The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 14, 1987
Filed:
Aug. 18, 1986
Charles F Gray, Jr, Fond du Lac, WI (US);
Gary L Meisenburg, Fond du Lac, WI (US);
Alvin Zemlicka, Sheboygan, WI (US);
Brunswick Corporation, Skokie, IL (US);
Abstract
A marine drive (10) is provided with a shift mechanism (200) including a detent canister assembly (202). A cylindrical canister (204) contains a ball (206) biased by a pair of concentric springs (208 and 210) into engagement with a shifter lever arm (124) to center the latter in a neutral position. The canister assembly (202) is a self-contained modular unit inserted into the marine drive housing (23). The cylindrical canister (204) has a left end wall (214) with an aperture (216) therethrough and has an open right end containing the ball (206). The first spring bears (208) at its right end against the ball (206) and extends axially leftwardly through the aperture (216) in the left end wall (214) of the canister (204) and bears at its left end against the housing (23). The second outer concentric spring (210) bears at its right end against the ball (206) and is entirely within the canister ( 204) and bears at its left end against the left end wall (214) of the canister (204). Upon axial leftward depression of the ball (206) by the shift lever arm (124), the first inner spring (208) compresses and the canister (204) moves axially leftwardly until the left wall (214) of the canister (204) strikes the housing wall (218) to close a tolerance-accommodating gap (220), whereafter both springs (208 and 210) compress during further leftward depression of the ball (206). Particular constructional details of the shift lever arm (124) are also disclosed.