Deere + Company

Corwin L Klages

David Joseph Easton

Carl R Thompson

Eric P Hansotia

Norman E Muzzy

Ralph Westervelt

An adjustable armrest for use with an operator's seat on a vehicle includes a pair of pins which project laterally from a side of the seat. A generally rectangular frame has an open side which faces the seat. A pair of gear wheels mounted for rotation on the frame about its central axis. Each gear wheel has another bore which is offset from the central bore and which receives one of the pins. A drive gear drives a belt which rotates the gear wheels to move the drive gears and frame with respect to the pins. A knob is slidably and non-rotatably coupled to an end of a sleeve which, in turn, is fixed to the drive gear. The knob is rotatably and non-slidably coupled to an end of a shaft which is slidable in the sleeve. The other end of the shaft is coupled to a locking pawl. As spring urges the knob, shaft and pawl to a locking position wherein the pawl engages the gear wheels cylinders to prevent their rotation. The knob is movable against the spring to disengage the pawl from the gear wheels.

Adjustable armrest

A control switch assembly includes a housing having a base with an opening and a pair of side walls on opposite sides of the opening. An actuator member is rotatably mounted in the opening and has a body which forms a pocket. The pocket is open at one end and has a partially cylindrical bottom surface. A lever includes a body at least partially received by the pocket, an arm projecting from the body and an abutment surface. The body has a slot extending therethrough parallel to the pivot pin. The slot is elongated along an plane which is perpendicular to the pivot pin axis so that the pivot pin is slidably and rotatably received by the slot. The lever is slidable with respect to the pivot pin from a raised position wherein the body of the lever is spaced apart from the bottom surface of the pocket to a depressed position wherein the body of the lever engages the bottom surface of the pocket. A pair of springs are biassed to urge the lever to its raised position. A stop member projects from the housing and is engagable with the lever abutment surface to prevent pivoting of the lever in a first direction when the lever is in its raised position. The lever abutment surface being positioned to avoid engagement with the stop member as the lever is rotated in the first direction from its depressed position.

Switch assembly

A non-reversible thrust washer is provided. One corner of the thrust washer is curved to abut against a shoulder in the element to which the thrust is being transferred. The other portions of the thrust washers are held in a groove in the part from which thrust is being transferred. The groove is asymmetrical and the thrust washer is provided with a corresponding asymmetry so that the thrust washer cannot be inserted into the groove backwards. The thrust washer preferably is manufactured out of sintered powdered metal in a die having the curved portion formed in the die, with the punch having the asymmetrical portion formed in the punch.

Non-reversible thrust washer

An axle shaft retention structure includes a retainer ring trapped between a shoulder on an axle shaft and the inner end of a hollow sleeve which is a part of a universal joint. The hollow sleeve is attached to the axle shaft by a snap ring. The retaining ring is provided with spherical slots which receive the spherical inner ends of retaining screws extending through the axle housing. The retaining screws nest into the spherical slots in the retaining ring inward against an internal shoulder on an axle housing. The shoulder on the axle housing and retaining screws limit both axial and rotary movement of the retainer ring. Thus, end play, which is detrimental to oil seal life, is limited to a minimum.

Growing community of inventors

Cedar Falls, IA, United States of America

Corwin L Klages