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:
Apr. 06, 2004
Filed:
Aug. 20, 2002
Joseph M. Thompson, Holland, MI (US);
Paul C. Schutter, Kent City, MI (US);
John A. Hall, Holland, MI (US);
Johnson Controls Technology, Plymouth, MI (US);
Abstract
An arcuate spring is coupled between a fixed vehicle member and a movable vehicle member with a pivot connection between the members interposed between the ends of the spring such that, as the movable member is moved from a first position, the axis of the pivot connection is located outside of a line intersecting the ends of the spring, thereby holding the movable member in a first position. When the movable member is moved to a second position, the pivot connection lies between the spring and a line connecting the end points of the spring to provide a bias force which holds the movable member in a second position. In one embodiment, the over-center spring is integrated with a grab handle for holding the grab handle in a deployed or retracted position. In another embodiment, the spring is associated with a vehicle panel.