Patents by Inventor Nathan Paul DeFord

Nathan Paul DeFord 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: 8258779
    Abstract: The invention relates to a shift rail position sensing system. There is a need for a rapid and accurate shift rail position sensing system. In a transmission shift mechanism shifts are performed by axially moving a shift rail which is slidable in a rail bore in a housing. A rail position sensing system includes a groove formed in the shift rail and a Hall effect sensor. The groove includes a curved bottom surface, a first ramp surface extending from one side of the bottom surface to an outer peripheral surface of the shift rail, and a second ramp surface extending from a second side of the bottom surface to an outer peripheral surface of the shift rail. The Hall effect sensor has a sensor shaft with an axis normal to an axis of the shift rail. The sensor shaft has a sensing tip which adjacent to and spaced apart from the groove, so that the Hall effect sensor is sensitive an entire range of positions of the shift rail.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2012
    Assignee: Deere & Company
    Inventors: Gary Herman Wenzel, Nathan Paul DeFord
  • Publication number: 20100127693
    Abstract: The invention relates to a shift rail position sensing system. There is a need for a rapid and accurate shift rail position sensing system. In a transmission shift mechanism shifts are performed by axially moving a shift rail which is slidable in a rail bore in a housing. A rail position sensing system includes a groove formed in the shift rail and a Hall effect sensor. The groove includes a curved bottom surface, a first ramp surface extending from one side of the bottom surface to an outer peripheral surface of the shift rail, and a second ramp surface extending from a second side of the bottom surface to an outer peripheral surface of the shift rail. The Hall effect sensor has a sensor shaft with an axis normal to an axis of the shift rail. The sensor shaft has a sensing tip which adjacent to and spaced apart from the groove, so that the Hall effect sensor is sensitive an entire range of positions of the shift rail.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 26, 2008
    Publication date: May 27, 2010
    Inventors: Gary Herman Wenzel, Nathan Paul DeFord