US4598603A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Steering wheel
Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Co Ltd
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Filing: 1984-08-28
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Granted: 1986-07-08
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Expires: 2004-08-28
Abstract
Abstract A steering wheel includes a steering shaft, column and pad sun gears mounted on the steering shaft for rotation relative thereto, a boss plate mounted on the steering shaft between the sun gears and rotatable in unison with the steering shaft, at least one bearing mounted on the boss plate and movable toward and away from a center of the boss plate, a planet shaft rotatably supported by the bearing, and column and pad planet gears mounted on opposite ends of the planet shaft and held in mesh with the column and pad sun gears, respectively, the planet gears having inner side surfaces rotatably held in contact with opposite outer side surfaces of the bearing.
Inventors
- 👤 Tetsushi Hiramitsu
- 👤 Hiroshi Sugita
- 👤 Satoshi Ono
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 06:58
CPC Classifications
B; B62; B62D; B62D1/00; B62D1/02; B62D1/04; B62D1/10; B62D1/105; B60; B60K; B60K35/00; B60K35/20; B60K35/21; B60K35/50; B60K35/60; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T403/00; Y10T403/61; Y10T74/00; Y10T74/19; Y10T74/19623; Y10T74/20; Y10T74/20207; Y10T74/20256; Y10T74/20576; Y10T74/20732; Y10T74/20834
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim
121 words
A steering wheel comprising: (a) a steering shaft; (b) column and pad sun gears mounted on said steering shaft for rotation relative thereto; (c) a boss plate mounted on said steering shaft between said sun gears and rotatable in unison with said steering shaft; (d) at least one bearing mounted on said boss plate and movable toward and away from a center of said boss plate; (e) a planet shaft rotatably supported by said bearing; and (f) column and pad planet gears mounted on opposite ends of said planet shaft and held in mesh with said column and pad sun gears, respectively, said planet gears having inner side surfaces rotatably held in contact with opposite outer side surfaces of said bearing.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
121 words
A steering wheel comprising: (a) a steering shaft; (b) column and pad sun gears mounted on said steering shaft for rotation relative thereto; (c) a boss plate mounted on said steering shaft between said sun gears and rotatable in unison with said steering shaft; (d) at least one bearing mounted on said boss plate and movable toward and away from a center of said boss plate; (e) a planet shaft rotatably supported by said bearing; and (f) column and pad planet gears mounted on opposite ends of said planet shaft and held in mesh with said column and pad sun gears, respectively, said planet gears having inner side surfaces rotatably held in contact with opposite outer side surfaces of said bearing.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
21 words
A steering wheel according to claim 1, wherein said boss plate has an attachment recess in which said bearing is disposed.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
30 words
A steering wheel according to claim 2, wherein said bearing has transversely spaced flanges held respectively against opposite outer side surfaces of said boss plate in a transverse direction thereof.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
28 words
A steering wheel according to claim 2, including an urging member for urging said bearing in a direction to press said planet gears respectively against said sun gears.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
69 words
A steering wheel according to claim 4, wherein said urging member comprises a pair of wires engaging an outer surface of said bearing on opposite outer side surfaces of said boss plate in a transverse direction thereof for urging said bearing, and a pair of coil springs integrally formed with said wires, respectively, between opposite ends thereof, said opposite ends of said wires being retained on said boss plate.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
32 words
A steering wheel according to claim 5, wherein said pair of wires has on one end thereof an engaging portion retained in a recess defined in a portion of said boss plate.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
24 words
A steering wheel according to claim 5, wherein said wires are longitudinally slidable with respect to said bearing and retained thereon against removal therefrom.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
49 words
A steering wheel according to claim 7, wherein said bearing has a pair of guide grooves defined in an outer side surface thereof and engaging said wires, and a cover covering said outer side surface of the bearing for preventing the wires from being detached outwardly from said bearing.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
37 words
A steering wheel according to claim 8, wherein said bearing and said cover are integrally formed through a hinge interposed therebetween, said cover being openable and closable by and about said hinge with respect to said bearing.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
41 words
A steering wheel according to claim 7, wherein said bearing has a pair of pipes on an outer side surface thereof with said wires extending through said pipes, respectively, said wires being slidable through said pipes with respect to said bearing.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
41 words
A steering wheel according to claim 4, further including a retainer for preventing said bearing from moving away from the center of said boss plate so that said planet gears will not be displaced out of mesh with said sun gears.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
42 words
A steering wheel according to claim 11, wherein said retainer comprises a leaf spring disposed in said attachment recess for engaging and pressing an outer surface of said bearing when the bearing is moved away from the center of said boss plate.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
41 words
A steering wheel according to claim 12, wherein said leaf spring is spaced from said outer surface of said bearing by a distance which is equal to or smaller than twice the module of said sun gears and said planet gears.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1989-07-07 | 1990-01-06 | 1990-07-08 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1993-07-07 | 1994-01-06 | 1994-07-08 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1997-07-07 | 1998-01-06 | 1998-07-08 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |