Multispeed shift linkage control

In a transmission shift control linkage;

• a support;
• a shift shaft mounted on said support for reciprocating shifting movement along its axis and rotary selecting movement about its axis and having a saddle block fixed thereon;
• a shift lever having a handle end and a fork at the opposite end straddling said saddle block to pivotally mount said lever on said shift shaft for selecting pivotal movement about the shift shaft axis conjointly with said rotary selecting movement of said shift shaft;
• a pivot bracket having an enclosing side wall structure and open ends located around an intermediate portion of said shift lever;
• shifting pivot means between opposite portions of the enclosing side wall structure and said support to mount the pivot bracket for shifting pivotal movement about an axis transverse to the longitudinal axis of said shift lever;
• guide and stop means on said pivot bracket and said shift lever to guide said lever for selecting movement relative to said pivot bracket to limit said selecting movement at end neutral positions and to prevent relative shifting movement of said shift lever and said pivot bracket for conjoint pivotal shifting movement of said shift lever and pivot bracket;
• said fork and saddle block having guide means to prevent turning of said shift lever about its longitudinal axis and motion transfer means to transfer pivotal shifting movement of said shift lever to axial shifting movement of said shift shaft.

In a transmission shift control linkage;

• a support;
• a shift shaft mounted on said support for reciprocating shifting movement along its axis and rotary selecting movement about its axis and having a saddle block fixed thereon;
• a shift lever having a handle end and a fork at the opposite end straddling said saddle block to pivotally mount said lever on said shift shaft for selecting pivotal movement about the shift shaft axis conjointly with said rotary selecting movement of said shift shaft;
• a pivot bracket having an enclosing side wall structure and open ends located around an intermediate portion of said shift lever;
• shifting pivot means between opposite portions of the enclosing side wall structure and said support to mount the pivot bracket for shifting pivotal movement about an axis transverse to the longitudinal axis of said shift lever;
• guide and stop means on said pivot bracket and said shift lever to guide said lever for selecting movement relative to said pivot bracket to limit said selecting movement at end neutral positions and to prevent relative shifting movement of said shift lever and said pivot bracket for conjoint pivotal shifting movement of said shift lever and pivot bracket;
• said fork and saddle block having guide means to prevent turning of said shift lever about its longitudinal axis and motion transfer means to transfer pivotal shifting movement of said shift lever to axial shifting movement of said shift shaft;
• said shift lever and shift shaft having selecting movement between a first neutral position for reverse drive and first drive positions and a second neutral position for second drive and third drive position and shifting movement from said first neutral position in opposite directions to either reverse drive position or first drive position and from second neutral position in opposite directions to either second drive position or third drive position and inhibitor means having an inhibitor member rotatably mounted on said support on an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of said shift lever spring means to bias said inhibitor member to a central position and to permit limited rotary movement in one direction to an inhibiting position in stop engagement with said support and in the opposite direction to an uninhibiting position and cooperating cam surface means on said inhibitor member and shift lever operative in response to selecting movement of said shift lever from second neutral position to first neutral position to move said inhibitor member to uninhibiting position to permit free shifting of said shift lever from said first neutral position to either reverse or first drive position and operative in response to selecting movement of said shift lever from first drive position to first neutral position to move said inhibitor member to inhibiting position to inhibit a shift to reverse drive position and to guide the shift lever from first neutral position to second neutral position.

In a transmission shift control linkage:

• a support;
• transmission shift control means mounted on said support having selecting movement between a first neutral position and a second neutral position and shifting movement transverse to said selecting movement from said first neutral position and said second neutral position in one direction respectively to reverse drive position and second drive position and in the opposite direction respectively to first drive position and third drive position;
• a shift lever having connecting means operatively connecting said shift lever to said transmission shift control means and pivot means pivotally mounting said shift lever on said support for similar selecting movement in a selection path between a first neutral position and a second neutral position having a width permitting both straight and diagonal selecting movement and for shifting movement transverse to the selecting movement from said first neutral position and said second neutral position in one direction respectively in a reverse path to reverse drive position and in a second path to second drive position and in the opposite direction respectively in a first path to first drive position and in a third path to third drive position;
• and inhibitor means having a rotary inhibitor member and a pivot pin for rotatably mounting said inhibitor member on said support;
• spring means to bias said inhibitor member to a central position and to permit limited rotary movement from said central position in one direction to an inhibiting position and in the opposite direction to an uninhibiting position;
• stop means on said rotary inhibitor member and said support stopping and supporting said rotary inhibitor member in said inhibiting position;
• said shift lever having an uninhibiting cam face parallel to said reverse path and to said first path and a diagonally related inhibiting cam face in said selection path;
• said rotary inhibitor member having uninhibiting cam surface means cooperating with said uninhibiting cam face on selecting movement of said shift lever from said second neutral position to said first neutral position to rotate said rotary inhibitor member from said central position to said uninhibiting position and to hold said rotary inhibitor member in said uninhibiting position during shift lever shifting movement in said reverse path and to permit return of said rotary inhibitor member to said central position on shift lever shifting movement to said first drive position, and said rotary inhibitor member having an inhibiting cam surface cooperating with said inhibiting cam face on shift lever shifting movement from said first drive position toward said first neutral position to rotate said rotary inhibitor member from said central position to said inhibiting position to position said inhibiting cam surface diagonally for surface engagement with said inhibiting cam face to positively guide said shift lever in selecting movement in said diagonal path from said first neutral position to said second neutral position for shifting movement in said second path as a continuous movement from said first drive position to said second drive position.