Patents by Inventor Joachim Storath

Joachim Storath 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: 6864442
    Abstract: An operational control is provided for setting an actuating variable, more particularly a set point for a motor vehicle air conditioner, having a rotary knob, having at least two contact tracks and one elastic wiper contact element that is in contact by means of at least one wiper contact with a contact track, wherein the contact tracks are joined to the rotary knob so as to be nonrotatable with respect thereto and in that the wiper contact elements are provided with an additional elastic wiper contact facing the printed circuit board.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2005
    Assignee: Preh GmbH
    Inventors: Oliver Zegula, Thomas Ofenhitzer, Gerold Eckert, Joachim Storath
  • Patent number: 6392175
    Abstract: A control element for control functions within a passenger area of a vehicle having several turning knobs whose positions are indicated by an illumination display, includes an LED (Light Emitting Device) and a light-guide coupled directly with the LED and having a light-exit surface that is coupled with a light-entry surface leading to at least one turning knob, a light-conducting plate (7) adjacent the light-guide, and a housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2002
    Assignee: Preh-Werke GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Karl-Heinz Bauer, Reinhold Moret, Joachim Storath
  • Patent number: 6345432
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing housing or control-components parts of metal including the steps of: manufacturing a housing or control-component part (1, 3) as a forged or cast blank (4, 5), stamping a recess (6) in the blank for an indicator insert with a stamping die in a stamping device, thereby creating a protrusion (7) on a back wall surface (8) of the part in the stamping direction, constricting the recess (6) with peeled protrusions of the peripheral walls (9) defining the recess (6), injecting a transparent plastic (2) into the recess (6) and, if applicable, into a mold connected with the recess (6) for forming a collar (10) on a front wall surface (11) in the stamping direction, and ablating the back wall surface (8) and the protrusion (7) by a fixed thickness amount (12), which results in exposure of the recess (6) and of the transparent plastic (2).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2002
    Assignee: Preh-Werke GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Karl-Heinz Bauer, Joachim Storath, Gerold Eckert, Klaus Mueller
  • Patent number: 6180901
    Abstract: An electrical rotary switch for several switch positions having a control knob mounted in a housing supported on first, second and third ball bearings that, guided by a cage disk, roll in a housing groove formed by an axial wall and a radial wall against which the ball bearings are loaded under an applied force of a conical bearing surface of the control knob. Axial and radial wall bearing surfaces respectively have first and second contact segments and first, second and third contact bands thereon that extend out of the housing via terminal lugs, the first contact segment and first contact band being shorted by the first ball bearing in predetermined switch positions. In a last switch position, contact occurs between the second contact segment (19) and the second and third contact bands (20, 21) through the second and third ball bearings (6, 7).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2001
    Assignee: Preh-Werke GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Karl-Heinz Bauer, Ulrich Brueggemann, Joachim Storath, Walter Voll
  • Patent number: 6180904
    Abstract: A keyboard has keys, or buttons, having guide projections which, when the keys are pushed from an operating side, are shoved along guide plates, with motion being restricted by a locator, the locator having two stops which restrict the motion of the keys between the two stops and with a switch being activated being ON and OFF by the key moving within these limits. This provides a very flat keyboard which is economical to manufacture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2001
    Assignee: Preh-Werke GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Karl-Heinz Bauer, Thilo Kirchner, Joachim Storath
  • Patent number: 6105461
    Abstract: A control unit for adjusting heating, air conditioning, and/or ventilation equipment in motor vehicles has turning knobs (5, 6) and the cam wheels (13, 14) which are connected together. There are adjusting levers (10, 11, 12), with each being mounted by means of two bearing pins (15, 16) in a base part (3), and each adjusting arm (10, 11, 12) being structured as a two-armed lever with one lever arm (17, 18, 19) engaging in a three-dimensional cam plate (20, 21, 22) of the cam wheel (13, 14) in a swivel plane E. Between the lever arm (17, 18, 19) and the three-dimensional cam plate (20, 21, 22), a barrel-shaped or spherical follower element (23) is positioned that cooperates with radial motion-causing walls (24, 25) of the three-dimensional cam plate (20, 21, 22). A control unit of this invention is structured to be space saving, easier and less expensive to produce, and to function in an improved manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2000
    Assignee: Preh-Werke GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Karl-Heinz Bauer, Joachim Storath, Walter Voll
  • Patent number: 6021690
    Abstract: An operational control for use with a ventilation, heating, or air conditioning unit of a vehicle, that can be actuated by a turn knob comprises: a guide member for being attached to and manipulated by a turn knob, the guide member defining a guiding groove; an adjusting lever for actuating a Bowden cable to which the adjusting lever is linked, the adjusting lever being mounted adjacent the guide member to pivot; a guide pin attached to the adjusting lever for extending into the guiding groove for cooperating with the guiding groove to cause the adjusting lever to pivot when the guide member is manipulated. The adjusting lever is made of a material that can be welded to steel and the guide pin is a weld-on steel ball welded to the adjusting lever.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2000
    Assignee: Preh-Werke GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Karl-Heinz Bauer, Joachim Storath, Gerold Eckert
  • Patent number: 5803412
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a plurality of control elements (3) on a dashboard (1) of a motor vehicle which are framed and covered by face plates (6) which are mounted after the control elements are mounted. Control element bodies of the control elements (3), are resiliently held relative to fixed attaching eyes (7), and spacings between control element bodies of individual control elements (3) and control element bodies and framing edges of the dashboard (1) are set by spacers (10) on the face plates (6). This arrangement achieves an uncomplicated mounting and a pleasing visual appearance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 8, 1998
    Assignee: Preh-Werke GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Joachim Storath, Walter Voll, Karl-Heinz Bauer