Patents by Inventor Roland Drees

Roland Drees 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: 11745633
    Abstract: A beverage dispensing system for a vehicle includes a beverage dispenser and a drinking vessel. The beverage dispenser includes a nozzle having an upwardly directed nozzle tube for dispensing a beverage liquid. The drinking vessel is connectable to the nozzle tube and is fillable with the beverage liquid from a bottom side of the drinking vessel. The drinking vessel has a hollow dome which is opened on its bottom and top sides and is formed by a central section of the bottom side of the drinking vessel extending into the drinking vessel interior. The hollow dome is pushed onto the nozzle tube for the drinking vessel to be filled with the beverage liquid from its bottom side. The drinking vessel may be a cylindrical or truncated conical mug in which the central section of its bottom side is curved into the drinking vessel interior to form the hollow dome.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: Kostal Automobil Elektrik GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Roland Drees
  • Publication number: 20220153179
    Abstract: A beverage dispensing system for a vehicle includes a beverage dispenser and a drinking vessel. The beverage dispenser includes a nozzle having an upwardly directed nozzle tube for dispensing a beverage liquid. The drinking vessel is connectable to the nozzle tube and is fillable with the beverage liquid from a bottom side of the drinking vessel. The drinking vessel has a hollow dome which is opened on its bottom and top sides and is formed by a central section of the bottom side of the drinking vessel extending into the drinking vessel interior. The hollow dome is pushed onto the nozzle tube for the drinking vessel to be filled with the beverage liquid from its bottom side. The drinking vessel may be a cylindrical or truncated conical mug in which the central section of its bottom side is curved into the drinking vessel interior to form the hollow dome.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 3, 2022
    Publication date: May 19, 2022
    Applicant: KOSTAL Automobil Elektrik GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Roland Drees
  • Patent number: 9845866
    Abstract: A system for a vehicle operable in a user-controlled driving mode and an automatic driving mode includes a hand-operated control element and a contact sensor configured to detect whether a driver of the vehicle is holding the control element. The system further includes a controller to monitor an alertness of the driver while the vehicle is in the automatic driving mode depending on whether the driver is holding the control element and/or switch operation of the vehicle between the user-controlled driving mode and the automatic driving mode depending on whether the driver is holding the control element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Assignee: Leopold Kostal GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Roland Drees, Mario Janetzko
  • Patent number: 9725002
    Abstract: A charging system for charging an electric vehicle at a charging station includes a charge module at the charging station and a charge module at the vehicle. The charge modules include electric contact elements which can be interconnected together. The charging system includes an automatic positioning device configured to move the charging station charge module relative to the vehicle charge module to align and join the charge modules together. The charging system includes an automatic feed device configured to enable the contact elements of the charging station charge module to connect to the contact elements of the vehicle charge module when the charge modules are joined together. The contact elements of the charge modules are configured such that the contact elements can connect to each other without overriding a contact force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2017
    Assignee: Kostal Kontakt Systeme GmbH
    Inventors: Siegfried Hauptenbuchner, Thomas Scherer, Georg Schroeder, Matthias Schubert, Joerg Welschholz, Roland Drees
  • Publication number: 20160091083
    Abstract: A system for a vehicle operable in a user-controlled driving mode and an automatic driving mode includes a hand-operated control element and a contact sensor configured to detect whether a driver of the vehicle is holding the control element. The system further includes a controller to monitor an alertness of the driver while the vehicle is in the automatic driving mode depending on whether the driver is holding the control element and/or switch operation of the vehicle between the user-controlled driving mode and the automatic driving mode depending on whether the driver is holding the control element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 8, 2015
    Publication date: March 31, 2016
    Inventors: Roland Drees, Mario Janetzko
  • Publication number: 20150210176
    Abstract: A charging system for charging an electric vehicle at a charging station includes a charge module at the charging station and a charge module at the vehicle. The charge modules include electric contact elements which can be interconnected together. The charging system includes an automatic positioning device configured to move the charging station charge module relative to the vehicle charge module to align and join the charge modules together. The charging system includes an automatic feed device configured to enable the contact elements of the charging station charge module to connect to the contact elements of the vehicle charge module when the charge modules are joined together. The contact elements of the charge modules are configured such that the contact elements can connect to each other without overriding a contact force.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 2, 2015
    Publication date: July 30, 2015
    Inventors: Siegfried Hauptenbuchner, Thomas Scherer, Georg Schroeder, Matthias Schubert, Joerg Welschholz, Roland Drees
  • Patent number: 6648675
    Abstract: A method for fitting a carrier with a cable harness having main and branch conductors and with a device. A contact element is arranged on the carrier. A top portion of the main conductor, a bottom portion of a first end of the branch conductor, and a top portion of a second end of the branch conductor are exposed. The conductors are arranged on the carrier with the main conductor lying on the carrier, the exposed bottom portion of the branch conductor contacting the exposed top portion of the main conductor, and the exposed top portion of the branch conductor placed on the contact element for realizing a plug connector. The carrier is fitted with a device having a plug connector such that the device is electrically connected to the branch conductor and mechanically connected to the carrier via a connection between the plug connector and the contact element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2003
    Assignee: Leopold Kostal GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Jorg Welschholz, Roland Drees, Norbert Bendicks, Detlef Kerkmann, Berthold Eesders
  • Publication number: 20030008534
    Abstract: A method for fitting a carrier with a cable harness having main and branch conductors and with a device. A contact element is arranged on the carrier. A top portion of the main conductor, a bottom portion of a first end of the branch conductor, and a top portion of a second end of the branch conductor are exposed. The conductors are arranged on the carrier with the main conductor lying on the carrier, the exposed bottom portion of the branch conductor contacting the exposed top portion of the main conductor, and the exposed top portion of the branch conductor placed on the contact element for realizing a plug connector. The carrier is fitted with a device having a plug connector such that the device is electrically connected to the branch conductor and mechanically connected to the carrier via a connection between the plug connector and the contact element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2002
    Publication date: January 9, 2003
    Applicant: Leopold Kostal GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Jorg Welschholz, Roland Drees, Norbert Bendicks, Detlef Kerkmann, Berthold Eesders