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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7364211 | Vehicle lock controlled by a shape memory alloy actuator A contractible shape memory alloy (SMA) wire is used to throw a lever in a latch. The SMA actuator provides weight and space savings. In one embodiment, the SMA actuator is incorporated in the handle of the latch in order to provide a child lock or double lock funct... | 04/29/2008 |
| 7360801 | Door latching system A latching system comprising a base having a first keeper secured thereto, a closable member adapted to engage the base, an elongated member rotatably secured to the closable member, said elongated member including a first connector adapted to engage the first keepe... | 04/22/2008 |
| 7216901 | Operation force transmitting member for door lock apparatus An operation force transmitting member of a door lock apparatus has a guide tube and an inner cable passed through the guide tube and is connected to one of the door lock apparatus and an operating device for operating the door lock apparatus at the upper end portio... | 05/15/2007 |
| 7213428 | Apparatus for locking and unlocking vehicle door An apparatus for locking and unlocking a vehicle door includes a cylinder lock having a rotor, a door lock mechanism including a key operation input shaft which rotates to switch a locked state and an unlocked state of a door, and a torque cable for transmitting rot... | 05/08/2007 |
| 7140211 | Tamper detection security for a tank trailer This invention relates to a security system aimed at closing and locking a cover of an opening of a tank trailer to avoid any tampering of its content and to prove that the content of the tank has not been tampered. The security system comprises a locking member mov... | 11/28/2006 |
| 7073293 | Horizontal slider window assembly A vehicular rear window assembly for a vehicle comprises a first fixed pane, a second fixed pane, a sliding pane, which is supported for horizontal movement between open and closed positions, and a drive assembly. The slider window assembly includes a support system... | 07/11/2006 |
| 7059639 | Spaced-apart hood latch cable retaining system A method and apparatus for a hood latch cable retaining system. A cable mounting cavity for a conventional snap-fit cable fastener is provided in a latch support structure of the hood release mechanism. A retainer is mounted to the latch support structure and positi... | 06/13/2006 |
| 7028798 | Device for opening the bonnet of a motor vehicle It comprises a rear part provided with a cylindrical body surrounding and clamping a sheath for receiving and protecting a driving cable. There is provided a lock for retaining the sheath at the opposite end thereof helped by a dust-coat. Rotation of the rear part m... | 04/18/2006 |
| 7011347 | Latch for section doors and the like, and operating sets including said latch A latch for a section door wherein near the hinges located between the door elements there are provided, at each end of the elements, small rolling wheels which turn on horizontal pivots and slide within side guide bars having a vertical branch, an upper horizontal ... | 03/14/2006 |
| 6945584 | Tailgate advertising apparatus and methods A tailgate advertising assembly includes a tailgate and a billboard. The tailgate is for attachment to a rear of a vehicle so as to be moved between a closed position and an open position as for loading and unloading, and has an upper extremity, a lower extremity, o... | 09/20/2005 |
| 6932192 | Boat stairs bracket A bracket to hold a boarding ladder to a boat. A quick release mechanism for both the ladder and the bracket itself are disclosed. A mounting plate is substantially flush with the side of the boat. The bracket slides down into the mounting plate and latches into pla... | 08/23/2005 |
| 6918275 | Manual internal release assembly for a vehicle decklid latch A combination key lock and latch assembly for a vehicle trunk lid having the key lock located separately and closely adjacent the latch assembly without requiring modification of an existing latch assembly. A sliding actuator is attached to an existing latch assembl... | 07/19/2005 |
| 6896302 | Push button release apparatus A push button release apparatus for releasing a door of a vehicle has a housing secured to the door of the vehicle. The housing defines a cavity. A push button supported by the housing is slidable relative to the housing and moves between an inoperative location and... | 05/24/2005 |
| 6789833 | Tailgate advertising apparatus and methods A tailgate advertising assembly includes a tailgate and a billboard. The tailgate is for attachment to a rear of a vehicle so as to be moved between a closed position and an open position as for loading and unloading, and has an upper extremity, a lower extremity, o... | 09/14/2004 |
| 6776554 | Cable attachment and method of assembling same A vehicle has a storage compartment latch that includes a moveable detent member and a release actuator for moving the detent member to a release position that is operated from inside the storage compartment. The release actuator has a handle that pulls a cable to m... | 08/17/2004 |
| 6742819 | Hood latch assembly for front end module of vehicle A hood latch assembly for a front end module of a vehicle includes a hood latch, which locks a striker of a hood, installed at an upper horizontal portion of a front panel of the front end module formed of upper and lower horizontal portions and a vertical portion c... | 06/01/2004 |
| 6598912 | Actuating device for a hood of a motor vehicle The actuating device for a hood should be designed in such a way that an actuation from the outside for misuse is not possible. For this purpose, the actuating device is equipped with a handle, in which a locking sensing device and a catch element, which ... | 07/29/2003 |
| 6547292 | Over center door closing mechanism A door closing mechanism for pulling a door tight to a frame to which the door is mounted comprises a latch arm assembly having a latch arm pivotally secured to a panel of the door and pivotable between a first, open position and a second, latched positio... | 04/15/2003 |
| 6540269 | Locking mechanism for a sliding door A locking mechanism (10) is produced for holding a sliding door in the open position and has a Bowden cable (22) which acts on its locking element (20), a moving-carriage support (14) and a moving carriage (18), which move relative to one another during t... | 04/01/2003 |
