ALEXANDRIA, Va., Jan. 20 -- United States Patent no. 12,528,399, issued on Jan. 20, was assigned to TRAIL KING INDUSTRIES INC. (Mitchell, S.D.).
"Grain trailer" was invented by Kelly L. Menz (Horace, N.D.), James R. Schindler (Yankton, S.D.) and Bryan S. Brodeur (Yankton, S.D.).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A semi-trailer for use in hauling grain has four sides and two sloped cargo areas, each having a hopper funnel made of a continuous, unitary polymer material. A door below each hopper is driven by a linear actuator that is disposed above the level of the door. The trailer sidewalls are made of a composite material having inner and outer panels attached to a center panel by adhesive."
The ...