Abstract:
Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a dynamic apparatus for locking or stabilizing an input device such as a foot-operated device with respect to the floor. In one embodiment, an input device with a non-permanent floor mount comprises a user manipulable object movably coupled to a body of the input device which is configured to be placed on a floor. The user manipulable object is movable by a user applying a force thereon having a force component in a forward direction along the floor. A floor lock is movably connected to the body of the input device and has a contact surface for engaging the floor to substantially prevent movement of the input device in the forward direction along the floor. The floor lock is configured to move with respect to the body of the input device in a downward direction toward the floor and a rearward direction opposite from the forward direction in response to the force applied by the user on the user manipulable object having the force component in the forward direction along the floor.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    This invention relates generally to locking or stabilizing mechanisms and, more particularly, to an apparatus for temporarily locking or stabilizing a device such as a pedal assembly or the like with respect to a floor.  
           [0002]    Devices that require a non-permanent floor mounted, foot-actuated interface are prone to unintended movement relative to the operator, thereby interfering with the proper operation of the device. Due to the temporary nature of the floor mounting mechanism, the stability of the device is typically poor. This is problematic for an input device such as a gaming pedal  10 , as illustrated in FIG. 1. For instance, the lateral or horizontal force component (F ah ) of the force F a  (with vertical component F av ) exerted on the pedal  12  by the operator&#39;s foot may be larger than the resisting forces (F rh ) of the device  10  as provided by the mounting component such as one or more rubber mounting feet  14 . This causes the input device  10  to move away from the user, requiring frequent replacement of the device relative to the user&#39;s foot and thus loss of control and satisfactory game play.  
           [0003]    One difficulty is that these foot-operated devices should be made to function on a variety of different floor surfaces, including carpets that are thick, thin, dense, or loose; and non-carpeted surfaces such as wood, tile, and linoleum surfaces. The use of small rubber feet at the bottom of the foot-operated device cannot resist movement on carpet, and generally cannot adequately resist movement on non-carpeted floor surfaces due to the small surface areas of contact between the rubber feet and the floor surface. A fixed set of ribs or teeth at the bottom of the foot-operated device would provide some retention on a carpet. As the horizontal force increases, however, the ribs or teeth do not further embed themselves and slipping and tearing of the carpet can occur. In addition, the rubber feet would need to be removed for carpet use; otherwise, the rubber feet would cause the teeth to not engage due to the need to avoid interference between the bottom case of the device and the floor if the rubber feet were to function properly.  
         BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0004]    Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a dynamic apparatus for locking or stabilizing an input device such as a foot-operated device with respect to the floor. The dynamic apparatus translates the horizontal component of the force exerted by the user on the input device through a rotational device that increases the resistive forces by either mechanically engaging teeth of a floor lock into the carpet or generate larger normal (i.e., vertical) forces to increase the frictional resistance to movement of a rubber pad of a floor lock provided at the bottom of the input device with respect to a non-carpeted floor surface.  
           [0005]    In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, an input device with a non-permanent floor mount comprises a user manipulable object movably coupled to a body of the input device which is configured to be placed on a floor. The user manipulable object is movable by a user applying a force thereon having a force component in a forward direction along the floor. A floor lock is movably connected to the body of the input device and has a contact surface for engaging the floor to substantially prevent movement of the input device in the forward direction along the floor. The floor lock is configured to move with respect to the body of the input device in a downward direction toward the floor and a rearward direction opposite from the forward direction in response to the force applied by the user on the user manipulable object having the force component in the forward direction along the floor.  
           [0006]    In some embodiments, the floor lock is rotatably connected to the body of the input device to rotate in the downward direction and the rearward direction in response to the force applied by the user having the force component in the forward direction. The floor lock may be rotatably connected to the body of the input device by a four-bar linkage, a hinge, or the like. The contact surface of the floor lock may comprise a plurality of teeth, or may comprise a rubber pad. The rubber pad may be removably coupled to the floor lock and is removable to expose another contact surface having a plurality of teeth.  
