Patent Application
20060162486
The present invention relates to braking systems and, more particularly, to a brake pedal apparatus for inhibiting and/or preventing items from becoming lodged under the pedal.
In recent years, little improvement has been undertaken to provide a pedal apparatus that would protect a potentially dangerous area beneath a moving pedal, such as a brake or clutch pedal. Many recent deaths have been blamed on objects becoming lodged beneath the brake pedal in both commercial and personal vehicles. See, for example, “Coffee mug jammed brakes”, New York Times, Jun. 1, 2004 article. To this day, current pedal assembly designs do not offer any protection to the potentially dangerous area that resides beneath the pedals. The direction of many recent inventions target the structural design in keeping the brake pedal from seizing or immobilizing during a vehicular accident. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,632,184. Attempts to replace the mechanics of a brake system and incorporate electronics have also been made. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,033,039. Improvements have also be made to redesign the area around the pedal assembly to increase the functionality of existing pedal assemblies, as well as configuring the assemblies for easy installation. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,829,317.
As is apparent from the above discussion, much of the work that has occurred in recent years to pedal designs has not been directed to preventing items from becoming lodged underneath the pedal. A need, therefore, exists for an improved pedal design that inhibits such dangerous occurrences.
The present invention is directed to a pedal safety apparatus for incorporation into a conventional pedal assembly. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a pedal apparatus that will protect the potentially dangerous zone beneath a pedal assembly.
The utility of the pedal safety apparatus will serve to restrict objects from becoming lodged between a pedal and the floorings beneath the pedal. The apparatus is designed to not cause any excess or additional resistance when attempting to compress the pedal. The apparatus preferably has no mechanically moving parts. Due to the unreliability and cost factor, the apparatus will not utilize any electronics. It is designed to serve the primary purpose of inhibiting objects from becoming lodged beneath a moving pedal, by creating a barrier, so as to make this potentially dangerous area inaccessible.
The foregoing and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent in light of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments thereof, as illustrated in the accompanying figures. As will be realized, the invention is capable of modifications in various respects, all without departing from the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and the description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive.
For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the drawings a form which is presently preferred; it being understood, however, that this invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed on illustrating the principles of the present invention.
To describe the present invention more in detail, an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with references made to the drawings below. Referring to
The pedal safety apparatus includes a collapsible boot 1, preferably made from a strong, durable, flexible/resilient, rubber-like or a breathable material. Those skilled in the art would readily appreciate that various other materials can be used in the present invention in place of rubber. The boot 1 is preferably formed with circumferential ribs or pleats similar in look to a bellows. The pleats permitting controlled compression of the boot. The pedal safety apparatus' boot 1 is securely adhered or attached to an upper mounting bracket or directly to a conventional pedal 6. Preferably the attachment is provided by attaching an adhesion area 5 to the bottom surface of the pedal 6 through use of an adhesive. Other forms of attachment may be used. For example, a VELCRO hook and loop type fastener may be used to releasably attach the boot 1 to the pedal 6. (VELCRO is a trademark of Velcro, Inc.) The boot 1 may alternatively be fastened to the pedal 6 using any conventional fastener, such as a screw.
The pedal safety apparatus' boot 1 is securely attached to a lower mounting bracket or base 2. The base 2 includes air vents 3. As will become apparent below, the vents 3 allow for proper venting of fluids, such as gasses, from within the boot 1 in order to ensure that no excess resistance is caused when compression of the pedal 6 and its support arm 7 is performed. While the illustrated embodiment includes air vents 3 in the base 2, it is also contemplated that the boot 1 could be made from a breathable material or include vents so as to permit venting of air from the boot.
The incorporation of a flexible boot 1 is intended to provide a protective shield without interfering with the normal operation of a pedal assembly or changing a user's driving habits. The base 2 is securely attached to the floor 11 or flooring below the pedal 6. Preferably the attachment is provided by attaching an adhesion area 4 to the floor 11 through use of an adhesive. Other forms of attachment may be used. For example, a VELCRO-type hook and eye fastener may be used to releasably attach the base 2 to the floor 11. The base 2 may alternatively be fastened to the floor 11 with conventional fasteners, such as nut and bolt combination or screws.
It is also contemplated that the pedal safety apparatus of the present invention can be formed as part of the conventional pedal assembly. For example, brackets may be formed on the bottom of the pedal 6 onto which the boot 1 is clipped or snapped, The boot 1 of the present invention can be attached to the pedal 6 and/or the pedal support arm 7 of the device, machine or vehicle or the boot 1 can be molded to fit around the pedal 6 so as to essentially form one unit.
When reference is made to the term compression with respect to the pedal, it is referring to the actuation or depression of the pedal 6 towards the floor of the device, machine or vehicle, whether the movement is a pivoting of the pedal support arm 7 about its mounting point to the vehicle or a vertical downward motion of the pedal itself to the floor caused by the application of pressure to the pedal 6. When reference is made to the pedal assembly, it refers to the combination of the pedal 6 and the pedal support arm 7.
The purpose that the present invention will serve is to protect the potentially hazardous area beneath the pedal assembly. This area includes any region wherein an object could become lodged or stuck between a pedal and the flooring 11 beneath. The present invention will perform this task by inhibiting access to the vacant space between the pedal 6 and the floor 11.
The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof and, accordingly, reference should be made to the appended claims, rather than to the foregoing specification, as indicating the scope of the invention.
