Abstract:
The combination of an emergency brake system comprising a brake and an elongate hand lever that is vertically movable to a first position to engage the brake and to a second position to release the brake, and an extension handle attached to and angulated with respect to the elongate hand lever of the emergency brake system. The extension handle enables a driver of the vehicle to release or engage the brake without (i) diverting his or her line of vision below the vehicle windshield, and (ii) sustaining muscular or bodily strain.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention generally relates to emergency brake levers. 
     2. Problem to be Solved 
     School bus drivers are required to set the parking/safety/emergency brake each and every time a student is dropped off or picked up. Often, this requirement is not met due to the inconvenient placement of the brake lever in many existing school buses and the tension that must be overcome by the driver on a repetitive basis to apply the brake. The repetitiveness of applying and releasing the brake can also cause muscular injury, e.g. carpal tunnel. Even if the driver does apply the parking/safety brake at each stop, he or she is forced to divert his or her line of vision below the windshield with a tendency to turn his or her head away thus taking his or her eyes off the students, the safety mirrors and approaching traffic. This creates a substantial safety risk to the students. 
     Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel combination of an emergency brake lever and an extension handle that eliminates the problems discussed above. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel combination of an emergency brake lever and an extension handle that can be manufactured at reasonable costs. 
     Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in light of the ensuing description of the present invention. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to the combination of an emergency brake system comprising a brake and an elongate lever that is vertically movable to a first position to engage the brake and to a second position to release the brake, and an extension handle attached to and angulated with respect to the lever. The handle enables a driver of the vehicle to release or engage the brake without (i) diverting his or her line of vision below the vehicle windshield, and (ii) sustaining muscular or bodily strain. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The features of the invention are believed to be novel and the elements characteristic of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself may best be understood by reference to the detailed description which follows taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: 
     FIG. 1 is side elevational view showing a vehicle interior that includes an emergency brake lever. 
     FIG. 2 is a side elevational view showing an extension handle attached to the emergency brake handle depicted in FIG. 1 in accordance with the present invention. 
     FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the extension handle depicted in FIG.  2 . 
     FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of an alternate embodiment of the extension handle depicted in FIG.  3 . 
     FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of a further embodiment of the extension handle depicted in FIG. 3 wherein the extension handle is pivotally attached to the emergency brake lever depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2. 
     FIG. 6 is a front elevational view of the another embodiment of the extension handle depicted in FIG.  3 . 
     FIG. 7 is a front elevational view of a further embodiment of the extension handle depicted in FIG.  3 . 
     FIG. 8 is a front elevational view of yet another embodiment of the extension handle depicted in FIG.  3 . 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     In describing the preferred embodiments of the present invention, reference will be made herein to FIGS. 1-8 of the drawings in which like numerals refer to like features of the invention. 
     Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a portion of the interior of a vehicle. The vehicle interior includes dashboard structure  10 , vehicle floor  12 , pedal  14  (e.g. gas, brake, clutch, etc.), emergency brake lever  16  and bracket  18 . Lever  16  is pivotally attached to bracket  18 . Lever  16  has a longitudinally extending bore that receives a cable (not shown) that is used to activate the emergency brake. Lever  16  has a longitudinally extending axis  17 . Lever  16  further includes adjustment knob  20  that provides for adjustment of the tension of the cable. Typically, lever  16  has a generally circular cross-sectional shape. Lever  16  is pivoted to a first position to engage the emergency or safety brake and then to a second position to release the brake. The pivoting motion of lever  16  is indicated by arrow  21 . 
     Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, in accordance with the present invention, extension handle  22  is attached to lever  16 . Handle  22  comprises shaft  24 , hand grip  26 , clamping plate  28 , and complementary clamping plate  30 . Screws  32  and nuts  34  are used to fasten together plates  28  and  30 . Plates  28  and  30  have openings  29  and  31 , respectively, for receiving screws  32 . Plates  28  and  30  have inner surfaces  36  and  38 , respectively, that contact the exterior surface of lever  16  when plates  28  and  30  are fastened together. Inner surfaces  36  and  38  have curvatures that generally conform to the curvature of lever  16 . It is to be understood that plates  36  and  38  may be configured to have other shapes in the event lever  16  has a cross-sectional shape other than circular. Once plates  36  and  38  are fastened together, handle  22  is rigidly, but removably, attached to lever  16 . When mounting handle  22  to lever  16 , the user tighten screws  32  to a degree that allows the user to rotate handle  22  about lever longitudinal axis  17  in order to determine an optimum position of handle  22 . Once such an optimum position is found, screws  32  can be tightened to prevent further rotational movement of handle  22  and to prevent handle  22  from moving axially upon lever  16 . It is to be understood that the use of plates  28  and  30  is only one method of attaching handle  22  to lever  16  and that other methods can be used as well. In a preferred embodiment, hand grip  26  is textured so as to facilitate a firm grip by the user. 