           [0007]    In specific embodiments, the contact surface of the floor lock is initially slanted upward in the forward direction with respect to the floor prior to application of the force having the force component in the forward direction along the floor. The floor lock is rotatable in the downward direction and the rearward direction to position the contact surface more parallel to the floor upon application of the force. The floor lock is rotatable further in the downward direction and the rearward direction to position the contact surface to be slanted downward in the forward direction with respect to the floor upon application of a sufficient amount of the force. The user manipulable object comprises one or more pedals rotatably mounted on the body of the input device along a pedal pivot, and the floor lock is rotatably connected to the body of the input device along a floor lock pivot which is disposed forward of the pedal pivot.  
           [0008]    In some embodiments, the floor lock is disposed at least partially in a cavity of the body of the input device in a recessed position, and a latch releasably supports the floor lock in the recessed position and is actuatable to permit the floor lock to move away from the cavity of the body. A biasing member may be coupled with the floor lock to bias the floor lock in the downward direction toward the floor. The user manipulable object comprises a plurality of pedals disposed along a width of the body of the input device, the width extending from a left side to a right side of the body. The floor lock is disposed along the width of the body extending to the left of the plurality of pedals and to the right of the plurality of the pedals. A plurality of floor locks are distributed along a width of the body of the input device, the width extending from a left side to a right side of the body. The floor locks are independently movable with respect to the body of the input device.  
           [0009]    In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, an input device comprises a user manipulable object movably coupled to a body of the input device which is configured to be placed on a floor. The user manipulable object is movable by a user applying one or more forces thereon having one or more force components in one or more directions along the floor. A plurality of floor locks each are movably connected to the body of the input device and each have a contact surface for engaging the floor to substantially prevent movement of the input device in the one or more directions along the floor. Each floor lock is configured to move with respect to the body of the input device in a downward direction toward the floor and a resisting direction opposite from one of the one or more directions along the floor in response to the force applied by the user on the user manipulable object having the one or more force components in the one or more directions along the floor.  
           [0010]    In some embodiments, each floor lock is rotatably connected to the body of the input device to rotate in the downward direction and the resisting direction in response to the force applied by the user. The plurality of floor locks are rotatable around one or more parallel axes with respect to the body of the input device. The user manipulable object comprises a plurality of pedals disposed along a width of the body of the input device, the width extending from a left side to a right side of the body. The plurality of floor locks are distributed along the width of the body extending to the left of the plurality of pedals and to the right of the plurality of the pedals. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]    [0011]FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a pedal apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a floor lock installed in the pedal apparatus of FIG. 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the floor lock of FIG. 2 illustrating removable pads according to an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the floor lock of FIG. 3 illustrating assembled pads on the floor lock;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the floor lock of FIG. 2;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the pedal apparatus of FIG. 1 showing a cavity for receiving the floor lock;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 7 is a partially cut-out perspective view of the pedal apparatus of FIG. 1 showing the assembly of the floor lock inside the cavity of the pedal apparatus;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 8 is a partially cut-out elevational view of the pedal apparatus of FIG. 7;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 9A is an elevational view of the pedal apparatus of FIG. 7 showing a latch for retaining the floor lock in the cavity of the pedal apparatus according to one embodiment;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 9B is an elevational view of the pedal apparatus of FIG. 7 showing a biasing spring for the floor lock in the cavity of the pedal apparatus according to another embodiment;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 10 is a partially cut-out elevational view of the pedal apparatus of FIG. 7 illustrating engagement between the leading row of teeth of the floor lock and a carpet floor;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 11 is a partially cut-out elevational view of the pedal apparatus of FIG. 7 illustrating engagement between the pad of