IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,208,676
Granted Patent B2
US 12,208,676 · App. 18/310,147 · Granted Jan 28, 2025

One-piece portal wheel end mounting system

Inventors: Jordan E. Stephan (Hanover, IN); Kyle Kempker (Hanover, IN)
Assignee: Super ATV, LLC
B60K17/043B60B35/001B60G17/00B60K17/303F16H57/022F16H57/025F16H2057/02056
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,208,676
App. No.
18/310,147
Granted
Jan 28, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A mounting system for a portal lift assembly of an off-road vehicle includes a housing having a rear wall, a front wall, and a side wall. The rear wall includes an opening to receive the end of one of the vehicle's axles, and the front wall includes an opening to allow an output shaft to extend outward from the housing. The rear wall also includes an integral mounting brackets effective to mount the box to an upper A-arm to the rear wall, and a lower A-arm to the rear wall.

Claims (34)

1. A portal gear box assembly for an all-terrain vehicle or a utility task vehicle, wherein the vehicle includes a rear axle, an upper A-arm, a lower A-arm and an output shaft, the portal gear box assembly comprising:

a housing having a rear wall, a front wall, and a side wall;

wherein said rear wall defines a vehicle axle opening effective to receive the rear axle;

wherein said front wall includes an output shaft opening effective to receive the output shaft extending forward from said housing; and

wherein said housing defines a recess configured to receive a linking mechanism effective to rotationally link the axle received in the vehicle axle opening to the output shaft; and

a mounting bracket extending rearwardly from the rear wall, wherein the mounting bracket defines an extension opening aligned with the vehicle axle opening effective to pass the axle through the extension opening to the vehicle axle opening;

wherein the mounting bracket defines a first connection location positioned above the extension opening, wherein the first connection location is effective to connect the upper A-arm to the mounting bracket; and

wherein the mounting bracket defines a second connection location positioned below the extension opening, wherein the second connection location is effective to connect the lower A-arm to the mounting bracket;

wherein the extension opening has a larger diameter than the vehicle axle opening;

wherein the first connection location includes a first through passage that extends across the mounting bracket; and

wherein the first through passage is longer than the diameter of the extension opening.

2. The portal gear box assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first through passage is generally perpendicular to the extension opening.

3. The portal gear box assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first through passage is generally perpendicular to the extension opening.

4. The portal gear box assembly of claim 1 , wherein the second connection location includes a second through passage that extends across the mounting bracket.

5. The portal gear box assembly of claim 4 , wherein the second through passage is longer than the diameter of the extension opening.

6. The portal gear box assembly of claim 4 , wherein the second through passage is generally perpendicular to the extension opening.

7. The portal gear box assembly of claim 4 , wherein the second through passage is approximately the same length as the first through passage.

8. The portal gear box assembly of claim 4 , wherein the second through passage is generally parallel to the first through passage.

9. The portal gear box assembly of claim 1 , wherein the mounting bracket completely surrounds the vehicle axle opening.

10. A portal gear box assembly for an all-terrain vehicle or a utility task vehicle, wherein the vehicle includes a rear axle, an upper A-arm, a lower A-arm and an output shaft, the portal gear box assembly comprising:

a housing having a rear wall, a front wall, and a side wall;

wherein said rear wall defines a vehicle axle opening effective to receive the rear axle;

wherein said front wall includes an output shaft opening effective to receive the output shaft extending forward from said housing; and

wherein said housing defines a recess configured to receive a linking mechanism effective to rotationally link the axle received in the vehicle axle opening to the output shaft; and

a mounting bracket extending rearwardly from the rear wall, wherein the mounting bracket defines an extension opening aligned with the vehicle axle opening effective to pass the axle through the extension opening to the vehicle axle opening;

wherein the mounting bracket defines a first connection location positioned above the extension opening, wherein the first connection location is effective to connect the upper A-arm to the mounting bracket; and

wherein the mounting bracket defines a second connection location positioned below the extension opening, wherein the second connection location is effective to connect the lower A-arm to the mounting bracket;

wherein the first connection location includes a first through passage that extends across the mounting bracket; and

wherein the first through passage is longer than the diameter of the extension opening.

11. The portal gear box assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first through passage is generally perpendicular to the extension opening.

12. The portal gear box assembly of claim 1 , wherein the second connection location includes a second through passage that extends across the mounting bracket.

