Patents Issued the Week of August 19-23

8.23.24

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. 12,065,940 entitled “Exhaust Gas Turbocharger having a Hydrodynamic Plain Bearing or a Hydrodynamic Plain Bearing” issued August 22, 2024 to Martin Berger of Oberderdingen, Germany and BMTS Technology GmbH & Co. KG of Stuttgart, Germany. Invented by Martin Berger of Oberderdingen, Germany; Rüdiger Kleinschmidt of Besigheim, Germany; Frieder Stetter of Stuttgart, Germany; Oliver Kuhne of Stuttgart, Germany and Steffen Schmitt of Ditzingen, Germany. Abstract: The invention relates to an exhaust gas turbocharger having a hydrodynamic plain bearing or a hydrodynamic plain bearing, comprising a rotor (10) and a counter-bearing part (50) assigned to the rotor (10), wherein a rotor bearing surface of the rotor (10) and a counterface of the counter-bearing part (50) face each other to form the hydrodynamic plain bearing in the form of a combined journal—thrust bearing, having a continuous hydrodynamically load bearing gap formed between the rotor bearing surface and the counterface, wherein the rotor bearing surface and/or the counterface, when cut longitudinally and through the axis of rotation (R) in sectional view, form(s) a bearing contour forming merging contour sections (17.1 to 17.3; 44.1 to 44.3; 53.1 to 53.3) to generate hydrodynamic load capacities in both the radial and the axial direction, wherein a contour section (17.3; 44.3; 53.3) in sectional view in a first bearing area forms a linear section that is part of a, in particular cylindrical or partially cylindrical, bearing section rotating at least sectionally about the axis of rotation (R), wherein a further contour section (17.1; 44.1; 53.1), in sectional view in a second bearing area, forms a further linear section, which is part of a further bearing area rotating at least sectionally about the axis of rotation (R), wherein this further linear section forms an angle with the axis of rotation (R), and wherein the first and the second bearing area merge via a transition section. According to the invention, a friction-optimized bearing system is to be created, which is easy to manufacture and ensures a reliable and effective bearing arrangement even under highly dynamic loads. According to the invention, this is achieved by the further linear section forming an angle in the range from >30? to <90? with the axis of rotation (R).