Patent
Patented
Reading the patent: what the 18 claims actually say
A plain-language walk through U.S. 12,409,695 B2, claim by claim, and what each one does and does not cover.
Development
From concept to reality.
Every milestone below is either completed, underway, or planned, and says which. Dates appear only where they are documented. When the first bench results exist, they will appear here with the conditions under which they were measured.
Where the work stands
- ConceptCompleteThe mechanism as described in the granted patent.
- PatentCompleteU.S. 12,409,695 B2 granted.
- PrototypeIn progressA complete assembly on the bench, instrumented.Machined prototype components received July 2026. A generator is still needed to complete the prototype setup.
- Bench ValidationPlannedPublished bench results with test conditions.Bench testing is planned, with a target to begin by the end of 2026.
- Vehicle TestingPlannedOn-vehicle data on output, ride quality and net energy balance.
- Commercial IntegrationFutureA manufacturing path and a first partner or market.
Completed stages are filled navy with a check. The current stage is outlined in green. Stages ahead are outlined in gray.
The milestones
The record
Documented milestones, from the public record and from supplied documents.
First place, Small Business Division, Wes Watkins New Product and Process Fair
CompletedU.S. Patent 4,944,124, Decorative Panel with Cutline, issued to Larry Armstrong
An earlier invention, in a different field.
CompletedApplication filed for a Vehicle Suspension Kinetic Energy Recovery System
An earlier answer to the same question, and a different design from the one patented in 2025.
CompletedThat application published as US 2010/0006362 A1
CompletedFirst application in the current patent family filed
Application 18/166,456, later published as US 2024/0262149 A1.
CompletedContinuation-in-part filed
Application 18/747,828, published as US 2024/0339892 A1.
CompletedContinuation-in-part filed
Application 18/938,771, the application that became the patent.
CompletedPre-grant publication
US 2025/0058595 A1.
CompletedNotice of allowance
CompletedU.S. Patent 12,409,695 B2 granted
Vehicle Suspension Energy Reclamation Generator. 18 claims. Inventor: Larry D. Armstrong.
PatentedCompletedRead the patent summary
Building
Hardware and conversations, as far as they can be documented today.
Winter 2025–2026
Larry shows Avery the idea and hands him the patent
A winter-break visit in Eufaula, with a push-down spinning topper and a copy of the patent.
CompletedUndated
An early housing model
Prototype builtCompletedLarry and Avery with an early housing model.
Machined prototype components received
The first machined housing is shown here.
Prototype builtCompletedLarry and Avery with the first machined housing.
Undated
Visit to a spring manufacturer
CompletedUndated
Conversations with clutch manufacturers
About sprag clutches sized for the mechanism.
UnderwayUndated
Presenting the work at events
UnderwayAvery presenting at an event in Chicago.
Undated
Prototype assembly
A generator is still needed to complete the prototype setup.
Underway
Ahead
What comes next. Nothing here has a date unless it says so.
Bench testing
Output, efficiency, durability and electronics. Target: to begin by the end of 2026.
PlannedVehicle integration planning
PlannedOn-vehicle testing
PlannedCommercial development and potential partnerships
Future
The questions testing has to answer
Under investigationTesting is not a formality here. It is the part of the work that earns the right to make claims. Each question below comes with what will be measured and why it matters.
Electrical output
What is measured
Watts and watt-hours at the generator terminals across road profiles and speeds
Why it matters
The first number anyone will ask for
Mechanical efficiency
What is measured
Ratio of electrical output to mechanical input at the frame, by frequency and amplitude
Why it matters
Separates the mechanism's quality from the road's generosity
Overall vehicle energy balance
What is measured
Net effect on consumption with the assembly's mass, losses and changed suspension behavior included
Why it matters
The only measure that decides whether the technology helps a vehicle
Road conditions
What is measured
Output and ride across smooth, average and rough surfaces
Why it matters
Regenerative suspension output is known to vary by an order of magnitude with roughness
System mass
What is measured
Mass of the assembly against the original spring and mounts
Why it matters
Added mass costs energy on every mile
Suspension response and ride quality
What is measured
Body acceleration and wheel-load variation with and without the assembly
Why it matters
Whether the system helps, hurts or can be tuned
Durability
What is measured
Cycle life of the clutches, guide bars, sleeves and springs
Why it matters
Whether it survives a vehicle's life
Power electronics
What is measured
Conditioning losses, load control, storage interface
Why it matters
The electrical load sets the mechanical resistance
Manufacturability and cost
What is measured
Parts, processes and cost at volume
Why it matters
Whether anyone can build it at a price that makes sense
From the Workshop
Notes from the bench, the shop floor, and the road.
Research
Under investigationWhy one-way clutches, and why sprags
The small steel parts that make the shaft turn one way, and what we are asking of them.
Follow the development of AKS.
Occasional updates when there is something real to report: a prototype milestone, a test result, a patent development.
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