Patents by Inventor Michael Joseph Niksa

Michael Joseph Niksa 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).

  • Additively manufactured tow hook
    Patent number: 12083838
    Abstract: A tow hook includes a monolithic additively manufactured side wall defining a vehicle attachment member, a hollow main body extending from the vehicle attachment member, and a hollow towing member extending from the hollow main body. The vehicle attachment member is configured to rigidly attached to a vehicle and the hollow towing member is configured to securely attach to a towing machine such that the vehicle is towable via the tow hook. The vehicle attachment member can be a threaded shaft with a bore extending along a length of the threaded shaft. The side includes a chamfered plurality of apertures extending from an inner surface of the side wall to an outer surface of the side wall, and having with an inner dimension along a length direction of the hollow main body greater than an inner dimension along a circumferential direction of the hollow main body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2024
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Edgar Edward Donabedian, David D. Friske, Mikhail Minevich, Michael Joseph Niksa, Nicholas Dornik
  • ADDITIVELY MANUFACTURED TOW HOOK
    Publication number: 20220402316
    Abstract: A tow hook includes a monolithic additively manufactured side wall defining a vehicle attachment member, a hollow main body extending from the vehicle attachment member, and a hollow towing member extending from the hollow main body. The vehicle attachment member is configured to rigidly attached to a vehicle and the hollow towing member is configured to securely attach to a towing machine such that the vehicle is towable via the tow hook. The vehicle attachment member can be a threaded shaft with a bore extending along a length of the threaded shaft. The side includes a chamfered plurality of apertures extending from an inner surface of the side wall to an outer surface of the side wall, and having with an inner dimension along a length direction of the hollow main body greater than an inner dimension along a circumferential direction of the hollow main body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2021
    Publication date: December 22, 2022
    Applicant: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Edgar Edward Donabedian, David D. Friske, Mikhail Minevich, Michael Joseph Niksa, Nicholas Dornik