Accelerator pedal mechanical governor

A governor of a vehicle for limiting travel of a vehicle accelerator pedal. The inventive device includes a mounting assembly for clamping to a vehicle accelerator pedal. A limiting assembly extends from the mounting assembly for engaging the floor board of the vehicle to limit the users ability to fully depress the accelerator pedal of a vehicle. An adjustment assembly is coupled to the limiting assembly for permitting the user to adjust the travel distance of the accelerator pedal thus controlling the speed of the motor.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to vehicle speed control devices and more 
particularly pertains to an accelerator pedal mechanical governor for 
limiting travel of a vehicle accelerator pedal. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
The use of vehicle speed control devices is known in the prior art. More 
specifically, vehicle speed control devices heretofore devised and 
utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious 
structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs 
encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the 
fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements. 
Known prior art vehicle speed control devices include U.S. Pat. No. 
4,928,647; U.S. Pat. No. 4,546,667; U.S. Pat. No. 4,527,682; U.S. Pat. No. 
4,012,965; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,918,320. 
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and 
requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose an accelerator 
pedal mechanical governor for limiting travel of a vehicle accelerator 
pedal which includes a mounting assembly for clamping to a vehicle 
accelerator pedal, a limiting assembly extending from the mounting 
assembly for engaging a floor board of the vehicle to limit depression of 
the pedal, and an adjustment assembly coupled to the limiting assembly for 
permitting a remote adjustment of a length thereof. 
In these respects, the accelerator pedal mechanical governor according to 
the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts 
and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus 
primarily developed for the purpose of limiting travel of a vehicle 
accelerator pedal. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of 
vehicle speed control devices now present in the prior art, the present 
invention provides a new accelerator pedal mechanical governor 
construction wherein the same can be utilized for limiting travel of a 
vehicle accelerator pedal to limit a speed of the vehicle. As such, the 
general purpose of the present invention, which will be described 
subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new accelerator pedal 
mechanical governor apparatus and method which has many of the advantages 
of the vehicle speed control devices mentioned heretofore and many novel 
features that result in an accelerator pedal mechanical governor which is 
not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of 
the prior art vehicle speed control devices, either alone or in any 
combination thereof. 
To attain this, the present invention generally comprises a governor for 
limiting travel of a vehicle accelerator pedal. The inventive device 
includes a mounting assembly for clamping to a vehicle accelerator pedal. 
A limiting assembly extends from the mounting assembly for engaging a 
floor board of the vehicle to limit depression of the pedal. An adjustment 
assembly is coupled to the limiting assembly for permitting a remote 
adjustment of the limiting assembly to a desired length. 
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features 
of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that 
follows may be better understood, and in order that the present 
contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional 
features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which 
will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention 
in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its 
application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the 
components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the 
drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being 
practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood 
that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose 
of description and should not be regarded as limiting. 
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon 
which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the 
designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the 
several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, 
that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions 
insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present 
invention. 
Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent 
and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the 
scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar 
with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a 
cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of 
the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention 
of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to 
be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way. 
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new 
accelerator pedal mechanical governor apparatus and method which has many 
of the advantages of the vehicle speed control devices mentioned 
heretofore and many novel features that result in an accelerator pedal 
mechanical governor which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, 
or even implied by any of the prior art vehicle speed control devices, 
either alone or in any combination thereof. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new accelerator 
pedal mechanical governor which may be easily and efficiently manufactured 
and marketed. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new 
accelerator pedal mechanical governor which is of a durable and reliable 
construction. 
An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new 
accelerator pedal mechanical governor which is susceptible of a low cost 
of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which 
accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming 
public, thereby making such accelerator pedal mechanical governors 
economically available to the buying public. 
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new 
accelerator pedal mechanical governor which provides in the apparatuses 
and methods of the prior art some of the advantages thereof, while 
simultaneously overcoming some of the disadvantages normally-associated 
therewith. 
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new 
accelerator pedal mechanical governor for limiting travel of a vehicle 
accelerator pedal to ensure that a vehicle does not exceed a desired 
maximum speed. 
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new accelerator 
pedal mechanical governor which includes a mounting assembly for clamping 
to a vehicle accelerator pedal, a limiting assembly extending from the 
mounting assembly for engaging a floor board of the vehicle to limit 
depression of the pedal, and an adjustment assembly coupled to the 
limiting assembly for permitting a remote adjustment of a length thereof. 
These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various 
features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with 
particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this 
disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating 
advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should 
be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there 
is illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1-7 thereof, 
a new accelerator pedal mechanical governor embodying the principles and 
concepts of the present invention and generally designated by the 
reference numeral 10 will be described. 
More specifically, it will be noted that the accelerator pedal mechanical 
governor 10 comprises a mounting means 12 for securing to an accelerator 
pedal 14 of an unlabelled vehicle. A limiting means 16 extends from the 
mounting means 12 and is positioned for engagement with a floor board 11 
of the vehicle to limit depression of the accelerator pedal 14. An 
adjustment means 18 is coupled to the limiting means 16 for selectively 
adjusting a length of the limiting means so as to limit a depression of 
the accelerator pedal 14 to a desired maximum position. 
