Cable assembly with multi-directional connector
AssigneeDura Global Technologies, Inc.
InventorDonald G. Gordy
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A shift cable assembly in one implementation may include a conduit, a core received within the conduit, a rod coupled to an end of the core, a slide tube in which the rod is received, and a multi-directional connector. The connector may have a housing coupled to the rod, a first surface with a first opening, a second surface with a second opening, and a cavity communicated between the first and second openings. The cavity is adapted to receive a component through either one of the first and second openings, and a fastener extends into the cavity between the first and second openings to engage a component received in the cavity and retain the component relative to the housing.
Claims20
A shift cable assembly, comprising:
- a conduit,
- a core received within the conduit,
- a rod coupled to an end of the core,
- a slide tube in which the rod is received;
- and
- a multi-directional connector having a housing coupled to the rod, the housing having a first surface with a first opening and a second surface with a second opening, a cavity communicated between the first and second openings so that the cavity is adapted to receive a component through either one of the first and second openings, and a fastener extending into the cavity between the first and second openings to engage a component received in the cavity and retain the component relative to the housing.
A cable assembly, comprising:
- a conduit,
- a core received within the conduit,
- a rod coupled to the core,
- a fitting coupled to the rod and adapted to be connected to a support structure to couple the core to the support structure;
- and
- a multi-directional connector having a housing coupled to the rod, the housing having a cavity and a pair of opposed openings leading to the cavity so that the cavity is adapted to receive a component through either one of the openings, and the multi-directional connector also has a fastener carried by the housing with a body that is resilient and has a minimum effective opening size that is smaller than at least a portion of the component but which may be enlarged when the component is inserted into the housing to permit a portion of the component to pass through the opening of the body and then resiliently returned toward its unflexed position to radially overlap a portion of the component and retain the component within the cavity.
A shifter assembly, comprising:
- a shift lever movable among a plurality of positions;
- a cable assembly including a conduit, a core received within the conduit and having one end operably coupled to the shift lever, a rod coupled to the core at an end opposite the shift lever, a fitting adapted to be connected to a support structure to couple the core to the support structure, the cable assembly also having a multi-directional connector with a housing coupled to an end of the rod opposite the core, the housing having a first surface with a first opening leading to a cavity, a second surface with a second opening also leading to the cavity so that the cavity is adapted to receive a component through either one of the first and second openings, the multi-directional connector also having a fastener carried by the housing to fasten the component to the multi-directional connector whereby the housing is retained on the component in the same manner whether the component is initially received in the first opening or second opening.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.