IP Verse

Tailgate Deactivation System

Patent No. US11161555 (titled "Tailgate Deactivation System") was filed by Banks Morrison Innovations Llc on Mar 12, 2020.

What is this patent about?

’555 is related to the field of vehicle accessories, specifically addressing the problem of damage to multi-panel tailgates when a towing apparatus is attached. Modern pickup trucks often feature tailgates with independently pivoting sections. When a trailer hitch is installed, the lower section of the tailgate can collide with the hitch during opening, leading to damage.

The underlying idea behind ’555 is to automatically disable the power circuit controlling the movement of the inner tailgate panel when a towing apparatus is connected . This prevents the inner panel from inadvertently pivoting downwards and colliding with the hitch. The system uses a switch integrated with the hitch receiver to detect the presence of a towing apparatus.

The claims of ’555 focus on a switch with two terminals that connect to the tailgate power circuit. The switch includes an actuator that can electrically couple or decouple the terminals. The actuator is designed to transition the switch to an off state, cutting power to the tailgate, when a hitch pin is inserted to secure a towing apparatus.

In practice, the system involves mounting a switch near the hitch receiver tube. The switch's actuator is positioned such that inserting the hitch pin, which secures the ball mount, physically triggers the switch. This breaks the electrical circuit that controls the inner tailgate panel's movement, preventing it from being lowered when the trailer hitch is in use. An alternative embodiment uses a manually operated push-button switch.

This design differs from prior solutions by providing an automated or easily accessible manual method for disabling the inner tailgate panel. Instead of relying on the user to remember to manually disable the tailgate, the system integrates the deactivation with the hitching process. The mechanical linkage between the hitch pin and the switch actuator ensures that the tailgate is disabled whenever a towing apparatus is properly installed, preventing accidental damage.

How does this patent fit in bigger picture?

Technical landscape at the time

In the late 2010s when ’555 was filed, at a time when vehicle tailgates were commonly implemented with mechanical linkages and electrical circuits to control their opening and closing, systems commonly relied on physical switches and sensors to detect the tailgate's position and prevent damage. When hardware or software constraints made complex control algorithms non-trivial, vehicle manufacturers often used simpler, more robust designs for tailgate operation.

Novelty and Inventive Step

The examiner approved the claims because the prior art, specifically Kishino et al. (2019/0226263), did not disclose the specific combination of components recited in the independent claims. This combination includes an actuator with an actuation surface configured to electrically couple two terminals in an on state to allow power to flow in the tailgate power circuit, and to electrically decouple the terminals in an off state to inhibit power flow. Furthermore, the actuation surface is configured to transition the switch between states in response to a hitch pin being installed in the hitch receiver tube.

Claims

This patent contains 19 claims, with claims 1, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19 being independent. The independent claims generally focus on a tailgate deactivation system that uses a switch with an actuator to control power to the tailgate, often in relation to a hitch receiver tube and hitch pin. The dependent claims generally elaborate on the features and configurations of the tailgate deactivation system described in the independent claims.

Key Claim Terms New

Definitions of key terms used in the patent claims.

Term (Source)Support for SpecificationInterpretation
Actuation surface
(Claim 1, Claim 9, Claim 13, Claim 15, Claim 19)		“The embodiments disclosed herein include a tailgate deactivation system that deactivates the inner gate panel of a multi-panel tailgate to inhibit movement of the inner gate panel with respect to the primary gate panel, and thus prevent the inner gate panel from being inadvertently pivoted downward into a towing apparatus that is coupled to the vehicle.”A surface of the actuator that, when acted upon, causes the switch to transition between the on and off states. This transition can be triggered by the installation of a hitch pin or by coupling a ball mount system to a hitch receiver tube.
Hitch pin opening
(Claim 1, Claim 9, Claim 13)		“The embodiments disclosed herein include a tailgate deactivation system that deactivates the inner gate panel of a multi-panel tailgate to inhibit movement of the inner gate panel with respect to the primary gate panel, and thus prevent the inner gate panel from being inadvertently pivoted downward into a towing apparatus that is coupled to the vehicle.”An opening in the hitch receiver tube through which a hitch pin is inserted to secure a towing apparatus.
Hitch receiver tube
(Claim 1, Claim 10, Claim 11, Claim 12, Claim 13, Claim 15, Claim 16, Claim 19)		“If a towing apparatus, such as a ball mount system, has been installed on the vehicle, the inner gate panel is capable of impacting the towing apparatus and damaging the inner gate panel.”A structural component of a vehicle to which a towing apparatus can be coupled.
Multi-panel tailgate
(Claim 9, Claim 18, Claim 19)		“Certain vehicles, including pickup trucks, utilize multi-panel tailgates that include a primary gate panel and an inner gate panel, which allow operators to quickly configure the tailgate into any of several different tailgate configurations. In certain configurations, when the primary gate panel is positioned in a substantially horizontal plane (e.g., the tailgate is open), the inner gate panel is capable of pivoting below the horizontal plane to a nearly vertical plane.”A tailgate comprising a primary gate panel and an inner gate panel, allowing for multiple tailgate configurations.
Tailgate power circuit
(Claim 1, Claim 9, Claim 10, Claim 11, Claim 12, Claim 13, Claim 14, Claim 15, Claim 16, Claim 17, Claim 18, Claim 19)		“The tailgate deactivation system includes a switch, which includes two terminals configured to be electrically coupled to a tailgate power circuit that supplies power to at least a portion of a tailgate of a vehicle, and an actuator configured to electrically couple the two terminals in an on state to allow power to flow in the tailgate power circuit, and to electrically decouple the two terminals in an off state to inhibit power from flowing in the tailgate power circuit.”A circuit that provides electrical power to at least a portion of a tailgate of a vehicle, or specifically to an inner gate panel of a multi-panel tailgate.

Patent Family

Patent Family

File Wrapper

The dossier documents provide a comprehensive record of the patent's prosecution history - including filings, correspondence, and decisions made by patent offices - and are crucial for understanding the patent's legal journey and any challenges it may have faced during examination.

  • Date

    Description

  • Get instant alerts for new documents

US11161555

BANKS MORRISON INNOVATIONS LLC
Application Number
US16816441
Filing Date
Mar 12, 2020
Status
Granted
Expiry Date
Mar 12, 2040
External Links
Slate, USPTO, Google Patents