Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Ford Motor Company Limited

Brent Richard Sovoda

Phillip A Przybylo

Martin D Lopez

Paul Lawrence Lipinski

Tim Rush

Richard Moss

Paul Culbertson

Robert Bruce

Zenyu Lian

Syed A Imam

Kenneth Jerome Rottet

Sohail Jamal

Laurie Call

An integrated tow hook and vehicle bumper mounting bracket assembly including a mounting bracket including a frame mounting surface and a bumper mounting surface. A vehicle bumper assembly may be removably securable to the bumper mounting surface of the mounting bracket, and a tow hook may be removably securable to the frame mounting surface of the mounting bracket by one or more mechanical fasteners. The mechanical fastener used to secure the tow hook to the mounting bracket may further serve to secure the mounting bracket to a vehicle frame.

Integrated tow hook and bumper mounting bracket

A hem joint for a vehicular closure structure assembled from stamped sheet metal includes an inner panel having circular raised anchor pins formed integrally with the inner panel prior to assembly of the inner panel with an outer panel. A flange formed from the outer panel is coined over each anchor pin so as to completely encapsulate an end portion of each anchor pin, mechanically interlocking the inner and outer panels.

Hem construction for vehicular closure structure

The tire deflation device () includes a rail member () having a support portion () and a piercing portion (). The piercing portion () of the rail member () extends toward a tire () and is located between the tire () and a protected portion () of the automotive vehicle (). The piercing portion () is intended to puncture and deflate the tire () when a crush zone () is deformed inwardly so as to force the tire () into the piercing portion () of the rail member (). The support portion () has at least one anchor member () fixedly attached thereto for securely mounting the rail member () to a side mount () of the automotive vehicle () within a middle rigid zone () thereof.

Tire deflation device

A removable tailgate assembly (18, 118), mounted upon a pick-up type truck vehicle (10), is provided with a handle (46, 146) within the vicinity of the lower end portion (20, 120) of the tailgate assembly (18, 118) along the centerline (48) of the tailgate assembly (18, 118) as viewed in the transverse direction extending between opposite sides of the tailgate assembly (18, 118). The handle may comprise a recessed region (60) formed at the corner junction of the inner (52) and bottom panel (56) members of the tailgate assembly (18), or an insert (166) mounted within an aperture (164) formed at the corner junction of the inner (152) and bottom (156) panel members of the tailgate assembly (118) wherein the insert (166) defines a hollow portion (168) for accommodating the fingers (170) of the person removing the tailgate assembly (118) from the vehicle (10) and carrying the same toward a storage facility. The recessed region (60) and the insert (166) have limited width dimensions so as to accommodate, yet comfortably confine, four fingers of the person's hand so as to assist the person (50) in carrying or transporting the tailgate assembly (18, 118) in a balanced manner.

Tailgate having a carrying handle

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Dearborn, MI, United States of America

Brent Richard Sovoda