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US 11,161,555 B2Granted
Tailgate deactivation system
AssigneeBanks Morrison Innovations LLC
InventorsJames E. Banks, Jr., Michael A. Morrison
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A tailgate deactivation system. A switch 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.
Claims19
A tailgate deactivation system comprising:
- a switch comprising:
- 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 comprising an actuation surface, wherein the actuator is 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, and wherein the actuation surface is configured to transition the switch from the on state to the off state in response to a hitch pin being installed into a hitch pin opening of a hitch receiver tube of the vehicle.
1 more element
A tailgate deactivation system comprising:
- a switch comprising:
- two terminals configured to be electrically coupled to a tailgate power circuit that supplies power to an inner gate panel of a multi-panel tailgate that includes a primary gate panel and the inner gate panel;
- and
- an actuator comprising an actuation surface, wherein the actuator is configured to electrically couple the two terminals in an on state to allow power to flow in the tailgate power circuit to facilitate movement of the inner gate panel with respect to the primary gate panel, and to electrically decouple the two terminals in an off state to inhibit power from flowing in the tailgate power circuit to inhibit movement of the inner gate panel with respect to the primary gate panel, and wherein the actuation surface is configured to transition the switch from the on state to the off state in response to a hitch pin being installed into a hitch pin opening of a hitch receiver tube of the vehicle.
1 more element
A tailgate deactivation system comprising:
- a switch comprising:
- 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;
- and
- a hitch receiver tube mount coupled to the switch, the hitch receiver tube mount being configured to be mounted to a hitch receiver tube of the vehicle and to be coupled to the hitch receiver tube at a location on the hitch receiver tube to place the actuator in a path of a hitch pin used to couple a towing apparatus to the hitch receiver tube.
3 more elements
A tailgate deactivation system comprising:
- a switch comprising:
- 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;
- and
- a hitch receiver tube mount coupled to the switch, the hitch receiver tube mount comprising an adhesive configured to be mounted to a hitch receiver tube of the vehicle.
3 more elements
A tailgate deactivation system comprising:
- a switch comprising:
- 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;
- and
- a hitch receiver tube mount coupled to the switch, the hitch receiver tube mount comprising a bracket configured to be mounted to a hitch receiver tube of the vehicle.
3 more elements
A tailgate deactivation system comprising:
- a switch comprising:
- 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 comprising an actuation surface, the actuator being 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;
- and
- a hitch receiver tube mount coupled to the switch, wherein the hitch receiver tube mount is configured to be mounted to a hitch receiver tube of the vehicle, and wherein the hitch receiver tube mount is further configured to couple the actuation surface with respect to a hitch pin opening of the hitch receiver tube, such that installation of the hitch pin to couple the towing apparatus to the hitch receiver tube causes the switch to be placed into the off state.
3 more elements
A tailgate deactivation system comprising:
- a switch comprising:
- 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 comprising a push-button configured to be manually activated or deactivated and further 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.
1 more element
A tailgate deactivation system comprising:
- a switch comprising:
- 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 comprising an actuation surface, wherein the actuator is 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, and wherein the actuation surface is configured to transition the switch from the on state to the off state by coupling a ball mount system to a hitch receiver tube of the vehicle.
1 more element
A tailgate deactivation system comprising:
- a switch comprising:
- 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 comprising a push-button 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, wherein installation of a hitch pin of a ball mount system urges the push-button to cause the switch to be placed into the off state.
1 more element
A tailgate deactivation system comprising:
- a switch comprising:
- 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 that controls power to an inner gate panel of the tailgate;
- 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.
1 more element
A tailgate deactivation system comprising:
- a switch comprising:
- two terminals configured to be electrically coupled to a tailgate power circuit that supplies power to an inner gate panel of a multi-panel tailgate of a vehicle, the multi-panel tailgate comprising a primary gate panel and the inner gate panel;
- 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 and to prevent the inner gate panel from pivoting with respect to the primary gate panel and thereby drop below a plane in which the primary gate panel and the inner gate panel are located.
1 more element
A tailgate deactivation system comprising:
- a switch comprising:
- two terminals configured to be electrically coupled to a tailgate power circuit that supplies power to an inner gate panel of a multi-panel tailgate that includes a primary gate panel and the inner gate panel;
- and
- an actuator comprising an actuation surface, wherein the actuator is configured to electrically couple the two terminals in an on state to allow power to flow in the tailgate power circuit to facilitate movement of the inner gate panel with respect to the primary gate panel, and to electrically decouple the two terminals in an off state to inhibit power from flowing in the tailgate power circuit to inhibit movement of the inner gate panel with respect to the primary gate panel, and wherein the actuation surface is configured to transition the switch from the on state to the off state by coupling a ball mount system to a hitch receiver tube of the vehicle.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.