Title of Invention	ADJUSTABLE LEVER CONTROL ASSEMBLY
Abstract	The present subject matter relates to an adjustable lever control assembly 10 0. The adjustable lever control assembly 100 includes a base 102; a lever 104 pivotally coupled to the base 102; and an adjustment mechanism 110 for selectively orienting the lever 104 relative to the base 102. The adjustment mechanism 110 further includes a stopper 206 provided on the lever 104; a cylinder 114 having a first end portion 307a. and a second end portion 307b; a guider 310 connected to the first end portion 307a of the cylinder 114 and a portion of the base 102. The second end portion 307b. of the cylinder 114 is provided with a plurality of steps 302, 304 and 306 that extends longitudinally thereon such that the stopper 206 selectively rests upon one of the steps 302,304 and 306.

Title of Invention

ADJUSTABLE LEVER CONTROL ASSEMBLY

Abstract

The present subject matter relates to an adjustable lever control assembly 10 0. The adjustable lever control assembly 100 includes a base 102; a lever 104 pivotally coupled to the base 102; and an adjustment mechanism 110 for selectively orienting the lever 104 relative to the base 102. The adjustment mechanism 110 further includes a stopper 206 provided on the lever 104; a cylinder 114 having a first end portion 307a. and a second end portion 307b; a guider 310 connected to the first end portion 307a of the cylinder 114 and a portion of the base 102. The second end portion 307b. of the cylinder 114 is provided with a plurality of steps 302, 304 and 306 that extends longitudinally thereon such that the stopper 206 selectively rests upon one of the steps 302,304 and 306.

Full Text	TECHNICAL FIELD The subject matter described herein, in general, relates to lever assemblies and in particular relates to an adjustable control lever. BACKGROUND Usage of hand operated control levers is prominent in terms of controlling or driving a various operations in any type of machine or apparatus. Usually, the control levers are operably connected to a stationary member, thereby being movable about the stationary member. Accordingly, the levers are operated by displacing the levers within a limited scope about the stationary member. Typically, a user performs an operation by moving or pressing the lever while maintaining a firm hold over the stationary member. Normally, the user needs to expand his palm widely in order to maintain simultaneous grasp on the moving lever and the stationary member. Hence, the hand operated levers are designed keeping in mind an average-sized hand span or an average extension of the palm of a human being. As an example, the handlebar of a two-wheeled or a three-wheeled vehicle is equipped with a pair of pivotally mounted control levers provided on either side of the handlebar. One control lever facilitates controlling of a clutch while the other is utilized for actuating the front wheel brake. As the conventional vehicles have been designed to accommodate average-sized human beings, thus the sizing of the hand operated control levers is based upon the hand size of an average person. Unfortunately, the designs of the control levers have been a barrier to individuals having large or small hands than usual. Specifically women, and also men with small hands, find it extremely difficult or at least tiresome to operate hand-held control levers, such as brakes and clutch levers. The persons with smaller hands need to stretch their palms beyond a comfortable position in order to maintain a fine hold over the handle as well as the corresponding lever. Conclusively, such persons are prone to get tired within a short span of time while controlling such sort of control levers. In addition, usage of the control levers by such persons in case of driving the vehicles may prove dangerous. The danger may be attributed to a sluggish hold over the handlebar and the control levers of the vehicle by persons having smaller hand sizes, thereby leading to an imbalance while driving. Furthermore, "sizing" the hand-operated control levers will leave many of the users with a normal or a large-size palm with undersized control levers, thus defeating the sole purpose of the modification. Further, taking into account the salability of machines or vehicles meant for average-sized human beings, production of custom-sized control levers may not be economically viable. In other words, customizing the dimensions of the control levers would be cost inefficient for the manufacturers. More recently, adjustable control levers have been developed to address the aforementioned issue. The orientation of the adjustable control lever with respect to the stationary member can be altered in accordance with the hand sizes of different users. However, such levers require an additional number of components to drive the adjusting mechanism. The employment of the additional components makes the overall design complex and inconvenient for a user to operate the adjusting mechanism. In addition, the aesthetics of the handlebars also gets compromised. SUMMARY The subject matter described herein is directed to an adjustable lever control assembly. According to at least one aspect of the present subject matter described herein, the adjustable lever control assembly includes a base, a lever pivotally coupled to the base, and an adjustment mechanism for selectively orienting the lever relative to the base. The base is stationary and may in turn be attached to another stationary member