Abstract:
A console assembly is provided for mounting within a vehicle interior in an area between a pair of seats. A vehicle support member is provided on the vehicle interior having a quick connect fastener provided thereon. A carrier is adapted to mount to the vehicle support member and an operational lever is pivotally mounted on the carrier for movement between first and second positions. A quick connect fastener is connected to the operational lever at a lower portion thereof and is adapted to mate with the first quick connect fastener on the vehicle support member. The operational lever and carrier can thereby be assembled as a unit to the vehicle and the shift lever can be assembled to a vehicle shifting/braking mechanism through the quick connect fasteners.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/108,222, filed on Nov. 13, 1998. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates to a console assembly for a vehicle interior and, in one of its aspects, to a console assembly having transmission shifter and parking brake mechanisms mounted thereto prior to being mounted to the vehicle interior. In another aspect, the invention relates to a method for assembling the transmission shifter and parking brake mechanisms to the console assembly prior to installation of the console assembly within the vehicle interior and interconnection of the transmission shifter and parking brake mechanisms to the respective transmission shifter and parking brake components of the vehicle by quick-connect mechanisms. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Vehicles and, more specifically, passenger vehicles typically include a console located between the front driver and passenger seats of the vehicle. FIG. 13 shows an exploded perspective view of a prior art console assembly  10  for mounting to a tunnel reinforcement member  12  of a vehicle interior. The console assembly  10  comprises a molded console member  14 , a transmission shifter mechanism  16 , a shifter bezel  18 , a shifter knob  20 , and a parking brake mechanism  22 . In some cases, the console assembly  10  can also include an air bag module  24  for controlling the deployment of air bags in various areas of the vehicle. 
     The console member  14  typically comprises a forward end portion  26  having a flange  28  adapted to interengage with a dashboard portion (not shown) of the vehicle interior, an ashtray or other storage unit  30 , and perhaps one or more container holders  32 . The console member  14  can also have an intermediate portion  34  having an aperture  36  adapted to receive the shifter mechanism  16  and its associated components. Moreover, the console member  14  can include a rearward portion  38  typically provided with a storage compartment  40  having a lid  42  thereon and an aperture  68  adapted to receive a portion of the parking brake mechanism  22 . The console member  14  is typically molded from a rigid synthetic resin material and is formed as an elongated shell. 
     The transmission shifter mechanism  16  typically comprises a bracket  44  having one or more mounting flanges  46  thereon adapted to receive fasteners for mounting the transmission shifter mechanism  16  to either the console member  14  or the tunnel reinforcement member  12  of the vehicle interior. The transmission shifter mechanism  16  also includes an upwardly-extending shifter rod  48  adapted to pass through the shifter bezel  18  and receive the shifter knob  20 . When the shifter mechanism  16 , shifter bezel  18 , and shifter knob  20  are appropriately mounted between the tunnel reinforcement member  12  and the console member  14 , an aesthetically-pleasing upper surface  50  of the shifter bezel  18  is positioned within the aperture  36  at the intermediate portion  34  of the console member  14 . Typically, the shifter mechanism  16  also has a detent mechanism  52  for positioning the shifter rod  48  in a number of discrete positions—park, reverse, neutral, drive, and low gears for automatic transmissions and first through fifth and reverse for typical manual transmissions. 
     The parking brake mechanism  22  typically comprises a bracket  54  adapted to be mounted between the tunnel reinforcement member  12  and the console member  14  which includes a pivotal mounting  56  for a parking brake lever  58  as is conventionally known. 
     Also shown in FIG. 13 are a transmission actuator rod  60  and a parking brake actuator cable  62  each having well-known threaded portions  64  and  66 , respectively, provided on the tunnel reinforcement member  12 . The interconnections  64  and  66  of the transmission actuator rod  60  and parking brake actuator cable  62  are adapted to be interconnected to the transmission shifter mechanism  16  and parking brake mechanism  22 , respectively. 
     Several problems and costs have arisen during the assembly and installation of the console assembly  10  to the tunnel reinforcement member  12  of a vehicle interior. This assembly typically requires several expensive and time-consuming steps: (1) the transmission shifter mechanism  16  is installed between the tunnel reinforcement member  12  and the console member  14 ; (2) the shifter mechanism  16  is interconnected to the transmission actuator rod  60  via the interconnection  64 ; (3) the parking brake mechanism  22  must be installed between the tunnel reinforcement member  12  and the console member  14  so that the parking brake lever  58  extends through the aperture  68  in the rearward portion  38  of the console member  14 ; (4) the parking brake lever  58  must be interconnected to the parking brake actuator cable  62  via the interconnection  66 ; (5) the air bag module  24  must be mounted between the tunnel reinforcement member  12  and the console member  14 ; (6) the console member  14  must be mounted to the tunnel reinforcement member  12  to enclose the transmission shifter mechanism  16  and its associated components, the parking brake mechanism  22  and the air bag module  24 . 
