USRE14166E - Hkixt - Google Patents

Description

R. H. SCHEI'BERT. STEERING WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED JUNEZI. I915. Reissugd July 18, 1916.

.r. W A mdv m i RUDOLPH H. SCHEIBERT,

0F CINCINNATI, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE' SAFETY ELECTRIC R-IM COMPANY, OF MIDDLETOWN, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

STEERING-WHEEL.

14,166. Original No. 1,103,438, dated July 14, 1914,

Specification of Beissued Letters Patent. Rei sued July 18, 1916,

Serial No. 795,838. Application for reissue filed June 21, 1915,

Serial No. 35,496.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RUDOLPH H. SCHEI- BERT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Springdalc, Cincinnati, Hamilton county, Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Innn'ovements in Steering-\Vheels, of which the following is a specification.

The steering-wheel of an automobile is often provided with an electrical push-button controlling a circuit for operating a signal device or for operating other devices. \Vhile the operator has both hands on the steering-wheel no serious trouble is found in reaching the push-button with sutlicient quickness, but if it happens that one of the operators hands is removed from thevsteering-wheel in order to handle controlling levers and the steering-wheel be turned through a considerable angle as the automobile makes a turn, the push-button may have reached a position inaccessible to the opera.- tors single hand on the steering-wheel. Miy improvement in steering-wheels overcomes the difficulty mentioned-and the improvement will be readily understood from the following description taken in connectionf with the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 is a plan of a steering-wheel exemplifying my invention; Fig. 2 a plan of a portion of the rim of the wheel, part vertical section in the plane of line 0 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 3 a'vertical transverse section of the rim of a wheel in the plane of line a of Figs.

' 1 and 2; and Fig. 4 a vertical transverse section of the rim of the wheel in the plane of line b of Figs. 1 and 2.

In the drawing '.--l, indicates the arms of the wheel; 2, the wooden rim, of usual construction; 3, the hub; 4, the metallic rim usually embedded between the upper and lower plies of the wooden rim and formed integrally with the arms, as usual; 5, a pair of metallic rings embedded within the wooden rim but separated from each other; 6, a circular series of push-buttons disposed around the interior ofthe rim, one button at each side of each of the arms, these pushbuttons being adapted to place the two rings 5 in electrical connection with each other; and 7, electrical conductors leading from rings 5 inwardly toward the center of the wheel and adapted dmtors leading to any electrical translating device to be controlled by the push-buttons.

to be connected with con- I Whatever may be the angular condition of the wheel, and regardless of whether the operator has one or both hands upon the wheel, one of the push-buttons can always be reached without any material shifting of the operators hand or wheel.

The essence of this invention is the l0cation upon the wheel of a circular series of push-buttons all connected with a single electric circuit adapted for connection with a translating device, regardless of whether the push-buttons be carried by the rim or other portion of the wheel and regardless of Whether the electric conductors from the buttons be independent conductors or employ a portion of the wheel as one of the conductors.

I claim 1. A steering-wheel comprising, a rim, arms supporting said rim, apair of electrical conductors carried by the rim of the wheel and forming portions of a single electric circuit, and a circular series of push buttons carried by the rim and adapted to be individually operated and to individually place said conductors in electrical communication with each other and close the common electric circuit formed by said pair of conductors, combined substantially as set forth.

2. A steering-wheel comprising, a rim, arms supporting said rim, a pair ofelectrical conductors carried by the rim of the wheel and forming portions of a single electric circuit, and a circular series of pushbuttons disposed upon the interior surface of the rim and adapted to be individually operated and to individually place said conductors in electrical communication with each other and close the common electric circuit formed by said pair of conductors, combined substantially as setforth.

3. A steering-wheel comprising, a rim, arms supporting said rim, a pair of metallic rings embedded within the rim but separated from each other and forming portions of a single electric circuit, electrical conductors connected with said rings, and a circular series of push-buttons carried by the rim and adapted individually to place said conductors in electrical communication with each other'and close the common electric circuit formed by said pair of rings, combined sub stantially as set forth.

hands upon the 4:; A steering-Wheel comprising, a rim, arms, a pair of electrical conductors carried by the rim of the Wheel and forming portions of a single electric circuit, and a cirs cular series of push-buttons carried by the rim and disposed one at each side of each of the arms, and adapted individually to place said conductors in electrical communication with each other and close the common electric circuit formed by saidpair of conductors, combined substantially as set forth.

5. A steering wheel comprising, a rim,'

arms supporting said rim, electric conductors carried by the Wheel and forming portions of a single electric circuit, and a c1rcular series of push-buttons carried by the Wheel and adapted to be individually oper ated and to individually-place-said conductors in electrical communication with each other and close the common electric circuit formed by said conductors, combined substantially as set forth. I

6. A steering wheel comprising'a rim and supporting arms, substantially circular, ad jacent electric conductors carried by the Wheel and forming portions of a single, nor

mally-open electric circuit, and a series of push buttons arranged substantially circularly and carried by the Wheel, each of the push buttons being adapted to be operated individually and to connect said conductors to close said electric circuit.

RUDOLPH H. SCHEIBERT. Witnesses:

CHAs. H. MURRAY, 1

VILLIAM EARL MCLAUGHLIN.

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