Trimark Corporation

Other

Christopher M Lane

Ricci L Marzolf

Craig J Helton

Dennis J Zweibohmer

Joe Daniel Knight

Julie M Houdek

Bruce E Kallevig

Stephen J Gleason

Matthew L Hidding

Tom Foster Sonnek

Tobias J Schwickerath

Glen A Marshall

David Alcantara

Nicholas L Kloxin

Scotty L Marr

Coyle J Hruska

Daniel J Labonte

A window vent system and method automatically vents air pressure from a vehicle cabin as the vehicle door is closing. A drive mechanism is mounted to a vehicle window. A sensor senses open and closed positions of the door latch. When the latch is open, a signal is sent from the sensor to a controller to open the window. When the latch is closed, a signal is sent to the controller to close the window. Software prevents closing of the window in the event of a pinch event. The software also stops the drive mechanism if there is an obstruction to opening or closing of the window. Manual override is also provided to selectively open and close the window.

Power venting drive mechanism for vehicle

A handle and latch assembly is provided for a vehicle door and includes a housing, a latch on the housing and a handle on the housing. A mounting bracket secures the housing to the door using screws with the door being sandwiched between the housing and the mounting bracket. The mounting bracket can be positioned in multiple orientations to accommodate doors having different thicknesses. The housing includes tapered pins that that press fit onto the mounting bracket to provide a temporary hands-free positioning of the assembly into the door until the mounting screws are installed.

Vehicle door handle assembly for different thickness doors

A twist handle latch assembly is provided for use on compartment doors of a utility vehicle. The assembly includes a plastic housing with a steel backer plate to which the latch pawl is mounted. A T-handle is rotatably mounted on the front of a housing with a post extending through the housing and the steel plate for connection to the latch pawl. Rotation of the handle rotates the latch pawl between locked and unlocked positions. A power actuator may be provided to remotely lock and unlock the latch pawl. A key cylinder actuator allows manual locking and unlocking of the latch pawl. A cam connected to the actuator has a window to receive a portion of the pawl in the locked condition.

Twist latch for compartment door

A grapple style compression latch is provided for a vehicle door. The latch includes a pair of opposing jaws to retain and release a striker on the door frame. The movement of the grapple jaws is controlled by a handle mounted on the latch housing and moveable between open and closed positions. Drive links and a plurality of jaw pins control the movement of the jaws between open and closed positions. A compression spring provides over-center action for the latch.

Grapple style compression latch

An operating mechanism for a movable closure element to releasably engage a strike assembly on a frame support and thereby releasably maintain the movable closure element in a predetermined position relative to the frame support. The operating mechanism has a base with a wall extending around a first axis and defining an elongate tubular passageway. The operating mechanism includes a latch system having: (a) a latched state; and (b) a released state. An actuating system on the base is changeable from a first state into a second state to thereby change the latch system from the latched state into the released state. The actuating system has an elongate flexible cable with a length residing at least partially within the passageway and made up of an elongate sheath and a movable core. An actuating system has an actuating assembly for the elongate flexible cable that is mounted to the wall. The wall is configured so that the cable cannot be extended in a straight line through the passageway between first and second connecting locations.

Cable actuated latch system

A latch assembly kit including a latching subassembly, a first actuating assembly having a first configuration and normal and release states, and a second actuating assembly having a second configuration and normal and release states. The latching subassembly has a latched state, and a release state. The first actuating assembly is mountable on the first side of a movable closure element and causes the latching subassembly to change from its latched state into its release state as an incident of the first actuating assembly changing from its normal state into its release state. The second actuating assembly is mountable in place of the first actuating assembly and causes the latching subassembly to change from its latched state into its release state as an incident of the second actuating assembly changing from its normal state into its release state.

Latch assembly for movable closure element

An operating mechanism to releasably engage a strike assembly to maintain a movable closure element in a predetermined position. The operating mechanism has a base with a first axis and a wall extending around the first axis and defining a passageway. A latch system has (a) a latched state in which the latch system engages a strike element and (b) a released state wherein the latch system can be disengaged from the strike element. The operating mechanism further includes an actuating system that is changeable from a first state into a second state to thereby change the state of the latch system. The actuating system has a first link which is movable within the passageway from a first position into a second position to change the state of the latch system. The actuating system further includes an actuating assembly that can be connected to the base without requiring separate fasteners.