     Manufacturing costs and installation problems have arisen due to the number of steps which must be performed on an automaker&#39;s assembly line to complete the installation of the console member  14  to the tunnel reinforcement member  12  as well as to install the transmission shifter mechanism  16 , parking brake mechanism  22  and air bag module  24 . These steps require several workers and several stations along the assembly line to complete an adequate installation. Further, the automaker must track several parts, namely, the components  14 - 24  as individual components to be installed within the vehicle interior creating inventory requirements as well as part tracking problems throughout the automaker&#39;s plant. 
     Interconnection of the transmission shifter mechanism  16  to the transmission actuator rod  60  and the parking brake mechanism  22  to the parking brake actuator cable  62  is often difficult due to space requirements as well as the awkward positioning of the console member  14  relative to the tunnel reinforcement member  12  within the confines of the vehicle interior on the automaker&#39;s assembly line. 
     Servicing the shifter mechanism  16 , parking brake mechanism  22 , and air bag module  24  within the console member  14  is also difficult because each of the components must be individually removed from the tunnel reinforcement member  12  to replace the defective component. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In one aspect, the invention relates to a console assembly for mounting to a vehicle support member in an area between a pair of seats and having a first quick connect fastener mounted thereto. The console assembly preferably has a carrier adapted to mount to a vehicle support member in an area between the seats and an operational lever pivotally mounted on the carrier for movement between first and second positions. A quick connect fastener is preferably connected to the operational lever at a lower portion thereof and adapted to mate with the first quick connect fastener on the vehicle support member. The operational lever and carrier can thereby be assembled as a unit to the vehicle and the shift lever can be assembled to a vehicle shifting/braking mechanism through the quick connect fasteners. 
     A housing can be mounted to the carrier and can cover a portion of the operational lever. The housing and carrier can thereby be assembled as a unit to a vehicle and thereafter the operational lever can be assembled to a vehicle transmission. The operational lever can comprise a transmission shift lever. The operational lever can also comprise a parking brake lever mounted to the carrier for pivotal movement between first and second positions. The housing can also cover at least a portion of the parking brake lever. 
     A third quick connect fastener can be connected to a lower portion of the parking brake lever and the vehicle support member further has a fourth quick connect fastener which is adapted to quick connect to the third quick connect fastener. The second quick connect can comprise a first flange mounted to the operational lever and the first quick connect comprises a second flange mounted to the shifting/braking mechanism on the vehicle and adapted to receive the first flange. The first flange is thereby received within the second flange when the shift lever is moved from the first position to the second position. 
     The parking brake lever can thereby be connected to a vehicle parking brake after the housing and parking brake lever are assembled to the vehicle by moving the parking brake lever from the first to the second positions. A detent mechanism can be provided on the housing and the carrier adapted to releasably retain the housing to the carrier without additional fasteners. The detent mechanism provides a releasable engagement between the housing and carrier during transportation thereof. 
     In another aspect, the invention relates to a console assembly for mounting to a portion of a vehicle in an area between a pair of seats comprising a carrier adapted to mount to a portion of a vehicle in an area between the seats. A transmission shift lever is pivotally mounted on the carrier for movement between first and second positions. A parking brake lever is also mounted to the carrier for pivotal movement between first and second positions. The assembly of the transmission shift lever, the parking brake lever and the carrier can thereby be mounted as a unit to the vehicle. 
     In a further aspect, the invention relates to a console assembly for mounting to a vehicle interior between a pair of vehicle seats comprising a housing having a wall adapted to face the vehicle interior and to be mounted to the vehicle interior. The housing can have a first opening and a second opening spaced from the first opening located in the wall. A transmission shift lever can be mounted to the housing, and provided with a quick connect fastener thereon and having a handle extending from the first opening in the housing. A parking brake lever can also be mounted to the housing, and provided with a quick connect fastener thereon and having a handle extending from the second opening in the housing. The quick connect fasteners on the transmission shift lever and the parking brake lever thereby register with a vehicle transmission and parking brake mechanisms when the housing is located between the pair of vehicle seats. The transmission shift lever and parking brake lever can thereby be pre-assembled to the housing before installation within the vehicle interior and the handles on the transmission shift lever and the parking brake lever extend from the respective first and second openings for grasping by an operator of the vehicle after the housing is mounted therein. 
     In yet another aspect, the invention relates to an improved console assembly for mounting to a vehicle interior support member between a pair of seats and having a quick connect receptor mounted to at least one of a transmission shift cable and a parking brake. The console assembly comprises an assembly having at least one of a transmission shift lever and a parking brake lever mounted thereto. The improvement in the console assembly comprises the at least one of a transmission shift lever and a parking brake lever has a quick connection thereon and is adapted to be received within the quick connect receptor on a corresponding one of a transmission actuator and a parking brake actuator when the console assembly is mounted to the vehicle interior support member. 
     The quick connection on the at least one of a transmission shift lever and a parking brake lever can be connected to the corresponding quick connection on the one of a transmission actuator and a parking brake actuator by movement of the at least one of a transmission shift lever and a parking brake lever. The at least one of a transmission shift lever and a parking brake lever can comprise a transmission shift lever and a parking brake lever. 
