Patents Issued the Week of May 4-8

5.7.26

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. 12,618,276 entitled “Furniture Fitting having an Adjustment Mechanism” issued May 5, 2026 to Samet Kalip Ve Madeni Esya San Ve Tic. A.S. of Istanbul, Turkey. Invented by Artur Hirtsiefer of Neunkirchen-Seelscheid, Germany, Nurettin Güzeltepe and Izzet Yarar both also of Istanbul, Turkey. Abstract: A furniture fitting having an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the preload of a spring element, wherein the adjustment mechanism includes a spring bearing and a preloading element, by means of which the spring bearing can be adjusted, wherein the adjustment of the spring bearing increases and/or decreases the preloading of the spring element. The transmission of impermissibly high operating forces is reliably avoided by providing a coupling body which is adjustable relative to the preloading element and which, during the adjustment of the spring bearing, at least partially and/or temporarily bears against the latter, in such a way that a releasable form-fitting and/or frictional connection is formed between the coupling body and the spring bearing, and/or in that a releasable form-fitting and/or frictional connection is formed between the coupling body and the preloading element.

U.S. Patent No. 12,616,978 entitled “Mineral Processing Plant” issued May 5, 2026 to Kleemann GmbH of Göppingen, Germany. Invented by Michael Gnam of Blaubeuren, Germany. Abstract: A mineral processing plant for crushing mineral material or the like, using a crushing device and an internal combustion engine. In a first mode of operation an internal combustion engine is mechanically coupled to the crushing device to drive the latter. A generator is provided, which is mechanically coupled to an internal combustion engine to drive this generator, and the generator is coupled to one or more auxiliary units to supply to supply electric power thereto. An electric motor is provided separately from the generator, which electric motor is mechanically coupled to the crushing device in a second operating mode to drive the crushing device.

U.S. Patent No. 12,617,498 entitled “Environmental Barge for Filtering Oil from Water in the Spill Response to Oil Pollution at Sea” issued May 5, 2026 to Flex-Feb ApS of Marstal, Denmark. Invented by Jens Walther of Jægerspris, Denmark and Erik Schmidt of Hørsholm, Denmark. Abstract: Environmental barge with belt skimmer for spill response to oil pollution at sea. The environmental barge consists of an upper part with pontoons and a lower part with a bottom with an integrated hydrophilic filter. The environmental barge is designed so that at least four environmental barges can be stacked inside and on top of each other. Oil-mixed water is guided to the belt skimmer, which carries it up into the environmental barge, where the gravitational principle means that the oil pushes the water through the hydrophilic filter and back into the sea as the barge is filled with oil. The environmental barge can thus be completely filled with oil without increasing the draft. The environmental barge footprint is identical to a standard 20-foot container, and it has container corner castings, allowing significant spill response capacity to be quickly transported and deployed in areas where no other spill response capacity is available. The size of the environmental barge and the constant draft regardless of loading condition mean that the invention is particularly useful in coastal shallow water areas, marshlands and river deltas.

U.S. Patent No. 12,616,098 entitled “System and Method to Control Crop Loss in a Windrower Implement” issued May 5, 2026 to Deere & Company of Moline, Illinois. Invented by Mahesh Somarowthu and Mahi Agrawal both of Pune, India. Abstract: A windrower implement includes a merger attachment coupled to a frame rearward of an implement head. The merger attachment includes a conveyor positioned relative to the implement head to receive discharged crop material from the implement head and convey the crop material laterally relative to the central longitudinal axis to form a windrow laterally offset from the central longitudinal axis. A forming shield guides the crop material from the implement head to the merger attachment. A crop inflow sensor detects crop inflow rate through the implement head. A crop outflow sensor detects crop outflow rate on the conveyor of the merger attachment. A controller receives and compares signals from the sensors to detect crop material loss.

U.S. Patent No. 12,616,977 entitled “Concave” issued May 5, 2026 to Kleemann GmbH of Göppingen, Germany. Invented by Otto Blessing of Bartholomä, Germany and Lucas Scholz also of Göppingen, Germany. Abstract: The disclosure relates to a concave (20) of a cone crusher and/or gyratory crusher for installation inside a crusher head (30), wherein the concave (20) has a central longitudinal axis (M) extending in the longitudinal direction of the concave, wherein the concave (20) has a feed (24.1) for material to be crushed on its top (O) and a crushed material discharge area (24.2) on its opposite bottom (U), and wherein the concave (20) has a base part (21) having an outer clamping surface (28). In order to reduce the amount of parts and installation work, provision is made according to the disclosure for the base part (21) to have a support section (25) having fastening lugs (26) projecting radially outwards, wherein the fastening lugs (26) are disposed spaced apart from one another in the circumferential direction of the support section (25) by means of spacer areas, wherein at least one clearance is provided in each of the spacer areas, which clearances permit a penetration in the direction of the central longitudinal axis (M) from the bottom (U) in the direction of the top (O), and wherein the radially outward extent of the clamping surface (28) is greater, at least sectionally, than the radially outward extent of the fastening lugs (26).

U.S. Patent No. 12,620,381 entitled “Switch Lock Apparatus and Method Thereof” issued May 5, 2026 to Switchlock, LLC of Hendersonville, Tennessee. Invented by Joshua John Misko of Decatur, Georgia and Adam Samuel Mendel of Bend, Oregon. Abstract: A switch lock apparatus for a guitar having a pickup selector switch is disclosed herein for locking a position of the pickup selector switch. The switch lock apparatus may include a body plate, a mounting hole, a switch opening defined in the body plate which is configured to receive the pickup selector switch. The switch lock apparatus may also include at least one first side receptacle positioned along the first switch opening side and at least one second side receptable positioned along the second switch opening side. The at least one second side receptacle may be offset from the at least one first side receptacle along the switch opening length to define a central passageway that enables free movement of the pickup selector switch. The switch lock apparatus may define a locked position when the pickup selector switch is received by one of the first or second side receptacles.