Operating mechanism for a movable closure element

A latch assembly kit including a latching subassembly for mounting upon a movable closure element, an actuating assembly, a first elongate graspable handle, and a second elongate graspable handle. The latching subassembly has a latched state, wherein the latching subassembly releasably engages a strike element to maintain the movable closure element in a desired position relative to a support to which the movable closure element is attached, and a release state. The actuating assembly has a normal state and a release state. The actuating assembly causes the latching subassembly to change from its latched state into its release state as an incident of the actuating assembly changing from its normal state into its release state. The first elongate graspable handle has a first length and is releasably operatively connectable to at least one of the latching subassembly and actuating assembly to facilitate repositioning of the movable closure element upon which the latching subassembly is mounted. The second elongate graspable handle has a second length different than the first length and is releasably operatively connectable to at least one of the latching subassembly and actuating assembly in place of the first elongate graspable handle to facilitate repositioning of the movable closure element upon which the latching subassembly is mounted. The first and second elongate graspable handles can be selectively operatively connected to the at least one of the latching subassembly and actuating assembly to select a desired length of graspable handle, to facilitate repositioning of the movable closure element upon which the latching subassembly is mounted.

A latch assembly for a movable closure element of the type having first and second sides. The latch assembly has a housing, a first rotor movable relative to the housing selectively between a) a latched position and b) a release position, and an operating assembly which is operable to change the first rotor from the latched position into the release position. A first rotor is engageable with a strike element relative to which the movable closure element can be moved to thereby releasably maintain the movable closure element in a desired position. The first rotor is biased towards the release position. The operating assembly includes a catch block assembly that is movable selectively between a) an engaged position wherein the first rotor is maintained in the latched position and b) a disengaged position wherein the first rotor is permitted to move from the latched position into the release position. The operating assembly further includes a first actuating assembly for mounting on the first side of the movable closure. The first actuating assembly has a first normal state and a first release state. The first actuating assembly directly engages the catch block assembly and causes the catch block assembly to change from the engaged position into the release position as an incident of the first actuating assembly changing from the first normal state into the first release state.

Operating handle for a closure element

The door handle assembly includes a housing and a lever handle pivotally connected to the front side of the housing by a pin. A pivot plate is pivotally connected to the back side of the housing, which includes a curved channel in which is mounted a compression spring. The pivot plate covers the channel so as to retain or close the spring in the channel. The pivot plate includes an arm which is linked to the door latch. Upon actuation of the handle, the pivot plate is pivoted by a leg of the handle extending through the housing. The pivotal movement of the pivot plate compresses the spring between one end of the channel and an arm on the pivot plate. The linkage between the pivot plate and the door latch releases the latch when the pivot plate is rotated by actuation of the handle. Upon release of the handle, the compression spring biases the pivot plate to its normal at-rest position. A resilient, integrally formed pin retention member extends from the housing for retaining the door handle pin in position. As the pin is inserted in aligned holes in the housing and the handle and the pinhead is pushed beyond the pin retention member so as to be captured thereby in a single step to preclude accident removal or inadvertent loss of the pin from the holes, without the use of additional hardware to retain the pin.

Door handle pin retainer

The door handle assembly includes a housing which is mounted in the door of a vehicle. A lever handle is pivotally connected to the front side of the housing by a pin, while a pivot plate is pivotally connected to the back side of the housing. The back side of the housing includes a curved channel in which is mounted a compression spring. The pivot plate lies in covering relation to the channel so as to retain or close the spring in the channel. The pivot plate includes an elongated arm which is linked to the door latch. Upon actuation of the handle, the pivot plate is pivoted by a leg of the handle extending through the housing. The pivotal movement of the pivot plate compresses the spring between one end of the channnel and an arm on the pivot plate. The linkage between the pivot plate and one door latch releases the latch when the pivot plate is rotated by actuation of the handle. Upon release of the handle, the compression spring biases the pivot plate to its normal at-rest position. A pin retention member extends from the housing for retaining the door handle pin in position. The pin retention member is integrally formed with the housing and is resilient. As the pin is inserted in aligned holes in the housing and the handle, the pinhead is pushed beyond the pin retention member so as to be captured thereby and preclude accident removal or inadvertant loss of the pin from the holes, without the use of additional hardware to retain the pin. The pin is installed in the holes and retained by the retention member in a single step.

Vehicle door handle

Lever type plush mount door handle

A latch and logic assembly is provided for a vehicle door which precludes the door from being accidentally locked. The latch includes a catch and a rotor movable between open and closed positions. The logic is mounted on the latch and is connected to the inside and outside handles of the door, and to the sill button on the door. The logic senses the position of the latch rotor and precludes movement of the sill button to the locked position when the rotor is in the open position, thus providing a no-lock-out function.

Growing community of inventors

New Hampton, IA, United States of America

Christopher M Lane