that holds the adjustable lever control assembly. For example, in a two-wheeled vehicle the base is rigidly fixed to a stationary handlebar. In a locking plier, the base is rigidly fixed to a stationary handle. In the case of a stapler, the base itself acts as the stationary handle. The adjustable lever control assembly provides for changing the orientation of the lever with respect to the base and in turn with respect to the stationary member to allow convenient usage by the users having different hand sizes. The adjustment mechanism includes a stopper extending from the lever, a cylinder having a first end and a second end, and a guider attached to the first end of the cylinder and a portion of the base. The guider facilitates rotatable movement of the cylinder along its longitudinal axis. Further, the second end of the cylinder is provided with a number of steps having varying depths. The varying depths extend longitudinally from the second end of the cylinder such that the stopper selectively rests upon either of the steps. Resting of the stopper against any one of the steps enables the adjustable orientation of the lever relative to the base. The adjustable lever control assembly as disclosed by the present subject matter provides a simple and an effective mechanism for adjusting the orientation of the control lever. In addition, the adjustable lever control assembly of the present subject matter employs least number of components, thereby making the entire assembly simpler and user friendly. These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present subject matter will be better understood with reference to the following description and appended claims. This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The above and other features, aspects and advantages of the subject matter will be better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where: FIG. 1 illustrates a top view of an adjustable lever control assembly in a first operating position, according to an embodiment of the present subject matter. FIG. 2 illustrates a bottom view of the adjustable lever control assembly of FIG. 1 in a second operating position. FIG. 3 illustrates a front view of a portion of an adjustment mechanism of the adjustable lever control assembly of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. FIG. 4 illustrates a side view of the adjustable lever control assembly of FIG. 1. FIG. 5 illustrates a back view of the adjustable lever control assembly of FIG. 1. DESCRIPTION The disclosed subject matter relates to an adjustable lever control assembly. The adjustable lever described herein introduces a provision for changing the orientation of a control lever with respect to its base. Such type of varied orientation facilitates effective operation of the control lever by people of different hand sizes. In one embodiment, the adjustable lever control assembly includes a base, a lever pivotally coupled to the base, and an adjustment mechanism for selectively orienting the lever relative to the base. The adjustment mechanism includes a stopper extending from the lever; a cylinder; and a guider attached to one end of the cylinder and a portion of the base. The guider allows the cylinder to rotate along its longitudinal axis. The other end of the cylinder is provided with a number of steps having varying depths, such that the depths extend along the longitudinal axis of the cylinder. The stopper is located on the lever in a manner that allows the lever to selectively rest upon one of the aforementioned steps. The cylinder is operable to rotate so as to discreetly align one of the steps with the stopper. As each step has a different depth, the selective resting of the stopper upon any step enables different orientations of the lever with respect to the handlebar of a vehicle. Specifically, the proximity of the lever in a particular orientation with respect to the handlebar depends upon a measurement of the depth of the step upon which the lever rests. Accordingly, the stopper assists in orienting the lever at a desired operating position and locking the cylinder at that operating position. Further, the control lever includes a spring extending between the base and the lever so as to urge the lever back to its initial position. The present adjustable lever assembly may be used in various applications like locking pliers, tongs, staplers etc., where hand-operated levers are required as an actuator. Accordingly, the present subject matter facilitates the operation of any machinery or system that employs the hand-operated control lever as an actuator, by persons having substantially small or large hands. For the purposes of explanation and by no limitation, the adjustable lever control assembly is herein explained in context of a clutch lever assembly of a two-wheeled vehicle. However, it will be appreciated that the present adjustable lever control assembly may also be employed as a brake lever assembly of the two-wheeled vehicle. In both the cases, the handlebar of a two-wheeled vehicle acts as the stationary member. FIG. 1 illustrates a top view of an adjustable lever control assembly 100, according to one embodiment. According to the present embodiment of the present subject matter, the adjustable lever control assembly 100 is employed in a two-wheeler as a clutch lever assembly over the handlebar (not shown) of the vehicle. The adjustable lever assembly includes a base 102 and a lever 104. The base 102 is coupled to the handlebar