ALEXANDRIA, Va., Jan. 29 -- United States Patent no. 12,209,656, issued on Jan. 28, was assigned to Hyundai Motor Co. (Seoul, South Korea) and Kia Corp. (Seoul, South Korea).
"Electronic shift control apparatus" was invented by Yeong Jik Kim (Seoul, South Korea), Pill Yoon Kim (Uiwang-Si, South Korea), Jae Yeon Yu (Hwaseong-Si, South Korea), Jee Hyuck Choi (Yongin-Si, South Korea) and Jae Min Park (Namyangju-Si, South Korea).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A column-type electronic shift control apparatus is mounted in a rotation type on a steering column of a vehicle and in which a shifter is positioned to extend upward in a standby mode and is positioned to extend laterally in a use mode by ro...