Patents by Inventor Michael Demerath

Michael Demerath 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: 11993135
    Abstract: An air vent (1) for a vehicle, including a housing (2) whose housing wall delimits an air duct (3), at least one air-guiding slat (5) in the air duct (3) which is pivotable or rotatable relative to the housing wall about an axis of rotation (6), or a slat pack (4) in the air duct (3) having a multiplicity of air-guiding slats (5), each of them being pivotable or rotatable relative to the housing wall about one axis of rotation (6), such that the air duct (3) is subdivided into a multiplicity of sub-ducts (7), and at least one lateral blocking element (8) which is displaceable, pivotable or rotatable relative to the at least one air-guiding slat (5) or the air-guiding slats (5) of the slat pack (4) and to the housing wall for the purpose of blocking a sub-duct (7) formed between the at least one air-guiding slat (5) or an outer air-guiding slat (5) of the slat pack (4) and the housing wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2024
    Assignee: ILLINOIS TOOL WORKS INC.
    Inventor: Michael Demerath
  • Patent number: 11780299
    Abstract: Air vent for a vehicle, including a housing with an inlet opening and an outlet opening, and an air duct for air flowing from the inlet opening to the outlet opening in a main flow direction. A slat assembly is arranged in the air duct and has a plurality of air-guiding slats that are pivotable together with respect to the main flow direction, and designed to divert the air flow from the main flow direction in an open position of the slat assembly and to interrupt the air flow in a closed position of the slat assembly. The air-guiding slats, in the closed position, are braced relative to one another and each of them takes up its end position, and at least some of the air-guiding slats reach their respective end position in succession during an adjustment of the slat assembly from the open position to the closed position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2023
    Assignee: ILLINOIS TOOL WORKS INC.
    Inventors: Thomas Pacher, Günther Krämer, Michael Demerath
  • Patent number: 11752840
    Abstract: Air vent for a vehicle, including an air duct, which is bounded by a housing (12?), with an air inlet end and an air outlet end, wherein an air flow flowing through the air duct can flow from the air inlet end to the air outlet end along a main flow direction and a manual actuating element (22) for controlling the air outlet direction of the air flow by movement of fins (60, 62), wherein, during a translational movement of the manual actuating element along a movement axis the air outlet direction undergoes a change along the movement axis, and wherein, during a tilting movement of the manual actuating element about the movement axis, the air outlet direction undergoes a change perpendicular to the movement axis, wherein the manual actuating element is arranged outside the air flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: ILLINOIS TOOL WORKS INC.
    Inventor: Michael Demerath
  • Publication number: 20220032737
    Abstract: An air vent (100) for a vehicle, wherein the air vent (100) has a housing (1a, 1b) with an air inlet region (3) and an opposite air outlet region (5), wherein a housing wall of the housing (1a, 1b) delimits, at least in certain regions, an air duct (7) for air flowing from the air inlet region (3) to the air outlet region (5) along a main flow direction (H), upstream of the air outlet region (5), the air duct (7) is subdivided into at least two sub-ducts (9a, 9b) which extend in parallel along the main flow direction (H) and which open into a respective air outlet opening (6a, 6b) at the air outlet region (5) and for air deflection as required, at least one adjustable air-guiding element (11a, 11b) is arranged in each sub-duct (9a, 9b).
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2019
    Publication date: February 3, 2022
    Inventor: Michael DEMERATH
  • Publication number: 20220009314
    Abstract: An air vent (1) for a vehicle, including a housing (2) whose housing wall delimits an air duct (3), at least one air-guiding slat (5) in the air duct (3) which is pivotable or rotatable relative to the housing wall about an axis of rotation (6), or a slat pack (4) in the air duct (3) having a multiplicity of air-guiding slats (5), each of them being pivotable or rotatable relative to the housing wall about one axis of rotation (6), such that the air duct (3) is subdivided into a multiplicity of sub-ducts (7), and at least one lateral blocking element (8) which is displaceable, pivotable or rotatable relative to the at least one air-guiding slat (5) or the air-guiding slats (5) of the slat pack (4) and to the housing wall for the purpose of blocking a sub-duct (7) formed between the at least one air-guiding slat (5) or an outer air-guiding slat (5) of the slat pack (4) and the housing wall.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2019
    Publication date: January 13, 2022
    Inventor: Michael DEMERATH
  • Patent number: 11161393
    Abstract: Air vent includes a housing and an air duct having an air inlet end and an air outlet end, wherein an air flow flowing through the air duct can flow along a main flow direction from the air inlet end to the air outlet end. The air vent includes a front air-guiding element in the air duct that is adjustable about a front axis of rotation. The air vent includes a rear air-guiding element which is arranged in the air duct upstream of the front air-guiding element and is adjustable about a rear axis of rotation. The front air-guiding element can be rotated about the front axis of rotation and the rear air-guiding element can be rotated about the rear axis of rotation by moving a control element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
    Inventor: Michael Demerath
  • Publication number: 20210316598
