Patents by Inventor Kurt Kober

Kurt Kober 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: 7438368
    Abstract: A method for electric braking of a vehicle trailer and a device for vehicle trailers is provided. The vehicle trailer has a rigid hitch or drawbar arrangement (7) and is braked by the overrun forces generated as a result of braking of the tractor vehicle (2). The brake device (1) has a force measuring arrangement which can be mounted at the rigid hitch arrangement (7) and statically records the compression and tension forces acting axially on the hitch arrangement (7) using tensometer strips (24, 25) to determine the wheel brake force needed for braking via a controller that correspondingly actuates the electrical wheel brakes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2008
    Assignee: Al-Kokober AG
    Inventors: Robert Köhler, Kurt Kober
  • Publication number: 20050006952
    Abstract: A method for electric braking of a vehicle trailer and a device for vehicle trailers is provided. The vehicle trailer has a rigid hitch or drawbar arrangement (7) and is braked by the overrun forces generated as a result of braking of the tractor vehicle (2). The brake device (1) has a force measuring arrangement which can be mounted at the rigid hitch arrangement (7) and statically records the compression and tension forces acting axially on the hitch arrangement (7) using tensometer strips (24, 25) to determine the wheel brake force needed for braking via a controller that correspondingly actuates the electrical wheel brakes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 27, 2002
    Publication date: January 13, 2005
    Inventors: Robert Kohler, Kurt Kober
  • Patent number: 5848554
    Abstract: A multistep spindle drive is provided for converting a rotary movement into a linear movement with different speeds of withdrawal and extension. The spindle drive includes at least two threaded spindles, which telescopically mesh with each other and are in threaded connection with one another, and a nut. The inner threaded spindle is connected to a crank, and the nut is connected to a support wheel via a pipe. The internal threaded connection existing between the threaded spindles has a smaller diameter and a lower pitch than the external threaded connection existing between the outer threaded spindle and the nut. The speeds of withdrawal and extension are changed over based on the greater frictional force. A friction-increasing coupling member is arranged between the threaded spindles. The coupling member is spring-loaded and can be set for changing the friction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 15, 1998
    Assignee: Al-Ko Kober AG
    Inventors: Kurt Kober, Armin Rampp
  • Patent number: 4664402
    Abstract: In the disclosure document DE-OS No. 31 49 700 the theory is put forward that the effective point of attachment of a trailer opposite the towing vehicle can be transferred in the direction of the center of gravity of the towing vehicle. The invention concerns itself with the actual possibility of the transfer while taking structural conditions into consideration. In this respect, the invention shows that at least the joints located at the trailer are to be arranged at a lower level than the ball head of a normal trailer coupling. The distance in height should be considerable, for instance approximately 75 mm. The front joints are located at a cross member, said joints being pivoted around a longitudinal axis in a coupling housing which is fixed rigidly at the ball head of the trailer coupling and thus is immovable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 1985
    Date of Patent: May 12, 1987
    Assignee: Alois Kober KG
    Inventors: Kurt Kober, Rudolf Wohrle, Robert Kohler
  • Patent number: 4577882
    Abstract: In normal tractor-trailer combinations consisting of a tractor vehicle and a trailer vehicle such as a motor caravan, the zig-zag and side-to-side movements of the trailer vehicle adversely affect the handling behavior of the tractor-trailer combination. This effect is substantially reduced by displacing the effective coupling point towards the center of gravity of the tractor vehicle without alterning the distance of the trailer vehicle from the tractor vehicle. However, since this position of the effective coupling point is not accessible for structural reasons, the hitherto customary ball-headed coupling part located at the rear of the tractor vehicle is kinematically bridged by connecting two joints associated with the tractor vehicle to two joints associated with the trailer vehicle via connecting bars to form a four-joint arrangement such that the straight lines running in the longitudinal direction intersect at the desired effective coupling point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 1984
    Date of Patent: March 25, 1986
    Assignee: Alois Kober KG
    Inventors: Kurt Kober, Rudolf Wohrle, Robert Kohler
  • Patent number: 4502561
    Abstract: In normal tractor-trailer combinations consisting of a tractor vehicle and a trailer vehicle such as motor caravan, the zig-zag and side-to-side movements of the trailer vehicle adversely affect the handling behavior of the tractor-trailer combination. This effect is substantially reduced by displacing the effective coupling point towards the center of gravity of the tractor vehicle without altering the distance of the trailer vehicle from the tractor vehicle. However, since this position of the effective coupling point is not accessible for structural reasons, the hitherto customary ball-headed coupling part located at the rear of the tractor vehicle is kinematically bridged by connecting two joints associated with the tractor vehicle to two joints associated with the trailer vehicle via connecting bars to form a four-joint arrangement such that the straight lines running in the longitudinal direction intersect at the desired effective coupling point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 1982
    Date of Patent: March 5, 1985
    Assignee: Alois Kober AG
    Inventors: Kurt Kober, Rudolf W/o/ hrle, Robert K/o/ hler