferred from the door check mechanism to a structural part of a door of the motor vehicle if that door is opened to a fully open position at high speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Ian Patterson, Brian Westgarth, Rob Swann, Jack Whitehurst, John Strudwick
  • Patent number: 10406983
    Abstract: A vehicle body structure has a cargo area structure, a retractable step and a handle assembly. The cargo area structure has a floor, a first side wall and a tailgate at least partially defining a cargo area. The retractable step is installed to the cargo area structure beneath the floor and the first side wall and adjacent to the tailgate. The handle assembly has a base and a grip handle fixedly attached to the base. The base is attached to the first side wall with a portion of the base overlaying a corresponding portion of the upper surface of the first side wall and with an attachment assembly extending through the at least one opening in upper surface of the first side wall with a first portion of the grip handle extending inboard over the floor of the cargo area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2019
    Assignee: Nissan North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Ian Patterson, Martin Petersen
  • Patent number: 10391954
    Abstract: A vehicle trim portion connection bracket is provided. The bracket includes a first flange having a connecting portion configured to be coupled to a trim portion and a second flange configured to be coupled to a support member of the vehicle. The support member is configured to be coupled to a body of the vehicle. A relief slot is provided in the first flange and configured to reduce a load required to deform the connecting portion relative to a remaining portion of the first flange, such that the connecting portion may be deformed without disrupting the coupling between the bracket and the support member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Brian Westgarth, Ian Patterson, Jack Whitehurst, Rob Swann
  • Publication number: 20190256003
    Abstract: A vehicle body structure with a cargo area structure, a retractable step and a handle assembly. The cargo area structure has a floor, a first side wall and a tailgate at least partially defining a cargo area. The handle assembly has a base and a grip handle. The base is attached to an upright surface of the first side wall. The grip handle is movable relative to the base between a stowed orientation in which the grip handle is at a location lower than an upper surface of the first side wall and a gripping orientation in which at least a portion of the grip handle extends higher that the upper surface of the first side wall. With the grip handle in the gripping orientation an individual using the step to enter the cargo area grabs the grip handle for assistance in stepping up into the cargo area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 20, 2018
    Publication date: August 22, 2019
    Inventors: Ian PATTERSON, Martin PETERSEN
  • Publication number: 20190256006
    Abstract: A vehicle body structure includes a vehicle cargo structure and a handle assembly. The vehicle cargo structure has a floor and a first side wall at least partially defining a cargo area at a rearward end of a vehicle, The handle assembly has a base and a grip handle. The base is attached to the first side wall above the floor within the cargo area. The grip handle is movable relative to the base between a stowed orientation in which the grip handle is at a location lower than an upper surface of the first side wall and a gripping orientation in which at least a portion of the grip handle extends higher that the upper surface of the first side wall. With the grip handle in the gripping orientation an individual entering the cargo area grabs the grip handle for assistance in stepping up into the cargo area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 25, 2019
    Publication date: August 22, 2019
    Inventors: Ian PATTERSON, Martin PETERSEN
  • Publication number: 20190256002
    Abstract: A vehicle body structure having a cargo structure, a retractable step and a handle assembly. The cargo structure has a floor, a first side wall and a tailgate. The retractable step is installed to the cargo structure beneath the floor and the first side wall and adjacent to the tailgate. The handle assembly has a base and a grip handle extending from the base. The base is attached to an upright surface of the first side wall. The base is shaped and contoured such that the grip handle is positioned adjacent to and spaced apart from an upper surface of the first side wall within the cargo area above the floor and above the step. An individual using the step to enter the cargo area grabs the grip handle for assistance in stepping up into the cargo area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 20, 2018
    Publication date: August 22, 2019
    Inventors: Ian PATTERSON, Martin PETERSEN
  • Publication number: 20190256004
    Abstract: A vehicle body structure has a cargo area structure, a retractable step and a handle assembly. The cargo area structure has a floor, a first side wall and a tailgate at least partially defining a cargo area. The retractable step is installed to the cargo area structure beneath the floor and the first side wall and adjacent to the tailgate. The handle assembly has a base and a grip handle fixedly attached to the base. The base is attached to the first side wall with a portion of the base overlaying a corresponding portion of the upper surface of the first side wall and with an attachment assembly extending through the at least one opening in upper surface of the first side wall with a first portion of the grip handle extending inboard over the floor of the cargo area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 20, 2018
    Publication date: August 22, 2019
    Inventors: Ian PATTERSON, Martin PETERSEN
  • Publication number: 20190218820