    Abstract: Air vent for a vehicle, including a housing with an inlet opening and an outlet opening, and an air duct for air flowing from the inlet opening to the outlet opening in a main flow direction. A slat assembly is arranged in the air duct and has a plurality of air-guiding slats that are pivotable together with respect to the main flow direction, and designed to divert the air flow from the main flow direction in an open position of the slat assembly and to interrupt the air flow in a closed position of the slat assembly. The air-guiding slats, in the closed position, are braced relative to one another and each of them takes up its end position, and at least some of the air-guiding slats reach their respective end position in succession during an adjustment of the slat assembly from the open position to the closed position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 6, 2019
    Publication date: October 14, 2021
    Inventors: Thomas PACHER, Günther KRÄMER, Michael DEMERATH
  • Publication number: 20210039477
    Abstract: Air vent for a vehicle, including an air duct, which is bounded by a housing (12?), with an air inlet end and an air outlet end, wherein an air flow flowing through the air duct can flow from the air inlet end to the air outlet end along a main flow direction and a manual actuating element (22) for controlling the air outlet direction of the air flow by movement of fins (60, 62), wherein, during a translational movement of the manual actuating element along a movement axis the air outlet direction undergoes a change along the movement axis, and wherein, during a tilting movement of the manual actuating element about the movement axis, the air outlet direction undergoes a change perpendicular to the movement axis, wherein the manual actuating element is arranged outside the air flow.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 8, 2019
    Publication date: February 11, 2021
    Inventor: Michael DEMERATH
  • Publication number: 20190061478
    Abstract: An air vent for a vehicle includes a housing with an air duct bounded by the housing, at least one shut-off flap which is adjustable between a closed position and an open position within the air duct and has a flap body and a sealing edge which at least partially surrounds the flap body for butting against a sealing surface of the housing in the closed position, wherein the sealing edge is composed of the same material as the flap body and has a lower rigidity than the flap body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2018
    Publication date: February 28, 2019
    Inventors: Günther KRÄMER, Ulrike Baumann, Andrew Lefever, Michael Demerath
  • Publication number: 20190047376
    Abstract: Air vent for a vehicle, including a housing, an air duct delimited by the housing and having an air inlet end and an air outlet end, wherein an air flow flowing through the air duct can flow from the air inlet end to the air outlet end along a main flow direction, an outflow grating arranged at the air outlet end, wherein the outflow grating has an opening grid with grating openings spaced apart from one another by way of webs, where a plurality of air-guiding elements are arranged in the air duct upstream of the outflow grating in the flow direction, wherein the air-guiding elements form an opening grid with grating openings which are larger than the grating openings of the outflow grating.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 8, 2018
    Publication date: February 14, 2019
    Inventor: Michael DEMERATH
  • Publication number: 20190001790
    Abstract: Air outlet for a vehicle that includes a housing with an air inlet opening and an air outlet opening, between which a flow connection is formed. The air outlet also includes a slat carrier, mounted movably in the housing, and a shut-off element which is movable between a closed position, in which the shut-off element blocks the flow connection, and an open position, in which the shut-off element frees the flow connection. The slat carrier is coupled to the shut-off element such that, by actuation of the slat carrier, the shut-off element is adjustable between the closed position and the open position. The shut-off element is adjustable into intermediate positions between the closed position and the open position, starting from the closed position or the open position, by actuation of the slat carrier. The shut-off element remains in the intermediate positions until the slat carrier is actuated again.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 19, 2018
    Publication date: January 3, 2019
    Applicant: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Demerath, Thomas Pacher, Laurent Le Tohic, Andrew LeFever
  • Publication number: 20180354346
    Abstract: Air vent includes a housing and an air duct having an air inlet end and an air outlet end, wherein an air flow flowing through the air duct can flow along a main flow direction from the air inlet end to the air outlet end. The air vent includes a front air-guiding element in the air duct that is adjustable about a front axis of rotation. The air vent includes a rear air-guiding element which is arranged in the air duct upstream of the front air-guiding element and is adjustable about a rear axis of rotation. The front air-guiding element can be rotated about the front axis of rotation and the rear air-guiding element can be rotated about the rear axis of rotation by moving a control element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 8, 2018
    Publication date: December 13, 2018
    Applicant: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
    Inventor: Michael Demerath
  • Patent number: 10093153
    Abstract: An air vent (7) having a housing (10) which includes an outflow opening (A), and having a plurality of vanes (12) which are associated with the outflow opening (A) of the housing (10) and are swivel-mounted, the vanes (12) being coupled to each other, is characterized in that at least three coupling members (18) are provided which couple the vanes (12) to each other and are arranged at a distance from each other along the vanes (12) and at a distance from the front edge (V) of the vanes (12).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
