Patent ID: 7524254

Claim:
A sliding contact guide comprising: an elongated supporting arm having a front face, a back face, a first side and a second side, all extending longitudinally from a front end toward a back end, the first side having a first set of longitudinally spaced notches, and the second side having a second set of longitudinally spaced notches; an elongated, synthetic resin, shoe positioned on the front face of the elongated arm, the shoe having a surface against which an endless power transmission is slidable, the shoe having front and back ends adjacent the front and back ends of the arm respectively, and opposite first and second longitudinal edges adjacent the first and second sides of the arm respectively, each of said first and second longitudinal edges extending from the front end to the back end of the shoe, the shoe having a first set of protrusions consisting of a plurality of protrusions each extending from its first longitudinal edge into a notch of the first set, and a second set of protrusions consisting of a plurality of protrusions each extending from its second longitudinal edge into a notch of the second set, the protrusions of the first set being all of the protrusions extending from said first longitudinal edge into notches in said first side of the supporting arm, and the protrusions of the second set being all of the protrusions extending from said second longitudinal edge into notches in said second side of the supporting arm; wherein each of a plurality of the protrusions of the first set is an L-shaped protrusion having a leg engaged with the back face of the arm; and wherein a protrusion of the second set, longitudinally spaced from the L-shaped protrusions of the first set and disposed adjacent one end of the shoe, is also an L-shaped protrusion having a leg engaged with the back face of the arm, and each remaining protrusion of the second set is a strip-shaped protrusion extending substantially entirely in a direction perpendicular to the front face of the supporting arm and thereby being capable of moving into and out of a notch of the second set of notches along a direction substantially perpendicular to said front face upon a twisting movement of the shoe; whereby the shoe is held against longitudinal and lateral movement relative to the supporting arm by cooperation of the notches with the protrusions, and held against movement away from the front face of the supporting arm by engagement of legs of the L-shaped protrusions with the back face of the arm.