of the two-wheeler and, in operation, actuates a clutch master cylinder (not shown) to which it is attached. The connection of the base 102 to the master cylinder is implemented by various mechanisms known in the existing art. For example, the connection may be implemented by a nut and bolt arrangement (not shown) engaging a bore 106 extending through the base 102 and an attachment point (not shown) on the master cylinder. During normal operation, the base 102 and the lever 104 are pivotally moveable relative to the handlebar in the direction indicated by an arrow 108. The movement of the lever 104 and the base 102 in the direction indicated by the arrow 108 facilitates operation of the clutch master cylinder. The figure depicts a first operating position of the adjustable lever control assembly 100 i.e. a first orientation of the lever 104 relative to the handlebar. In addition, the dashed lines 112 depict a second operating position of the adjustable lever control assembly 100 i.e. a second orientation of the lever 104 relative to the handlebar. Further, an adjustment mechanism 110 is disposed between a portion of the lever 104 and the base 102. The adjustment mechanism includes a cylinder 114 rotatably disposed in a groove 116. The groove 116 is strategically provided between the base 102 and the lever 104 to accommodate the cylinder 114. The cylinder 114 is operable to rotate about its longitudinal axis of rotation 208 (depicted in FIG. 2), such that the longitudinal axis of rotation 208 is substantially parallel to the handlebar. In order to ensure a free rotation of the cylinder 114 along the longitudinal axis of rotation 208, a bore is made longitudinally within the base 102 to act as an opening 118. The opening 118 accommodates a guider 310 (not shown in the figure but will be explained later in FIG. 3), which is designed to facilitate free rotation of the cylinder 114 along its longitudinal axis of rotation 208. The adjustment mechanism 110 is positioned between a portion of the lever 104 and the base 102 to allow orientation of the lever 104 at various orientations with respect to the base 102 and the handlebar. That is, the adjustment mechanism 110 allows the lever 104 to be functionally oriented in the second operating position as shown by the dashed lines 112. In one embodiment, the second operating position of the lever 104 may provide an alternative spacing between the lever 104 and the handlebar of the vehicle. Without limiting the scope of present subject matter, a number of orientations of the lever 104, with respect to the base 102, may be accomplished by the adjustment mechanism 110. Further, the adjustable lever control assembly 100 may be formed from a variety of materials including aluminum, stainless steel, and the like, and may be finished to any of a variety of appearances such as chrome, black chrome, flat black, or brushed aluminum. FIG. 2 illustrates a bottom view of the adjustable lever control assembly 100 in a second operating position. As shown in FIG. 2, the lever 104 is shown moved outwardly relative to the base 102 and the handlebar (not shown) in a direction indicated by an arrow 202. The movement of the lever 104 in the direction indicated by the arrow 202 does not cause the base 102 to move, but rather causes a movement of the lever 104 about a pivot point 204. Such kind of movement may be exhibited by a user by pressing the lever 104 manually. When the lever 104 is no longer held by the user, the lever 104 is urged towards the first operating position illustrated in FIG. 1 by a spring 210, such as a coil spring. The spring 210 extends between operating surfaces of the lever 104 and the base 102. The spring 210 is disposed in bores 212 and 214 that extend into the base 102 and the lever 104, respectively. Accordingly, the bores 212 and 214 assist in preventing lateral movement of the spring 210. In another embodiment, the adjustable lever control assembly 100 is devoid of the spring 210. As per the first position of the lever 104 shown in FIG. 1, a stopper 206 of the adjustment mechanism is engaged or is in contact with the cylinder 114. The stopper 206 on the lever extends from the lever 104, in the form of a protrusion, along the longitudinal axis of rotation 208 of the cylinder 114. When the lever 104 is moved according to the aforementioned manner, the cylinder 114 gets disengaged from the stopper 206 and thereby gets non-aligned with the lever 104. Furthermore, the outward movement of the lever 104 relative to the base 102, i.e. the second operating position of the lever 104 of FIG. 2, forms a gap 216 between the surface of the lever 104 and the cylinder 114. The gap 216 provides enough room for rotation of the cylinder 114 to one of the multiple positions, thereby accomplishing functionality of the adjustment mechanism 110. FIG. 3 illustrates a front view of a portion of the adjustment mechanism 110, thereby explaining the construction and operation of the cylinder 114. In one embodiment, the adjustment mechanism 110 includes the cylinder 114 having at least three steps 302, 304 and 306. The steps 302, 304 and 306 are of varying depths. The depth varies along the longitudinal axis of rotation 208 of the cylinder 114. A first end portion 307a of the cylinder 114 is equipped with an annular ring 308 and the guider 310 while a second end portion 307b of the cylinder 114 has the steps 302, 304 and 306. The guider 310 is cylindrically shaped and has a diameter lesser than the cylinder 114. In