the floor lock and a non-carpeted floor;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 12 is a partially cut-out elevational view of the pedal assembly of FIG. 7 illustrating engagement between the teeth of the floor lock and the carpet floor;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 13 is a partially cut-out elevational view of the pedal assembly of FIG. 7 illustrating engagement between the teeth of the rolled-under floor lock and the carpet floor;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 14 is a partially cut-out elevational view of the pedal assembly of FIG. 7 illustrating engagement between the pad of the rolled-under floor lock and the non-carpeted floor;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 15 is a sectional view of a pedal assembly employing a parallelogram mechanism for rotatably supporting a floor lock according to another embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 16 is a lower perspective view of the pedal assembly of FIG. 15;  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 17 is a lower perspective view of a pedal assembly having a pair of spaced floor locks according to another embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 18 is an elevational view of the pedal assembly of FIG. 17 illustrating tilting of the pedal assembly to the right; and  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 19 is an elevational view of the pedal assembly of FIG. 17 illustrating tilting of the pedal assembly to the left. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0031]    [0031]FIG. 2 shows a rotational device referred to herein as a floor lock  20  which has off-center hinge points  22  on opposite sides of a longitudinal body and one or more banks of teeth  24  that are disposed at an angle with respect to the hinge points  22 . In one specific embodiment, the floor lock  20  includes one or more removable pads  30 , typically one pad  30  for each bank of teeth  26 , as seen in FIG. 3. The removable pads  30  cover the banks of teeth  26 , and are typically made of rubber to be used on non-carpeted floors. FIG. 4 shows the pads  30  installed on the body  24  of the floor lock  20 . The pads  30  may be removably connected to the body  24  by an interference fit, by clips, or the like.  
         [0032]    The teeth  26  do not extend radially from the hinge points  22  and do not extend vertically downward. As illustrated in FIG. 5, prior to application of a force on the input device  10  by the user, the teeth plane  36  is disposed at an angle relative to the hinge point  22  and is initially slanted upward with respect to the horizontal floor, for instance, by about 10°-15°. The teeth plane  36  is configured to ensure that the row of teeth  26   a  closest to the hinge point  22  engages the carpet floor first. As the force F a  applied to the pedal assembly  10  increases, these leading teeth  26   a  at least substantially prevent slipping relative to the carpet floor and cause the floor lock  20  to “cam” down, forcing the next row of teeth into the carpet floor. As shown in FIG. 5, the force F a  exerted by the user on the pedals  12  is translated to the hinge point  22  of the floor lock  20 . The force F a  has a downward component F av  toward the floor and a forward component F ah  along the floor. The teeth  26  are angled forward relative to the tooth plane  36  and form an angle  40  that defines the angle of attack of the teeth  26  to the carpet surface. The angle  40  typically may range from about 10° to about 25°. As a result, the teeth  26  are not driven perpendicularly into the carpet, but engage at an angle to hook the carpet loops to provide better engagement and locking with the carpet floor. The floor lock  20  has a mass center of gravity at location  42 , and a moment arm r 1    44 A creating a moment Mr 1  that rotates the carpet lock down until it contacts the floor surface. Then, as the user applies force to the pedals, a reactive force, F r , resulting from tooth engagement with the carpet acting through the moment arm r 2    44 , creates a moment Mr 2  that forces the teeth  26  further into the carpet.  
         [0033]    As shown in FIG. 6, the pedal assembly  10  has a cavity  46  at the bottom for receiving the floor lock  20  by a hinge connection with the hinge points  22  disposed on opposite ends of the floor lock  20 . FIGS. 7 and 8 show the floor lock  20  received into the cavity  46 , desirably as far toward the front of the pedal assembly  10  (i.e., away from the user) as possible. The further to the front from the rotation point or pedal pivot  48  of the pedals  12  is the floor lock  20 , the better the function of the floor locking device  20  because the force exerted on the pedals  12  is transferred more effectively through a moment about the pedal pivot  48  to push the floor lock  20  downward against the floor. If the floor lock  20  is located toward the back of the pedal assembly  10  instead (i.e., toward the user), the force transfer to the floor lock  20  from the pedals  12  is less effective. Indeed, if the floor lock  20  is located near the pedal pivot  48  or rearward of the pedal pivot  48 , the moment about the pedal pivot  48  generated by applying forces on the pedals  12  may lift the floor lock  20  away from the floor instead of pushing it toward the floor. In some preferred embodiments, the hinge points  22  of the floor lock  20  are disposed forward of the pedal pivot  48 .  
