Patent Application
20190061709
This invention deals with parking brake assists for vehicles helping to reduce user discomfort or injury from deployment or disengagement of a parking brake. The apparatus of this invention reduce user discomfort and physical stress during operation of a parking brake.
Parking brakes can require approximately 30 scale pounds to engage or disengage manually. This inflicts physical stress on an operator's shoulder, elbow, and wrist leading to discomfort or injury. In some vehicles the brake must be engaged and disengaged multiple times over the period of a day's operation. This invention uses innovative ergonomic designs and commonly available materials to reduce operator discomfort and chance of injury.
Prior art patents known to the inventor herein include U.S. Pat. No. 6,634,195, issued to Lenz et al. on Oct. 21, 2003 which discloses an anti-theft device for preventing unauthorized release of the air brakes on a vehicle and U.S. Pat. No. 9,505,392, issued to Boesel et al. on Nov. 29, 2016 that deals with an air brake lock assembly helping to prevent air brakes from being engaged.
None of the above described parking brake devices disclose or show a device that can reduce operator discomfort or injury from parking brake operation.
Thus, what is disclosed and claimed herein is a parking brake assist for vehicles. The parking brake assist for vehicles comprises an elongated rod having a first end, a second end and a center point. The rod has at its first end a gripping cover. At its second end the rod has a rotatable mechanism comprising a mounting bracket for mounting this end onto a dashboard of a vehicle having parking brakes. The mounting bracket comprises a flat plate having a first and a second end. Each end has an opening therethrough to facilitate fastening to a vehicle dashboard. The flat plate also has two spaced-apart stanchions, with each stanchion having an opening therethrough near a top thereof for maintaining an insertable round bar therein with a retainer at each end. The second end of the elongated rod has a rolled configuration that is mounted on the insertable round bar and rotatable around it. There is also a claw mechanism mounted near the center point of the elongated rod and on its back configured to insert on a back side of a brake button control knob for a braking system on a vehicle.
Another embodiment of this invention is an elongated rod having a first end and a second end. On its first end there is mounted a rotatable knob. Its second end is mounted to a connector consisting of a splined screw that is itself mounted to a control rod for a braking system for a vehicle. The splined screw is rigidly mounted on a mounting bracket that is mountable on the dashboard of a vehicle having a braking system.
Yet another embodiment of this invention is a curved elongated rod having a first end and a second end. The first end is rigidly attached to a control rod for a brake system for a vehicle. The second end has a handle mounted to it. This handle is a standard parking brake button.
The rod 5 is mounted by a rotatable mechanism 13 to a bracket 7. The bracket 7 is flat plate with openings 8 at each end intended to be used for securing the bracket 7 to a vehicle dashboard. The means of securing the bracket 7 to the dashboard is preferably by means of shoulder bolts 27.
The bracket 7 has two stanchions 10 each having an opening 6 near the top 28. These openings 6 maintain an insertable round bar 11 therein having a retainer 9 at each end 29.
Detailed in
A claw mechanism 12 is mounted near the center point of the rod 5. This claw mechanism 12 is configured to insert on the back side 28 of a brake button control knob 24 for a braking system on a vehicle. This serves to secure the lever 5 to the control knob 24 so that the assist apparatus 1 may effectively engage or disengage the parking brake.
The rod 5, claw 12, and bracket 7, 9, 10, 11 may be manufactured of any suitably strong material, such as metal. Preferably the metal is selected from steel and aluminum, steel being the most preferred.
The lever mechanism 1 significantly reduces the physical force necessary to engage or disengage a parking brake, thereby reducing potential for user injury or discomfort.
The mounting bracket 16 is mountable on the dashboard 2 of a vehicle having a braking system. The bracket 16 may be mounted to a dashboard 2 preferably by means of shoulder bolts 22. Each end of the bracket 16 has a hole 15 to help facilitate mounting of the bracket to a vehicle dashboard 2.
The mounting bracket 16 and its associated components 1822, rod 19, and connector 32 are manufactured of any suitably strong material, such as metal. Preferably the metal is selected from steel and aluminum, steel being the most preferred.
This apparatus 14 serves to reduce the physical force necessary to be exerted on the part of a user in order to effectively engage or disengage a vehicle parking brake. This reduces risk of operator injury or discomfort resulting from parking brake operation.
The rod 25 has mounted on the end opposite the vehicle dashboard 2 a standard parking brake button 24. The length and curve of the rod 25 are so designed as to to allow for the parking brake button 24 to be positioned in such a manner as to make it more convenient for an operator to engage or disengage the parking brake. This helps to reduce operator discomfort or injury by reducing the distance one must reach in order to effectively engage or disengage a parking brake.