| 6361091 | Apparatus and methods for opening a vehicle hood Devices and methods of releasing engine compartment hoods, designed to be used in conjunction with vehicles equipped with passenger compartment hood releases allow a hood to be released from outside the vehicle. The disclosed devices are positioned betwee... | 03/26/2002 |
| 6253634 | Vehicular opener device having a recessed operation lever An opener device having an operation lever rotatably supported so as to open a lid member through a remote operation, and a spring hooked at one end to spring hooking member of the operation lever so as to elastically urge the operation lever, and hooked ... | 07/03/2001 |
| 6168216 | Vehicle door latch device The present vehicle door latch device comprises a latch unit for keeping a door in a closed state, and a powered closing unit for supplying the power for fully closing the door, to the latch unit. A motor of the closing unit is connected to a wire lever o... | 01/02/2001 |
| 6135514 | Automotive vehicle storage compartment release mechanism Latch release mechanism for a latch of the lid of a trunk storage compartment of an automobile. A detent retains the latch in a latching position holding the lid closed. The detent can be withdrawn from the latch-retaining position enabling the latch to b... | 10/24/2000 |
| 6092845 | Hood latch and release mechanism and operating system including same A vehicle hood latch and release mechanism is latched when the hood striker engages the latch portion of the mechanism as the hood is moved to its closed position. The mechanism is actuated to release the hood striker by a pushing action on the cable or s... | 07/25/2000 |
| 6050619 | Cable actuator system A cable actuator assembly operates a door latch that has inside lock and latch operating levers that are coupled by a cam and follower arrangement and rotate in opposite directions. The cable actuator assembly includes a cable assembly and an actuator ass... | 04/18/2000 |
| 5738394 | Child-proof door latch A child-proof door latch including a selector switch accessable from the door's exterior for enabling or disabling the functioning of a cable-driven latch of the type where a sheath about the cable pushes on the latches trigger to actuate the latchbolt. T... | 04/14/1998 |
| 5720506 | Vehicle door latch A vehicle door latch and handle mechanism including a cable-driven door latch wherein a sheath encasing a cable pushes on a trigger in the latch mechanism to actuate a latchbolt and cause it to disengage a striker. Tensioning of the cable causes the sheat... | 02/24/1998 |
| 5662369 | Device for collapsing a backrest of a backseat of a car A device for collapsing a backrest of a backseat of a car for placing in communication a rear trunk with the passenger compartment of the car. The backrest is biased from an upright position to a collapsed position forwardly by a coiled biasing spring. A ... | 09/02/1997 |
| 5549337 | Motor actuated latch mechanism A latch mechanism includes a rotary latch bolt spring-biased to a rotative position allowing opening of an associated closure. The latch bolt has a shoulder which may be engaged with an extremely lightweight catch mechanism designed to retain the latch bo... | 08/27/1996 |
| 5531489 | Anti-kink cable for automotive door handles A vehicle door latch assembly comprises a latching mechanism carried by a vehicle door structure, a manually operable releasing assembly mounted on the door frame, a flexible cable, and a cable controlling assembly. The latching mechanism includes a movab... | 07/02/1996 |
| 5498041 | Gate latch assembly A gate latch assembly which includes a latch bar fixedly attached to a swingable gate is received into a slot in a latch frame. The latch frame is fixedly attached to a gate post enabling the gate to swing from the gate post upon the actuation of pawl rel... | 03/12/1996 |
| 5358292 | Gate latch A gate latch of the type including a latch bar mounted for movement with a hinged gate and a latch bracket secured to a stationary gate post disposed for engagement with the latch bar when the gate is in a closed position includes an elongated wire cable ... | 10/25/1994 |
| 5233849 | Remote key actuator for vehicle trunk lock A remote control latch assembly includes a fork-bolt and detent style latch carried on the moveable deck lid of a vehicle. A key actuator is spaced from the latch and receives a standard key for unlatching the deck lid from a covered position over the tru... | 08/10/1993 |
| 5116261 | Auxiliary computer panel to cover a disk drive access side of a computer casing A computer panel includes a panel member to be locked against the side of a computer casing from which the disk drives are accessed. The panel member has a window opening to access the disk drives. A cover is hinged to the panel member to close the window... | 05/26/1992 |
| 5054826 | Compartment latch remote release with folding member for disabling the remote release The vehicle has a luggage compartment panel which carries a latch engageable with a striker mounted on the vehicle body. A release trigger carried by the latch is positioned near the striker when the latch engages the striker. An actuator member is movabl... | 10/08/1991 |
| 5035452 | Vehicle door latches In a cable latch system for a vehicle door, the inside door handle is connected by a single push/pull control cable to a bellcrank lever mounted on the latch housing. The bellcrank lever is itself connected to the locking and release levers of the latch b... | 07/30/1991 |
| 5000496 | Tailgate latch A latch for the tailgate of a pickup truck is provided which employs a conical striker mechanism engaging a resiliently biased jaw, contact surfaces of the jaw and striker being arranged to cause further locking engagement upon attempted withdrawal of the... | 03/19/1991 |
| 4998447 | Device for coupling and/or uncoupling at least the cores of two cable line sections A device for coupling and uncoupling at least the cores of two cable line sections is disclosed, particularly for use in a motor vehicle theft prevention installation for prevention unauthorized opening of the engine hood and the like. A control element i... | 03/12/1991 |
| 4962955 | Deck lid latch and remote release A luggage compartment lid openable upon release of the deck lid latch and a release handle mounted in the operator compartment and connected to the latch by a cable for remotely releasing the latch upon operator actuation of the release handle. A drive ge... | 10/16/1990 |
| 4702117 | Lock actuator for a pair of locks A vehicle use-lock actuator is proposed comprising a stationary housing and a reversible drive motor for locking and unlocking successively two remotely positioned locks. In this actuator, the drive motor is mounted within the housing in a hidden position... | 10/27/1987 |