         [0034]    Further, the longer the floor lock  20  extending across the widths of the pedals  12 , the better the function of the floor lock  20  in terms of locking and stabilizing the pedal assembly  10 . The long floor lock  20  minimizes rotation in a row direction about the center of the pedal assembly  10  as the user moves between the accelerator pedal and the brake pedal.  
         [0035]    As illustrated in FIG. 9A, the floor lock  20  is retained up inside the cavity  46  of the pedal assembly  10  in a recessed position by a latch  50 . When the floor lock latch  50  is disengaged, the force of gravity (mg) acts through the mass center  42  (FIG. 5) of the floor lock  20  to lower the floor lock  20  to an engagement position into contact with the floor by creating a moment around the hinge axis extending between the hinge points  22  on opposite ends of the floor lock  20 . In another embodiment as shown in FIG. 9B, a biasing spring  52  is coupled to the floor lock  20  to bias the floor lock  20  downward toward the floor. The biasing spring  52  is mounted around the hinge point  22  to rotate the floor lock  20  downward once the latch  50  is released. Other embodiments of the bias spring, which are not mounted about the pivot point  22 , are possible.  
         [0036]    As shown in FIG. 10, the initial contact occurs between the leading row of teeth  26   a  and the floor  60 . The weight mg (FIG. 5) of the floor lock  20  provides the initial interference with the floor  60  on which the input device  10  is resting. Due to the geometry of the floor lock&#39;s relatively short moment arm  44  (FIG. 5), a moment is created by the engagement of the teeth  26  with the carpet floor  60 . Similarly, a moment or torque is created by the engagement of the rubber pad  30  with the non-carpeted floor  70 , as illustrated in FIG. 11. As the applied force F a  of the user increases, the resistance to movement (resistive force F rh ) also increases by engaging more teeth  26  with the carpet floor  60 , as shown in FIG. 12 (or increasing the normal force F n  on the rubber pad  30  as seen in FIG. 11). The moment or torque causes the rotatable floor lock  20  to further engage the floor (e.g., between the teeth and the carpet floor or between the pad and a non-carpeted floor).  
         [0037]    The rotation of the floor lock  20  from the recessed position to the engagement position is not limited to the horizontal placement of the teeth  26  or rubber pad  30 . In the engagement position of the floor lock  20 , the teeth  26  or rubber pad  30  may be rotated beyond the horizontal plane, as illustrated in FIG. 13 and FIG. 14, respectively. This provides better grip or locking in certain situations. For instance, when the carpet is deep pile with a thick soft padding, the entire pedal assembly  10  can “rock” from front to back as the pedals  12  are pressed and released. This can cause the pedal assembly  10  to “walk” or “creep” away from the user. By allowing the floor lock  20  to rotate beyond the horizontal in the engagement position, the teeth  26  stay engaged with the carpet even if the back end  76  of the pedal assembly  10  rises up as a result of the sinking of the front end of the pedal assembly  10  into the soft, thick carpet, as seen in FIG. 13. Because the teeth  26  stay engaged with the carpet as the floor lock  20  adjusts its rotation in response to the rocking of the pedal assembly  10 , creeping of the pedal assembly  10  away from the user is eliminated or minimized. In another example involving the use of a pad  30 , a large force applied to the pedals  12  can cause the leading edge  80  of the pad  30  to roll under, thereby lifting the pedal assembly  10  slightly, as seen in FIG. 14. This creates a wedging resistance that is much higher than the horizontal resistance to movement by simple frictional contact between the pad  30  and the floor  70 , due to the greater forces pushing the pad  30  against the floor  70  in the rolled under position.  
