Patents by Inventor Ken Taggart

Ken Taggart 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).

  • Publication number: 20070170709
    Abstract: An apparatus (10) for helping to protect an occupant of a vehicle includes a housing (20) including a vent opening (70). An air bag (14) is inflatable to deploy away from the housing (20). An inflation fluid source (26) provides inflation fluid for inflating the air bag (14). A vent member (80) has a closed condition blocking inflation fluid flow through the vent opening (70) and an open condition permitting inflation fluid flow through the vent opening. A first tether (114) is configured to release the vent member (80) for movement from the closed condition when the air bag (14) has deployed a first distance away from the housing (20). A second tether (140) is configured to place the vent member (80) in the closed condition when the air bag (14) has deployed a second distance away from the housing (20), the second distance being farther away from the housing than the first distance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 20, 2006
    Publication date: July 26, 2007
    Inventors: William Braun, Ken Taggart, Douglas Gould, Kurt Fischer, Alex Meduvsky, Michael Loyd
  • Patent number: 7093854
    Abstract: An air bag (12) includes at least one tether (44) and an inflation fluid source (14) having two modes of operation. In the first mode of operation, the inflation fluid source (14) is activated to provide a first inflation fluid pressure in the air bag (12). In the second mode of operation, the inflation fluid source (14) is activated to provide a second inflation fluid pressure in the air bag (12) higher than the first pressure. The tether (44), which helps to control the shape of the air bag (12), tears in response to the second inflation fluid pressure in the air bag.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2006
    Assignee: TRW Vehicle Safety Systems Inc.
    Inventors: Kurt F. Fischer, Ken Taggart
  • Patent number: 7090248
    Abstract: An inflatable vehicle occupant protection device (12) is located on a steering wheel (14) and includes a lower portion (28) and an upper portion (26). The upper portion (26) is rolled folded and the lower portion (28) is folded in a star pattern. The roll folded portion (26) has an outside surface formed by a front panel (30) of the inflatable vehicle occupant protection device (12) that is intended to face the occupant when the inflatable vehicle occupant protection device is inflated. During inflation, the roll folded portion (26) unrolls such that at least a portion of the inflatable vehicle occupant protection device inflates forward of the steering wheel if the inflatable vehicle occupant protection device, while inflating, encounters an obstruction located too far forward relative to the steering wheel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2006
    Assignee: TRW Vehicle Safety Systems Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey A. Jenkins, Kurt F. Fischer, Ken Taggart
  • Publication number: 20050269807
    Abstract: An inflatable vehicle occupant protection device (12) is located on a steering wheel (14) and includes a lower portion (28) and an upper portion (26). The upper portion (26) is rolled folded and the lower portion (28) is folded in a star pattern. The roll folded portion (26) has an outside surface formed by a front panel (30) of the inflatable vehicle occupant protection device (12) that is intended to face the occupant when the inflatable vehicle occupant protection device is inflated. During inflation, the roll folded portion (26) unrolls such that at least a portion of the inflatable vehicle occupant protection device inflates forward of the steering wheel if the inflatable vehicle occupant protection device, while inflating, encounters an obstruction located too far forward relative to the steering wheel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 4, 2004
    Publication date: December 8, 2005
    Inventors: Jeffrey Jenkins, Kurt Fischer, Ken Taggart
  • Publication number: 20050057030
    Abstract: An air bag (12) includes at least one tether (44) and an inflation fluid source (14) having two modes of operation. In the first mode of operation, the inflation fluid source (14) is activated to provide a first inflation fluid pressure in the air bag (12). In the second mode of operation, the inflation fluid source (14) is activated to provide a second inflation fluid pressure in the air bag (12) higher than the first pressure. The tether (44), which helps to control the shape of the air bag (12), tears in response to the second inflation fluid pressure in the air bag.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 15, 2003
    Publication date: March 17, 2005
    Inventors: Kurt Fischer, Ken Taggart