Patent ID: 6405432
Filing Date: 2002-06-18
Classification: H01C,Y10T

Abstract:
A method of mounting a rotary potentiometer relative to a support wall of a joystick assembly, the potentiometer defining a generally disk-shaped body portion and a shaft, the body portion comprising an outer flat surface and an inner flat surface bridged by a cylindrical surface, the potentiometer shaft projecting outwardly from the inner flat surface along a longitudinal axis, the support wall having an opening therein for accommodating the potentiometer shaft, the method comprising the steps of:placing the potentiometer in a position wherein the inner flat surface is adjacent to the support wall and the potentiometer shaft penetrates through the opening in the support wall; obtaining a mounting clip comprising front and back opposing side segments and a top segment bridging said front and back side segments, the back side segment defining a pair of legs, a bottom portion of the front side segment turning inwardly toward the back side segment to define a bottom flange, and the front and back side segments being elastically deformable relative to each other between a naturally biased position and an outward flexed position, orienting the mounting clip above the potentiometer in a position wherein a lower portion of the front side segment is engaged with the outer flat surface of the potentiometer and a lower portion of the back side segment is engaged with the support wall; flexing the front side segment outwardly toward its outward flexed position; sliding the mounting clip downward to a position wherein the bottom flange snaps underneath the body portion of the potentiometer, the front side segment thereby springing back toward its naturally biased position, the body portion of the potentiometer thereby being received and retained between said front and back side segments and the legs straddling the potentiometer shaft.