Patents by Inventor Kevin Logeman

Kevin Logeman 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).

  • Trim panel having air bag door
    Patent number: 5816609
    Abstract: An interior trim panel for a motor vehicle has an opening for deployment of an air bag and a discrete air bag door that is attached to the interior trim panel for closing the opening and for being opened by an air bag when it is deployed. The door includes a retainer that hinges the door to the trim panel and a covering that includes a frangible flap at an end of the retainer that holds down an end of the door and breaks away when the air bag is deployed. An alternate interior trim panel has another discrete air bag door that includes a bracket attached to the retainer for establishing the location of the hinge line. Another alternate interior trim panel arrangement has an integrated or invisible air bag door that includes a bracket attached to the retainer for establishing the location of the hinge line in an invisible door arrangement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 1996
    Date of Patent: October 6, 1998
    Assignee: Textron Automative Company, Inc.
    Inventors: John D. Gray, Kevin Logeman, Fred Rheinlander, Jim Rogers, Michael Gorman
  • Method of manufacturing a trim panel having an air bag door
    Patent number: 5536351
    Abstract: An interior trim panel for a motor vehicle has an opening for deployment of an air bag and a discrete air bag door that is attached to the interior trim panel for closing the opening and for being opened by an air bag when it is deployed. The door includes a retainer that hinges the door to the trim panel and a covering that includes a frangible flap at an end of the retainer that holds down an end of the door and breaks away when the air bag is deployed. An alternate door has a bracket attached to the retainer that moves the hinge line rearward. The covers of the trim panel and the discrete air bag door retainers may be simultaneously attached to their respective retainers in two variations of a conjoined operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 16, 1996
    Assignee: Davidson Textron
    Inventors: Fred Rheinlander, Kevin Logeman
  • Tether tear strap and trim panel having same
    Patent number: 5492360
    Abstract: An interior trim panel for a motor vehicle has an opening for deployment of an air bag and a discrete air bag door that is attached to the interior trim panel covering the opening. The door includes a relatively rigid retainer that hinges the door to the trim panel so that it opens responsive to deployment of the air bag. An unhinged end of the door is held down by two tether tear straps that break away when the air bag is deployed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 1994
    Date of Patent: February 20, 1996
    Assignee: Davidson Textron Inc.
    Inventor: Kevin Logeman