Abstract:
A variable length gear shifter for an automobile transmission includes at least two hollow elongated telescoping members movable relative to one another along a longitudinal axis and a releasable lock for locking the telescoping members telescoped together in a selected one of a plurality of predetermined locking positions. One of the telescoping members has an end that is adapted to be attached to a shaft extending from a transmission and another of the telescoping members extends to a free end for grasping by a human hand. Each locking position determines a different distance between the end of the one telescoping member and the free end of the other telescoping member.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates generally to automotive gear shifters and, in particular, to a variable length automotive gear shifter.  
           [0002]    A growing trend in the automotive industry has been to provide more features in the automobile interior to ensure the comfort of the automobile&#39;s driver. By ensuring the driver&#39;s comfort, the driver is more alert and the easier it is for him or her to concentrate on operating the vehicle safely, which increases the safety and security of the passengers and the drivers of other automobiles on the road. Examples of these automotive interior driver comfort features have included adjustable driver&#39;s seats, adjustable interior and exterior mirrors, adjustable steering wheels, and adjustable brake and accelerator pedals. As larger vehicles have become available to the public, these comfort features have proved especially helpful for more petite drivers.  
           [0003]    After all these adjustments have been made, however, the gear shifter may be in an inaccessible or inconvenient position for the driver. This is especially true for automobiles having manual transmissions, as the gear shifter must be utilized much more frequently than in automobiles with automatic transmissions. Often a driver will adjust the seat and steering wheel in order to operate the shifter, rather than place the seat and steering wheel in a more comfortable position to steer and operate the brake and accelerator pedals.  
           [0004]    The art has recognized that the gear shifters provided by the automobile manufacturers are not ideal for all situations and has provided gear shifters for making smoother, quicker shifts, particularly in automobile racing by reducing the distance the gear shifter is required to move in order to change gears. These prior art shifters, however, simply replace a stock gear shifter with a shifter that is shorter in length and that is easier and quicker to manipulate during vehicle operation. The art has not provided a gear shifter that is adjustable to different lengths for increased driver comfort.  
           [0005]    Especially in automobiles equipped with manual transmissions, it is desirable to place the shifter in as advantageous a position as possible because the shifter must be utilized more often than a corresponding shifter for an automatic transmission. Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that automobiles are driven often by drivers of different heights and the ability to adjust the length of the shifter to accommodate these different drivers is highly desirable. It is desirable to increase the comfort of an automobile driver by providing an adjustable gear shifter.  
           [0006]    It is an object of the invention, therefore, to provide a variable length automotive gear shifter that may be attached to the shaft extending from the automotive transmission to replace the non-adjustable gear shifter provided by the automobile manufacturer or by an aftermarket company. It is another object of the present invention to provide an aesthetically pleasing variable length automotive gear shifter that may also be advantageously locked in place after being adjusted.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0007]    The present invention concerns a variable length automotive gear shifter for use in a vehicle interior. The gear shifter includes three preferably tubular slidingly engageable telescoping members having upper and lower ends. The upper end of a base telescoping member receives the lower end of an intermediate telescoping member. The upper end of the intermediate member receives the lower end of an upper telescoping member. The telescoping members can telescope from a fully extended position to a fully retracted position, advantageously enabling the gear shifter to vary its effective length. The telescoping members are biased in the fully extended position by compression springs. Each telescoping member has a plurality of vertically aligned grooves and a plurality of vertically aligned locking notches formed in an interior surface thereof. The grooves and locking notches are radially spaced apart from each other. The base member has the largest outside diameter and is preferably affixed at the lower end to a shaft extending upwardly from a gearbox of an automobile transmission through the floor of the vehicle. The base member does not move with respect to the other telescoping members. The upper end of the upper member receives a preferably tubular sleeve having a handle attached to an upper portion of an exterior surface thereof. The handle may be spherical, rectangular, tubular or any suitable shape. The handle has an axial bore formed therein for receiving a key lock.  
