Machine element or mechanism – Flexible sealing diaphragm attached to moving rod and to casing – Pivoting or nutating rod
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-25
2003-02-25
Luong, Vinh T. (Department: 3682)
Machine element or mechanism
Flexible sealing diaphragm attached to moving rod and to casing
Pivoting or nutating rod
C074S018200, C074S470000, C074S566000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06523428
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a shift lever boot for a motor vehicle.
A shift lever for a motor vehicle with manual transmission is provided with a flexible shift lever boot. The shift lever is movable in two directions or in the cross and longitudinal directions of the motor vehicle, wherein the maximum angle of inclination is generally determined to be larger in the longitudinal direction than in the cross direction.
A shift lever boot of this type is disclosed, for example, in JP-U 59-19430. Referring to
FIG. 4
, this shift lever boot
30
includes a top face
36
having a hole
34
for a shift lever
32
and formed like concentric bellows with respect to the hole
34
, and a skirt
38
continuously connected to edges of the top face
36
and formed like bellows. Such bellows-like construction allows excellent followability upon operation of the shift lever
32
.
With the above shift lever boot
30
, however, the top face
36
is formed like concentric bellows with respect to the shift lever hole
34
, so that when the shift lever
32
gets the maximum angle of inclination in the longitudinal direction of the motor vehicle, the flexibility of the top face
36
becomes worse in the longitudinal direction than in the cross direction. Specifically, since the rigidity is locally increased in portions of the top face
36
where ridgelines of crests
40
and valleys
42
of the bellows are parallel with respect to the inclination of the shift lever
32
, the flexibility of the top face
36
is degraded in the longitudinal direction where the shift lever
32
has larger maximum angle of inclination relative to in the cross direction where the shift lever
32
has smaller maximum angle of inclination. This may result in occurrence of a clearance between the shift lever hole
34
and the shift lever
32
.
Referring to
FIG. 5
, air entering into the shift lever boot
30
from the clearance increases a volume of the shift lever boot
30
, pushing the shift lever hole
34
upward as shown in FIG.
5
. In this state, if the shift lever
32
is moved to the neutral position, the clearance between the shift lever hole
34
and the shift lever
32
disappears before fully evacuating air that entered into the shift lever boot
30
. Specifically, each shift operation increases a volume of the shift lever boot
30
, which moves the shift lever hole
34
upward. This may cause a buckling in a portion of the skirt
38
where the bellows is stretched as shown by a broken line C in
FIG. 5
, resulting in a possible fracture of the skirt
38
in this portion.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a shift lever boot for a motor vehicle that is free from the above inconvenience, and has improved durability.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A first aspect of the present invention lies in a boot adapted for a shift lever of a motor vehicle, wherein the shift lever is movable in cross and longitudinal directions of the motor vehicle, and wherein the boot comprises: a top face, the top face having a hole for the shift lever and edges, the top face being made of a material with flexibility, the top face having first and second portions with respect to the hole along the longitudinal direction of the motor vehicle, each of the first and second portions (G
1
, G
2
) exclusively including a plurality of crests and a plurality of valleys linearly extending along the cross direction of the motor vehicle, all ridgelines of the crests and the valleys being parallel with respect to the cross direction of the motor vehicle; and a skirt continuously connected to the edges of the top face, the skirt being formed like bellows, the skirt being made of the material with flexibility.
A second aspect of the present invention resides in a boot for a shift lever of a motor vehicle, wherein the shift lever is movable in cross and longitudinal directions of the motor vehicle, and wherein the boot comprises: a top face, the top face having a hole for the shift lever and edges, the top face being made of a material with flexibility, the top face exclusively including a plurality of crests and a plurality of valleys, the crests and the valleys linearly extending along the cross direction of the motor vehicle, all ridgelines of the crests and the valleys being parallel with respect to the cross direction of the motor vehicle; and a skirt continuously connected to the edges of the top face, the skirt being formed like bellows, the skirt being made of the material with flexibility, wherein the top face is of the same thickness as that of the skirt.
A third aspect of the present invention resides in a boot for a shift lever of a motor vehicle, wherein the shift lever is movable in cross and longitudinal directions of the motor vehicle, and wherein the boot comprises: a top face, the top face having a hole for the shift lever and edges, the top face being made of a material with flexibility, the top face exclusively including a plurality of crests and a plurality of valleys, the crests and the valleys linearly extending along the cross direction of the motor vehicle, all ridgelines of the crests and the valleys being parallel with respect to the cross direction of the motor vehicle; and a skirt continuously connected to the edges of the top face, the skirt being formed like bellows, the skirt being made of the material with flexibility, wherein the top face is of a smaller thickness than that of the skirt.
A fourth aspect of the invention resides in a boot for enclosing a portion of an automotive gear shift lever, the boot comprising: a rectangular cross-sectional corrugated skirt; and a rectangular top face formed at an upper portion of the rectangular cross-sectional corrugated skirt, the top face having first and second groups (G
1
, G
2
) of straight corrugations which are all parallel to each other, and a hole arranged between the first and second groups and adapted for a gear shift lever to extend therethrough.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3668938 (1972-06-01), Dimitry
patent: 4237998 (1980-12-01), Matayoshi
patent: 4522081 (1985-06-01), Mackin et al.
patent: 4732232 (1988-03-01), Miyagi et al.
patent: 4991457 (1991-02-01), Chen
patent: 5027665 (1991-07-01), Hayward
patent: 5311912 (1994-05-01), Hayward
patent: 5749261 (1998-05-01), Numakami
patent: 5975609 (1999-11-01), Campbell
patent: 0704336 (1996-04-01), None
patent: 59-19430 (1984-02-01), None
patent: 8-192652 (1996-07-01), None
patent: 10-264669 (1998-10-01), None
patent: 2000-247160 (2000-09-01), None
patent: 2001-55056 (2001-02-01), None
Kinugawa Rubber Ind. Co. Ltd.
Luong Vinh T.
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