Patents
US 12746789 B2: Movable tow hook assemblies and vehicles including same providing solenoid-controlled impact absorption
- Granted
- 2026-09-29
- Filed
- 2024-03-13 application 18603767
- Type
- Utility · 14 claims
- Elsewhere
- Google Patents ↗ · USPTO patent document ↗ · USPTO Patent Center record ↗
Abstract
A tow hook assembly includes a housing and a tow hook. The housing includes one or more side walls, a rear wall, a front wall, an aperture formed in the front wall, and a housing coil encircling the one or more side walls. The tow hook is slidably movable through the aperture of the housing between an extended position and a retracted position. The tow hook includes a tow hook coil encircling an outer surface of the tow hook. The housing coil and the tow hook coil are configured to receive current and cooperate to provide an energy absorption effect inhibiting the tow hook from contacting the rear wall of the housing during movement from the extended position to the retracted position.
Source: PTBLXML, file of 2026-09-29 (ipgb20260929.xml).
Assignees
| Assignee | Type | Place | Also on furp.org | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOYOTA MOTOR ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING NORTH AMERICA, INC. 4,290 patents | US company or organization | Plano, TX | Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc. State business registration EXACT high confidence: identical full name and state | PTBLXML, file of 2026-09-29 |
| TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA 30,553 patents | Foreign company or organization | Toyota, JP | PTBLXML, file of 2026-09-29 |
Inventors
| Inventor | Place | Patents | Person page | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joseph C. Taylor | Ypsilanti, MI | PTBLXML, file of 2026-09-29 | ||
| Aaron R. Steinhilb | Milan, MI | 22 | PTBLXML, file of 2026-09-29 | |
| Phouvadol P. Khouphongsy | Saline, MI | 13 | PTBLXML, file of 2026-09-29 | |
| Troy N. Grantham | Saline, MI | 7 | PTBLXML, file of 2026-09-29 | |
| Haley L. Grantham | Saline, MI | 5 | PTBLXML, file of 2026-09-29 |
CPC categories
| Subclass | Category | First group | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| B60D | Vehicle connections | B60D1/243 | PTBLXML, file of 2026-09-29 |
| B60R | Vehicles, vehicle fittings, or vehicle parts, not otherwise provided for | B60R16/03 | PTBLXML, file of 2026-09-29 |
Cooperative Patent Classification, as currently assigned (one row per subclass).
Assignments and security interests
No recorded assignments or security interests on file for this patent.
USPTO bulk data: PatentsView granted patents, disambiguated (PVGPATDIS) for patents, assignees, inventors, places and CPC categories; the USPTO Patent Assignment Dataset (ECORSEXC) for assignments and security interests. Patents filed in the last 20 years. No claims or full text. Links to other records are by name (and state): EXACT means the identical full name and state; FUZZY means a looser name match, with the confidence shown.