Transmission shift lever with detent inhibitors

In a transmission shift lever control;

• a support;
• a shift lever pivotally mounted on said support for selecting movement between a forward neutral position and a reverse neutral position and shifting movement transverse to said selecting movement from said reverse neutral position to reverse drive position and from said forward neutral position to forward drive positions and inhibitor means having an inhibitor member mounted on said shift lever for transverse limited reciprocating movement between inhibiting and noninhibiting positions in the same direction as said selecting movement, inhibitor spring means to bias said inhibitor member to said inhibiting position and to permit return movement to said noninhibiting position, cooperating cam surface means on said inhibitor member and support in constant engagement on movement from said forward neutral position toward said reverse neutral position and interlock means on said shift lever biased to locking position and normally positioned in locking position in forward neutral position and forward drive positions to lock said inhibitor member in inhibiting position operative to permit free shifting of said shift lever between said forward neutral position and said forward drive positions but to positively inhibit a shift from said forward neutral position to said reverse neutral position to prevent a shift to reverse drive position and manually movable to unlocked position to permit movement of said inhibitor member to permit a shift of said shift lever from forward neutral position to reverse neutral position against the bias of said inhibitor spring means for a shift to reverse drive position.

In a transmission shift lever control;

• a support;
• a tubular shift lever having a hand knob end, a pivot portion, and a transverse bore between said pivot portion and hand knob end and pivotally mounted on said support for selecting movement between a forward neutral position and a reverse neutral position and shifting movement transverse to said selecting movement from said reverse neutral position to reverse drive position and from forward neutral position to forward drive positions and inhibitor means having an inhibitor member with a locking opening mounted in said transverse bore in said shift lever for limited reciprocating movement between inhibiting and noninhibiting positions in the same direction as said selecting movement and transverse to the longitudinal axis of said shift lever, inhibitor spring means to bias said inhibitor member in the direction from said forward neutral position to said reverse neutral position to said inhibiting position and to permit return movement to said noninhibiting position, cooperating cam surface means on said inhibitor member and support in constant engagement between said forward and reverse neutral positions and in said reverse neutral position;
• said shift lever having a longitudinal axial bore intersecting said transverse bore and interlock means on said shift lever member having a release rod having a locking portion fitting said locking opening and reciprocally mounted in said axial bore, a finger release member mounted for movement externally on said shift lever and connected to said release rod and an interlock biasing spring mounted on said shift lever to bias said release rod and finger release member to locking position and operative in forward neutral position and forward drive positions to move said finger release member, release rod against said interlock biasing spring to locking position to position said locking portion in said locking opening to lock said inhibitor member in inhibiting position operative to permit free shifting of said shift lever between said forward neutral position and said forward drive positions but to positively inhibit a shift from said forward neutral position to said reverse neutral position to prevent a shift to reverse drive position, operative on manual movement of said finger release member and release rod to move said locking portion out of said locking opening to unlocked position to permit movement of said inhibitor member to permit a shift of said shift lever from forward neutral position to reverse neutral position against the bias of said inhibitor spring means for a shift to reverse drive position and operative on a shift of said shift lever from reverse drive position to first neutral position to permit said inhibitor spring means to move said shift lever to forward neutral position for forward drive shifting.

In a transmission shift lever control;

• a support;
• a shift lever pivotally mounted on said support for selecting movement and shifting movement transverse to said selecting movement;
• transmission shift control means having selecting movement between a first neutral position for reverse drive position and a second neutral position for first drive and second drive positions and shifting movement from said first neutral position to reverse drive position and from said second neutral position in opposite directions to either the first drive position or second drive position and inhibitor means having an inhibitor member mounted on said shift lever for transverse limited reciprocating movement between inhibiting and noninhibiting positions, spring means to bias said inhibitor member to said inhibiting position and to permit return movement to said noninhibiting position, cooperating cam surface means on said inhibitor member and support in constant engagement between said first and said neutral positions and in said first neutral and reverse positions of said shift lever and interlock means on said shift lever biased to interlock position and positioned in interlock position in second neutral, first drive and second drive positions to lock said inhibitor member in inhibiting position and manually movable to unlocked position to permit movement of said inhibitor member, operative to permit free shifting of said shift lever between said second neutral position and from said second neutral position to either first or second drive position but to positively inhibit a shift from second neutral position to first neutral position when said interlock means is in said interlock position and to permit a shift from second neutral position to first neutral position against the bias of said spring means when said interlock means is manually released to unlocked position to permit a shift to reverse drive position.

In a transmission shift lever control;

• a support;
• a tubular shift lever having a hand knob end, a pivot portion and a transverse bore between said pivot portion and said hand knob end and pivotally mounted on said support for selecting movement and shifting movement transverse to said selecting movement;
• transmission shift control means having limited selecting movement consecutively from a first neutral position for shifting to, reverse drive position through a second neutral position for shifting to forward first drive and second drive positions and to a third neutral position for shifting to forward third drive and fourth drive positions and shifting movement from said first neutral position to reverse drive position and from said second neutral position in opposite directions to either first drive position or second drive position and from said third neutral position in opposite directions to either third drive or fourth drive positions and inhibitor means having an inhibitor member with a locking opening mounted in said transverse bore in said shift lever for transverse limited reciprocating movement between inhibiting and noninhibiting positions in the same direction as said selecting movement and transverse to the longitudinal axis of said shift lever, inhibitor biasing spring means to bias said inhibitor member in the direction from said second neutral position to said first neutral position to said inhibiting position and to permit return movement to said noninhibiting position, cooperating cam surface means on said inhibitor member and support in constant engagement between said first and second neutral positions and in said first neutral and reverse drive positions of said shift lever;
• said shift lever having a longitudinal axial bore intersecting said transverse bore and interlock means on said shift lever having a release rod having a locking portion fitting said locking opening and reciprocally mounted in said axial bore, a finger release member mounted for movement externally on said shift lever and connected to said release rod and an interlock biasing spring mounted on said shift lever to bias and release rod and finger release member to interlock position in second neutral, first drive, second drive, third neutral, third drive and fourth drive positions to lock said inhibitor member in inhibiting position and manually movable to move said finger release member, release rod against said interlock biasing spring to locking position to position said locking portion in said locking opening to move to unlocked position to permit movement of said inhibitor member, operative to permit free shifting of said shift lever between said second and third neutral positions and from said second and third neutral positions respectively to either first or second and third or fourth drive positions but to positively inhibit a shift from second neutral position to first neutral position to prevent shifting to reverse drive position when said interlock means is in said interlock position and to permit a shift from second neutral position to first neutral position against the bias of said inhibitor spring means when said interlock means is manually released to unlocked position to permit a shift to reverse drive position.