     In yet a further aspect, the invention relates to a vehicle with a passenger compartment having a pair of laterally spaced passenger seats and a console assembly located between the seats mounted to a vehicle support member. The console assembly can enclose at least one of a transmission shift lever and a parking brake lever pivotally mounted to the console assembly between a first and a second position. 
     The at least one of a transmission shift lever and a parking brake lever are preferably interconnected to a corresponding transmission and parking brake. An improvement in the vehicle having a console assembly being a first quick connect fastener is preferably connected to the at least one of a transmission shift lever and a parking brake lever, and a second quick connect fastener is preferably connected to the corresponding transmission and parking brake and adapted to mate with the first quick connect fastener. The mounting between the at least one of a transmission shift lever and a parking brake lever and the corresponding transmission and parking brake is thereby accomplished through the interengagement of the first and second quick connect fasteners without the use of additional tools by moving the at least one of a transmission shift lever and a parking brake lever from the first position to the second position. 
     A carrier can be provided for the vehicle which is adapted to mount to the vehicle support member between the seats, wherein the at least one of a transmission shift lever and a parking brake lever is pivotally mounted to the carrier. A housing can be mounted to the carrier and can cover a portion of the at least one of a transmission shift lever and a parking brake lever whereby the housing and carrier can be assembled as a unit to the vehicle. The at least one of a transmission shift lever and a parking brake lever can comprise a transmission shift lever and a parking brake lever mounted to the carrier for pivotal movement between first and second positions. A detent mechanism can be provided on at least one of the first and second quick connect fasteners to releasably retain the at least one of a transmission shift lever and a parking brake lever to the corresponding vehicle transmission and parking brake without additional fasteners. 
     In yet another aspect, the invention relates to a vehicle with a passenger compartment having a pair of laterally spaced passenger seats and a console assembly located between the seats mounted to a vehicle support member. The console assembly can enclose at least one of a transmission shift lever and a parking brake lever pivotally mounted to the console assembly between a first and a second position. The at least one of a transmission shift lever and a parking brake lever are thereby interconnected to a corresponding transmission and parking brake. The vehicle having the improved console assembly which facilitates installation thereof comprises a carrier adapted to mount to the vehicle support member between the seats. The at least one of a transmission shift lever and a parking brake lever is pivotally mounted to the carrier. The at least one of a transmission shift lever and a parking brake lever is mounted to the carrier prior to installation in the vehicle and the carrier need only be mounted between the seats in the vehicle to whereby the assembly of the carrier and the at least one of a transmission shift lever and a parking brake lever. 
     A housing can be mounted to the carrier and can cover at least a portion of the at least one of a transmission shift lever and a parking brake lever whereby the housing, the at least one of a transmission shift lever and a parking brake lever and the carrier can be assembled as a unit to the vehicle. The at least one of a transmission shift lever and a parking brake lever can comprise a transmission shift lever and a parking brake lever mounted to the carrier for pivotal movement between first and second positions. A first quick connect fastener can be connected to the at least one of a transmission shift lever and a parking brake lever. A second quick connect fastener can be connected to the corresponding transmission and parking brake and adapted to mate with the first quick connect fastener. A detent mechanism can be provided on at least one of the first and second quick connect fasteners to releasably retain the at least one of a transmission shift lever and a parking brake lever to the corresponding vehicle transmission and parking brake without additional fasteners. 
     In yet an additional aspect, the invention relates to a method for installing a console assembly within a vehicle interior for operably interconnecting at least one operational lever provided on the console assembly to a vehicle shifting/braking system. The at least one operational lever can be pivotally mounted to the console assembly for movement between a first position and a second position. The method preferably comprises the steps of providing a first quick connect fastener on the at least one operational lever for movement with the operational lever between the first and second positions; providing a second quick connect fastener on the vehicle shifting/braking system and adapted to be releasably interconnected to the first quick connect fastener; aligning the first and second quick connect fasteners by positioning the console assembly within the vehicle; and moving the operational lever from the first position to the second position wherein the first quick connect fastener is releasably engaged within the second quick connect fastener. 
     The method can also include the step of fixedly mounting the console assembly to the vehicle interior. The console assembly can comprise a housing releasably interconnected to a carrier. The method can also comprise the steps of mounting the at least one operational lever to the carrier; and mounting the carrier to the vehicle interior. The step of mounting the at least one operational lever to the carrier can occur before the step of mounting the carrier to the vehicle interior. The step of mounting the carrier to the vehicle interior can also occur before the step of moving the at least one operational lever from the first position to the second position to interconnect the first and second quick connect fasteners. The at least one operational lever can comprise a transmission shift lever and/or a parking brake lever. 
