Extendible steering column

Claim 1

A steering mechanism for a vehicle having a firewall, and a steering valve and motor on the outside of said firewall, said mechanism comprising: a lower steering column portion fixedly mounted to extend through said firewall; a lower steering shaft portion rotatably mounted within said lower column portion and adapted to control said valve and motor; an upper steering column portion; means for pivotally mounting said upper column portion to said lower column portion for pivotal movement between a plurality of pivotal positions; means for manually locking said upper column portion in a selected one of said plurality of pivotal positions; an upper steering shaft portion rotatably mounted within said upper column portion; a universal joint connecting said upper and lower shaft portions about said pivotally mounting means; a quill shaft rotatably and slidably mounted in said upper column portion concentric to said upper shaft portion; a steering wheel fixed to said quill shaft; and means for releasably locking said upper shaft portion to said quill shaft whereby said steering wheel can be slidably adjusted between a plurality of operative positions, said releasibly locking means including cam means on said upper shaft portion, a reciprocating cam element mounted within said quill shaft, reciprocal movement of said cam element causing said cam means to force said cam element radially into engagement with said quill shaft for locking said upper shaft portion to said quill shaft, a cap rotatably mounted relative to said steering wheel, an elongated drive socket in said cap, and a screw member received in said drive socket and threadedly engaged with said cam element for reciprocation thereof whereby rotation of said cap in one direction releases said quill shaft from said upper shaft portion for slidable adjustment of said steering wheel, and rotation of said cap in the opposite direction locks said quill shaft to said upper shaft portion.