         [0038]    Another rotational mechanism for rotatably connecting a floor lock  100  to the body of a pedal assembly  102  is illustrated in FIG. 15. A parallelogram or four-bar linkage mechanism includes two parallel links  106 ,  108  rotatably connected to the body of the pedal assembly  102  at link joints or pivot locations  107 ,  109 , respectively. The parallel links  106 ,  108  rotate between a recessed position inside a cavity  110  of the pedal assembly  102  and an engagement position  100 ′ for engaging the floor. FIG. 16 shows two such floor locks  100  disposed near opposite side edges of the pedal assembly  102 , spaced in the direction across the accelerator and brake pedals  112 . The floor lock  100  improves the retention of the pedal assembly  102  on the floor by increasing the gripping area (i.e., contact between the teeth or pad and the floor) and providing a resistance against side-to-side tilting or tipping forces produced when the user moves between the accelerator pedal and the brake pedal, as a result of spacing the two floor locks  100  across the accelerator and brake pedals  112 .  
         [0039]    The four-bar linkage mechanism allows the floor lock  100  to rotate downward from the recessed position to the engagement position in response to the horizontal component F ah  of the force F a  applied to the pedals  112 . A reaction force created by the interference of the floor lock  100  with the floor generates a torque about each of the link joints  107 ,  109 , causing the floor lock  110  to further engage the floor (e.g., between the teeth and the carpet floor or between the pad and a non-carpeted floor). As the user applies a greater force to the pedals  112 , the linkage generates a higher gripping force between the floor lock  100  and the floor.  
         [0040]    In another embodiment as shown in FIGS.  17 - 19 , the pedal assembly  120  includes a pair of floor locks  122 ,  124  disposed on the right and left sides near the forward edge of the pedal assembly  120 . Each floor lock  122 ,  124  may be similar in construction to the floor lock  20  of FIGS.  2 - 14 . In some embodiments, the left floor lock  122  extends to the left of the left pedal and the right floor lock  124  extends to the right of the right pedal for increased stability. In essence, the floor lock  20  of FIGS.  2 - 14  is split into two separate floor locks  122 ,  124 . This configuration increases the resistance against side-to-side tipping of the pedal assembly  120  when the user moves the foot from one pedal  126  to another. The left and right floor locks  122 ,  124  provide independent rotation of the left grip and right grip onto the floor  130 . Each floor lock reacts independently to the forces exerted on the pedal assembly  120 . When the force F a  is applied to the accelerator pedal on the right as shown in FIG. 18, the pedal assembly  120  tips to the right. The left floor lock  122  rotates downward more than the right floor lock  124  to compensate for this tipping movement and engage the floor  130 , thereby keeping the pedal assembly  120  firmly in contact with the floor  130 . Conversely, when the force F a  is applied to the brake pedal on the left as shown in FIG. 19, the pedal assembly  120  tips to the left. The right floor lock  124  rotates downward more than the left floor lock  122  to compensate for this tipping movement and engage the floor  130 , thereby keeping the pedal assembly  120  firmly in contact with the floor  130  across the width of the assembly  120 .  
         [0041]    In other embodiments, more than two floor locks may be provided. The floor locks may be arranged in different manners. For instance, the pedals may be oriented differently to produce horizontal force components in different directions. The floor locks can be arranged accordingly to counter the horizontal force components to maintain the pedal assembly in place during play. The floor locks may be rotatable around different axes that are parallel or nonparallel with each other.  
         [0042]    The above-described arrangements of apparatus and methods are merely illustrative of applications of the principles of this invention and many other embodiments and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the claims. For instance, the floor lock may have other configurations and shapes, and may be connected to the input device by different mechanisms in other embodiments. The scope of the invention should, therefore, be determined not with reference to the above description, but instead should be determined with reference to the appended claims along with their full scope of equivalents.