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:
Jun. 18, 1996
Filed:
May. 30, 1995
Douglas M Schneider, Bridgeport, MI (US);
General Motors Corporation, Detroit, MI (US);
Abstract
An adjustable motor vehicle steering column including a mast jacket moveable between a plurality of positions and a position control apparatus including a stationary bracket, a moveable bracket attached to the mast jacket parallel to the stationary bracket, a manually actuated primary clamp on the stationary bracket operative when closed to squeeze together the moveable and stationary brackets for frictional retention of the position of the mast jacket and when open to release the stationary and moveable brackets for adjustment of the position of the mast jacket, and a secondary clamp which automatically increases the clamping force on the stationary and moveable brackets in response to the onset of relative sliding movement between the stationary and moveable brackets in the closed position of the primary clamp. In a preferred embodiment, the secondary clamp includes a pair of wedge-shaped roller chambers in a jaw element of the primary clamp exposed to the moveable bracket and a roller in each of the roller chambers.