    Inventor: Michael Demerath
  • Publication number: 20180126824
    Abstract: Air vent for a motor vehicle. The air vent includes a housing which creates a flow connection between an air inlet region and an air outlet region. A lamellar carrier is movably mounted in the housing. The air vent also includes a blocking element which can be moved between a closed position in which said element blocks the flow connection and an open position in which said element releases the flow connection. The lamellar carrier and the blocking element are parts of a push-push mechanism which which is activatable by overpressing the lamellar carrier from a specific use position into an operation direction. The lock element changes its position by the activation of the push-push mechanism.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 28, 2016
    Publication date: May 10, 2018
    Applicant: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Demerath, Andrew LeFever, Marek Prodelal
  • Patent number: 9664245
    Abstract: In a brake assembly for an air vent in a vehicle, comprising two brake components which are movable relative to each other, wherein on at least one brake component a friction lining is provided, which rubbingly rests against the respective other brake component and inhibits a mutual movement of the brake components, it is provided that the friction lining is made of a thermoplastic elastomer which contains a silicone admixture. A friction lining for such brake assembly is made of a thermoplastic elastomer which contains a silicone admixture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
    Inventors: Juergen Hofmann, Michael Demerath
  • Patent number: 9464649
    Abstract: The invention relates to an assembly (10) for attachment of a component of a motor vehicle, in particular for attachment of a lining part (35) to a carrier (20), having a first holding part (12) and a second holding part (14), the first holding part (12) having at least one abutment (26) and the second holding part (14) having at least one detent hook (36), and having a locking bar (15) which can be moved between a release position, in which the detent hook (36) can move behind, and be released from, the abutment (26), and a locking position, in which the detent hook (36) is locked behind the abutment (26), the locking bar (15) automatically moving from the release position to the locking position. The invention further relates to a method of mounting and of dismounting said assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2016
    Assignee: ITW Fastener Products GmbH
    Inventors: Michael Demerath, Vitali Leidner
  • Publication number: 20160208874
    Abstract: In a brake assembly for an air vent in a vehicle, comprising two brake components which are movable relative to each other, wherein on at least one brake component a friction lining is provided, which rubbingly rests against the respective other brake component and inhibits a mutual movement of the brake components, it is provided that the friction lining is made of a thermoplastic elastomer which contains a silicone admixture. A friction lining for such brake assembly is made of a thermoplastic elastomer which contains a silicone admixture.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2015
    Publication date: July 21, 2016
    Inventors: Juergen Hofmann, Michael Demerath
  • Patent number: 9062696
    Abstract: In a method of assembling a component by means of a fastening clip (100), the fastening clip (100) comprising a latching portion (106) and a head element (104), the head element (104) is transferred from a preliminary mounting position to a final mounting position for assembling the component. An enabling element (112) is provided which is transferred from a first position in which a machine-readable code (114) applied on the fastening clip (100) can not be read, to a second position in which the code (114) can be read, when the head element (104) is transferred to the final mounting position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2015
    Assignee: TRW AUTOMOTIVE ELECTRONICS & COMPONENTS GMBH
    Inventors: Michael Demerath, Anton Fischer
  • Patent number: 9011061
    Abstract: A holding dowel (10) for fastening a fastening means to a component (22), in particular to a vehicle body part, is adapted to be inserted into and arrested in an opening (20) of the component (22) and has a mount (26) for the fastening means. The holding dowel (10) has a base body (12) made from a hard material, which protrudes into the opening (20) and is adapted to fix the holding dowel (10) in place in the opening (20), and further has a sealing member (18) made from a flexible plastic material, which includes a surrounding sealing lip (38). In the installed condition of the holding dowel (10), the sealing lip (38) rests against the component (22) and seals the opening (20) of the component (22). The sealing member (18) is produced at least partly from a material which under the influence of heat establishes a substance-to-substance bond with the component (22).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Assignee: TRW Automotive Electronics & Components GmbH
    Inventors: Juergen Hofmann, Michael Demerath
  • Publication number: 20140206270
    Abstract: In a slat, in particular for an air vent in a vehicle, with a base body and an add-on part which are mounted at each other by means of a mechanical connection, the mechanical connection contains at least one holding element at one of the two components base body and add-on part and at least one receptacle for the holding element at the other one of the two components, wherein the receptacle includes at least one insertion portion, into which the holding element can be inserted in an insertion direction, and at least one succeeding holding portion, in which the holding element can be fixed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 12, 2013
    Publication date: July 24, 2014
    Applicant: TRW Automotive Electronics & Components GmbH
    Inventors: Michael Demerath, Dirk Lauhoff