    
    
     Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the ensuing description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     In the drawings: 
     FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the console assembly according to the invention and having the shifter mechanism assembly and parking brake mechanism assembly installed upon a carrier mounted to a console member so that all parts are enclosed in a modular fashion between the console member and the molded carrier and can be installed as a unit within a vehicle interior; 
     FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the assembled console and carrier assembly of FIG. 1 positioned above a typical tunnel reinforcement member in a vehicle interior; 
     FIG. 3 is an exploded side elevational schematic view of the console and carrier assembly of FIG. 1 moved toward connections on a transmission actuator rod and parking brake cable actuator rod as well as an electrical interconnection for a wire harness for powered components in the console and carrier assembly; 
     FIG. 4 is a side elevational schematic view showing the location of fasteners which mount the console and carrier assembly of FIG. 1 to the tunnel reinforcement member in the vehicle as well as showing the movement of the transmission shifter rod and parking brake actuator rod toward installation positions whereby quick connections on the shifter mechanism and transmission actuator rod as well as quick connections on the parking brake mechanism and parking brake actuator cable are operably connected to one another by motion of the transmission shifter rod and parking brake actuator rod; 
     FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing the insertion of quick connections on the transmission shifter rod of FIG. 4 into quick connections on the transmission actuator rod; 
     FIG. 6 is a cross section taken along lines  6 — 6  of FIG. 5 showing the quick connections on the transmission shifter rod being inserted within the quick connections on the transmission actuator rod; 
     FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing the insertion of quick connections on the parking brake shifter rod of FIG. 4 into quick connections on the parking brake actuator cable; 
     FIG. 8 is a cross section taking along lines  8 — 8  of FIG. 7 showing the quick connections on the parking brake shifter rod being inserted within the quick connections on the parking brake actuator cable; 
     FIG. 9 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the location of several fasteners used to mount the console and carrier assembly of FIG. 1 to the tunnel reinforcement member of the vehicle, thereby securely mounting the transmission shifter mechanism and the parking brake mechanism to the vehicle interior; 
     FIG. 10 is an exploded cross-sectional view taken along lines  10 — 10  of FIG. 9 showing the mounting of a fastener through the carrier assembly of FIG. 1, brackets for the corresponding parking brake and the tunnel reinforcement member of the vehicle interior, a snap-fit interconnection between the console and the carrier as well as a snap-fit cover for the fastener to conceal the fastener head from view; 
     FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view showing the removal of several fasteners and the disengagement of the snap-fit mounting between the console and the carrier assembly of FIG. 1 to expose the transmission shifter mechanism, parking brake mechanism and air bag module for servicing; 
     FIG. 12 is an enlarged view showing further detail of the snap-fit mounting between the carrier assembly and the console of FIG. 1; and 
     FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view of a prior art console member and its associated shifter mechanism, parking brake mechanism and air bag module shown mounted individually between the console member and a tunnel reinforcement member for a vehicle. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Turning now to FIGS. 1-12, FIG. 1 in particular shows a console assembly  10  having a console member  14 , transmission shifter mechanism  16 , shifter bezel  18 , shifter knob  20 , and a parking brake mechanism  22  substantially as shown and described with respect to FIG. 13 in the Background section of this invention. The components  14 - 22  have been modified as described below in accordance with the invention. Moreover, it is an important feature of this invention that a carrier is provided for mounting the components  14 - 22  prior to installation of these components within a vehicle interior. 
     The carrier can either be formed as a separate component with respect to the console member  14  or, alternatively, the console member  14  and carrier can be integrally formed as a single unit whereby mounting brackets for the components  16 - 22  are formed within the console member  14 . It will be understood that components of the console member  14 , transmission shifter mechanism  16 , shifter bezel  18 , shifter knob  20  and parking brake mechanism  22  are shown and described in FIGS. 1-12 with the same reference numerals as shown in FIG. 13 to identify common components thereof. 
     As shown in FIG. 1, the console member  14  includes a pair of elongated sidewalls  70 , each of which are provided with a longitudinally-extending rail  72  adjacent a lower edge  74  thereof. The rail  72  preferably comprises a pair of protrusions  76  in spaced relationship to one another. It will be understood that the protrusions  76  can be interrupted, such as to pass around one or more apertures  78  located in the sidewall  70  which interrupt the path of the rail  72 . Further, angular portions  80  of the protrusions  76  can be provided to traverse the apertures  78  and any other discontinuities in the sidewall  70  as required. The console member  14  is also provided with mounting apertures  33  located adjacent each container holder  32  at the intermediate portion  34  of the console member  14 . 
     The transmission shifter mechanism  16  preferably has a bracket  44  with mounting flanges  46  provided with apertures  82  therethrough. Further, the transmission shifter mechanism  16  also includes a forwardly-extending actuator rod  84  which is provided with a connector  86  thereon. 
     The parking brake mechanism  22  preferably has a bracket  54  provided with mounting flanges  88  at spaced locations thereon, each of which is provided with an aperture  90  therethrough. The parking brake mechanism  22  is also provided with an actuator rod  55  provided with a connector  57  thereon. 
