Patents by Inventor Steven A. Hornby

Steven A. Hornby 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: 10900396
    Abstract: A vehicle exhaust system is provided. The exhaust system may include a muffler including a casing, an inlet tube extending therethrough, and an outlet pipe partially disposed therein. The exhaust system may also include an orifice tube that may have a tapered body inserted within an end of the outlet pipe that is disposed between a baffle and a wall of the casing. The orifice tube may also include an inlet portion flared from the tapered body configured to attenuate noise of exhaust gas funneling into the outlet pipe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2021
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Hani Mohammad Ayesh, Kerry Timothy Havener, Shawn David Norman, Steven A. Hornby
  • Patent number: 10393003
    Abstract: A two-piece, stamped muffler having an integrally-attached aerodynamic shield having a flat bottom shape is disclosed. The muffler may be formed with a substantially flat lower surface. The aerodynamically-improved muffler set forth herein is provided as an aerodynamic shield that is incorporated into an extended flange provided in the shell blank, as a deflector that is attached to a muffler lower shell body and the clamshell flange such as by welding, that is separately attached to the clamshell flange only such as by welding, or that is separately attached to the lower shell only, again possibly by welding. For dual stamped mufflers, the shield may be used jointly with an incremental shield separate from, or integrated into, the spare tire well to connect the twin dual muffler shields to achieve vehicle aerodynamic requirements. A muffler having the aerodynamic shield deflects underbody air flow outside of the rear fascia cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Erich James Nowka, Shawn D. Norman, Kerry Timothy Havener, Steven A. Hornby
  • Publication number: 20180223718
    Abstract: A two-piece, stamped muffler having an integrally-attached aerodynamic shield having a flat bottom shape is disclosed. The muffler may be formed with a substantially flat lower surface. The aerodynamically-improved muffler set forth herein is provided as an aerodynamic shield that is incorporated into an extended flange provided in the shell blank, as a deflector that is attached to a muffler lower shell body and the clamshell flange such as by welding, that is separately attached to the clamshell flange only such as by welding, or that is separately attached to the lower shell only, again possibly by welding. For dual stamped mufflers, the shield may be used jointly with an incremental shield separate from, or integrated into, the spare tire well to connect the twin dual muffler shields to achieve vehicle aerodynamic requirements. A muffler having the aerodynamic shield deflects underbody air flow outside of the rear fascia cavity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 9, 2017
    Publication date: August 9, 2018
    Inventors: Erich James Nowka, Shawn D. Norman, Kerry Timothy Havener, Steven A. Hornby
  • Patent number: 9441512
    Abstract: A muffler shell is formed from a sheet metal blank. The shell comprises a tubular body section which is rolled into a tube so that a first edge of the blank can be welded to an intermediate seam line across the blank. An aerodynamic shield extension projects integrally from the tubular body section between the intermediate seam line and a second edge of the blank to cover a gap between the muffler and adjacent structures when installed on a vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2016
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Michael D. Collareno, Erich James Nowka, Kerry Timothy Havener, Steven A. Hornby