One hundred and seventeen (117) patents (US Patent Office) were granted for the week of April 18, 2023. Dallas-Fort Worth ranked No. 8 for patent activity out of 250 metros according to Dallas Invents.

Dallas Invents by Dallas Innovates is a weekly look at U.S. patents granted with a connection to the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metro area. Listings include patents granted to local assignees and/or those with a North Texas inventor.

Dallas Invents noted the following information during their weekly report:\

Ronald L Perdue (Kennedale, TX) and William K Chapin (Cumby, TX) were granted a patent for a “Hydraulic gooseneck trailer coupler system and method”.

The description of the patent was as follows:

“A system and method of raising and lowering a ball coupler for coupling to a ball hitch is provided. A combination of a hydraulic pump and hydraulic piston is employed to raise and lower the ball coupler of a gooseneck trailer. Both custom and off-the-shelf parts combine to create a user-friendly system to couple and uncouple a gooseneck trailer to the truck. The system described herein replaces the need to raise and lower a gooseneck trailer”s coupling system by a hand crank and gearbox and even the need to climb into the back of the truck bed. Varying trailer frame configurations and ball coupler sizes can be employed with the present invention. Also described and shown in this provisional is a non-rotating free-end hydraulic piston device and method. Also described and shown is a coupling bushing device and method for securing a conventional coupler to a piston rod.”

Perdue, a Kennedale resident, is the owner of C.R.P. MACHINE & WELDING, INC, of Kennedale, Tx.