Patent ID: 6959622

Claim:
A tiltable steering column comprising: an upper steering wheel column member, a lower steering column member, a pivot connection between said upper and lower column members, whereby a steering wheel can be tiltably adjusted around the pivot connection to selected positions of adjustment; and a locking mechanism for retaining said column members in selected positions of adjustment, said locking mechanism comprising a rod trained between the column members, and a sleeve encircling said rod; said rod having a longitudinal axis; said rod having a first pivot means connecting the rod to one of the column members, and a second pivot means connecting the rod to the other column member; said second pivot means comprising a pivot shaft carried by said other column member and an axial slot in said rod slidable on said pivot shaft; said sleeve having a pair of opposed circumferential slots receiving said pivot shaft, each slot having first and second ends, the opposed slots are configured such that the first ends are co-axial and the second ends are axially offset whereby the shaft is perpendicular to the sleeve when the shaft is positioned in the first ends and non-perpendicular to the sleeve when the shaft is positioned in the second ends.