     Referring to FIG. 4, there is shown an alternate embodiment of handle  22 . Handle  22 ′ comprises shaft  24 ′, clamping plate  28 ′ and complementary clamping plate  30 ′. Shaft  24 ′ is generally identical in construction to shaft  24  (see FIG.  3 ). Similarly, plates  28 ′ and  30 ′ are substantially the same in construction and function in the same manner as plates  28  and  30 , respectively (see FIG.  3 ). Screws  32 ′ and nuts  34 ′ function in the same manner as screws  32  and nuts  34 , respectively (see FIG.  3 ). Plates  28 ′ and  30 ′ have openings  29 ′ and  31 ′, respectively, for receiving screws  32 ′. Handle  22 ′ further includes loop-shaped hand grip  40  that is attached shaft  24 ′. Hand grip  40  defines an opening  42  that permits a user to insert his or her fingers. Hand grip  40  further includes a top portion  44 , inner surface  46  and ribs  48  that extend from surface  46 . Ribs  48  facilitate a firm grip by the user whereby the user grasps top portion  44  and places his or her fingers between ribs  48 . 
     Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, there is shown a further embodiment of handle  22 . Alternate handle  50  comprises shaft  52 , hand grip  54 , clamping plate  56 , and complementary clamping plate  58 . Plates  56  and  58  have openings  57  and  59 , respectively, for receiving screws  60 . Screws  60  and nuts  62  are used to fasten together plates  56  and  58 . Plates  56  and  58  have inner surfaces  64  and  66 , respectively, that contact the exterior surface of lever  16  when plates  56  and  58  are fastened together. Inner surfaces  64  and  66  have curvatures that generally conform to the curvature of lever  16 . It is to be understood that plates  56  and  58  may be configured to have other shapes in the event lever  16  has a cross-sectional shape other than circular. When mounting handle  50  to lever  16 , the user tighten screws  60  to a degree that allows the user to rotate handle  50  about lever longitudinal axis  17  in order to determine an optimum position of handle  50 . Once such an optimum position is found, screws  60  can be tightened to prevent further rotational movement of handle  50  and to prevent handle  50  from moving axially upon lever  16 . Handle  50  further comprises upstanding brackets  68  and  70  that are attached to plate  56 . Handle  50  has a bore  72  that is sized for receiving pin or key  74 . Similarly, brackets  68  and  70  have openings  76  and  78 , respectively, that are with aligned bore  72  and sized for receiving pin or key  74 . Thus, handle  50  pivots about pin  74  as indicated by arrow  79  (see FIG.  5 ). Brackets  68  and  70  further include a plurality of openings  80  that are arranged in a generally arcuate formation (see FIG.  5 ). Handle  50  further includes bore  82  that can be aligned with any of the openings  80  of brackets  68  and  70  by pivoting handle  50  so that bore  82  is aligned with the desired openings  80 . Thus, handle  50  can be pivoted to any angular position with respect to longitudinal axis  17  of lever  16 , and then locked in that position by inserting pin or key  84  through the desired opening  80  of bracket  70 , bore  82  and the corresponding opening  80  in bracket  68 . If a new angular position of handle  50  is desired, the user removes pin  84 , pivots handle  50  to the new position, then inserts pin  84  through the corresponding opening  80  of bracket  70 , bore  82  and the corresponding opening  80  of bracket  68 . Thus, during installation of handle  50 , handle  50  can be rotated about lever axis  17  to a desired position and then pivoted to a desired angular position with respect to lever axis  17 . 
     Referring to FIG. 7, there is shown another alternate embodiment of handle  22 . Alternate handle  100  comprises shaft  102  and hand grip  104  that is attached to shaft  102 . Handle  100  further comprises a generally tubular base  106  that is attached to shaft  102 . Base  106  defines central opening  108  that is sized for receiving lever  16 . Base  106  includes threaded inlets  110  for receiving screws  112 . In a preferred embodiment, screws  112  are of the Allen screw type. In order to attach handle  100  to lever  16 , the user inserts lever  16  through opening  108  and then axially moves handle  100  upon lever  16  to a desired or optimum position and then rotates handle  100  about lever axis  17  to find an optimum position. Once the optimum position is found, the user then tightens screws  112  so that screws  112  contact the exterior surface of lever  16  thereby locking handle  100  in place. 
