Patent Application
20210405679
The present invention relates generally to aircraft sun visor systems, and more particularly to an attachment device for a sun visor thumb knob.
The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Most aircraft are equipped with some type of sun visor within the cockpit area to reduce UV rays, and to eliminate glare which can affect the pilot's ability to control the aircraft. Background
As shown, these systems typically include an elongated rail 2 that is mounted 3 along the upper portion of the cockpit, and has one or more sun visors 4 connected thereto. Each of these visors are secured onto the rail via a small thumb knob 5 that can be twisted by the pilot to allow the visor to slide along the length of the rail and/or pivot at different angles.
Unfortunately, the small diameter of these knobs poses problems for many pilots, as it is difficult to grasp. More specifically, many pilots note that it is difficult to impart a twisting force onto the knob with sufficient pressure to prevent unintended movement of the visor; whereas other pilots note that it is not uncommon for the knob to become stuck in place such that the pilot is unable to impart enough twisting force to loosen a frozen knob. In either circumstance, the pilot(s) are unable to effectively utilize the aircraft sun visor, and often resort to placing maps or other non-transparent articles onto the visor and/or windows to block the sun. Such actions are obviously dangerous, as the articles block the pilots view, and greatly diminish their situational awareness.
Accordingly, it would be beneficial to provide an attachment device for a sun visor thumb knob that can be utilized by pilots to overcome the problems described above.
The present invention is directed to an aircraft sun visor thumb knob attachment device. One embodiment of the present invention can include a generally cylindrical-shaped main body having a top end, a bottom end, and a continuous side wall that extends downward to define an interior space.
A plurality of protrusions can be positioned along the inside facing surface of the sidewall so as to extend within the interior space. The interior space can be manufactured to include a shape and size that is complementary to the shape and size of the grip portion of an aircraft sun visor control knob. Likewise, each of the protrusions include a shape and size that are suitable for positioning within the indentations of the control knob so as to impart a twisting force thereto.
One embodiment of the present invention can also include a grip assembly that is positioned along the top end of the main body. The grip assembly can include a support member that is communicatively linked to a pair of elongated tabs. Each of the tabs include functionality for transitioning between a horizontal position that is optimized for receiving and imparting a twisting force onto a control knob, and a vertical position that is optimized for receiving a non-rotational force for installing and removing the device from the control knob.
This summary is provided merely to introduce certain concepts and not to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter.
Presently preferred embodiments are shown in the drawings. It should be appreciated, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.
While the specification concludes with claims defining the features of the invention that are regarded as novel, it is believed that the invention will be better understood from a consideration of the description in conjunction with the drawings. As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention which can be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the inventive arrangements in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. Further, the terms and phrases used herein are not intended to be limiting but rather to provide an understandable description of the invention.
As will be described below, the present invention is directed to an attachment device for use with an aircraft sun visor thumb knob. Although illustrated with regard to a specific type or manufacturer, it is to be distinctly understood that the present invention has broader applications. As such, other embodiments of the attachment device can be manufactured to include shapes, sizes and/or dimensions that are complementary to and/or suitable for use with many other types of thumb knobs without undue experimentation and without departing from the invention claimed.
As described herein, the term “removably secured,” and derivatives thereof shall be used to describe a situation wherein two or more objects are joined together in a non-permanent manner so as to allow the same objects to be repeatedly joined and separated.
As described throughout this document, the term “about” “approximately” and “Substantially” shall be used interchangeably to describe a feature, shape or measurement of an identified component within a tolerance such as, for example, manufacturing tolerances, measurement tolerances or the like.
As described throughout this document, the term “complementary shape,” and “complementary dimension,” shall be used to describe a shape and size of a component that is identical to, or substantially identical to the shape and size of another identified component within a tolerance such as, for example, manufacturing tolerances, measurement tolerances or the like.
As shown, the device 10 can include a main body for receiving a control knob, and an adjustable grip assembly.
In one embodiment, the main body can include a generally cylindrical shaped member having a top surface 21, a bottom surface 22, and a continuous sidewall 23 extending from the top surface beyond the bottom surface 22. In the preferred embodiment, a plurality of ribbed edges 24 can be positioned along the entirety of the outside facing portion of the sidewall to assist in gripping.
As shown, the sidewall 23 and bottom surface 22 form a recess 25 along the underside of the device 10. A plurality of protrusions 26 are positioned along the inside facing portion of the sidewall 23 and extend within the recess 25. In the preferred embodiment, the recess 25 and protrusions 26 form a shape and size that is complementary to and/or fit directly onto the grip 5a of a control knob 5 such as the Standard Thumb Knob model RCBS-300-11M that is commercially available by Rosen Sunvisor Systems®, incorporated herein by reference.
The grip assembly can function to aid a user in operation of the device. In one embodiment, the grip assembly can a pair of elongated, generally rectangular-shaped tabs 31 and 32 each having a plurality of ribbed edges 33 along the side portions. Each of the tabs can include a flat distal end 31a and 32a, respectively, and cogged proximal ends 31b and 32b, respectively.
A support member 34 can extend upward from the center of the top surface 21. The support member including four dowels 35 for engaging openings 36 along the sides of the tabs. As shown by arrow a, when connected to the dowels, the interlocking cogged ends of the tabs permit uniform and simultaneous 90 degree movement of the tabs 31 and 32 about the dowels to transition between the horizontal orientation shown at
As shown at
Accordingly, the above described device provides users with the ability to selectively orient the tabs in a position that is optimized for rotational and non-rotational movement, so as to aid users in quickly and easily coupling the device to a control knob and utilizing the same.
As described herein, one or more elements of the attachment device 10 for an aircraft sun visor control knob can be secured together utilizing any number of known attachment means such as, for example, screws, glue, compression fittings and welds, among others. Moreover, although the above embodiments have been described as including separate individual elements, the inventive concepts disclosed herein are not so limiting. To this end, one of skill in the art will recognize that one or more individually identified elements may be formed together as one or more continuous elements, either through manufacturing processes, such as welding, casting, or molding, or through the use of a singular piece of material milled or machined with the aforementioned components forming identifiable sections thereof.
As to a further description of the manner and use of the present invention, the same should be apparent from the above description. Accordingly, no further discussion relating to the manner of usage and operation will be provided.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. Likewise, the terms “consisting” shall be used to describe only those components identified. In each instance where a device comprises certain elements, it will inherently consist of each of those identified elements as well.
The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.
