ALEXANDRIA, Va., Jan. 20 -- United States Patent no. 12,529,398, issued on Jan. 20, was assigned to Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG (Herzogenaurach, Germany).
"External seal interface on raceway" was invented by Natalie Allen (Richfield, Ohio) and Joshua Verdier (Lodi, Ohio).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A torque converter including a thrust bearing having an extended race functioning as part of a seal gland for a dynamic seal thereby eliminating the need for an separate seal retainer plate. In some examples, the bearing provides the outer diameter sealing surface in addition to a retention feature for a spring energized seal."
The patent was filed on Nov. 22, 2023, under Application No....