ALEXANDRIA, Va., July 3 -- United States Patent no. 12,347,991, issued on July 1, was assigned to Conductix-Wampfler GmbH (Weil am Rhein, Germany).
"Current collector" was invented by Dieter Seidel (Steinen, Germany).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A current collector supplies power to an electrical load movable along a conductor line and includes a movable holder for a contact element whose range of movement is restricted by two mechanical stops, and which is acted upon by a spring arrangement exerting a force in the direction of a first end of its range of movement to force the contact element against a power rail. A damping device is provided, which dampens movement of the holder caused by t...