     Referring to FIG. 8, there is shown another alternate embodiment of handle  22 . Alternate handle  120  comprises three (3) telescopically arranged shaft sections  122 ,  124  and  126 . Although three (3) shaft sections are shown, it is to be understood that there can be more than or less than three (3) shaft sections. Shaft section  126  is slidably disposed within shaft section  124 . Similarly, shaft section  124  is slidably disposed within shaft section  122 . Handle  120  includes hand grip  128  that is attached to shaft section  126 . Handle  120  further includes clamping plate  130 , and complementary clamping plate  132 . Shaft section  122  is attached to clamping plate  130 . Plates  130  and  132  have openings  134  and  136 , respectively, for receiving screws  138 . Nuts  140  are threadedly engaged to screws  138  to fasten together plates  130  and  132 . Plates  130  and  132  have inner surfaces  140  and  141 , respectively, that contact the exterior surface of lever  16  when plates  130  and  132  are fastened together. Inner surfaces  140  and  141  have curvatures that generally conform to the curvature of lever  16 . It is to be understood that plates  130  and  132  may be configured to have other shapes in the event lever  16  has a cross-sectional shape other than circular. Once plates  130  and  132  are fastened together, handle  120  is rigidly, but removably, attached to lever  16 . When mounting handle  120  to lever  16 , the user tightens screws  138  to a degree that allows the user to rotate handle  120  about lever longitudinal axis  17  and axially move handle  120  upon lever  16  in order to determine an optimum position of handle  120 . Once such an optimum position is found, screws  138  can be tightened to prevent further rotational movement of handle  120  and to prevent handle  120  from moving axially upon lever  16 . It is to be understood that plates  130  and  132  constitutes just one method of attaching handle  120  to lever  16  and that other methods can be used as well. In a preferred embodiment, hand grip  128  is textured so as to facilitate a firm grip by the user. 
     Referring again to FIG. 8, shaft section  122  has a threaded inlet  142  that is sized for receiving screw  144 . Similarly, shaft section  124  has a threaded inlet  146  that is sized for receiving screw  148 . In a preferred embodiment, screws  144  and  148  are of the Allen type. Thus, the user is able to adjust the overall height H of handle  120  to his or her particular needs. For example, the user first slides shaft section  124  within shaft section  122  to a desired position and then locks shaft section  124  in that position by tightening screw  144  so that screw  144  contacts shaft section  124  to prevent further movement thereof. Then, the user slides shaft section  126  within shaft section  124  to a desired position and then locks shaft section  126  in that position by tightening screw  148  so that screw  148  contacts shaft section  126  to prevent further movement thereof. Thereafter, the height H of handle  120  can be adjusted to suit the needs of other drivers. Handles  22 ,  22 ′,  50 ,  100  and  120 , when attached to lever  16 , enable a vehicle driver to remain in an upright posture in his/her seat at all times when engaging and disengaging the parking/safety brake lever without diverting his or her vision below the dashboard thereby maintaining visual contact with surrounding traffic, pedestrians, etc. In particular, handles  22 ,  22 ′,  50 ,  100  and  120  enable a school bus driver to remain in an upright posture in his/her seat at all times when engaging and disengaging the parking/safety brake lever thus keeping the students in constant sight as they approach or depart the bus in a multitude of directions as well as all approaching and surrounding traffic. 
     The capability of adjusting the position of handles  22 ,  22 ′,  50 ,  100  and  120  when mounted on lever  16  enables the vehicle drivers to engage and disengage the parking/safety brake with significantly greater ease for the driver, therefore increasing the probability that the regulation requiring application of the emergency or safety brake will be consistently complied with. Furthermore, handles  22 ,  22 ′,  50 ,  100  and  120 , when attached to lever  16 , provide improved ergonomic positioning of the driver thereby decreasing the likelihood of muscololigamentous strain, injury and lost time at work. 
     Handle  22 ,  22 ′,  50 ,  100  and  120  can be manufactured from a variety of materials. However, in a preferred embodiment, handles  22 ,  22 ′,  50 ,  100  and  120  are fabricated from metal such as stainless steel, aluminum, iron, etc. In a most preferred embodiment, handles  22 ,  22 ′,  50 ,  100  and  120  are fabricated from non-corrosive metals. Furthermore, handles  22 ,  22 ′,  50 ,  100  and  120  can be manufactured at a reasonable cost, and inexpensively attached to existing emergency brake levers or attached to emergency brake levers during the manufacture of the vehicle. 
     While the present invention has been particularly described, in conjunction with a specific preferred embodiment, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description. It is therefore contemplated that the appended claims will embrace any such alternatives, modifications and variations as falling within the true scope and spirit of the present invention.