Cable flexible joint

Claim 1

A flexible cable assembly for connecting a vehicle accelerator pedal to an engine carburetor throttle valve lever, comprising a flexible Bowden wire type cable fixedly connected at one end to a first movable lever and at its opposite end to a second movable lever for operation of the latter lever upon movement of the first lever, a stationary rigid support bracket intermediate to the levers, and flexible joint means operably supporting the cable in the bracket in a manner permitting a variable bending of the cable between a normal position and a position approximately at a right angle from the normal position and return to the normal position, a sheath surrounding and protecting the cable and fixedly secured within the support bracket for non-relative movement between the cable and sheath and bracket, the flexible means including a soft pliable bendable sleeve slidably receiving the cable therein with a frictional fit and rigidly connected at one end to the bracket and having a portion protruding from the support bracket at its other end for approximately a major portion of its length to permit bending of the sleeve between the original and right angle positions and return without damage to the sleeve or cable, a rigid dust tube surrounding and spaced from the cable and axially spaced from the support bracket, and ball and socket type connecting means connecting one end of the tube to the protruding portion of the bendable sleeve for a limited swiveling movement of the tube relative to the sleeve to maintain the interconnection between the tube and sleeve while accommodating bending of the sleeve from its normal position, the sleeve being symmetrically formed at opposite ends with a dumbbell-like shape providing shoulder-type ball joints at opposite ends for anchoring the sleeve both to the support bracket and to the tube, the tube having a socket-like end having a bubble-like shape overlapping the shoulder of the sleeve ball joint, the diameters of the bubble-like end and contiguous sleeve shoulder providing an interference fit between the tube preventing separation during severe bending movement of the sleeve and tube while permitting angular tilting movement of the tube upon the sleeve.