ALEXANDRIA, Va., June 25 -- United States Patent no. 12,338,669, issued on June 24, was assigned to InterMotive inc. (Auburn, Calif.).
"Bus boarding protection system and method" was invented by Dan C. Mower (Grass Valley, Calif.), Gregory E. Schafer (Reno, Nev.) and Tristan L. Ellorin (Sacramento, Calif.).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A sensor bar or other array of sensors are mounted to the bus beneath or adjacent to a doorway of the bus. Ultrasonic sensors are located within the sensor bar and detect the presence of foreign objects such as an entrapped passenger close to the doorway. A safety output is generated by the system when an unsafe condition is detected. Examples of safety outputs...