Patent ID: 8187107

Claim:
A quick disconnect yoke assembly, the yoke assembly comprising: a yoke adapted to engage a universal joint; a bore formed along a longitudinal axis of the yoke, a shaft comprising a splined portion having a plurality of teeth and a circumferential groove disposed adjacent the splined portion, wherein the splined portion is adapted to be received into the bore; and a disconnect lever pivotably coupled to the yoke about a longitudinal hinge and pivotable between a first position and a second position, the disconnect lever having a first arm and a second arm, wherein in the first position, the first arm engages the circumferential groove of the shaft such that if an outward longitudinal force is applied to the shaft, a surface of the first arm contacts a surface of one of the plurality of teeth of the splined portion of the shaft, thereby locking the shaft within the yoke, and wherein an inward radial force applied to the second arm causes the disconnect lever to pivot to the second position such that if an outward longitudinal force is applied to the shaft, the surface of the first arm does not contact the surface of the one of the plurality of teeth of the splined portion of the shaft, thereby allowing the shaft to be removed from or inserted into the yoke, and wherein a line connecting a center point of the hinge and a center line of the shaft intersects a portion of a distal end of the first arm of the disconnect lever.