Patents by Inventor Jon W. Hower

Jon W. Hower 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: 5052711
    Abstract: Method and apparatus are provided for factory pre-aligning vehicle wheels and for subsequently realigning the vehicle wheels after usage and for verifying such re-alignment. A pre-alignment insert (150) is provided for singularly pre-setting the pivot axis of the upper control arm (34) by setting the position of a pivot axis bolt (92) in an elongatged slot (136). The insert (152) is installed on the bolt between an eccentric cam (94) and the sideface (140) of a bracket (130) rigidly connected to the frame (30) and prevents lateral movement of the bolt (92) to limit the bolt to a singular pre-set position. A nut (64) is tightened on the bolt and holds the cam (94) against the insert (150) and to hold the insert (150) against the sideface (140) to in turn hold the cam (94) in a pre-set position in the guide channel (142) on the sideface of the bracket to hold the bolt (.rho.) in a pre-set condition, to provide factory prealignment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 1990
    Date of Patent: October 1, 1991
    Assignee: A.O. Smith Corporation
    Inventors: Herbert L. Pirkey, Jon W. Hower, Jean Lezala