           [0008]    Disposed within the respective inner diameters of the sleeve, the upper telescoping member, and the intermediate telescoping member are generally “T”-shaped shaft guides having an elongated cylindrical member extending from a disk-shaped base member. Each outer end of the base members includes bores formed therein that receive spring-biased locking balls for cooperating with the grooves and locking notches of the telescoping members. The base member of the upper shaft guide receives the cylindrical member of the intermediate shaft guide. The base member of the sleeve shaft guide receives the cylindrical member of the upper shaft guide.  
           [0009]    The key lock receives a key, preferably the vehicle ignition key, which enables the key lock to rotate when the key is inserted therein. A shaft extending downwardly from the key lock attaches to the cylindrical member of the sleeve shaft guide, enabling the key lock to rotate the sleeve shaft guide, the upper shaft guide, and the intermediate shaft guide with respect to the telescoping members. In the locked position, the locking balls are disposed in the locking notches of the telescoping members. When the key is inserted into the key lock and rotated to an open, unlocked position, the locking balls align with the grooves of the telescoping members, enabling movement of the telescoping members by applying an upward or downward force to the telescoping members. An antirotation means prevents the telescoping members from rotating relative to one another when the gear shifter is rotated to the open, unlocked position. After the gear shifter is at its desired length, the key lock is rotated to the closed, locked position so that the shifter may be used in a normal, safe manner. The effective length of the gear shifter is thus advantageously adjustable from a fully extended position to a fully retracted position including numerous intermediate positions that correspond to the locking notches on the interior surfaces of the telescoping members.  
           [0010]    The present invention advantageously provides another means for ensuring driver comfort, increasing the safety of the vehicles on the road while also providing an aesthetically pleasing means for adjusting the effective length of the gear shifter. In addition, the gear shifter can include an aesthetically pleasing outer covering or boot disposed below the handle. The covering or boot covers and protects the moving parts of the gear shifter from damage such as damage from foreign objects introduced inadvertently between the inside and outside diameters of the telescoping members.  
           [0011]    The present invention is not limited to gear shifters for manual transmissions and contemplates use with automatic transmission shifters installed either on the floor of the automobile or on the steering column. The material with which the components of the shifter are to be constructed is not critical, except for the fact that they must be able to withstand the forces normally encountered during shifting. The telescoping members and guide shafts are preferably tubular but can be rectangular or triangular in cross-section or any type of cross-section or profile while remaining within the scope of the present invention. The number of telescoping members could also be only two or four or more while still remaining within the scope of the invention. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0012]    The above, as well as other advantages of the present invention, will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment when considered in the light of the accompanying drawings in which:  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a fully extended variable length gear shifter in accordance with the present invention;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 2 is a top plan view of a gear shift handle attached to the gear shifter of FIG. 1 and showing unlocking and locking directions;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIGS. 3 a  and  3   b  are cross-sectional views as if taken along a line  3 - 3  of a complete gear shifter of FIG. 1 and showing the gear shifter in an unlocked position and a locked position respectively;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIGS. 4 a  and  4   b  are cross-sectional views as if taken along a line  4 - 4  of a complete gear shifter of FIG. 1 and showing the gear shifter in an unlocked position and a locked position respectively; and  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the variable length gear shifter of FIG. 1 in a fully retracted position.  
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0018]    Referring now to all of the drawing figures, a variable length automotive gear shifter is shown generally at  10 . The gear shifter  10  includes a generally tubular base telescoping member  12  having upper and lower ends. An interior surface  14  of the base member  12  includes a plurality of vertically aligned and axially spaced apart grooves  16  and a plurality of vertically aligned and axially spaced apart locking notches  18  formed thereon. The grooves  16  are radially spaced apart from the locking notches  18 .  
