Patents by Inventor John L. Miklas

John L. Miklas 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: 8641004
    Abstract: A cup holder for beverage containers has a deployable tray movable between a deployed position and a stowed position. The tray has an upper surface, a lower surface, and an aperture. A cup insert includes a cup ring, a cup bag, and a coil spring. The cup ring has an open collar for receiving a beverage container and has a seating flange configured to rest on the upper surface. The cup bag is made of flexible material having a generally cylindrical shape between an upper rim and a bag bottom. The upper rim is affixed to the open collar. A coil spring is coupled between the cup ring and the bottom end for urging them together for collapsing the cup bag. The coil spring is expandable under the weight of a beverage container placed on the bag bottom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2014
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventor: John L. Miklas
  • Patent number: 8573668
    Abstract: A tray system has a trunnion carriage mounted to a recess in a housing. A trunnion body is rotatably mounted to the carriage. A push member is slidable within the carriage. Moving the push member from a first end of travel to a second end of travel transfers a force against the trunnion body to move it to a deployed position. When the push member is at the second end then it locks the trunnion body against movement out from the deployed position. Moving the push member back to the first end transfers a force against the trunnion body to move it to the retracted position. A tray coupled to and movable with the trunnion body retracts vertically in the recess when the trunnion body is in the retracted position and deploys horizontally outward from the recess when the trunnion body is in the deployed position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2013
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventor: John L. Miklas
  • Patent number: 8474772
    Abstract: A cup holder is deployed from a recess in a substantially vertical panel behind a substantially planar fold-down door which is pivotable adjacent to a bottom edge. A substantially planar tray member is slidably mounted to a guide frame to move between a collapsed position and an expanded position at respective distances from the inside surface of the fold-down door. A telescoping holder unit with substantially cylindrical sleeve elements slides from a collapsed state to an expanded state in response to movement of the tray member. A top rim of the holder unit is fixed with respect to a cylindrical sleeve element having a largest diameter and is coupled to the tray member. A bottom plate of the holder unit is coupled to the fold-down door. The holder unit accommodates various beverage containers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2013
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventor: John L. Miklas
  • Publication number: 20130126691
    Abstract: A cup holder for beverage containers has a deployable tray movable between a deployed position and a stowed position. The tray has an upper surface, a lower surface, and an aperture. A cup insert includes a cup ring, a cup bag, and a coil spring. The cup ring has an open collar for receiving a beverage container and has a seating flange configured to rest on the upper surface. The cup bag is made of flexible material having a generally cylindrical shape between an upper rim and a bag bottom. The upper rim is affixed to the open collar. A coil spring is coupled between the cup ring and the bottom end for urging them together for collapsing the cup bag. The coil spring is expandable under the weight of a beverage container placed on the bag bottom.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 21, 2011
    Publication date: May 23, 2013
    Applicant: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventor: John L. Miklas
  • Publication number: 20130126570
    Abstract: A tray system has a trunnion carriage mounted to a recess in a housing. A trunnion body is rotatably mounted to the carriage. A push member is slidable within the carriage. Moving the push member from a first end of travel to a second end of travel transfers a force against the trunnion body to move it to a deployed position. When the push member is at the second end then it locks the trunnion body against movement out from the deployed position. Moving the push member back to the first end transfers a force against the trunnion body to move it to the retracted position. A tray coupled to and movable with the trunnion body retracts vertically in the recess when the trunnion body is in the retracted position and deploys horizontally outward from the recess when the trunnion body is in the deployed position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 21, 2011
    Publication date: May 23, 2013
    Applicant: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventor: John L. Miklas
  • Publication number: 20130075562
    Abstract: A cup holder is deployed from a recess in a substantially vertical panel behind a substantially planar fold-down door which is pivotable adjacent to a bottom edge. A substantially planar tray member is slidably mounted to a guide frame to move between a collapsed position and an expanded position at respective distances from the inside surface of the fold-down door. A telescoping holder unit with substantially cylindrical sleeve elements slides from a collapsed state to an expanded state in response to movement of the tray member. A top rim of the holder unit is fixed with respect to a cylindrical sleeve element having a largest diameter and is coupled to the tray member. A bottom plate of the holder unit is coupled to the fold-down door. The holder unit accommodates various beverage containers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 22, 2011
    Publication date: March 28, 2013
    Applicant: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventor: John L. Miklas
  • Patent number: 5639115
    Abstract: A trim piece (40) for use with an inflatable vehicle occupant restraint (14) includes a deployment panel (42), a base (46), and a scrim (76). The deployment panel (42) covers the restraint (14) in the vehicle, and includes a deployment door (44), a hinge (102), and a door frame section (90) which surrounds the hinge (102) and the deployment door (44). The base (46) also surrounds the hinge (102) and the deployment door (44), and projects inward from the door frame section (90) to define a chute (48) through which the restraint (14) moves outward toward the deployment door (44). The scrim (76) is embedded in the deployment panel (42) and the base (46). The scrim (76) extends partially across the door frame section (90) toward the deployment door (44), extends inward from the door frame section (90) into the base (46), turns approximately 180.degree.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 1995
    Date of Patent: June 17, 1997
    Assignees: TRW Vehicle Safety Systems Inc., Ford Motor Comany
    Inventors: Scott A. Kelley, Ashir P. Thakore, John L. Miklas, Daniel C. Bach, Jr., Edgar Valdez