     A carrier  92  is provided, preferably formed from a synthetic resin material, for mounting the shifter mechanism  16 , shifter bezel  18 , and parking brake mechanism  22  thereto prior to receiving the console member  14  thereon. Further, the assembly of the console member  14  to the carrier  92  (with attached components  16 - 22 ) can be assembled as a unit at an off-site location whereby it, upon delivery to an automaker&#39;s plant, can be installed as a unit within a vehicle interior in an easy and efficient manner. The carrier  92  preferably comprises an elongated member  94  having a forward portion  96 , an intermediate portion  98  and a rearward portion  100 . 
     The forward portion  96  includes a platform  102  having a pair of upstanding sidewalls  104  adjacent each longitudinal edge thereof. A forward end  106  of the elongated member  94  is provided with a terminal wall  108  having a pair of forwardly-extending flanges  110 , each provided with a mounting aperture  112  on an upper surface  114  thereof. Each of the flanges  110  can be provided with a cut-out portion  116  adapted to correspond with any discontinuous dashboard features of the vehicle interior (not shown). 
     At least one of the sidewalls  104  can be provided with an aperture  118  which is aligned with a mounting flange  120  provided on the platform  102  and having apertures  122  provided on ends thereof adapted to receive the transmission shifter mechanism  16 . It can be seen from an examination of at least one of the sidewalls  104  of the elongated member  94  that a detent mechanism  52  typically provided with the transmission shifter mechanism  16  can be provided on the sidewall  104  for the purpose of engaging the upwardly-extending shifter rod  48  on the transmission shifter mechanism  16  and retaining the shifter rod  48  in a particular discrete position corresponding to the gear on the transmission (not shown). A rearward end  124  of the forward portion  96  of the elongated member  94  also includes a terminal wall  126  which, together with the sidewalls  104  and terminal wall  108  located oppositely therefrom, defines a forward chamber  128  adapted to receive at least a portion of the transmission shifter mechanism  16 . 
     The intermediate portion  98  of the elongated member  94  of the carrier  92  includes a pair of sidewalls  130  which extend between the terminal wall  126  located at the rearward end  124  of the forward portion  96  and a terminal wall  132  located at a rearward portion  134  of the intermediate portion  98  of the carrier  92 . As can be seen from FIG. 1, a pair of upstanding flanges  136  having mounting apertures  138  on an upper surface  140  thereof are located adjacent the terminal wall  126  located at the rearward end  24  between the forward and intermediate portions  96  and  98 , respectively. An intermediate chamber  144  is defined between the sidewalls  130  and terminal walls  126  and  132 . 
     The rearward portion  100  of the carrier  92  comprises a platform  146  defined by sidewalls  148 , the terminal wall  132  at the rearward portion  134  of the intermediate portion  98  and a rearward end  150  of the rearward portion  100  of the carrier  92 . The sidewalls  148 , rearward end  150  and terminal wall  132  define a rearward chamber  152  together with the platform  146 . As can be seen from FIG. 1, the sidewalls  148  of the carrier  92  are provided with apertures  154  therein. 
     Portions of the sidewalls  130  and  148  of the intermediate end rearward portions  98  and  100 , respectively, are provided with a laterally-extending rail  156 . Preferably, the rail corresponds in configuration to a gap  158  defined between the protrusions  76  of the rail  72  located on the sidewall  70  of the console member  14 . The rail  156  and rail  72  are provided for the purposes of a snap-fit engagement between the console member  14  and the carrier  92  during shipping and after installation of the console assembly within a vehicle interior. 
     The transmission shifter mechanism  16  is assembled to the forward portion  96  of the carrier  92  by passing fasteners  160  through the apertures  82  in the mounting flanges  46  of the bracket  44  of the transmission shifter mechanism  16  so that the shifter rod  48  is pivotally mounted to the mounting flange  120  by fasteners  160 . Preferably, a pin  162  is provided on the shifter mechanism  16  to engage the detent mechanism  52  on at least one of the sidewalls  104  at the forward portion  96  of the carrier  92  so that the shifter rod  48  can be selectively positioned therein as has been described. 
     The air bag module  24  can be installed to the tunnel reinforcement member  12  of the vehicle interior by conventional fasteners  164 . Typically, the air bag module  24  is installed to the tunnel reinforcement member  12  on an assembly line prior to installation of the console member  14  thereto. 
     The parking brake mechanism  22  is mounted upon the platform  146  at the rearward portion  100  of the carrier  92  by fasteners  165  which pass through the apertures  154  in the sidewalls  148  and through the aperture  90  in the mounting flanges  88  on the bracket  54  of the parking brake mechanism  22 . 
     When the transmission shifter mechanism and parking brake mechanism  16  and  22  are so mounted, the actuator rod  84  preferably extends forwardly beyond the forward end  106  of the carrier  92  and the actuator rod  55  of the parking brake mechanism  22  extends rearwardly beyond the rearward end  150  of the carrier  92  to facilitate interconnection of the connectors  86  and  57 , respectively, thereon to the corresponding transmission actuator rod  60  and parking brake actuator cable assemblies  62  in the vehicle. The shifter bezel can be mounted atop the shifter mechanism so that the shifter rod  48  extends through the shifter bezel  18  and can be mounted to the shifter knob  20  in a conventional manner. 
