Patent Application
20090158885
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to mechanical control levers, and more particularly, but without limitation, to a pedal extension apparatus for use with a mechanical control lever.
2. Description of the Related Art
Foot pedals (hereinafter pedals) are commonly included as an element of control levers that are found on automobiles, golf carts, and other machines. For example, a foot pedal may be used on control levers associated with an accelerator, a brake and/or a clutch of an automobile. The position between a pedal and an operator's seating position may be fixed or limited in adjustment, however. Thus, operators with short leg dimensions may not be able to reach the pedal and operate the control lever.
Pedal extensions are known in the art. Such pedal extensions typically attach to an existing pedal element of the control lever. Conventional pedal extensions have many disadvantages, however. For instance, known pedal extensions use nuts, bolts, wing nuts, screws, adjustable clamps, and/or other fasteners to mechanically join the pedal extension to the non-extended pedal element. But such fasteners may be difficult and/or time consuming for users to install and/or uninstall. Moreover, fasteners may loosen during operation, creating an unsafe condition for the operator, passengers, bystanders, or others.
One alternative is to permanently join a pedal extension to a control lever, for instance using a welding process. But such permanent attachment may be disadvantageous to a user who wishes to use the pedal extension only on a temporary basis. For instance, a short operator may share a vehicle with a tall operator. In addition, an operator may only use a vehicle on a temporary basis, for example when renting an automobile or golf cart.
For at least the foregoing reasons, an improved pedal extension apparatus is needed for use with mechanical control levers.
Embodiments of the invention provide a pedal extension apparatus that is configured to affix to a pedal without the use of a fastener.
An embodiment of the invention provides a pedal extension apparatus that includes: a platform configured to rest on a top surface of a pedal; and a vertical retainer coupled to the platform, the vertical retainer and a bottom surface of the platform configured to circumnavigate the pedal, the pedal extension apparatus not including a fastener.
Another embodiment of the invention provides a pedal extension apparatus that includes: a platform configured to communicate with a top surface of a pedal, the outside dimensions of the platform having the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped, the platform having a top side, a bottom side, a first short side, a second short side, a first long side, and a second long side; a first vertical retainer coupled to the first long side of the platform, the first vertical retainer having an L-shaped cross-section, the first vertical retainer configured to communicate with a bottom surface of the pedal; a second vertical retainer coupled to the second long side of the platform, the first vertical retainer having an L-shaped cross-section the second vertical retainer configured to communicate with the bottom surface of the pedal; and an endplate coupled to the first short side of the platform, the endplate configured to communicate with an end of the pedal, the pedal extension apparatus not including a fastener.
The present invention will be more fully understood from the detailed description below and the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Embodiments of the present invention will now be described more fully with reference to
At least a portion of the top surface of the platform 105 may include a non-skid surface 145. The non-skid surface 145 may be, for example, an etched surface of the platform 105. Alternatively, the non-skid surface 145 may be an applied surface, such as anti-slip tape having a grit sandpaper surface and adhesive backing. Such anti-slip tape is available in rolls or pre-cut strips from Uline Shipping Supplies and other retailers. The purpose of the non-skid surface 145 is to provide friction between the top surface of the platform 105 and, for instance, the bottom surface of an operator's shoe. At least a portion of a bottom surface of the platform 105 may also include a non-skid surface (discussed further below, but not shown in
The outside dimensions of the platform 105 may form a rectangular box (a/k/a a cuboid, a rectangular prism, or a rectangular parallelepiped). More generally, the platform 105 may be any parallelepiped (i.e., any hexahedron formed by six parallelograms), any hexahedron (i.e., any six-sided polyhedron), or any other three-dimensional shape that is configured to couple to a pedal. The platform 105, or its surfaces, need not be solid. In embodiments of the invention, the vertical retainer 115 has a u-shaped cross-section (visible in
The platform 105 may be constructed of any variety of materials, for example, metal or alloy tubing, and/or a non-metallic material. The endplate 110, the vertical retainer 115, and the horizontal retainers 120 and 125 may likewise be constructed of a metal or alloy plates, and/or a non-metallic material, according to design choice. As an example, each of the endplate 110, the vertical retainer 115, and the horizontal retainers 120 and 125 may be ⅛ inch thick 6063-T52 aluminum.
Variations to the configuration shown in
As shown in
The vertical retainer 115 is in communication with a bottom surface of the pedal 130, the horizontal retainer 120 is in communication with a side surface of the pedal 130, and the endplate 110 is in communication with an end surface of the pedal 130. A thickness of the platform 105 thus effectively extends a top surface of the pedal 130 toward an operator's seating position by a distance that is approximately equal to the thickness of the platform 105.
Variations to the embodiment illustrated in
The process welds the endplate 110, vertical retainer 115 and horizontal retainer 120 to platform 105 in step 415 to form a pedal extension assembly. In step 420, the process powder coats the pedal extension assembly to apply a hard protective finish. The powder coat material used in step 420 may be, for instance, a thermoset polymer or a thermoplastic. A non-skid surface is then applied to at least one surface of the pedal extension assembly in step 425 before the process terminates in step 430. Step 425 may include applying non-skid surface 145 to a top surface of the platform 105 and/or applying non-skid surface 140 to a bottom surface of the platform 105. Where the non-skid surfaces 140 and 145 are made with anti-slip tape, step 425 may include cutting the anti-slip tape to a desired size, and pressing an adhesive-backed side of the anti-slip tape onto the desired portion(s) of the platform 105.
Variations to the process flow illustrated in
Variations to the assembly illustrated in
Embodiments of the invention provide many benefits. For example, embodiments of the pedal extension apparatus effectively extend a top surface of a pedal toward an operator's seating position. Advantageously, in embodiments of the invention, the pedal extension apparatus is assembled to a pedal without the use of a fastener. Thus, the pedal extension apparatus can be installed or uninstalled quickly and easily.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications and variations can be made without deviating from the spirit or scope of the invention. For example, alternative features described herein could be combined in ways not explicitly illustrated or disclosed. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover any such modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
