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. 28, 2015
Filed:
Oct. 23, 2013
Kendall Mathews, Memphis, TN (US);
James Hieronymus, Springfield, MO (US);
John J. Landree, Memphis, TN (US);
Gene William Folsom, Palmdale, CA (US);
Kendall Mathews, Memphis, TN (US);
James Hieronymus, Springfield, MO (US);
John J. Landree, Memphis, TN (US);
Gene William Folsom, Palmdale, CA (US);
Other;
Abstract
A trailer having a hitch assembly, intended to be used with a receiver on the towing vehicle, enables the vehicle/trailer pair to back up easily by locking the trailer's orientation relative to the towing vehicle. The vertical pivot axis (yaw) may be locked while the lateral (pitch) and longitudinal axes (roll) may remain free to rotate to allow for bumps and dips in the road. Furthermore a steerable suspension can be provided for many embodiments such as with an actuator receiving a signal from the back up wiring of the vehicle to change the mechanical constraints of the steering system upon receipt of the signal (such as to lock the position of a first tie rod connecting the wheels to the frame while freeing another, and possibly altering the angle of the wheels relative to the frame in the process). Meanwhile a toe-in effect of the wheels can be achieved by using multiple tie rods with a front tie rod bent rearwardly towards a rear tie rod.