     In this manner, the shifter mechanism  16 , shifter bezel  18 , shifter knob  20  and parking brake mechanism  22  are conveniently mounted to the carrier  92 . This pre-assembly can preferably occur away from the automaker&#39;s plant so that the automaker is not required to track each of the individual components. Rather, the full assembly can be tracked as a single product, thus reducing costs and increasing efficiency. 
     The console member  14  is preferably mounted to the carrier  92  prior to shipment from the off-site manufacturer to the automaker&#39;s plant. To quickly and temporarily assemble the console member  14  to the carrier  92  (with its components  16 - 22  assembled thereto), the console member is passed over the carrier  92  so that the protrusions  76  on the rail  72  located on the interior of the sidewall  70  of the console member  14  are located on either side of the rail  156  on the sidewalls of the carrier  92  in a snap-fit engagement. Thus, the entire console assembly can be pre-assembled at the off-site manufacturer&#39;s plant and shipped to the automaker&#39;s plant as a single unit. 
     Once the console assembly is received at the automaker&#39;s plant, it can be conveniently assembled to the tunnel reinforcement member  12  of a vehicle interior in a simple and efficient manner without requiring the extensive part tracking, assembly line workstations, and extra workers normally required to install each of the above-described components individually to the vehicle interior. Before describing the assembly of the console to the vehicle interior, the connector  86  of the transmission shifter mechanism  16  and the connector  57  of the parking brake mechanism  22  will be described in greater detail with regard to FIGS. 5-6 for the connector  86  and FIGS. 7-8 for the connector  57 , respectively. It is these connectors  86  and  57  which provide even greater flexibility in installing the console assembly to the vehicle interior without requiring a great deal of maneuvering and positioning of the carrier  92  with respect to the vehicle transmission actuator  60  and parking brake actuator cable  62  assemblies, respectively. 
     FIGS. 5-6 illustrate the interconnection between the transmission shifter mechanism  16  and a transmission actuator rod  60 . It will be understood that, when the transmission shifter mechanism  16  is interconnected with the transmission actuator rod  60 , the shifter rod  48  of the transmission shifter mechanism  16  can be moved in a conventional manner by a vehicle occupant to control the transmission of the vehicle. This invention provides a novel mechanism and method for interconnecting the transmission shifter mechanism  16  to the transmission actuator rod  60 . 
     As described above, the connector  86  is mounted to a distal end  166  of the actuator rod  84  by a mounting nut  168  which mounts the distal end  166  of the actuator rod  84  to a rearward surface  170  of the connector  86 . The connector  86  comprises a body  172 , of which the rearward surface  170  forms a part thereof, which defines an interior chamber  174  therein. The body  172  has opposing surfaces  176  and  178  which have aligned apertures  180  and  182 , respectively. A retainer  184  is provided within the interior chamber  174  of the body  172  which comprises a pair of opposed flanges  186  and  188  and spring  190 . 
     Each flange  186  and  188  comprises a body  192  wherein the spring  190  is mounted to opposing interior surfaces  194  and  196  thereof. Each body  192  also includes an outwardly-extending protrusion  198  thereon which is sized approximately to that of the apertures  180  and  182  in the body  172 . The spring  190  thereby biases the protrusions  198  on the flanges  186  and  188  outwardly of their respective apertures  180  and  182 . A forward portion  200  of the body  172  is preferably provided with a tapered surface to facilitate insertion of the body  172  into a receptacle. 
     The transmission actuator rod  60  is also preferably provided with a connector  204  which comprises a body  206  having a forward surface  208  mounted to the transmission actuator rod  60  by a mounting nut  210 . The body  206  also preferably has a rearward portion  212  provided with a radially-extending frustoconical surface  214  concentrically aligned with the remainder of the body  206 . The body  206  is preferably formed as a shell which defines an interior chamber  216  therein. The body  206  is provided with opposing surfaces  218  and  220  having aligned apertures  222  and  224 , respectively. The apertures  222  and  224  are preferably sized so as to conform substantially to the shape of the protrusions  198  on the flanges  186  and  188  of the retainer  184  of the connector  86 . The forward surface  208  can be interconnected with the opposed opposing surfaces  218  and  220  by chamfered portions  226  which preferably conform in shape to the tapered surface  202  on the connector  86 . 
