Patents Issued the Week of February 2-6

2.9.26

Patent Protection & Registration

Patents grant property rights on new and useful inventions, allowing the patent holder to prevent others from using, making, or selling that invention without permission for a limited time. U.S. patents are permitted by the U.S. Constitution and are designed to promote scientific progress and invention. By allowing inventors to profit from licensing or selling their patent rights, inventors can recoup their research and development costs and benefit financially from their inventing efforts. There are three main types of patents utility, plant, and design. Utility and plant patents can last up to 20 years, while design patents can last up to 15 years. When a patent expires, the patented material enters the public domain, making it free to use by anyone without a license. U.S. patents are issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)

U.S. Patent No. 12,541,015 entitled “Methods and Systems for Processing Radar Signals to Determine Relative Position and Motion Of Nearby Objects” issued February 3, 2026 to Deere & Company of Moline, Illinois. Invented by Theagenis J. Abatzoglou of Dana Point, California. Abstract: A system processes radar signals to determine the relative position and motion of nearby objects. By directly processing a radar signal to estimate the range, velocity, and acceleration of an object, the system can more quickly and accurately determine the acceleration of an object. More precisely, the system may first process samples of a radar signal reflected from an object using a Fourier transform. Then, by using a coarse search method, the system can process the processed samples to quickly generate an initial estimate of an object’s position and motion. Then, by using an iterative optimization method, the system can refine the initial estimate of the object’s position and motion to generate a final estimate of an object’s position and motion.

U.S. Patent No. 12,539,722 entitled “Utility Rope and Method Thereof” issued February 3, 2026 to Fusion Tools, Inc. of Gallatin, Tennessee. Invented by West Howard also of Gallatin, Tennessee. Abstract: A utility rope apparatus and a method of coupling first and second rope portions of the utility rope apparatus together is disclosed herein. The utility rope apparatus may include a rope, a main loop binding, a first end binding, and a second end binding. The rope may include a first end, a second end, and a length. The main loop binding may be to couple the first and second ends of the rope together to define a main loop of the rope. The first end binding may be coupled to the main loop of the rope to define a first end loop subdivided from the main loop. The second end binding may be coupled to the main loop of the rope to define a second end loop subdivided from the main loop and offset from the first end loop by about one-half of the length of the rope.

U.S. Patent No. 12,540,834 entitled “Automated Recognition and Performance of Vehicle to Camera Calibration” issued February 3, 2026 to Deere & Company of Moline, Illinois. Invented by Travis J. Davis of Polk City, Iowa. Abstract: A system and method of automated vehicle to sensor calibration includes, during operation of a work vehicle having sensors located thereon, each sensor having a stored location and/or orientation relative to the vehicle, automatically determining via first sensor inputs an orientation of the ground surface relative to vehicle orientation, and automatically mapping via second sensor inputs one or more persistent external references to a vehicle coordinate frame. At least upon determining that the ground surface orientation and the mapped persistent external references satisfy specified conditions, a vehicle to sensor calibration mode is automatically initiated, including receiving actual inputs from a first (e.g., uncalibrated) sensor, which may be one of the sensors having stored locations and/or orientations prior to calibration, and selectively adjusting parameters of the first sensor based at least in part on the mapped persistent external references with respect to the actual inputs from the first sensor.

U.S. Patent No. 12,540,818 entitled “Self-propelled Civil Engineering Machine System with Field Rover” issued February 3, 2026 to Wirtgen GmbH of Windhagen, Germany. Invented by Matthias Fritz of Linz/Rhein, Germany, Cyrus Barimani of Konigswinter, Germany and Christian Berning of Zulpich, Germany. Abstract: A civil engineering machine has a machine control unit configured to determine data which defines the position and/or orientation of a reference point on the civil engineering machine in relation to a reference system independent of the position and orientation of the civil engineering machine. A geometrical shape to be produced on the ground is preset in either a machine control unit or a field rover control unit. The field rover is used to determine a position of at least one identifiable point of the preset geometrical shape in the independent reference system. Curve data defining a desired curve in the independent reference system, corresponding to the preset shape, is determined at least partially on the basis of the position of the at least one identifiable point of the preset geometrical shape in the independent reference system.

U.S. Patent No. D1,110,778 entitled “Individual Shelf” issued February 3, 2026 to Nashville Wire Products Manufacturing Company, LLC of Nashville, Tennessee. Invented by John Nicholas Phy of Pegram, Tennessee, Jammie Todd Allbert of White Bluff, Tennessee, Dorcas Jane Engelman of Primm Springs, Tennessee, Phillip Kent Rollins of Nashville, Tennessee, and William Jacob Johnson of Spring Hill, Tennessee. Claims: The ornamental design for an individual shelf as shown and described.

U.S. Patent No. 12,542,014 entitled “Plausibility Check” issued February 3, 2026 to Wirtgen GmbH of Windhagen, Germany. Invented by Matthias Fritz of Hennef, Germany, René Müller of Vettelschoß, Germany and Manuel Rossa of Aachen, Germany. Abstract: A system is provided for determining the plausibility that a current ground surface on which a construction machine is located conforms to a prior survey of that ground surface. A controller is provided with a digital model defined within a reference system external to the construction machine. The controller determines a current relative orientation and an expected relative orientation, of at least one sensor pair of a plurality of distance sensors, relative to each other and relative to a reference plane defined in the digital model. The controller compares those orientations to confirm whether the current relative orientation conforms to the expected relative orientation.