Disabling device for a brake control device

Claim 1

A mechanical brake control device for a vehicle which includes a brake pedal and a clutch pedal, the device being compactly disposed substantially between said pedals and comprising, in combination, a housing with a bore therethrough, a connecting member movably disposed within said bore and operatively coupled to said brake pedal for movement therewith, a ball cooperating with said housing and said connecting member to selectively lock said connecting member to said housing, and a control assembly extending from said housing to said clutch pedal, said control assembly cooperating with the ball to maintain the ball in an inoperative position when said clutch pedal is in a rest position, said control assembly permitting said ball to move to an operative position when said clutch pedal is moved away from the rest position, and said ball being movable independently to an operative position solely in response to an angular elevation of the vehicle away from a horizontal setting, the ball directly engaging said connecting member and said housing in a wedging relation in the operative position to fix said connecting member in one direction relative to said housing when said brake pedal and said clutch pedal are moved away from their respective rest positions so that said brake pedal is retained in an applied position until said clutch pedal is returned to its rest position, thereby enabling a vehicle to remain stationary in the angular elevation without requiring the vehicle operator to hold said brake in the applied position, and means for selectively preventing said ball from moving to an operative position when said clutch pedal is moved away its rest position.