         [0019]    An upper end of the base telescoping member  12  receives a lower end of a generally tubular intermediate telescoping member  20 . An interior surface  22  of the intermediate member  20  includes a plurality of vertically aligned and axially spaced apart grooves  24  and a plurality of vertically aligned and axially spaced apart locking notches  26  formed thereon. The grooves  24  are radially spaced apart from the locking notches  26 .  
         [0020]    An upper end of the intermediate member  20  receives a lower end of a generally tubular upper telescoping member  28 . An interior surface  30  of the upper member  28  includes a plurality of vertically aligned and axially spaced apart grooves  32  and a plurality of vertically aligned and axially spaced apart locking notches  34  formed thereon. The grooves  32  are radially spaced apart from the locking notches  34 . The telescoping members  12 ,  20 , and  28  can telescope from a fully extended position, best seen in FIG. 1, to a fully retracted position, best seen in FIG. 5. An upper end of the upper member  28  receives a lower end of a generally tubular sleeve  36 . The lower end of the sleeve  36  has a first diameter and includes a stepped portion  40  that extends to an upper end having a second diameter. The second diameter of the upper end of the sleeve  36  is less than the first diameter of the lower end of the sleeve  36 . The upper end of the sleeve  36  includes a plurality of threads  38  formed on an exterior surface thereof for threadably engaging a gear shifter handle  42 .  
         [0021]    A lower end of the base telescoping member  12  is affixed to a shaft  116  by a weld washer  102 . The shaft  116  preferably extends upwardly from a shift knuckle  118 , which is preferably further attached to a shaft  120  extending upwardly from an automotive transmission  122 . Alternatively, the base member  12  is attached to the shaft  116  by threads or similar attachment means. The base member  12 , therefore, remains stationary and does not telescope with respect to the intermediate member  20  and the upper member  28 .  
         [0022]    A generally T-shaped intermediate shaft guide  44  having an elongated cylindrical member  46  extending from a generally disk-shaped pedestal member  48  is received by the base telescoping member  12  and the intermediate telescoping member  20 . An outer surface of the pedestal member  48  includes a plurality of generally cylindrical bores  52  formed therein. Each bore  52  receives a preferably helical locking spring  54  for biasing a spherical locking ball  56 . The locking balls  56  cooperate with the grooves  16  and locking notches  18  of the base telescoping member  12 .  
         [0023]    A generally T-shaped lower shaft guide  58  having an elongated tubular member  60  extending from a generally disk-shaped base member  62  is received by the intermediate telescoping member  20  and the upper telescoping member  28 . The base member  62  includes an axial bore  64  formed therein for receiving an upper portion of the cylindrical member  46  of the intermediate shaft guide  44 . An inner surface of the tubular member  60  includes a plurality of vertically aligned and axially spaced apart grooves  66  and a plurality of vertically aligned and axially spaced apart locking notches  68  formed therefrom. The grooves  66  are radially adjacent the locking notches  68 . The cylindrical member  46  of the intermediate shaft guide  44  extends to an inner surface of the tubular member  60  of the lower shaft guide  58 . An outer surface of the cylindrical member  46  preferably includes a plurality of notches  70  formed therefrom for each receiving a locking ball  72  for cooperating with the grooves  66  and the locking notches  68  of the tubular member  60 . An outer surface of the base member  62  includes a plurality of generally cylindrical bores (not shown) formed therein. Each bore receives a preferably helical locking spring  74  for biasing a spherical locking ball  76 . The locking balls  76  cooperate with the grooves  24  and locking notches  26  of the intermediate telescoping member  20 .  
