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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8186752 | Vehicle body structure A vehicle body structure having improved roof support characteristics is provided. The structure includes a roof rail integral to an A-pillar and a support pillar. The structure further includes a cross member. The A-pillar includes an inner surface, an outer surfac... | 05/29/2012 |
| 8167363 | Prestressed structural members and methods of making same Methods of prestressing a vehicle structural member include forming a support structure, applying a preformed reinforcing component to the support structure, the preformed reinforcing component having a size changing material that changes in dimension upon applicati... | 05/01/2012 |
| 8091318 | Formed part for vehicle body structural member Curved portions are formed on a first vertical wall portion that continues from a headwall portion and curved portions are formed on a second vertical wall portion that continues from the headwall portion. A difference in the linear length on the first vertical wall... | 01/10/2012 |
| 8029050 | Vehicle front structure A vehicle front structure includes: a structural member that is disposed forward of a cabin of a vehicle and that extends in a width direction of a vehicle; a front pillar that extends in a height direction of the vehicle; a pillar brace having a cabin-side end port... | 10/04/2011 |
| 7717498 | Reduced weight components for vehicle frame and method of making same A vehicle frame component, such as a siderail or a cross member, is formed with a generally C-shaped cross section in which the vertical web member has a greatly reduced mass, as compared to a comparable C-channel section of uniform construction. The reduced mass we... | 05/18/2010 |
| 7708336 | Chassis frame and method of manufacturing chassis frame A cross-shaped chassis frame (1) formed by abutting and connecting the end parts of side members (12) to the outer face of a front end cross member (11), wherein the side members (12) are formed of hollow pipes, the end parts of the side ... | 05/04/2010 |
| 7690721 | Junction structure for connecting two profiles in a vehicle support frame The invention relates to a junction structure for connecting two profiles(1, 2), especially in a vehicle support frame. The first profile (1) has at least two planar, parallel sides and the second profile (2) comprises two parallel, opposite gir... | 04/06/2010 |
| 7641269 | Vehicular body structure In a vehicular body structure, left and right front pillars are provided closer to the longitudinal centerline of a vehicle than left and right corner sections of a compartment of the vehicle. First corner window (26) provided adjacent to one of the left and ... | 01/05/2010 |
| 7503623 | Metal frame made up of the union of a plurality of extruded elements, and method for its fabrication A metal frame made up of a plurality of linear bars, which have a constant cross section, are obtained by extrusion, and are joined to one another by means of welding at structural nodes defined by jointing bodies provided with pockets for housing the linear bars. T... | 03/17/2009 |
| 7441831 | Method of manufacturing a vehicle frame member with a subframe attachment mount An attachment mount apparatus connects a subframe component to the lower frame midrail structure for an automotive vehicle that is formed from a pair of tubular members manufactured through a hydroforming process. The two tubular members are formed with a pair of op... | 10/28/2008 |
| 7399029 | System for discharging exhaust air from a radiator in a straddle type vehicle A system for discharging exhaust air from a radiator in a straddle type vehicle (e.g., a motorcycle) is provided that can discharge heated air from the radiator to the outside of the vehicle in an efficient manner. The system comprises a radiator that can be positio... | 07/15/2008 |
| 7390052 | Light weight chassis and hull A recreational vehicle includes a hull coupled to a chassis where the hull is formed by coupling pre-formed panels together using two piece channel members, and/or the chassis is formed by mechanically coupling pre-formed segments together. In some instances, the tw... | 06/24/2008 |
| 7390021 | Modular frame load handler with translatable boom carriage A load handler with a modular frame and the manufacture and assembly of the frame and loader and components that may be used therein. A frame is provided that has a low pivot point for a boom. The frame has left and right side rails, and front and rear cross rails, ... | 06/24/2008 |
| 7390056 | Hydroformed attachment face for modular component An automotive body structure member is formed through a hydroforming manufacturing process that incorporates an angularly oriented mounting face for the attachment of a pre-assembled modular component. The mounting face can be formed to recess into the surrounding s... | 06/24/2008 |
| 7380876 | Hydroformed members with internal bulkhead A hydroformed tubular frame member includes an internal bulkhead member that is formed during the hydroforming process during which the frame member is manufacture from tubular stock material. The internal bulkhead is cut from one face by piercing three sides of a w... | 06/03/2008 |
| 7357418 | Steering shaft support structure for vehicle for uneven ground running In a vehicle for uneven ground operation front wheels can be steered with a handle via a steering shaft mounted rotatably on the body frame with an upper cross beam being placed in spanning relationship between left and right front upper pipes composing the body fra... | 04/15/2008 |
| 7347491 | Rail to rocker joint using hydroformed members A process for connecting a hydroformed front rail member of an automotive frame to the body side inner (rocker) beam does not require a substantive re-design of the frame to accommodate an overlapping parallel orientation of two tubular frame members. The hydroforme... | 03/25/2008 |
| 7341299 | Double cell crushable joint for automotive front end A structural joint is formed between the upper frame rail, which bends downwardly to define a generally vertically extending portion, and a generally fore-and-aft extending lower frame rail that can increase bending resistance without sacrificing crash energy manage... | 03/11/2008 |
| 7338112 | Easily removable external protection system for vehicles Systems and methods for mounting an easily removable, external protective system on a vehicle such as an internal combustion vehicle such as a car, truck, SUV, etc. One function of the system is to allow the occupants to enter and exit the vehicle without removing t... | 03/04/2008 |
| 7328938 | Side impact load transmitting structure A side impact load transmitting structure includes: a vehicular seat disposed in a cabin; a tunnel portion that is disposed such that it protrudes upward into the cabin and extends in a front-rear direction of a vehicle body; a load transmitting member including a l... | 02/12/2008 |
