US Patent Issued to Fontaine Fifth Wheel on May 20 for "Apparatuses, systems, and methods for determining and verifying operational states of fifth wheels" (Alabama Inventors)

ALEXANDRIA, Va., June 16 -- United States Patent no. 12,304,259, issued on May 20, was assigned to Fontaine Fifth Wheel Co. (Jasper, Ala.).

"Apparatuses, systems, and methods for determining and verifying operational states of fifth wheels" was invented by Carl Gaufin (Madison, Ala.) and Michael Shane Wolfe (Hanceville, Ala.).

According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "Apparatuses, systems, and methods for determining and verifying operational states of fifth wheels. Certain methods for determining the operational state of the fifth wheel may include sensing, with at least one sensor, magnetic flux caused by a magnet on a movable component movable to lock the fifth wheel to a kingpin of a towed vehicle and...