         [0024]    A generally T-shaped sleeve shaft guide  78  having an elongated tubular member  80  extending from a generally disk-shaped pedestal member  82  is received by the intermediate member  20  and the upper member  28 . The pedestal member  82  includes an axial bore  84  formed therefrom for receiving an upper portion of the tubular member  60  of the upper shaft guide  58 . An inner surface of the tubular member  80  includes a plurality of vertically aligned and axially spaced apart grooves (not shown) and a plurality of vertically aligned and axially spaced apart locking notches  88  formed thereon. The grooves are radially adjacent the locking notches  88 . Alternatively, a plurality of grooves (not shown) extends axially along the entire length of the interior surface of the tubular member  80 . The tubular member  60  of the upper shaft guide  58  extends to the inner surface of the tubular member  80  of the sleeve shaft guide  78 . An outer surface of the tubular member  60  preferably includes a plurality of notches formed therefrom for each receiving a locking ball  90  for cooperating with the grooves and the locking notches  88  of the tubular member  88 . An outer surface of the pedestal member  82  includes a plurality of generally cylindrical bores (not shown) formed therefrom. Each bore receives a preferably helical locking spring  92  for biasing a spherical locking ball  94 . The locking balls  94  cooperate with the grooves  32  and locking notches  34  of the upper telescoping member  28 .  
         [0025]    A preferably helical first compression spring  96  is attached at a lower end to the weld washer  102  and at an upper end to a lower surface of the pedestal member  48  of the intermediate shaft guide  44 . A preferably helical second compression spring  98  is attached at a lower end to an upper surface of the pedestal member  48  of the intermediate shaft guide  44  and at an upper end to a lower surface of the base member  62  of the upper shaft guide  58 . The coils of the second spring  98  are preferably wound around the cylindrical member  46  of the intermediate shaft guide  44 . A preferably helical third compression spring  100  is attached at a lower end to an upper surface of the base member  62  of the upper shaft guide  58  and at an upper end to a lower surface of the pedestal member  82  of the sleeve shaft guide  78 . The coils of the third spring  100  are preferably wound around the tubular member  60  of the upper shaft guide  58 . The springs  96 ,  98 , and  100  bias the gear shifter  10  in the fully extended position, shown in FIG. 1.  
         [0026]    The gear shift handle  42  has an axial bore formed therein for receiving a key lock  104 . The key lock  104  includes a keyhole  106  that receives a key (not shown), preferably the vehicle ignition key, which enables the key lock  104  to rotate about an longitudinal axis  43  of the gear shifter  10  in a direction depicted by an arrow  105  when the key is inserted therein. A shaft  108  extending downwardly from the key lock  104  has a flange  110  formed on a lower end that attaches to the inner surface of the tubular member  80  of the sleeve shaft guide  78 . Rotating the key in the key lock  104 , therefore, rotates the shaft  108 , the sleeve shaft guide  78 , the upper shaft guide  58 , and the intermediate shaft guide  44  with respect to the telescoping members  12 ,  20 , and  28 . The base telescoping member  12  is prevented from rotating by the shaft  116 . The intermediate telescoping member  20  is preferably prevented from rotating by a pin (not shown) extending outwardly from an outer surface thereof that engages with a groove  85  on the interior surface  14  of the base telescoping member  12 . Alternatively, a pin (not shown) extends from the interior surface  14  of the base telescoping member  12  and engages with a groove (not shown) in the outer surface of the intermediate telescoping member  20 . Likewise, the upper telescoping member  28  is preferably prevented from rotating by a pin  86  extending outwardly from an outer surface thereof that engages with a groove  87  on the interior surface  22  of the intermediate telescoping member  20 . Alternatively, a pin (not shown) extends from the interior surface  22  of the intermediate telescoping member  20  and engages with a groove (not shown) in the outer surface of the upper telescoping member  28 . Likewise, the sleeve  36  is preferably prevented from rotating by a pin (not shown) extending outwardly from an outer surface thereof that engages with a groove (not shown) on the interior surface  30  of the upper telescoping member  28 . Alternatively, a pin (not shown) extends from the interior surface  30  of the upper telescoping member  28  and engages with a groove (not shown) in the outer surface of the sleeve  36 . Alternatively, the telescoping members  20  and  28  and the sleeve  36  utilize similar antirotation means, such as cooperating keys and keyways (not shown), for preventing the telescoping members  20  and  28  and the sleeve  36  from rotating when the key in the key lock  104  rotates the shaft  108 , the sleeve shaft guide  78 , the upper shaft guide  58 , and the intermediate shaft guide  44 .  