     The transmission actuator rod  60  can be directed toward the appropriate transmission actuator components (not shown) within the vehicle by a sleeve  228  mounted to the vehicle interior, shown generally at  230  in FIG.  5 . Thus, the connector  86  of the transmission shifter actuator rod  84  can be securely mounted to the connector  204  of the transmission actuator rod  60  by positioning the connector  86  with respect to the connector  204  as shown in FIG.  6  and urging the connector  86  within the interior chamber  216  of the connector  204 . As the body  172  of the connector  86  passes within the interior chamber  216  of the connector  204 , the protrusions  198  on the opposing flanges  186  and  188  are biased inwardly against interior surfaces of the connector  204  so they are urged within the interior chamber  174  of the body  172 . As the body  172  passes further within the interior chamber  216  of the connector  204  so that the forward portion  200  of the body  172  approaches an interior surface of the forward surface  208  of the body  206 , the opposing flanges  186  and  188  of the retainer  184  are aligned with the opposing apertures  222  and  224  of the respective surfaces  218  and  220 . When the alignment is complete between the flanges  186  and  188  and the apertures  222  and  224 , the spring  190  acts to bias the flanges  186  and  188  outwardly so that each protrusions  198  thereof is securely positioned within a corresponding aperture  222  and  224  to fixedly secure the connector  86  within the connector  204 . Thus, the shifter actuator rod  84  is securely mounted to the transmission actuator rod  60  as shown in FIG.  5 . 
     FIGS. 7-8 illustrate the interconnection between the parking brake mechanism  22  and a parking brake actuator cable  62 . It will be understood that, when the parking brake mechanism  22  is interconnected with the parking brake actuator cable  62 , the parking brake lever  58  of the parking brake mechanism  22  can be moved in a conventional manner to control the parking brake of the vehicle. This invention provides a novel mechanism and method for interconnecting the parking brake mechanism  22  to the parking brake actuator cable  62 . 
     As described above, the connector  57  is mounted to a distal end  236  of the actuator rod  55  by a mounting nut  238  which mounts the distal end  236  of the actuator rod  55  to a forward surface  240  of the connector  57 . The connector  57  comprises a buckle-like planar body  242  of which the forward surface  240  forms a part thereof. The body  242  has opposing surfaces  246  and  248  through which an aperture  250  extends. A rearward portion  270  of the body  242  is preferably provided with a tapered surface to facilitate insertion of the body  242  into a receptacle. 
     The parking brake actuator cable  62  is also preferably provided with a connector  274  which comprises a body  276  having a rearward surface  278  mounted to the parking brake actuator cable  62  by a mounting nut  280 . The body  276  also preferably has a forward portion  282  provided with a laterally-extending trapezoidal surface  284  centrally aligned with the remainder of the body  276 . The body  276  is preferably formed as a shell which defines an interior chamber  286  therein. The body  276  is provided with opposing surfaces  288  and  290 . The surface  288  has an aperture  292  and the surface  290  has a spring  294  located in the chamber  286 . The spring  294  is mounted to an interior surface of the body  272  and comprises an arm  296  bent at a vertex  298  so that the arm is resiliently biased upwardly into the chamber  286 . The spring  294  is mounted to the body  272  by a fastener  300 . A stop member  302  is located rearwardly of the spring  294  to define a rearwardmost limit of the connector  57  relative to the connector  274 . The connector  57  of the parking brake actuator rod  55  can be securely mounted to the connector  274  of the parking brake actuator cable  62  by positioning the connector  57  in axial alignment with respect to the connector  274  as shown in FIG.  8  and urging the connector  57  within the interior chamber  286  of the connector  274 . 
     As the body  242  of the connector  57  passes within the interior chamber  286  of body  276  of the connector  274 , the arm  296  of the spring  294  is biased downwardly toward the interior surface of the connector  274  by the rearward portion  270  of the connector  57 . As the body  242  passes further within the interior chamber  286  of the connector  274  so that the rearward portion  270  of the body  242  approaches the stop member  302 , the arm  296  of the spring  294  becomes aligned with the aperture  250  of the body  242  of the connector  57 . When the alignment is complete between the arm  296  of the spring  294  and the aperture  250 , the spring  294  biases the arm  296  upwardly so that the arm  296  is located within the aperture  250  to secure the connector  57  within the connector  274 . Thus, the parking brake actuator rod  55  is securely mounted to the parking brake actuator cable  62  as shown in FIGS. 7-8. 
     A guide  310  can be provided which restricts the movement of the connector  274  to linear or axial movement within the guide  310 . The guide  310  preferably comprises a sleeve  312  having a rearward end  314  mounted to a conduit  316  which receives the parking brake actuator cable  62  therein. An opposite end of the conduit  316  is mounted to the vehicle interior (not shown in FIGS.  7 - 8 ). Therefore, as the connector  274  is moved as a result of actuation of the parking brake mechanism  22 , the connector  274  can slide in a linear direction relative to the parking brake actuator cable  62  to prevent any binding or twisting thereof during actuation of the vehicle parking brake. 
     An important feature of this invention is that the console assembly is easily mounted within a vehicle interior without requiring a great deal of parts, workers or time to accomplish this task. FIG. 2 shows the console assembly  10  positioned over a typical tunnel reinforcement member  12  in a vehicle interior. As can be seen from an examination of FIG. 2, the console assembly is positioned so that the forward end portion  26  of the console member is positioned over the tunnel reinforcement member  12  so that the connector  86  on the transmission shifter actuator rod  84  is aligned with the connector  204  on the transmission actuator rod  60  and the connector  57  on the parking brake actuator rod  55  is aligned with the connector  274  on the parking brake actuator cable  62 . 
