Patents by Inventor Thomas Ripa

Thomas Ripa 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: 11578776
    Abstract: A movement stage for a hydraulic shock absorber has a damping volume and a stage throttle with a valve disk, an analogue piston, and an elastic biasing means supported on the analogue piston and on the valve disk. The valve disk has a pressure surface defining a portion of the surface of a disk valve arranged upstream of an entry edge of a disk valve seat. The analogue piston has a pressure surface facing away from the biasing means. The valve disk pressure surface and the analogue piston pressure surface are impinged by damping fluid flowing out of the damping volume as the shock absorber moves in a movement direction. The analogue piston pressure surface is larger than the valve disk pressure surface when projected in the closing direction of the disk valve so that the analogue piston is displaced and the bias of the valve disk increases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Inventor: Thomas Ripa
  • Publication number: 20200049222
    Abstract: A movement stage for a hydraulic shock absorber has a damping volume and a stage throttle with a valve disk, an analogue piston, and an elastic biasing means supported on the analogue piston and on the valve disk. The valve disk has a pressure surface defining a portion of the surface of a disk valve arranged upstream of an entry edge of a disk valve seat. The analogue piston has a pressure surface facing away from the biasing means. The valve disk pressure surface and the analogue piston pressure surface are impinged by damping fluid flowing out of the damping volume as the shock absorber moves in a movement direction. The analogue piston pressure surface is larger than the valve disk pressure surface when projected in the closing direction of the disk valve so that the analogue piston is displaced and the bias of the valve disk increases.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 8, 2019
    Publication date: February 13, 2020
    Inventor: Thomas Ripa
  • Patent number: 10473179
    Abstract: A movement stage for a hydraulic shock absorber has a damping volume and a stage throttle with a valve disk, an analogue piston, and an elastic biasing means supported on the analogue piston and on the valve disk. The valve disk has a pressure surface defining a portion of the surface of a disk valve arranged upstream of an entry edge of a disk valve seat. The analogue piston has a pressure surface facing away from the biasing means. The valve disk pressure surface and the analogue piston pressure surface are impinged by damping fluid flowing out of the damping volume as the shock absorber moves in a movement direction. The analogue piston pressure surface is larger than the valve disk pressure surface when projected in the closing direction of the disk valve so that the analogue piston is displaced and the bias of the valve disk increases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2019
    Inventor: Thomas Ripa
  • Patent number: 10106021
    Abstract: Vehicle roof arrangement can have displaceable sliding member, activation element having a mechanical coupling element, locationally fixed construction element in relation to the guide rail and has a coupling element pocket, and an elastic element mounted to be locationally fixed in relation to the guide rail. In a first state the elastic element protrudes into the pocket. In a second state the elastic element is guided out of the pocket. In a first movement section of the sliding member the elastic element by the sliding member is transferable from the first state to the second state. In an adjacent second movement section an introduction of the coupling element into the pocket is controllable, and the activation element is blocked in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. In an adjacent third movement section the elastic element is again transferable to the first state, and the coupling element is blocked.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: WEBASTO SE
    Inventors: Dominik Hölzel, Thomas Ripa, Christian Lipovsky
  • Patent number: 10047816
    Abstract: A damping strut with a hydraulic shock absorber has a damping volume filled with an incompressible damping fluid, a retract detection device, and a compression stage throttle having a disk valve with a valve disk. The damping fluid flows through the compression stage throttle during a retraction of the shock absorber and generates a damping strut resistance force. A biasing means for biasing the valve disk against a through flow direction of the disk valve has a force-distance-characteristic curve in a range of the valve stroke of the valve disk, a first derivative of which is substantially zero and has a value (K). A bias regulator couples the biasing means with the valve disk and is interconnected with the retract detection device. When the retraction of the shock absorber starts, the value (K) is raised during a first period of time starting at a single start value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2018
    Inventor: Thomas Ripa
  • Publication number: 20180022194
    Abstract: Vehicle roof arrangement can have displaceable sliding member, activation element having a mechanical coupling element, locationally fixed construction element in relation to the guide rail and has a coupling element pocket, and an elastic element mounted to be locationally fixed in relation to the guide rail. In a first state the elastic element protrudes into the pocket. In a second state the elastic element is guided out of the pocket. In a first movement section of the sliding member the elastic element by the sliding member is transferable from the first state to the second state. In an adjacent second movement section an introduction of the coupling element into the pocket is controllable, and the activation element is blocked in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. In an adjacent third movement section the elastic element is again transferable to the first state, and the coupling element is blocked.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 4, 2016
    Publication date: January 25, 2018
    Inventors: Dominik Hölzel, Thomas Ripa, Christian Lipovsky
  • Publication number: 20160265616
