Electric starter interlock for outboard motor devices

A marine propulsion device having an internal combustion engine, a shift mechanism, an electrically operated starter mechanism, a start control, and a shift lever movably mounted adjacent said start control and having wall means positioned in overlying relation to said start control in all positions other than the neutral position to thereby block access to the start control except when the lever is in the neutral position, wherein said start control includes a push-button means and said shift lever is pivotally mounted and includes spaced wall means moved into said overlying relation to said push-button means.

A marine propulsion device having an internal combustion engine, an outer enclosure for said engine, a shift mechanism, an electrically operated starter mechanism, a start control switch means having an external operator extending from the enclosure, said switch means controlling energization of the starter mechanism, and a shift lever movably mounted adjacent said external operator and having wall means positioned in overlying relation to said external operator in all positions other than the neutral position to thereby block access to the external operator except when the lever is in the neutral position and including an upper powerhead support for said combustion engine and having an outer enclosure wall including a sidewall, said start control being located on said sidewall, and said shift lever being pivotally mounted in said sidewall immediately rearwardly of said start control.

In a marine propulsion apparatus having an internal engine mounted within an upper powerhead unit and connected to a lower propeller unit, said powerhead unit having an exterior enclosing wall, said engine having an electrically driven starter means and a shift mechanism having an input within the upper powerhead unit, a starter interlock mechanism comprising a manually operable start control means located in an exterior wall of the powerhead unit, a shift lever means pivotally mounted immediately adjacent to said starter control means and being reversibly movable in opposite directions from a neutral position to a forward drive position and a reverse drive position, said lever means being formed with a plurality of wall portions separated by an open portion and arranged with the open portion aligned with the start control means in the neutral position and moving into overlying alignment to the start control means in both said forward and reverse positions of said lever means and thereby preventing starting the internal combustion engine in other than the neutral position.

In a marine propulsion apparatus including an internal combustion engine mounted within an upper powerhead unit and having a reversing transmission shiftable from a neutral position to a forward drive position and a reverse drive position, a shift linkage having a rotatable pivot shaft located in the upper powerhead unit in combination with an electrically driven starter mechanism comprising a shift lever pivotally mounted to one side of the upper powerhead unit and connected to said pivot shaft, said shift lever having a vertically located handle arm in the neutral shift position and movable forwardly to an inclined position to effect said forward drive position and pivotal to a corresponding rearward inclined position to establish said reverse drive position, a start control button reciprocally mounted in the upper powerhead unit, said start control button being located forwardly of the said pivot shaft, and said lever being mounted outwardly of the outermost end of the push button and having a forwardly projecting interlock arm, said button being spaced from said arms in only the neutral position of said lever and covered by one of said arms in forward and reverse drive positions.