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US 4,541,300 AGranted
Manually operable gearshift mechanism
AssigneeGulf & Western Manufacturing Company
InventorsKeith A. Kwiatkowski, John E. Fernandez, William J. LaRocca
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AssigneeGulf & Western Manufacturing Company
InventorsKeith A. Kwiatkowski, John E. Fernandez, William J. LaRocca
Estimating the term…
An improved manually operable gearshift mechanism is disclosed for an automobile transmission, and which gearshift mechanism is of the character including a support of sheet metal construction and first and second gear selector members mounted on the support for pivotal movement of the members together about a first axis and for pivotal movement of one of the members relative to the other about a second axis transverse to the first axis. An operating lever is attached to the second gear selector member to facilitate pivoting the first and second members about the first and second axes and between a plurality of positions relative to the support and each other and in which positions the gear selector members operate to position corresponding gear shifting cables in positions corresponding to one of a plurality of selectable transmission gears. Improvements are provided with respect to the structure of the support, mechanical interconnections by which pivotal movement of one of the gear selector members is translated to linear displacement of the corresponding gearshifting cable, stability of the gear selector members during pivotal movements thereof, and lockout mechanisms for preventing unintentional displacement of the gear selector members into the positions thereof corresponding to the reverse gear of the transmission.
In a manually operable gear shifting mechanism for displacing a pair of transmission gear actuators and comprising support means having upper and lower ends, first and second gear selector means mounted on said support means for pivotal movement together about a first axis between said upper and lower ends and for pivotal movement of said second selector means relative to said first selector means about a second axis perpendicular to said first axis, means to translate pivotal movement of said first and second selector means about said first axis to reciprocating movement of one of said gear actuators, means to translate pivotal movement of said second selector means about said second axis to reciprocating movement of the other of said actuators, and lockout means to releaseably limit pivotal displacement of said first and second gear selector means in one direction about said first axis, the improvement comprising, said support means including stop means above said first axis, said lockout means including lockout member means pivotal with said first and second selector means about said first axis and displaceable between locking and released positions, said lockout member means in said locking position engaging said stop means in response to pivotal movement of said first and second selector means in said one direction, and means to selectively displace said lockout member means from said locking to said released position in which said lockout member means is disengaged from said stop means to permit further movement of said first and second selector means in said one direction.
In a manually operable gearshifting mechanism for displacing a pair of transmission gear actuators and comprising support means having upper and lower ends, first and second gear selector means mounted on said support means for pivotal movement together about a first axis between said upper and lower ends and for pivotal movement of said second selector means relative to said first selector means about a second axis perpendicular to said first axis, means to translate pivotal movement of said first selector means about said first axis to reciprocating movement of one of said gear actuators, and means to translate pivotal movement of said second selector means about said second axis to reciprocating movement of the other of said actuators, the improvement comprising:
In a manually operable gearshifting mechanism for displacing a pair of transmission gear actuators and comprising support means having upper and lower ends, first and second gear selector means mounted on said support means for pivotal movement together about a first axis and for pivotal movement of said second selector means relative to said first selector means about a second axis perpendicular to said first axis, means to translate pivotal movement of said first selector means about said first axis to reciprocating movement of one of said gear actuators, and means to translate pivotal movement of said second selector means about said second axis to reciprocating movement of the other of said actuators, the improvement comprising:
A manually operable gearshift mechanism comprising support means having longitudinally extending bottom wall means, side wall means extending upwardly from said bottom wall means and longitudinally spaced apart end wall means extending laterally from said side wall means, a first gear selector component including a first plate and longitudinally spaced apart flanges extending from one side thereof perpendicular thereto and disposed between said end wall means, means pivotally interconnecting said flanges and said end wall means to support said first gear selector component for pivotal movement about a first pivot axis extending longitudinally of said support means, a second gear selector component including a second plate parallel to and laterally adjacent the other side of said first plate, pivot pin means mounting said second plate on said first plate for pivotal movement relative thereto about a second axis perpendicular to and above said first axis, said second plate including an upper end above said second axis, operating lever means connected to and extending upwardly from said upper end of said second plate for pivoting said second plate relative to said first plate about said second axis and for pivoting said first and second plates together about said first axis, said side wall means of said support means having a portion facing said first plate in the direction of said second axis and provided with stop means, lockout member means supported by said operating lever means for reciprocation between locking and released positions, said lockout member means in said locking position engaging said stop means to limit pivotal displacement of said first and second plates in one direction about said first axis and in said released position being disengaged with said stop means to release said first and second plates for further displacement in said one direction, means supported by said operating lever means for displacing said lockout member means between said locking and released positions, said first and second plates having lower ends spaced below said first axis, first and second longitudinally reciprocable gearshift actuator components adjacent said bottom wall means of said support means, means interconnecting said lower end of said first plate with said first actuator component for translating pivotal movement of said first and second plates about said first axis to reciprocating movement of said first actuator component, means interconnecting the lower end of said second plate with said second actuator component for translating pivotal movement of said second plate relative to said first plate about said second axis to reciprocating movement of said second actuator component, and means between said first axis and said lower ends of said first and second plates interengaging said first and second plates against relative lateral displacement during pivotal movements thereof about said first and second axes.
A manually operable gearshift mechanism comprising a lower sheet metal support member having longitudinally opposite ends and laterally spaced apart sides between said ends, an upper sheet metal support member having a side wall adjacent one of said sides of said lower support member, said side wall extending upwardly from said lower support member and having lower, intermediate and upper wall portions, said lower wall portion being rigidly secured to said one side of said lower support member, said upper support member further including longitudinally spaced apart end walls each integral with and extending laterally from said upper and intermediate wall portions of said side wall toward the other of said sides of said lower support member, each said end wall having longitudinally extending flange means integral therewith and rigidly secured to said other side of said lower support member, first gear selector means mounted between said end walls for pivotal movement about a first axis, said first selector means including longitudinally extending plate means and flange means extending laterally from said plate means in the direction toward said side wall, second gear selector means mounted on said plate means of said first gear selector means for pivotal movement relative thereto about a second axis, first and second gearshift actuator means supported on said lower support member for longitudinal reciprocation relative thereto, means interconnecting said first and second gear selector means respectively with said first and second actuator means for translating pivotal movements thereof abrout said first and second axes into reciprocating movements of said actuator means, said flange means of said first gear selector means including laterally outer ends above and below said first axis for engaging said side wall to limit pivotal displacement of said first gear selector means in opposite directions about said first axis.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.