    Abstract: A damping strut with a hydraulic shock absorber has a damping volume filled with an incompressible damping fluid, a retract detection device, and a compression stage throttle having a disk valve with a valve disk. The damping fluid flows through the compression stage throttle during a retraction of the shock absorber and generates a damping strut resistance force. A biasing means for biasing the valve disk against a through flow direction of the disk valve has a force-distance-characteristic curve in a range of the valve stroke of the valve disk, a first derivative of which is substantially zero and has a value (K). A bias regulator couples the biasing means with the valve disk and is interconnected with the retract detection device. When the retraction of the shock absorber starts, the value (K) is raised during a first period of time starting at a single start value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 19, 2016
    Publication date: September 15, 2016
    Inventor: Thomas Ripa
  • Publication number: 20160265614
    Abstract: A movement stage for a hydraulic shock absorber has a damping volume and a stage throttle with a valve disk, an analogue piston, and an elastic biasing means supported on the analogue piston and on the valve disk. The valve disk has a pressure surface defining a portion of the surface of a disk valve arranged upstream of an entry edge of a disk valve seat. The analogue piston has a pressure surface facing away from the biasing means. The valve disk pressure surface and the analogue piston pressure surface are impinged by damping fluid flowing out of the damping volume as the shock absorber moves in a movement direction. The analogue piston pressure surface is larger than the valve disk pressure surface when projected in the closing direction of the disk valve so that the analogue piston is displaced and the bias of the valve disk increases.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 19, 2016
    Publication date: September 15, 2016
    Inventor: Thomas Ripa
  • Patent number: 9156519
    Abstract: A damping strut for a bicycle has a hydraulic shock absorber having a damper volume filled with incompressible damping fluid, a pressure application device that detects the current displacement state of the damping strut, and at least one disk valve. When the damping strut is displaced, the damper volume changes so that the damping fluid flows, creating a damping force which counteracts the displacement, through the disk valve. A control piston is coupled to the disk valve in order to vary the degree of opening of the disk valve. Control piston pressure can be applied by the pressure application device with a compressible control fluid, dependent on the displacement state detected by the pressure application device, such that on detection of a pre-determined displacement state of the damping strut, the disk valve is pre-tensioned in the closing direction thereof, so that the damping force is increased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2015
    Inventor: Thomas Ripa
  • Patent number: 8567576
    Abstract: A hydropneumatic telescopic strut includes a shock absorber having a damper cylinder filled with an incompressible damper fluid, a damper piston displaceable in the damper cylinder, and a damper piston rod. A gas pressure spring has a spring cylinder filled with a compressible suspension fluid and a spring piston arranged such that the spring piston is displaceable in the spring cylinder. The shock absorber and the gas pressure spring are connected in parallel with one another and the shock absorber and the gas pressure spring are movable telescopically upon spring deflection and rebound of the telescopic strut. An equalization reservoir is connected with the damper cylinder such that the damper fluid is provided for volume equalization of a time-variable displacement of the damper fluid by the damper piston rod upon spring deflection and rebound of the telescopic strut.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2013
    Inventor: Thomas Ripa
  • Publication number: 20130032979
    Abstract: A damping strut for a bicycle has a hydraulic shock absorber having a damper volume filled with incompressible damping fluid, a pressure application device that detects the current displacement state of the damping strut, and at least one disk valve. When the damping strut is displaced, the damper volume changes so that the damping fluid flows, creating a damping force which counteracts the displacement, through the disk valve. A control piston is coupled to the disk valve in order to vary the degree of opening of the disk valve. Control piston pressure can be applied by the pressure application device with a compressible control fluid, dependent on the displacement state detected by the pressure application device, such that on detection of a pre-determined displacement state of the damping strut, the disk valve is pre-tensioned in the closing direction thereof, so that the damping force is increased.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 27, 2012
    Publication date: February 7, 2013
    Inventor: Thomas RIPA
  • Publication number: 20110147148
    Abstract: Hydropneumatic telescopic strut for a bicycle possesses a shock absorber (2) that possesses a damper cylinder (3), a damper piston (7) arranged such that it can be displaced in said damper cylinder (3) and a damper piston rod (10) with which the damper piston (7) can be operated from outside the damper cylinder (3); a gas pressure spring (18) that possesses a [sic] filled with a spring fluid and a spring piston (23) arranged such that it can be displaced in this [sic], wherein the shock absorber (2) and the gas pressure spring (18) are connected in parallel with one another and the shock absorber (2) and the gas pressure spring (18) can be moved telescopically one inside the other upon spring deflection and rebound of the telescopic strut (1); an equalization reservoir (27) with an equalization chamber (29), which equalization reservoir (27) is connected with the damper cylinder (3) such that the damper fluid can be conducted and which equalization chamber (29) is delimited with a displaceable separator eleme
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2010
    Publication date: June 23, 2011
    Inventor: Thomas Ripa