Cable core length adjuster mechanism

A manually operated core length adjuster mechanism for use with a cable system having a core and a conduit, an end of the conduit being fixed to a mounting surface, the core slidably disposed within the conduit, an end of the core being a rod extending beyond the end of the conduit, a distal end of the rod being a rod end made distinguishable from the rest of the rod by a circumferential groove in the rod, the adjuster mechanism comprising:

• a body with an elongated generally parallelepiped shape being generally rectangular, with a top and a bottom, two sides, and a first end and a second end, having an axis passing through the body from the first end of the body to the second end of the body, the body being elongated in an axial direction parallel to the axis, a rectangular opening passing through the body from the top of the body to the bottom of the body, the opening having two sides and two ends within the body with the sides of the opening being parallel to the sides of the body, the first end of the body having means for swivelable attachment, the second end of the body having an aperture in the body passing from the second end of the body to the rectangular opening, the aperture being approximately coaxial with the axis, the rod slidably passing through the aperture with the circumferential groove disposed within the rectangular opening, one of the sides of the rectangular opening having a plurality of teeth transverse to the axis;
• a clip, being located in the rectangular opening in the body, being manually movable relative to the body between an engaged position and an adjust position, having a cap portion on top of a block portion, the clip projecting above the top of the body in the adjust position and the cap portion contacting the top of the body in the engaged position, the block portion having teeth complementary to the teeth of the body, the teeth of the body and the teeth of the clip being meshed and thereby axially fixing the clip to the body when the clip is in the engaged position, the teeth of the body and the teeth of the clip being disengaged when the clip is in the adjust position, the block portion being shorter than the sides of the opening thereby allowing the clip to translate axially in the opening when in the adjust position, the block portion having a pair of tines extending away from the cap portion, the tines being opposed across the rod from each other in both the engaged and adjust positions, the tines being partially disposed within the circumferential groove of the rod thereby axially fixing the clip to the rod, the tines being disposed in parallel relation and spaced approximately equal to a thickness of the rod at the circumferential groove, the tines having a pair of nubs near a tip of each tine, one closer to the tip than the other, the nubs on each tine being opposed to the nubs on the other tine, the opposing nubs being separated by less than the thickness of the rod at the circumferential groove, the nubs radially positioning the clip relative to the rod and thereby positioning the clip relative to the body in the adjust position, the tines elastically deflecting to allow the clip to be manually moved from the adjust position to the engaged position;
• and
• spring means disposed between the body and the clip for axially biasing the body relative to the clip.