Cruise control apparatus for hand grip throttle control

Claim 2

Cruise control apparatus for a hand grip throttle mechanism rotatably mounted on a handlebar comprising: an annular collar positioned on the outer periphery of the hand grip for rotation therewith, said collar having a gripping surface formed around the outer periphery thereof; and holding means non-rotatably mounted on the handlebar for engaging and selectively holding the gripping surface and hand grip at any desired throttle setting, said holding means including non-rotatable retaining means encircling the handlebar in position for engagement with the gripping surface, the retaining means being movable between a released position, wherein the collar is freely rotatable with respect to the retaining means, and an actuated position, wherein the retaining means is clamped on the gripping surface so as to hold the hand grip at a given throttle setting, said holding means further comprising manual actuation means for selectively moving the retaining means between its released and actuated positions.

Claim 3

Cruise control apparatus according to claim 1 wherein: the gripping surface is an annular groove formed in the outer periphery of the collar; and the retaining means comprises ring means that fits in and slidably rides in the groove, the tension of the ring means in the groove being variable by the manual actuation means so as to clamp or release the ring means in the groove.

Claim 4

Cruise control apparatus according to claim 2 wherein: the ring means has at least one open section, with two ends of the ring means being spaced apart and facing each other across said open section; and the manual actuation means engages the two ends and acts to clamp and release the ring means by squeezing the ends together and spreading the ends apart, respectively.

Claim 5

Cruise control apparatus according to claim 3 wherein: the ring means comprises tabs extending outwardly from each of said ends; and the manual actuation means comprises: a fastener that extends from an outer end slidably through an opening in one tab to an inner end that is attached to the other tab; a resilient biasing means urging the tabs apart; a manually actuatable cam means attached to the outer end of the fastener so as to resist the spreading of the tabs apart, said cam means having a released position, wherein the tabs are spread apart far enough to let the ring means slide freely in the groove, and a locked position, wherein the tabs are urged together a sufficient distance to clamp the ring means on the collar, said cam means including manually operable lever means for moving the cam between its actuated and released positions.

Claim 6

Cruise control apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the holding means further comprises a bracket mounted in a fixed position on the handlebar and a stationary control arm extending from the bracket into rotation preventing engagement with the ring means.

Claim 7

Cruise control apparatus according to claim 4 wherein the holding means further comprises: a bracket fastened securely to the handlebar; and a stationary control arm having an inner end attached to the bracket and an outer end holding the ring means in a fixed angular position, the outer end of the control arm being rotatably attached to the lever means at the axis of rotation of the lever means.

Claim 8

Cruise control apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the ring means comprise a split ring formed in two opposing curved sections with tabs extending outwardly from each end of each section, both sets of opposed tabs being connected together by fastening means that permit movement of the tabs together and apart but limit the maximum distance that the tabs may be spread apart, each pair of opposed tabs also including resilient biasing means urging the tabs apart, one set of tabs being connected to the actuation means, the actuation means serving to vary the distance said set of tabs may be moved apart by said resilient biasing means, said actuation means holding the tabs closely enough together to clamp the split ring on the collar when the actuation means is in its actuated position and said actuation means allowing the tabs to be spread apart far enough such that the split ring slides on the collar when the actuation means is in its released position, the fastener interconnecting the other set of tabs being adjustable to vary the distance between the tabs.

Claim 9

Cruise control apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the holding means clamps the hand grip with sufficient force when in its actuated position to prevent the collar from undesired rotation, but the force is small enough to permit intentional manual movement of the hand grip throttle while the apparatus is actuated.

