Patent ID: 7229096

Claim:
An apparatus for absorbing energy in a collapsible steering column of a vehicle by being deformable in response to an excessive frontal impacting force to the steering column so that injury to a vehicle operator is reduced comprising: a first steering column member; a second steering column member connected to said first steering column member for sliding movement; a first anvil associated with a said first steering column member; a second anvil associated with said second steering column member; an energy absorbing member having a first portion extending around and operable to be drawn over said first anvil and a second portion extending around and operable to be drawn over said second anvil; and a locking device associated with said energy absorbing member and movable between a locked position locking one of said first and second anvils against an associated portion of said energy absorbing member for preventing said energy absorbing member from being drawn over said locked anvil and a released position separating one of said first and second anvils from an associated steering column member for allowing said energy absorbing member to be drawn over said separated anvil.