Communications: electrical – Land vehicle alarms or indicators – Internal alarm or indicator responsive to a condition of the...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-07
2001-10-30
Pope, Daryl (Department: 2632)
Communications: electrical
Land vehicle alarms or indicators
Internal alarm or indicator responsive to a condition of the...
C340S441000, C340S466000, C340S936000, C340S961000, C340S457000, C116S112000, C116S334000, C116S057000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06310544
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally concerns analog metering devices having moving needles. The invention is particularly suitable as an add-on accessory to a speedometer or a tachometer.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Speedometers, tachometers, and similar devices provide critical information to drivers of motor vehicles. Use of the information provided by such an instrument, however, requires an operator to divert attention away from the environment in which the vehicle is being operated. Although only momentary, it is better that an operator rarely, if ever, need to divert attention away from the environment since reference of the environment surrounding the motor vehicle is critical to safety of operation.
Various devices have been previously developed to address this general concern. Cruise control, for example, automatically regulates the speed of a vehicle's operation to a desired speed. Operation of the cruise control requires at least one glance away from the environment to set the desired speed. In addition, cruise control has limited utility in situations involving significant traffic where a steady cruising speed cannot be obtained. A head-up display is another effort to provide drivers information without requiring a diversion of attention away from the environment. These displays have found limited acceptance and use in practice, though. These two techniques also represent techniques which typically must be installed as original equipment, or added on at significant expense. This further limits their application in practice.
U.S. Patent No. 3,980,041 to Evans seeks to provide an add-on speedometer speed warning indicator which could be applied to the clear cover of a speedometer without disassembly of the speedometer. The Evans device is a plastic plate which adheres to the cover of a speedometer such that once a critical speed is reached further acceleration of the vehicle will cause the needle in the speedometer to be hidden from view. Though this device obviates the need to disassemble a speedometer for use of the device, it fails to solve the problem of diverting an operator's attention away from the vehicle's operating environment. In addition, adjustment of the device is rather cumbersome since it requires removal of a plate and replacement with a differently conFIGUREd, recut or repositioned plate.
Thus, there is a need for an add-on accessory which alerts an operator when a critical value is indicated by the output of an analog metering device without requiring the operator to look at the analog meter. Such an add-on accessory should be adjustable so that the operator may readily and conveniently select a desired critical value. Such a device is provided by the present invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a self-contained accessory for an analog metering device such as a speedometer or tachometer. The accessory mounts to the clear cover of a metering device through adhesive, suction, or other suitable means. The accessory includes a selectively adjustable sensor which can be moved to a plurality of positions corresponding to operational positions of the needle of the analog metering device. A user aligns the sensor with one of the gradation marks of the metering device. An alarm preferably contained in the accessory will alert a user when the needle becomes aligned with the sensor.
The housing for the accessory is small enough that it doesn't obscure the information contained on the face of the metering device. The housing includes a power source and the alarm which is responsive to the sensor. Preferably, the sensor is mounted on a rotationally adjustable arm that extends from the housing. In the preferred embodiment, the alarm indicator is an audible indicator. However, it is contemplated that a visual or other suitable indicator may be used so long as it is able to catch the attention of an operator without requiring the user to look away from a vehicle's operating environment.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3980041 (1976-09-01), Evans
patent: 4095553 (1978-06-01), Ono et al.
patent: 4308527 (1981-12-01), Moreau et al.
patent: 4633803 (1987-01-01), Flowers
patent: 5554970 (1996-09-01), Mottahedeh
Cohen Marc S.
Greer Burns & Crain Ltd.
Pope Daryl
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