Selector lever position indicator for motor vehicle automatic transmission system

Claim 1

A shift lever position indicator for a motor vehicle transmission, comprising; a casing disposed to be mounted on a floor wall of a motor vehicle thereof, the casing having an upper curved wall having a first central slot, and a pair of windows having identical dimensions and being symmetrical to one another with respect to and on opposite sides of said first central slot, a lower curved wall in the casing having a second central slot, coextensive with said first central slot, the slots enabling a shift lever to extend therethrough and to be moved along the slots for positioning a motor vehicle transmission system; an opaque plate member normally snugly fitted into one of the windows; a patterned plate member normally snugly fitted into the other window and having transparent indicating pattern portions, each contoured to represent a position of the lever and transmission system, the opaque and patterned plate members having identical dimensions to enable each to be interchangeably snugly fitted into either of the two windows; a light source within the casing, beneath the patterned plate member; guide means on the lower wall extending along the second central slot; a curved slide member having an opening in a central portion thereof disposed to receive a shift lever and slidably mounted in the guide means to enable positioning of the slide member by a shift lever; and a translucent indicating member rigidly secured to the slide member, overlying said source, underlying said patterned plate member, having a distinctively light-transmissive portion juxtaposed with said opening of the slide member, said portion having such extent, longitudinally of the indicating member, as to coincide with one of the transparent pattern portions in each position of the slide member and indicating member.