ALEXANDRIA, Va., May 12 -- United States Patent no. 12,623,497, issued on May 12, was assigned to Douglas Robinson (Royse City, Texas).
"Automated trailer hitch" was invented by Brandon Wade Pridgen (Plano, Texas).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "The disclosed principles provide for a trailer hitch apparatus and related methods of operation and manufacturing. In one embodiment, the trailer hitch apparatus includes a plate with a cutout, a housing, a hitch ball, and a cover. The cutout may feature a first receding portion, while the housing includes sidewalls that support the hitch ball, which can rotate between an upright and collapsed position via a rod connected to the sidewalls. The cover is ...