ALEXANDRIA, Va., Oct. 8 -- United States Patent no. 12,435,474, issued on Oct. 7, was assigned to Progress Rail Services Corp. (Albertville, Ala.).
"Auto stow wings" was invented by Gary K. Gibson II (Wetumpka, Ala.), Michael D. Adams (Prattville, Ala.) and Alston H. Pike (Wetumpka, Ala.).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "Automated storage is provide for a ballast wing mounted on a regulator frame of a ballast regulator machine. A machine controller may detect actuation of a wing activation switch and, in response, actuate a wing lift cylinder connected between the regulator frame and a wing arm to dispose the wing arm within a predetermined safe zone, actuate a wing pivot cylinder to rotate a wi...