Wescon Products Company

Marvin L Cox

Anthony F Beugelsdyk

Michael A Barnard

Gary P Israel

Arthur L Urban

Ted E Deubner

Donald R Novak

Boris Boltak

A cable control assembly is beneficially adapted for shifting controllable mechanisms, such as a power take-off unit, between two conditions, an initial position and an actuated position. The cable control assembly preferably includes a housing, a handle extending from the housing, a driving member, a driven member, and a locking member such as a pawl. Upon shifting of the handle from an initial position to an actuated position, the driving member shifts the driven member, which is operatively coupled to the control cable. Upon reaching the actuated position, the locking member holds the driven member in the actuated position without transmitting a tensioning force applied to the control cable to the driving member. Return of the driving member in a direction toward the initial position automatically causes the locking member to move free of the driven member and enable return of the driven member and control cable to the initial position without other unlocking steps.

Self locking cable control apparatus

A conduit guide clip is provided which includes a receiver and a single arm extending therefrom is provided for mounting to a tubular support such as the handlebar of a walk-behind lawn mower. The guide clip further includes a mounting post, which is inserted into a hole in the tubular support. The arm is curved to wrap around and clamp an arcuate inner surface of the receiver against the tubular support after installation. The mounting post is positioned to extend from the arcuate inner surface, and the arm includes a rearwardly swept remote edge and located whereby no portion of the arm is positioned to intersect the longitudinal axis of the mounting post.

Conduit guide clip

A method and apparatus for two motion cable engagement includes a housing adapted for attachment to a tubular member such as a handlebar or the like of a walk-behind lawnmower, a lever assembly pivotably mounted to the housing, and a socket operatively connectable to the lever assembly and actuatable by a deadman handle. The lever assembly preferably includes a lever, a hub connected to the lever, and a pivotable member which is selectively pivotably driven by the hub. When the socket is pivoted by the deadman handle from a primary position to an engaged position, movement of the lever from an initial position to an advanced position produces pivoting of the pivotable member and a control cable attached thereto. With the socket remaining in the engaged position, the lever may be permitted to return to the initial position, and the pivotable member remains advanced and held by the socket, keeping the control cable in the actuated condition until the deadman handle is released, whereupon tension on the control cable causes the pivotal member returned to its initial position and permits the control cable to extend and deactivate a controllable mechanism to which it is attached.

Apparatus for two-motion cable engagement

A remote control assembly ( ) for controlling a valve or similar equipment is provided which includes a case ( ) having an internal, pivotal lever ( ) presenting first and second alternately usable spaced apart lever couplers ( ), together with a shiftable output rod ( ) selectively and alternately connectable with one or the other of the lever couplers ( ). A control handle ( ) is operatively coupled with the lever ( ) and extends out of the case ( ), with the handle ( ) being movable in order to pivot the lever ( ) about an axis ( ) to thereby shift the output rod ( ). The control handle ( ) is located in a first rest position when one lever coupler ( ) is employed, and a second, different rest position when the other lever coupler ( ) is used. The case ( ) is made up of case halves ( ) each differently configured to have differently located rest position stops ( and ) thereon, so that the assembly ( ) may be assembled or field-modified with the handle ( ) assuming different rest positions and/or handle locked positions, without the need for different or additional component parts.

Composite remote valve control

A conduit guide fitting is provided which economically permits mounting a Bowden cable to a mounting bar of a lawn mower or the like. The conduit guide fitting includes a receiver adapted to receive the sheath of the Bowden cable therein and allows the control cable to pass through the receiver for connection to a shiftable control. A projection extends at an oblique angle to the fitting and is adapted to fit in a hole in the mounting bar so as to both hold the cable in position and permit pivoting of the receiver as the control is shifted.

Conduit guide fitting

A remote valve control apparatus includes a single lever connected to a pair of valve actuators so that two valves can be operated in conjunction with one another from a remote location to carry out plural functions simultaneously. The apparatus includes a housing presenting a pair of elongated cavities within which the actuators are received, and the housing is constructed of a pair of molded housing elements each forming one half of the housing. The housing elements are exactly identical to one another such that a single mold shape can be used to form both elements. The lever is supported on the housing for universal pivotal movement so that upon manipulation of the lever, the actuators are shifted axially between non-actuated and actuated positions. The direction and extent of movement of each actuator is dependent on the direction and extent of movement of the lever relative to the housing.

Remote valve control apparatus

A control lever assembly includes a mounting bracket on which a control lever and detent plate are supported. The bracket presents a generally planer sliding surface in which a detent element is formed. The control lever and detent plate are supported on the bracket for movement across the sliding surface, and the detent plate includes a finger that is supported for pivotal movement about an axis extending in a direction parallel to the sliding surface. A pair of opposed side walls are provided on the detent plate for guiding the pivotal movement of the finger while preventing the finger from shifting relative to the plate along the pivot axis of the finger. A spring is provided for biasing the finger against the sliding surface so that when the lever is pivoted to a position in which the finger is aligned with the detent element, the finger is forced into engagement with the element and holds the lever in that position.

Control lever assembly

An attachment apparatus is provided for attaching an elongated shaft to a structural element, wherein the shaft defines a longitudinal axis, and the structural element includes an opening through the structural element which defines a central axis extending in a direction generally perpendicular to the axis of the shaft. The apparatus includes a helical coil of wire having a central coiled section and opposed end sections protruding from the coiled section, an inner space defined by the coiled section that is sized to grip the shaft and to prevent relative axial movement between the helical coil and the shaft when the coil is mounted on the shaft, and a fastening assembly for fastening the apparatus to the structural element when at least one end section is inserted into the opening. The apparatus is mounted on the elongated shaft by rotating the opposed end sections so that the coiled section unwinds, increasing the diameter of the inner space to a point where it is slightly larger than the cross-sectional diameter of the shaft. The elongated shaft is inserted through the inner space to a desired position relative to the apparatus, and the opposed end sections are rotated so that the coiled section rewinds, decreasing the diameter of the inner space until the shaft is firmly retained through the apparatus. In a preferred embodiment, the fastening assembly includes hook-shaped tips defined by the opposed end sections, and spaced-apart by a distance greater than the diameter of the opening.

Support means for conduit

Screwdriver

A screwdriver includes an elongated shaft including a first engagement surface, and a handle including a second engagement surface opposing the first surface. The handle receives the shaft and allows limited axial movement of the shaft relative to the handle in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the shaft between a rotation transmitting position in which the first and second engagement surfaces are in contact with one another during rotation of the handle and a disengaged position in which the first and second engagement surfaces are out of contact with one another during rotation of the handle. The first and second engagement surfaces mate with one another to prevent relative sliding movement between the surfaces when they are in contact with one another so that the handle and shaft rotate together when the shaft is in the rotation transmitting position. The shaft rotates freely relative to the handle when the shaft is in the disengaged position, and is biased toward the disengaged position.

Growing community of inventors

Wichita, KS, United States of America

Marvin L Cox