13. The portal gear box assembly of claim 12 , wherein the second through passage is longer than the diameter of the extension opening.

14. The portal gear box assembly of claim 12 , wherein the second through passage is generally perpendicular to the extension opening.

15. The portal gear box assembly of claim 12 , wherein the second through passage is approximately the same length as the first through passage.

Assignments (2)
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Jun 16, 2026
From: RB DISTRIBUTION, INC.; SUPER ATV, LLC
To: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
Reel/Frame 075844/0897 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 2, 2023
From: STEPHAN, JORDAN E.; KEMPKER, KYLE
To: SUPER ATV, LLC
Reel/Frame 063504/0165 →
Continuity (3)
Continuation 16937790 · Jul 24, 2020
Provisional Application 62878769 · Jul 26, 2019
Related Publication 20230264567A1 · Aug 24, 2023
References Cited (48)
US 3420327A · Nallinger · 1969 [cited by applicant]
US 3822757A · Spence · 1974 [cited by applicant]
US 4111455A · Hickman · 1978 [cited by applicant]
US 4344501A · Jerry et al. · 1982 [cited by applicant]
US 4437630A · Young · 1984 [cited by applicant]
US 4986386A · Iwamoto et al. · 1991 [cited by applicant]
US 5785218A · LaLone · 1998 [cited by applicant]
US 6254194B1 · Capouellez · 2001 [cited by applicant]
US 6398240B1 · Taylor · 2002 [cited by applicant]
US 6416136B1 · Smith · 2002 [cited by applicant]
US 6685275B2 · Gorges · 2004 [cited by applicant]
US 7458594B2 · Kim · 2008 [cited by applicant]
US 7762372B2 · LeBlanc, Sr. · 2010 [cited by applicant]
US 7766353B2 · LeBlanc, Sr. · 2010 [cited by applicant]
US 7909127B1 · Pionke · 2011 [cited by examiner]
US 8118133B2 · Armfield · 2012 [cited by applicant]
US 8925941B2 · Cordier et al. · 2015 [cited by applicant]
US 8985264B2 · Shirley · 2015 [cited by applicant]
US 9068644B2 · Cannata · 2015 [cited by applicant]
US 20040200660A1 · Szalal · 2004 [cited by applicant]
US 20060138740A1 · Nam · 2006 [cited by applicant]
US 20060207384A1 · Hardy · 2006 [cited by examiner]
US 20070145816A1 · Gile · 2007 [cited by applicant]
US 20130093154A1 · Cordier et al. · 2013 [cited by applicant]
US 20170097084A1 · Eaton · 2017 [cited by examiner]
US 20180094697A1 · Shirley · 2018 [cited by applicant]
US 20190389304A1 · Wood et al. · 2019 [cited by applicant]
CN 103328236A · 2013 [cited by applicant]
CN 204936705U · 2016 [cited by applicant]
CN 206242917U · 2017 [cited by applicant]
CN 206416782U · 2017 [cited by applicant]
CN 207140713U · 2018 [cited by applicant]
CN 209037309U · 2019 [cited by applicant]
DE 102017111793A1 · 2018 [cited by applicant]
EP 0877672B1 · 1999 [cited by applicant]
EP 2004444 · 2012 [cited by applicant]
EP 3061332A1 · 2016 [cited by applicant]
GB 1049140 · 1966 [cited by applicant]
JP 2017094775 · 2017 [cited by applicant]
WO WO2018140774 · 2018 [cited by applicant]
English translation of Chinese Office Action issued May 10, 2023 in related CN202080061839.X (pp. 10). [cited by applicant]
Machine translation of CN204936705U on Jun. 16, 2023 by PatDocs PDF (pp. 7). [cited by applicant]
Machine translation of CN206242917U by PatDocs PDF on Jun. 16, 2023 (pp. 9). [cited by applicant]
Machine translation of CN206416782U by PatDocs PDF on Jun. 13, 2023 (pp. 8). [cited by applicant]
Machine translation of CN209037309U by PatDocs PDF on Jun. 16, 2023 (pp. 7). [cited by applicant]
English Translation of EP 0877672, retrieved Jan. 11, 2021. [cited by applicant]
PCT Search Report for PCT/US2020/043670, dated Nov. 11, 2020. [cited by applicant]
PCT Written Opinion for PCT/US2020/043670, dated Nov. 3, 2020. [cited by applicant]