Claim 10

Cruise control apparatus for a hand grip throttle rotatably mounted on the end of a handlebar comprising: an annular collar fastened securely on the hand grip for rotation therewith, said annular collar having an annular groove extending around the outer periphery thereof; a slip ring retainer slidably mounted in the groove, said slip ring retainer having at least one open section therein, with ends of the slip ring retainer being spaced apart and facing each other across said open section, the open section being sufficiently wide such that if the ends are moved toward each other, the ring will snugly and non-rotatably engage the groove before the ends meet, the slip ring retainer further comprising tabs extending outwardly from the ends thereof; fastener means extending between the tabs for limiting the distance the tabs may be spread apart, said fastener means having a head at one end outside the open section and extending slidably through an opening in one tab to an inner end, said fastener means including attaching means holding the inner end in a predetermined position with respect to the other tab, the head of the fastener being flattened in a plane lying in the axis of the fastener and having a perpendicular hold therethrough; resilient biasing means between the tabs urging the tabs apart; an elongated cam lever having a cam at an inner end and a manually engagable surface at an outer end, said cam lever having a groove in the inner end such that the head of the fastener fits in the groove, the sides of the cam lever adjacent the groove fitting over each side of the fastener, an opening being formed in said sides such that the opening mates with the opening in the head of the fastener, a second fastener extending through all three openings such that the cam lever is pivotably mounted about the axis of said second fastener, the inner end of the cam lever in engagement with the tab of the slip ring retainer and including a cam surface such that when the cam lever is in a first angular position the tabs are urged far enough apart to permit the slip ring retainer to slide freely in the groove, and when the cam lever is in a second angular position, the cam urges the tabs together sufficiently to cause the slip ring retainer to become clamped on the collar, the cam lever being easily movably between its first and second positions by manually moving the lever at the outer end, the cam surface being formed such that the cam lever remains in its first or second position until manually moved to the other position; a bracket attached securely to the non-rotatable handlebar; and a stationary control arm means attached to the bracket at an inner end thereof and extending into supporting engagement with the slip ring retainer, the control arm means having a threaded axial opening in the outer end that is threaded on the end of the second fastener after it passes through the fastener and the cam lever, the control arm means preventing rotation of the slip ring retainer with respect to the handlebar.

Claim 11

Cruise control apparatus for a hand grip throttle rotatably mounted on the end of a handlebar comprising: an annular collar fastened securely on the hand grip for rotation therewith, said annular collar having an annular groove extending around the outer periphery thereof; a slip ring retainer slidably mounted in the groove, said slip ring retainer having at least one open section therein, with ends of the slip ring retainer being spaced apart and facing each other across said open section, the open section being sufficiently wide such that if the ends are moved toward each other, the ring will snugly and non-rotatably engage the groove before the ends meet, the slip ring retainer further comprising tabs extending outwardly from the ends thereof; fastener means extending between the tabs for limiting the distance the tabs may be spread apart, said fastener means having a head at one end outside the open section and extending slidably through an opening in one tab to an inner end, said fastener means including attaching means holding the inner end in a predetermined position with respect to the other tab, the head of the fastener being flattened in a plane lying in the axis of the fastener and having a perpendicular hold therethrough; resilient biasing means between the tabs urging the tabs apart; an elongated cam lever having a cam at an inner end and a manually engagable surface at an outer end, said cam lever having a groove in the inner end such that the head of the fastener fits in the groove, the sides of the cam lever adjacent the groove fitting over each side of the fastener, an opening being formed in said sides such that the opening mates with the opening in the head of the fastener, a second fastener extending through all three openings such that the cam lever is pivotably mounted about the axis of said second fastener, the inner end of the cam lever in engagement with the tab of the slip ring retainer and including a cam surface such that when the cam lever is in a first angular position the tabs are urged far enough apart to permit the slip ring retainer to slide freely in the groove, and when the cam lever is in a second angular position, the cam urges the tabs together sufficiently to cause the slip ring retainer to become clamped on the collar, the cam lever being easily movably between its first and second positions by manually moving the lever at the outer end, the cam surface being formed such that the cam lever remains in its first or second position until manually moved to the other position; a bracket attached securely to the non-rotatable handlebar; and a stationary control arm means attached to the bracket at an inner end thereof and extending into supporting engagement with the slip ring retainer, the control arm means having a threaded axial opening in the outer end that is threaded on the end of the second fastener after it passes through the fastener and the cam lever, the control arm means preventing rotation of the slip ring retainer with respect to the handlebar.

Claim 12

Cruise control apparatus according to claim 9 wherein the slip ring retainer comprises a split ring having sections that fit on opposite sides of the annular collar, each curved section having outwardly extending tabs on each end thereof, the sections being formed such that both pairs of tabs are spaced apart when the sections are mounted in the groove, one pair of tabs defining said one open section and the second pair of tabs defining a second open section, a third fastener extending from a head slidably through an opening in one of said second pair of tabs into threaded engagement with the other of said second pair of tabs, a resilient biasing means being positioned between the second pair of tabs and urging said second pair of tabs apart, rotation of the third fastener providing a means for adjusting the spacing of the two sections of the split ring retainer in the groove.

Claim 13

Cruise control apparatus according to claim 10 wherein the split ring is formed and positioned on the collar such that the actuation of the cruise control apparatus by moving the cam lever to its second position holds the hand grip throttle at its desired setting with a sufficiently limited force so as to permit manual movement of the hand grip throttle while the cruise control apparatus is actuated.