Patents Issued the Week of March 10-14

3.12.25

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. 12,246,600 entitled “Self-Propelled Construction Machine and Method for Controlling a Self-propelled Construction Machine” issued March 11, 2025 to Wirtgen GmbH of Windhagen, Germany. Invented by Siegbert Dittmann of Vettelschoss, Germany. Abstract: The invention relates to a self-propelled construction machine, in particular a road milling machine, stabiliser, recycler or surface miner, which has a machine frame 2 supported by at least three running gears 10A, 10B, 11A, 11B, a drive device 14 for driving at least two running gears, and a work roller 4 arranged on the machine frame. The invention also relates to a method for controlling a construction machine of this kind. The drive device 14 comprises adjustable hydraulic motors 15, 16, 17, 18 associated with the drivable running gears, which hydraulic motors have a displacement volume Vg that can be varied by an adjusting device 15A, 16A, 17A, 18A, and comprises at least one adjustable travel drive-hydraulic pump 19 driven by at least one drive motor to supply the hydraulic motors with a variable total volume flow Q of hydraulic fluid. In addition, a controller 28 is provided which is configured in such a way that a partial volume flow Q.sub.1, Q.sub.2, Q.sub.3, Q.sub.4 is determined for each adjustable hydraulic motor 15, 16, 17, 18 from the total volume flow Q provided by the at least one travel drive-hydraulic pump 19, by means of which partial volume flow the particular hydraulic motor is to be operated, and when the speed n of an adjustable hydraulic motor increases as a result of slippage of the running gear associated with the adjustable hydraulic motor, the adjusting device of the adjustable hydraulic motor is controlled in such a way that a displacement volume Vg is set for the adjustable hydraulic motor, at which displacement volume the partial volume flow determined for the adjustable hydraulic motor is maintained. The self-propelled construction machine according to the invention is characterized in that a hydraulic flow divider is not required.