US2688262A - Adapter for accelerators for automobiles - Google Patents

Description

sept. 7, 1954 2,688,262

W. El BQLTON ADAPTER FOR ACCELERATORS FOR AUTOMOBILES Filed Dec. '7, 1951 IN VEN TOR.

F10/[m12 E. B0 fom BY (a. @WM

h/'f 4 rroR/VEY Patented Sept. 7, 1954 UN IIEDL PAT-E. OFFICE" .ADAPTER'FOE ACCELERATORS FOR AUTOMOBILES WilliamfE, Bolton, New York, N.'Y.

Application December 7, 1951, Serial No. 260,457

equalto the level of the. brakepedal in order to minimize the ankle movement of the driver, and also. to give the foot a good restingl` place during such ankle movement. This adapterconsists of an elongated block of wood, plastic material -or -sim-ilar` material having'fastening-clips at its underside'toengagethe accelerator plate, and having at its upper sider ortop, a--riction material as rubberror the-like fto: prevent lthe foot sole from slipping. Preferablmfthe inner or lower end ,of the adapteris providedfwith an; inclined surface, to act as a rest for the heel of the driver.

The invention will be further described, an embodiment thereof shown in the drawings, and the invention will be iinally pointed out in the claims.

In the` accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of a clutch, brake pedal and accelerator placed, as known, on a dashboard iioor, with, however, the improved adapter placed over the accelerator;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 4 and Fig. 5 diagrammatical drawings, Fig. 4 showing the old relative heights of the brake pedal and accelerator, and Fig. 5 showing the new relationship of brake pedal and improved accelerator, taken online 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the various views.

Referring to the drawings, the known floor I!! of a dashboard, has as known, the clutch pedal II, the brake pedal I2 and the accelerator pedal I3. Normally, the distance of the surface of the brake pedal I2 from the surface of the known accelerator is shown by A in Fig. 4.

The average ankle movement of an individual is limited, depending partly on the size of an individual and partly on the mobility of the joint action of an individual. With a large throw of an ankle movement, there is a considerable strain to make the reach from the known accelerator to the brake pedal, and any strain invokes the leg muscles and often acts upon the knee. This soon becomes a fatigue producing action, whereas a mere anklemovement is not soiatigue--producing- To assure amovement-ofthe ankle within its limits, the accelerator I3' is provided with an adaptor I5, of a height Itocompensate*forthe 5 excessive movement, and thus to reduce `-the-dis tance vbetween the upper surface-of :accelerator to the uppersur-face of'thebrake pedal to-a factor B.

The knownv acoelerator- I3 fis connectedto a o lever I6 lwhich connects.with:the:known Vmechanism which is not shown `in detail, because known and which `forms no: part .of vthe present .invenftion. The metallic foot plate Il usuallyrhas longitudinal beads: I trat fits :lower side ,Y ,and` is :hinged The-improved adapten i cconsists, preferably, of ablock 20 .of wood, orlight metal. Itlcan be madeeofgplass, plastic,v rubbersor thelike, or any lother hardmaterial. With slight adjustments zo .thisblockfwillt cnzzallf American motor .cars

As a general indication of dimensions, withoutl desiring to be limited thereto, this block 20 is 2%," wide, 11/2" high, 7 long (bottom), 6" long (top), and 2" for the bevelled part 2l. The rubber top coating 22 is The metal clips 23 are 1A by 1/2". The overall length at the bottom is 7".

The metal plate Il of the known accelerator usually has a rubber or the like layer 24 attached n thereto to prevent slipping of the shoe of the driver.

The metal clips 23, may be applied in various ways. One way, as shown in Fig. 3, is to provide a strip 25 secured to the block 20 by screws 25,

.. which strip 25 has a resilient bent end 21, at

0 each end of the strip 25, so disposed that the bent ends 2 may be snapped over the sides of the plate I'I and its rubber like layer 24, and in consequence over each marginal bead IB. There are prefer ably four snaps 2l, disposed two in front and two in the rear of the block 20; and this group of snaps 2'I fasten the adaptor I5 to the accelerator plate I'I.

The inclined part 2l of the block, also covered o with rubber or the like, is made bevelled or inclined to provide for the heels, especially for high heels, so that the sole of the shoe can be placed flat on the layer 22.

The improved accelerator extension is designed for the comfort of the automobile driver. It contributes in a large degree to the safety of the public at large. Due to the fact that some people are short and others are tall it is impossible to build ,a car to nt every one. The improved accelerator extension remedies this situation. A short person can reach the brake pedal but cannot reach the foot accelerator without stretching, this puts the body oif balance and causes discomfort thus slowing the movement of the foot in the case of an emergency stop. Seconds lost in this operation could be the cause of serious personal injury and considerable amount of property damage. The improved accelerator extension brings the foot accelerator to a more even distance with the brake pedal providing more comfortable driving and faster braking.

A tall person can reach the accelerator but when lifting the foot to apply the brake, his knee is likely to strike the steering wheel, this will prevent him from applying the brake and in turn may cause him to lose control of the car. The condition has caused many of our most serious accidents. The improved accelerator extension in this case will permit the driver to push the adjustable seat all the way back and allow ample room for free and easy leg movement.

The improved accelerator extension is especially designed for high heels to afford firm footing and prevent possible slipping.

Should the occasion arise when more than one person has the use of the car, the improved accelerator extension can be attached or removed in a few seconds.

I wish it to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, for obvious modications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

I claim:

In adaptors for accelerators for automobiles, having an accelerator pedal and a brake pedal closely adjacent to each other without any intervening structural element between the faces of said accelerator and brake pedals at the levels of said faces of said pedals, the `operative face of the accelerator pedal being disposed below the operative face of said brake pedal as known, the combination of an elongated block of material of substantially the longitudinal length and width of said accelerator pedal operative face, and of a thickness substantially equal to the difference in said levels of said accelerator and brake pedal operative faces, said block having a minor portion of its length inclined downwardly at its lower end extending downwardly from vthe upper surface of said block to said operative surface of said accelerator pedal, the lower end of said block being spaced from the lowest end of the pedal, said inclined portion facing the heel of the operator for resting the foot of the operator thereon, means on the upper face of the block resisting any slipping action of the shoe applied thereto, and means for fastening said block to said accelerator pedal face, whereby the foot of the operator is substantially on the same level whether on the brake or block operative surface, it requiring only a right hand turning of the foot from the block to the brake pedal or vice versa without sustantially elevating the foot to operate either the brake or the block operative surface.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,455,675 Sinclair May 15, 1923 1,826,968 Townsend O'ct. 13, 1931 1,875,399 Woller Sept. 6, 1932 2,020,440 Stein Nov. 12, 1935 2,136,980 Pim Nov. l5, 1938 2,167,959 Pomemacki Aug. 1, 1939 2,203,933 Thorp June l1, 1940 2,410,412 Hurford Nov. 5, 1946 2,548,988 McDonald Apr. 17, 1951

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