    Abstract: A motor vehicle door anti-rattle mechanism includes male and female parts. The male part is fastened to a door of a motor vehicle and the female part is fastened to a door pillar of the motor vehicle. The male part includes an expandable member that is selectively engageable with a recess in the female part in order to inhibit relative movement between the male and female parts and, hence, rattling of the door.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 11, 2019
    Publication date: July 18, 2019
    Inventors: Brian Westgarth, Ian Patterson, Jack Whitehurst, Rob Swann
  • Publication number: 20190210461
    Abstract: In an aspect, a self-balancing two-wheeled vehicle is provided, having a body, and first and second wheels rotatably coupled to the body. The second wheel has at least one lateral roller rotatable about an axis that is one of oblique and orthogonal to a rotation axis of the second wheel. At least one motor is coupled to the second wheel to control rotation of the second wheel and the at least one lateral roller. At least one sensor is coupled to the body to generate orientation data therefor. A control module is coupled to the at least one motor to control operation thereof at least partially based on the orientation data generated by the at least one sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 18, 2019
    Publication date: July 11, 2019
    Inventors: Ian Patterson, Robert M. O'Brien, Daryl R. Tearne
  • Publication number: 20190106917
    Abstract: A vehicle door check mechanism includes a bellows to act as a pneumatic retarder to prevent a high load from being transferred from the door check mechanism to a structural part of a door of the motor vehicle if that door is opened to a fully open position at high speed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 8, 2018
    Publication date: April 11, 2019
    Inventors: Ian Patterson, Brian Westgarth, Rob Swann, Jack Whitehurst, John Strudwick
  • Patent number: 10245952
    Abstract: In an aspect, a self-balancing two-wheeled vehicle is provided, having a body, and first and second wheels rotatably coupled to the body. The second wheel has at least one lateral roller rotatable about an axis that is one of oblique and orthogonal to a rotation axis of the second wheel. At least one motor is coupled to the second wheel to control rotation of the second wheel and the at least one lateral roller. At least one sensor is coupled to the body to generate orientation data therefor. A control module is coupled to the at least one motor to control operation thereof at least partially based on the orientation data generated by the at least one sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignee: SPIN MASTER LTD.
    Inventors: Ian Patterson, Robert M. O'Brien, Daryl R. Tearne
  • Patent number: 10161174
    Abstract: A vehicle has a sliding door fitted with a rotatable brake member to apply a braking force to the sliding door when the vehicle is on a slope. The brake member is automatically rotated about a pivot axis X-X by a moveable member forming part of an actuator when the vehicle is resting on a slope into a position in which a braking force is applied to the sliding door by the interaction of the brake member with an elongate track in the form of a sliding door support track.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Jack Whitehurst, Brian Westgarth, Rob Swann, Ian Patterson
  • Patent number: 10105613
    Abstract: A toy set having one or more figurines is provided. A first figurine has a motor coupled to a flywheel and a drive shaft to rotate the flywheel and the drive shaft. The drive shaft engages a support surface causing translation of the first figurine on the support surface when the drive shaft is rotated. The flywheel holds the first figurine generally upright on the support surface via gyroscopic force when the flywheel is rotated. The first figurine has a body representing a torso and at least one arm extending from the body, wherein the body and the at least one arm do not rotate with the flywheel. A second figurine is connectable to the first figurine to form a self-balancing assembly at least when the drive shaft engages the support surface and the flywheel is rotated by the motor. Rotation of the drive shaft causes translation of the self-balancing assembly on the support surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: SPIN MASTER LTD.
    Inventors: Ian Patterson, Charles Sink, Anne Pitrone
  • Patent number: 9996953
    Abstract: Concepts and technologies are described herein for providing a three-dimensional (ā€œ3Dā€) annotation facing tool. In accordance with some concepts and technologies disclosed herein, the 3D annotation facing tool provides a way for a user to control the orientation of annotations associated with productivity data in a 3D environment. The 3D annotation facing tool can provide a user with the ability to lock the orientation of the annotation along one or more directional axes. The 3D annotation facing tool can also provide a user with the ability to maintain an orientation of the annotation in a camera facing view.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2018
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Eric W. Patterson, Alexandre da Veiga, Ian Patterson Wood
  • Publication number: 20180105121
    Abstract: A vehicle trim portion connection bracket is provided. The bracket includes a first flange having a connecting portion configured to be coupled to a trim portion and a second flange configured to be coupled to a support member of the vehicle. The support member is configured to be coupled to a body of the vehicle. A relief slot is provided in the first flange and configured to reduce a load required to deform the connecting portion relative to a remaining portion of the first flange, such that the connecting portion may be deformed without disrupting the coupling between the bracket and the support member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 12, 2017
    Publication date: April 19, 2018
    Applicant: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Brian Westgarth, Ian Patterson, Jack Whitehurst, Rob Swann