| 7325866 | Modular underbody for a motor vehicle A module for a frame for a motor vehicle with a pair of laterally spaced, longitudinally extending central side rail structures. The module including a pair of tubular hydroformed side rail members and a laterally extending connecting structure connected between the... | 02/05/2008 |
| 7325865 | Vehicle rear body structure A vehicle rear body structure including: a cross member provided beneath a rear parcel shelf to connect upper ends of rear suspension towers; a strip member provided along a rear edge of a floor panel; and panel members provided between the cross member and the stri... | 02/05/2008 |
| 7322640 | Hydroformed and roll-formed cross sill assembly for vehicles and method of making same A hydroformed and roll-formed cross sill assembly for a vehicle and method of making same includes a pair of hydroformed tubular side members. The hydroformed and roll-formed cross sill assembly also includes a roll-formed beam member disposed between the tubular si... | 01/29/2008 |
| 7322106 | Method of manufacturing a node for connecting vehicle frame members A method of manufacturing a node for joining a plurality of structural members together, such as in a vehicular body and frame assembly, is well suited for joining structural members that are formed from differing materials. An insert is provided having a node secur... | 01/29/2008 |
| 7305766 | Method for assembling a bus A method for constructing a bus, wherein a module associated with the front end of the bus is separately constructed and assembled to the shell after interior components of the bus have been installed. The shell of the bus can be fabricated at a first work station. ... | 12/11/2007 |
| 7303033 | Vehicle frame assembly and method for same A method for assembling vehicular structural frames employing elongated members and connectors interconnecting the elongated members increases flexibility in assembling chassis frames and body frames. The method includes assembling a first vehicle structural frame a... | 12/04/2007 |
| 7300099 | Clip in structural load transfer member A structural load transfer member for a vehicle including a housing having a first open end, a second open end, and a central bore. A first end member having an inner side is attached to the housing and an outer side of the first end member is attached to a sill of ... | 11/27/2007 |
| 7293823 | Interlocked pillar and roof rail joint A joint assembly for joining a tubular B-pillar to a tubular roof rail. The joint assembly includes an inner bracket plate and an outer bracket plate that are welded to each other around the roof rail and B-pillar. A flange of the roof rail is received in a slot for... | 11/13/2007 |
| 7280016 | Design of membrane actuator based on ferromagnetic shape memory alloy composite for synthetic jet actuator A membrane actuator includes a magnetically actuatable membrane and a magnetic trigger. The membrane includes a shape memory alloy (SMA), and the magnetic trigger is configured to induce a martensitic transformation in the SMA, to produce a larger force than would b... | 10/09/2007 |
| 7275785 | Rear subframe attachment mount for hydroformed frame An attachment mount apparatus connects a subframe component to the lower frame midrail structure for an automotive vehicle that is formed from a pair of tubular members manufactured through a hydroforming process. The two tubular members are formed with a pair of op... | 10/02/2007 |
| 7275781 | Fluid forming of oriented thermoplastics The invention provides a method of forming structural components for automotive vehicles from elongated tubular blanks. A longitudinally oriented tubular blank comprised of a thermoplastic material is provided. The tubular blank is fluidformed in a fluid forming cav... | 10/02/2007 |
| 7267395 | Vehicle upper body structure A vehicle upper body structure of the present invention includes: a step part for arranging a slide rail formed on a roof side rail; a pillar that is joined to the roof side rail in the vicinity of a standing wall that constitutes a front end part of the step part; ... | 09/11/2007 |
| 7267394 | Front end tubular structure for unitized body vehicles A tubular front end structure for use with a unitized automotive frame. The tubular front end structure includes a pair of upper frame rail members that are welded to the A-pillar at vertically spaced positions. A first upper rail member provides support for the fen... | 09/11/2007 |
| 7264304 | Vehicle body A vehicle body (1) having a central cell (2) made of composite materials; a front auxiliary frame (3) anchored to the front end of the central cell (2); and a rear auxiliary frame (4) anchored to the rear end of the central cell ( | 09/04/2007 |
| 7258395 | Composite body for a golf car and utility vehicle A golf car (10) or utility vehicle having a composite body (58). In some aspects of the invention, the golf car or utility vehicle has a composite body assembly that includes a front clam shell assembly (62) and a rear shell-like body (64... | 08/21/2007 |
| 7258184 | Battery replacement system for an industrial truck A battery replacement system for an industrial truck has an electrical propulsion drive and at least one battery compartment for holding a battery block. The battery block can be moved essentially in a horizontal direction into the battery compartment or out of the ... | 08/21/2007 |
| 7251915 | Frame system for motor vehicle A frame system for a motor vehicle includes a plurality of frame members each having a connector socket defined therein. The system further includes a connector having an outer profile configured to engage the sockets of two of the frame members so as to connect the... | 08/07/2007 |
| 7249797 | Rear body structure for a motor vehicle A rearward body structure of a motor vehicle has a vehicle body shell cutout for a tailgate attached to the body structure. The body structure has a roof junction assembly in which a lateral roof side member, a transversely extending roof frame with a hinge connecti... | 07/31/2007 |
| 7249645 | Industrial truck with a lateral frame opening and a door with a double hinge An industrial truck has a vehicle frame (1) with a frame portion (2) having a lateral frame opening (2b) for receiving a battery block. A door (3) covers the frame opening (2b) and may be pivoted outwardly about a sub... | 07/31/2007 |
| 7250124 | Structural reinforcement article and process for preparation thereof The invention is a process for the preparation of article comprising placing a film on each inner surface of each part of a two part mold; placing an article in the mold with film located between the surface of the mold and the article such that there is a small spa... | 07/31/2007 |