     FIG. 3 shows the console assembly  10  being lowered into position above the tunnel reinforcement member  12  whereby a first wire harness cable  318  on the console assembly  10  can be interconnected with a second wire harness cable  320  on the tunnel reinforcement member  12  to operably and electrically interconnect the console assembly  10  to the tunnel reinforcement member  12  on the vehicle interior to provide power to components of the console assembly  10  as needed. 
     FIG. 4 shows a console assembly  10  placed on the tunnel reinforcement member  12  of the vehicle interior. In this position, the connector  86  on the transmission shifter actuator rod  84  is axially aligned with the connector  204  on the transmission actuator rod  60 . Moreover, the connector  57  on the parking brake actuator rod  55  is axially aligned with the connector  274  on the parking brake actuator cable  62 . 
     As shown by the solid lines of the shifter rod  48  of the transmission shifter mechanism  16  and the parking brake lever  58  of the parking brake mechanism  22  and the phantom lines thereof, these outlined positions show the unconnected and connected positions of the transmission shifter mechanism  16  and parking brake mechanism  22 . 
     To interconnect the transmission shifter mechanism  16  and parking brake mechanism  22  to their respective transmission and parking brake components via the connectors  86 ,  204 ,  57  and  274 , a worker need merely push the shifter knob  20  of the transmission shifter mechanism forwardly so that the actuator rod  84  thereof is urged forwardly. This forward motion of the actuator rod  84  urges the connector  86  of the transmission shifter mechanism  16  into the connector  204  of the transmission actuator rod  60  and quickly interconnects these components as described above with respect to FIGS. 5-6. Further, the parking brake lever  58  of the parking brake mechanism  22  can be rotated clockwise (in the orientation shown in FIG. 4) which, in turn, axially extends the actuator rod  55  thereof. As shown in greater detail in FIGS. 7-8, this extension of the actuator rod  55  also extends the connector  57  attached thereto which is thereby urged within the connector  274  on the parking brake actuator cable  62 . Thus, by the rotation of the parking brake lever  58 , the connector  57  is mounted within the connector  274  as illustrated in FIGS. 7-8. 
     As shown in FIGS. 9-10, several fasteners  164 ,  322  and  324  can be mounted to various apertures  78 ,  33  and within the storage compartment  40 , respectively. As shown in FIG. 10, the rail  156  on the carrier  92  has been previously lodged between the protrusion  76  on the rail  72  of the console member  14 . As shown by example in FIG. 10, the fastener  164  is mounted through the apertures  154  in the carrier  92 , through the corresponding bracket, such as bracket  54 , in the parking brake mechanism  22  and through an aperture in the tunnel reinforcement member  12 . Preferably, the aperture  78  adjacent the lower edge  74  of the console member  14  is preferably slightly larger than a head portion  326  of the fastener  164  so that the fastener is countersunk within the aperture  78  and retains the carrier  92  to the tunnel reinforcement member  12 . A cover  328  sized approximately to that of the aperture  78  in the console member  14 , having a detent arm  330  extending therefrom, can be lodged within the aperture  78  to provide a flush outer appearance to the console member  14  and to conceal the fastener  164  mounted therein. 
     As shown in FIG. 11, the console member  14  can be easily removed to expose the component  16 - 22  mounted on the carrier  92  for service or replacement as needed. The removal of the console member  14  can be easily accomplished by removing the fasteners  322  from the apertures  33  and the fasteners  324  from the storage compartment  40  so that the rail  72  on the console member  14  can be dislodged from the corresponding rail  156  on the carrier  92 . Thus, the console member  14  can be “unsnapped” from its engagement with the carrier  92  to expose the components located therein. The console member  14  can be replaced after servicing by remounting the rail  156  within the rail  72  and mounting the fasteners  322  and  324  as described. 
     This invention provides some important benefits during the manufacture of a vehicle in an automaker&#39;s plant. First, the prior assembly of the console assembly  10  with the components  14 - 22  mounted on the carrier  92  allows for the console assembly  10  to be manufactured at an off-site manufacturer&#39;s facility and shipped to the automaker&#39;s plant as a single unit. Thus, only one part need be tracked at the automaker&#39;s plant and the off-site manufacturer can be responsible for the prior assembly of the components  14 - 22  to the carrier  92 . Moreover, the automaker, upon receipt of the pre-assembled console assembly  10 , can merely mount the console assembly  10  to the tunnel reinforcement member  12  by interconnecting the transmission shifter mechanism  16  to the transmission actuator rod  60  as described with respect to FIGS. 5-6 and the parking brake mechanism  22  to the parking brake actuator cable  62  as described to FIGS. 7-8. These quick connections, coupled with the prior assembly of the components  14 - 22  to the carrier  92 , allow for a more simple and efficient assembly of the these components to the vehicle interior. 
     While particular embodiments of the invention have been shown, it will be understood, of course, that the invention is not limited thereto since modifications may be made by those skilled in the art, particularly in light of the foregoing teachings. Reasonable variation and modification are possible within the scope of the foregoing disclosure of the invention without departing from the spirit of the invention.