Shift boot support and bezel arrangement

Claim 1

In an outer boot cover and bezel frame assembly for a floor mounted manually operated vehicle transmission pivotal gear shift lever extending upwardly from an opening in a generally horizontal floor portion, wherein an improved attaching arrangement for said assembly comprising: a one-piece outer boot cover molded of elastomeric material having an upper flexible conical-shaped sheath portion tapering upwardly to a circular shift lever circular passage, an intermediate generally frusto-conical shaped flexible bellows portion formed with a plurality of convolutions having a generally rectangular shape in horizontal plan, each said bellows portion convolution having a generally rectangular outline in horizontal plan, and a lower composite laminated rigid base portion defined by a substrate core of sheet metal; said composite rigid base portion in the shape of an upstanding collar interconnecting a lower outwardly projecting foot flange adapted to be secured to said floor portion and an upper inwardly projecting rigid stop flange, said stop flange having interior opposed longitudinal and transverse edges defining a rectangular shaped opening having a predetermined length and width; said bellows portion having a series of flexible convolutions defined by alternating outer crests and inner troughs with the lower most crest terminating in a locking groove having a trough defined by planar upstanding flexible bight wall, said bight wall extending upwardly from said composite stop flange to its adjacent lower most convolute defining a predetermined groove height substantially equal to but slightly greater than the thickness of said bezel frame, with said bight wall having a rectangular exterior periphery determined by said rigid base portion stop flange rectangular shaped opening; said bezel frame having a rectangular shape in plan and formed with a central rectangular shaped aperture having a predetermined length and width substantially equal to but slightly greater than the length and width, respectively, of said base portion central rectangular opening, whereby with said bezel frame central opening receiving said shift lever and boot cover therethrough such that said lowermost of bellows convolution outer crest portion being resiliently deformed inwardly enabling said bezel frame to be moved downwardly until said bezel frame being seated on said base portion stop flange with its rectangular opening releasably engaging said locking groove.