The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jan. 13, 2026
Filed:
Mar. 14, 2023
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc., Plano, TX (US);
Ryan C. Harris, Saline, MI (US);
Scott L. Frederick, Brighton, MI (US);
TOYOTA MOTOR ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING NORTH AMERICA, INC., Plano, TX (US);
Abstract
Methods, systems, and apparatus for a tow hook assembly for a vehicle. The tow hook assembly includes a tow hook having a distal end and a proximal end opposite the distal end, a translating member configured to be coupled to the tow hook, a hinge disposed between the tow hook and the translating member, a housing configured to house at least a portion of the translating member, and a biasing member disposed within the housing and configured to be coupled to the translating member such that the biasing member is configured to deploy the tow hook. A horizontal axis extending between the proximal end and the distal end. The translating member is configured to translate the tow hook along the horizontal axis, and the hinge is configured to rotate the tow hook about the hinge and radially away from the horizonal axis.