         [0027]    The spring tension in the key lock  104  biases gear shifter  10  in a locked position, best seen in FIGS. 3 b  and  4   b,  where the balls  56  and  72  are disposed in the corresponding locking notches  26  and  68 . The locking notches  26  and  68  have a generally diamond-shaped profile, which, in combination with the spring tension of the spring  54  (in FIG. 3 b ), prevents axial movement of the telescoping members  20  and  28  in the locked position.  
         [0028]    When the key is inserted into the key lock  104  and rotated in an unlocking direction depicted by an arrow  112 , the locking balls  56  and  72  align with the grooves  16  and  66 , best seen in FIGS. 3 b  and  4   b,  enabling movement of the telescoping members  20  and  28  by applying an upward or downward force to the telescoping members  20  and  28 . A downward force on the telescoping members  20  and  28  compresses the springs  96 ,  98 , and  100 . An upward force on the telescoping members  20  and  28  decompresses the springs  96 ,  98 , and  100 . After the gear shifter  10  is at its desired length, the key lock  104  is rotated in a locking direction depicted by an arrow  114 , returning to the closed, locked position so that the gear shifter  10  may be used in a normal manner. Each axial position of the grooves  16 ,  24 ,  32 , and  66  (and the grooves not shown in the shaft guide  78 ), and the locking notches  18 ,  26 ,  34 ,  68  and  88  corresponds to a point where the gear shifter  10  may be locked in place. The grooves  16 ,  24 ,  32 , and  66  (and the grooves not shown in the shaft guide  78 ), and the locking notches  18 ,  26 ,  34 ,  68  and  88  are axially spaced apart by the same distance so that when the gear shifter  10  is extended or retracted, each locking ball  56 ,  72 ,  76 ,  90  and  94  will be disposed in a corresponding locking notch  18 ,  26 ,  34 ,  68  and  88  when the gear shifter  10  is at a desired length. The effective length of the gear shifter  10  is thus advantageously adjustable from a fully extended position to a fully retracted position including numerous intermediate positions that correspond to the locking notches  18 ,  26  and  34  of the telescoping members  12 ,  20 , and  28 .  
         [0029]    In the fully retracted position, best seen in FIG. 5, the springs  96 ,  98 , and  100  are compressed and a greater amount of the length of the intermediate telescoping member  20  is disposed within the base telescoping member  12  as compared with FIG. 1. A greater amount of the length of the upper telescoping member  28  is disposed within the intermediate telescoping member  20  as compared with FIG. 1, and the handle  42  contacts an upper surface of the upper telescoping member  28 ,  
         [0030]    The various components of the gear shifter  10  are preferably constructed of steel, aluminum, plastic, or similar material able to withstand the torque of normal gear shifting. The outer surfaces of the telescoping members  12 ,  20 , and  28  are preferably smooth to facilitate easier telescoping motion between the members  12 ,  20 , and  28 . While the telescoping members  12 ,  20 , and  28 , and the sleeve  36  illustrated are tubular in shape, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the telescoping member  12 ,  20 , and  28 , and the sleeve  36  may be of any shape that allows the members  12 ,  20 , and  28  and the sleeve  36  to telescope and be able to withstand the torque to which a gear shifter  10  is subjected. Although the gear shifter  10  is illustrated with a locking means including locking balls biased by springs cooperating with grooves and locking notches in the inner diameter of the telescoping shafts, the present invention contemplates utilizing various locking means while remaining within the scope of the invention.  
         [0031]    In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, the present invention has been described in what is considered to represent its preferred embodiment. However, it should be noted that the invention can be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described without departing from its spirit or scope.