Abstract:
A cover for a vehicle parking brake control valve button including an elastomeric body and a plurality of elastic ridges. The body of the cover includes a rim and a recess designed to fit the contour of the control valve button. The ridges are designed to provide enough rigidity to support pressure applied thereto, and enough elasticity to absorb energy created by the actuation of the button. The absorption of the energy dampens the stinging sensation typically felt by the operator when actuating the parking brakes.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The invention relates to an ergonomic button cover, and more specifically to an ergonomic parking brake control valve button.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    Many commercial vehicles, and most notably school buses, require the actuation of the vehicle parking brakes numerous times throughout the course of a given day. The vehicle parking brakes are actuated by pulling on the parking brake control valve. This action frequently causes a painful stinging sensation to run through the driver&#39;s hand each time the parking brake is applied. Thus, with increase use of the parking brake, driver&#39;s can develop sustained pain.  
           [0003]    In most states, school bus drivers must apply the bus park brakes each time the vehicle is parked, the vehicle comes to a railroad crossing, or a child crosses in front of the bus. Throughout the course of a day, a bus driver will be required to actuate the parking brakes a significant number of times, thereby possibly causing the driver to suffer some discomfort. More recently, a number of states have implemented regulations requiring school bus drivers to actuate the bus parking brakes each time the bus stops to pick up passengers. This change in the law has caused the number of times that the driver must actuate the bus parking brakes, by pulling on the bus parking brake control valve button, to increase dramatically. As such, the discomfort felt by these drivers has also increased dramatically. Therefore, there is a growing need to dampen the stinging sensation created by the actuation of a vehicle&#39;s parking brakes.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0004]    A cover for a vehicle control valve button including a rim and a recess that mate with the contour of the control valve button. The cover also includes an aperture wherein a shaft of the button can be inserted. A plurality of ridges are located on the outside contour of the cover. The ridges are elastic and provide a dampening of energy that is created by the actuation of the button.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0005]    The parking brake control valve button cover of the present invention may be more readily understood by reference to the following drawings. While certain embodiments are shown as illustrative examples of the button cover, the scope of this application should not be construed as limited to these illustrative examples.  
         [0006]    [0006]FIG. 1 is a perspective top view of a vehicle parking brake control valve button cover;  
         [0007]    [0007]FIG. 2 is a top view of the vehicle parking brake control valve button cover of FIG. 1;  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 3 is a side view of the vehicle parking brake control valve button cover of FIG. 1;  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the vehicle parking brake control valve button cover of FIG. 1; and  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a vehicle parking brake control valve button cover as-applied to a vehicle parking brake control valve button. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0011]    The vehicle parking brake control valve cover  10  includes rim  20 , recess  24 , aperture  26 , lip  28  and one or more ridges  30 . The cover  10  may be made of any suitable material for absorbing or dampening energy. In one embodiment, the cover  10  is made from a soft rubber material, such as, for example neoprene. In other embodiments, the cover  10  may be made from foams or urethanes.  
         [0012]    The rim  20 , which mates with the top  33  of button  35  when the button is inserted into the cover, may conform to the shape of the button  35 , such as, for example, a square or diamond shaped. Although it should be appreciated by one skilled in the art that the rim  20  may have a variety of shapes based on the configuration of the button  35 , it should also be appreciated that the shape of the button is a recommended industry standard dictated by safety regulations and therefore does not typically depart from the standard design illustrated in the Figures. However, to the extent such standards allow the button to take on different configurations and geometries, such configurations and geometries are intended to be included within this application as defined by the scope of the claims. The rim  20  may alternatively have a different geometry from the button  35 . The thickness of the rim  20  may be determined by the thickness of the top  33  of the button  35 . The rim  20  is generally dimensioned to fit the thickness of the top  33  of the button  35  such as to have the underside of the top  33  of the button  35  rest against the recessed surface  37  of recess  24  and the top  33  of the button  35  generally flush with the surface  45  of rim  20 . A flush surface, however, is not required.  
         [0013]    The surface  37  of the recess  24  follows the contour of the button  35  such as to form a tight fit against the button. The surface  37  of the recess  24  extends inwardly, following the contour of the button until it is at the dimension of the diameter of the button shaft  39 , which may vary depending on the button. The surface  37  of the recess  24  then extends downward, away from the rim  20  thereby forming the lip  28  that fits snug around the shaft  39  of the button  35  when the button is inserted through aperture  26 . The lip  28 , although not required, provides additional support to the cover  10 , and thus it is preferred to include a lip that extends a significant portion down the shaft of the button. Furthermore, the lip  28  may also include one or more optional holes  40  wherein a screw or pin can be inserted to secure the button in place. One skilled in the art should understand that the rim  20  can be designed to fit the contour of the users hand, thereby providing an improved gripping surface. As such, the rim  20  may take a number of different shapes and sizes depending on the desired feel.  
         [0014]    The underside  41  of the surface  37  of the recess  24  includes a number of ridges  30 , that extend perpendicular to the surface  45  of the rim  20 . These ridges  30  are designed to be elastic and thereby adsorb the energy that causes the stinging sensation in the operator&#39;s fingers. Preferably, the ridges  30  have an elasticity between approximately 40 and 75 durometer Shore A, and preferably between approximately 50 and 55 durometer Shore A. Furthermore, a set of approximately 12-18 ridges  30  is most preferably, although the number can vary, especially as the size of the button varies. The ridges  30  preferably originate along the lip  28  and follow the contour of the underside  41  of the recess  24  ending at or proximate to the end  48  of the rim  20 . However, one skilled in the part should appreciate that the configuration, such as, for example, the thickness, length, and the taper of the ridges may vary such as to provide a good gripping and dampening surface. One skilled in the art should also appreciate that the ridges may be separate from the cover, such as, for example, a separate sleeve that fits over the lip of the cover. These different configurations are considered as part of this invention to the extent that they are within the scope of the claims.  
         [0015]    When the vehicle parking brake control valve button  35  is inserted into the cover  10 , the shaft  39  is fit through the aperture  26  and the top  33  of the button is aligned with the geometry of the rim  20  such that when the button is fully inserted, the top of the button is flush with the surface  45  of rim  20 . When the vehicle parking brake control valve button  35  is actuated, the operator fingers can rest against the ridges  30 , preferably extending across multiple ridges, as the button is being pulled. As pressure is applied to the ridges  30  by the operator&#39;s fingers, the elasticity of the ridges  30  provides sufficient rigidity to allow the button to be actuated, while also providing enough elasticity to adsorb the energy that causes the stinging sensation.  
         [0016]    One skilled in the art should appreciate that the invention covered in this application may be applicable to pre-existing buttons, or may be adapted for use with new buttons. Further, it is contemplated that the cover may be incorporated into the molding of the plastic button or may be a separate piece as shown in the Figures. The cover may be secured to the button in any conventional means, including friction fit, adhesive, a sealing lip attached to the rim, or use of a securing pin.