Patents Issued the Week of Oct. 2-6

10.6.23

Patent Protection & Registration

Patents grant property rights on new and useful inventions, allowing the patent holder to prevent others from using, making, or selling that invention without permission for a limited time. U.S. patents are permitted by the U.S. Constitution and are designed to promote scientific progress and invention. By allowing inventors to profit from licensing or selling their patent rights, inventors can recoup their research and development costs and benefit financially from their inventing efforts. There are three main types of patents utility, plant, and design. Utility and plant patents can last up to 20 years, while design patents can last up to 15 years. When a patent expires, the patented material enters the public domain, making it free to use by anyone without a license. U.S. patents are issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

U.S. Patent No. 11,771,224 entitled “Drawer Extraction Guide” issued October 03, 2023 to Samet Kalip Ve Maden Esya San. Ve Tic. A.S. of Istanbul, Turkey. Invented by Christian Prentner of Altach, Austria. Abstract: The invention relates to a drawer extraction guide with a corpus rail, a drawer rail, and a center rail and carriages arranged between them. It is provided that a synchronization device comprises at least a first and a second gear set with one or more synchronization wheels that are coupled with each other; that rolls a first synchronization wheel of the first gear set on one of the rails, on a component attached to the rail, on one of the carriages, or on an element attached to the carriage; that rolls a synchronization wheel of the second gear set on a further rail, on an element attached to a further rail, on a further carriage, or on an element attached to a further carriage; the synchronization device comprising a transfer member that is linearly and freely adjustable relative to the corpus rail, the center rail, the drawer rail, and the gear sets; and that one synchronization wheel of the first and the second gear set each roll on the transfer member. The invention allows for a compact configuration of a drawer extraction guide that is synchronized in its movement.

U.S. Patent No. 11,774,965 entitled “Slipform Paver and Method for Operating a Slipform Paver” issued October 03, 2023 to Wirtgen GmbH of Windhagen, Germany. Invented by Matthias Fritz of Hennef, Germany; Stefan Wagner of Bad Honnef, Germany and Cyrus Barimani of Konigswinter, Germany. Abstract: The invention relates to a self-propelled construction machine and to a method for controlling a self-propelled construction machine. The construction machine according to the invention has a position-determining device 13 for determining the position of a reference point R on the construction machine in a coordinate system (X, Y, Z) independent of the construction machine. The position-determining device has a navigation satellite system receiver 14 for receiving satellite signals from a global navigation satellite system 15 (GNSS) and a computing unit 16 which is configured so that the position of a reference point (R) on the construction machine and the orientation (ψ) of the construction machine can be determined based on the satellite signals in a coordinate system (X, Y, Z) that is independent of the construction machine. Moreover, the construction machine has a controller 18 which cooperates with the position-determining device 13 configured to adjust the steering angles of the steerable running gears 3, 4, 6 so that the reference point R of the construction machine moves along a set trajectory T. The computing unit 16 of the position-determining device 13 is configured so that, in a control mode in which the control of the construction machine is not based on the satellite signals of the global navigation satellite system 15, the position (x.sub.n, y.sub.n, z.sub.n) of the reference point (R) relating to the construction machine and the orientation (ψ) of the construction machine are determined in the coordinate system (X, Y, Z) that is independent of the construction machine while the construction machine is moving on the basis of a kinematic model 16A implemented in the computing unit 16 of the position-determining device 13 which describes the position (P) of the reference point (R) and the orientation (ψ) in the coordinate system (X, Y, Z) that is independent of the construction machine depending on the steering angles and the speeds of the running gears 3, 4, 6.

U.S. Patent No. 11,773,544 entitled “Determining Milled Volume or Milled Area of a Milled Surface” issued October 03, 2023 to Wirtgen GmbH of Windhagen, Germany. Invented by Sven Paulsen of Brohl, Germany; Stefan Wagner of Bad Honnef, Germany; Klaus Vollmann of Waldbröl, Germany; Lothar Schwalbach of Asbach, Germany and Cyrus Barimani of Königswinter, Germany. Abstract: A system is provided for determining a volume of material milled, or a surface area milled, by a construction machine having a milling drum. The volume of material milled is determined as a function of a cross-sectional area of material to be milled in front of the milling drum and a distance traveled by the construction machine while actively milling. The cross-sectional area is determined in part by direct machine observation of one or more profile characteristics of a ground surface in front of the milling drum. The surface area milled is determined as a function of the width of the area to be milled in front of the milling drum and a distance traveled by the construction machine while actively milling.

U.S. Patent No. 11,772,845 entitled “Rack Security Enclosure Bracket” issued October 03, 2023 to Phillip Kent Rollins of Nashville, Tennessee and Randall Louis Berg of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Abstract: An adjustable rear mounting bracket may include a planar main body, a channel extending from the planar main body, at least one forward slot, at least one rear slot, a rear pair of tabs, and a forward pair of tabs. The channel is configured to couple to at the rear panel. One of the rear or forward pairs of tabs may be configured to engage a rear leg of the pallet rack for laterally aligning the at least one rear slot or the at least one forward slot with at least one hole of the rear leg. The at least one rear or forward slot may then be vertically adjusted. The at least one rear slot when coupled to the pallet rack may define a close mounting position and, alternatively, the at least one forward slot when coupled to the pallet rack may define an offset mounting position.