US Patent Issued to Caterpillar on May 12 for "Axle seal shield for compaction machine" (Illinois Inventors)

ALEXANDRIA, Va., May 12 -- United States Patent no. 12,623,488, issued on May 12, was assigned to Caterpillar Inc. (Peoria, Ill.).

"Axle seal shield for compaction machine" was invented by Gerald William Gavin (Big Rock, Ill.), James William Schaffer (Oswego, Ill.), Matthew M. DeSanto (Maple Park, Ill.), Jeremy Dean Folkerts (Naperville, Ill.) and Travis Edward Schwark (Shorewood, Ill.).

According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A shield assembly is configured for use with the axle assembly of a compaction machine. The machine includes a ground-engaging device with a hub that defines a cavity and an inboard opening. The axle assembly comprises a spindle and a final drive, with a gap between them. The shie...