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:
Feb. 17, 1998
Filed:
Aug. 05, 1996
Richard Kremer Riefe, Saginaw, MI (US);
David Michael Byers, Saginaw, MI (US);
Michael Patrick Anspaugh, Bay City, MI (US);
General Motors Corporation, Detroit, MI (US);
Abstract
An anti-theft steering shaft lock for an energy-absorbing motor vehicle steering column having a linearly collapsible mast jacket includes a unitized construction consisting of a cylinder lock attached to an instrument panel of the motor vehicle remote from the mast jacket, a lateral housing between the cylinder lock and the mast jacket, a lock bolt in the lateral housing, rack and pinion gears which convert rotation of an element of the cylinder lock into linear translation of the lock bolt, and a frangible connection means at which an inboard part of the unitized construction adjacent the mast jacket separates from an outboard part in the direction of linear collapse of the mast jacket. The frangible connection means includes a pair of laterally aligned frangible joints between inboard and outboard segments of the lateral housing and between inboard and outboard segments of the lock bolt. The inboard part of the unitized construction constitutes a relatively small rigid appendage to the mast jacket so that the space behind the instrument panel dedicated to maintenance of a clear path for such rigid appendage is, likewise, relatively small.