As best illustrated in FIG. 5, it can be shown that the limiting means 16 
according to the present invention 10 comprises a mounting boss 20 coupled 
to the mounting means 12. A cylindrical receiver 22 is coupled to the 
mounting boss 20 and oriented so as to extend colinearly relative thereto. 
An extension rod 24 is received within the cylindrical receiver 22 and 
projects at least partially exteriorly thereof to terminate in an 
eiastomeric foot 26. The extension rod 24 can thus be extended to a 
desired length from the cylindrical receiver 22 to limit travelling of the 
vehicle accelerator pedal 14 to a desired maximum position. 
With continuing reference to FIG. 5 and concurrent reference to FIGS. 2 and 
3, it can be shown that the adjustment means 18 according to the present 
invention 10 comprises a cable sheath 28 mounted to an upper end 29 of the 
mounting boss 20 through which a cable 30 extends. The mounting boss 20 
includes a through-extending aperture 21 permitting extension of the cable 
30 into the cylindrical receiver 22 wherein the cable is coupled to the 
extension rod 24 within the cylindrical receiver 22. A spring 32 is 
interposed between an upper end of the cylindrical receiver 22 and an 
abutment plate 34 secured to the extension rod 24. By this structure, the 
cable can be retracted from the cylindrical receiver 22 through the cable 
sheath 28 to position the extension rod 24 at a desired length projecting 
from the cylindrical receiver 22. The spring 32 should be of sufficient 
strength to preclude unintentional depression of the accelerator pedal 14 
past a desired position. However, in an emergency situation where full use 
of the pedal 14 is needed, a greater force can be imposed on the pedal to 
permit such movement of the pedal. 
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the adjustment means 18 further comprises a 
clamp 36 coupled to the cable sheath for securing a position of the cable 
30 relative thereto. As shown in FIG. 7, the clamp 36 of the adjustment 
means 18 preferably comprises a base plate 38 having a clamp plate 40 
pivotally mounted thereto. A biasing spring 39 biases the clamp plate 40 
towards the base plate 38 so as to capture the cable 30 between the clamp 
plate 40 and the base plate 38. The cable sheath 28 is fixedly secured to 
the base plate 38 such that a clamping of the cable 30 between the clamp 
plate 40 and the base plate will retain the cable 30, and the extension 
rod 24 attached thereto, in a desired position. To facilitate mounting of 
the clamp 36 to a dashboard or other portion of the associated vehicle, 
the base plate 38 can be provided with a first portion 42 of a hook and 
loop fastening material, with a second portion 44 of hook and loop 
fastening material being securable to the portion of the vehicle in a 
desired location. By this structure, the extension rod 24 of the limiting 
means 16 can be selectively adjusted to a desired length to limit a 
maximum depression of the accelerator pedal 14 and hence, a maximum speed 
of the associated vehicle. 
As best illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, it can be shown that the mounting 
means 12 according to the present invention 10 comprises a first mounting 
plate 46 fixedly secured to and extending substantially orthogonally from 
the mounting boss 20 of the limiting means 16. Similarly, a second 
mounting plate 48 is fixedly secured to and extends substantially 
orthogonally from the mounting boss 20 into a spaced and substantially 
parallel orientation relative to the first mounting plate 46. A mounting 
fastener 50 is threadably directed through the first mounting plate 46 and 
arranged for abutting engagement with the second mounting plate 48 so as 
to capture a portion of the vehicle pedal 14 between the mounting fastener 
50 and an interior surface of the second mounting plate 48. By this 
structure, the mounting means 12 can be easily coupled to a portion of the 
accelerator pedal 14 of the vehicle in a desired location. As shown in 
FIG. 6, the mounting fastener 50 may include a slidably mounted handle 52 
permitting varying amounts of leverage to be applied to the mounting 
fastener during rotation thereof to effect tightening of the mounting 
means 12 to the accelerator pedal 14. 
In use, the accelerator pedal mechanical governor 10 according to the 
present invention can be easily coupled to the accelerator pedal 14 of an 
associated vehicle. The adjustment means 18 can also be selectively 
coupled to a desired portion of the vehicle in a location remote from the 
mounting means 12 but easily accessible by a driver of the vehicle. The 
cable 30 off the adjustment means 18 can then be selectively extended or 
retracted relative to the cable sheath 28 so as to retract or extend the 
extension rod 24 relative to the cylindrical receiver 22 to limit a 
maximum depressed position of the accelerator pedal 14. The device 10 
operates to limit a speed of the vehicle to preclude a driver from 
exceeding a particular speed limit. 
As to a further discussion of the manner of usage and operation of the 
present invention, the same should be apparent from the above description. 
Accordingly, no further discussion relating to the manner of usage and 
operation will be provided. 
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the 
optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to 
include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of 
operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to 
one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those 
illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are 
intended to be encompassed by the present invention. 
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the 
principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and 
changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired 
to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and 
described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may 
be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.