addition, one end of the guider 310 is rigidly and fixedly attached to the second end portion 307b of the cylinder 114. The other end of the guider 310 is rigidly and fixedly accommodated inside the opening 118 within the base 102. The annular ring 308 is concentrically disposed between the guider 310 and the cylinder 114, at the point of attachment of the guider 310 and the cylinder 114. The annular ring 308 facilitates distribution of an applied load on the lever 104 towards the base 102, through the steps 302,304 and 306. On the other hand, the guider 310 facilitates the rotatable movement of the cylinder 114 along its longitudinal axis of rotation 208. Specifically, the cylinder 114 rotates about the guider 310. As said, the varying depths of the steps 302, 304, and 306 extend longitudinally along the longitudinal axis of rotation 208 of the cylinder 114.. As an example, the depths of the steps 302 and 304 preferably extend farther than the depth of the step 306. Accordingly, the varying depths of the steps 302, 304, and 306 facilitate a variety of operating positions or orientations of the lever 104 with respect to the base 102. Specifically, the stopper 206 is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of rotation 208 of the cylinder 114. The strategic position of the stopper 206 ensures that any substantial rotation enforced upon the cylinder 114 discreetly aligns the steps 302, 304, 306 with the stopper 206. Thus, when the lever 104 is released from the position shown in FIG. 2, i.e. the second operating position, the stopper 206 will discreetly rest upon one of the steps 302, 304, and 306 and come to rest against its bottom surface. Moreover, the depths of the multiple steps 302, 304, and 306 control the degree of movement of the lever 104, as caused by the spring 210, towards the base 102. That is, the deeper the steps 302, 304, and 306, the farther the lever 104 will move towards the base 102. As the lever 104 moves towards the base 102, the orientation of the lever 104 with respect to the base 102 is such that the spacing between the handlebar and the lever 104 gets reduced. While the three steps 302, 304, and 306 have been illustrated, it is envisioned that more or fewer steps may be distributed about the periphery of the second end portion 307b of the cylinder 114 without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. FIG. 4 illustrates a side view of the adjustable lever control assembly 100 of FIG. 1, thereby showing a side view of the lever 104 adjacent to the stopper 206. As evident from the FIG. 4, the gap 216 extends through an end wall of the lever 104. The gap 216 is generally aligned with the cylinder 114, thereby accommodating a portion of the cylinder 114. Specifically, the cylinder 114 passes through the gap 216 of the lever 104, and the stopper 206 rests upon one of the steps 302,304, and 306. The bore 212 supports the spring 210. When the lever 104 is located in the second operating position, shown in FIG. 2, the cylinder 114 is operable to rotate about its longitudinal axis of rotation 208, under an influence of a substantially small external force. That is, as an example, a very light thumb action may be used to rotate the cylinder 114 along its longitudinal axis of rotation 208. The rotation may be accomplished to adjust the orientation of the lever 104 with respect to the handlebar so as to accommodate different hand sizes. In one embodiment, a knurling is provided along the outer curved surface of the cylinder 114 so as to facilitate the aforementioned rotation by the thumb action. The attachment of the guider 310 with the base is such that in absence of any external force, such as the force applied by the thumb, the spontaneous rotation or linear displacement of the cylinder 114 is prevented. Such an attachment of the guider allows the cylinder to be static at a position set by the user. Further, the stopper 206 serves a dual purpose of orienting the lever 104 at the desired operating position and locking the cylinder 114 against any movement when in the first and second operating positions as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Further, the transfer of force from the lever 104 through the base 102 during normal operation of the adjustable lever control assembly 100 occurs through the stopper 206 of the adjustment mechanism 110. Directing the forces substantially along the longitudinal axis of rotation 208 of the cylinder 114 will give the stopper 206 and the cylinder 114 a longer life span. Furthermore, the stopper 206 is positioned substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of rotation 208 of the cylinder 114 so that the operating pressure on the lever 104 does not cause the guider 310 to induce unwanted rotational movements in the cylinder 114. Conclusively, the cylinder 114 is rotatable only when the lever is in the second operating position as depicted by FIG. 2. FIG. 5 illustrates a back view of the adjustable lever control assembly 100 of FIG. 1. As depicted in FIG. 5, the lever 104 and the base 102 are joined together in a region 500 with both the lever 104 and the base 102 having substantially matching recessed areas 502 and 504. The recessed areas 502 and 504, provided on the lever 104 and the base 102 respectively, are matched to ensure that when joined together, the lever 104 and the base 102 form a substantially smooth and contiguous surface on the top and bottom surfaces thereof. In addition, a nut and bolt arrangement (not shown) located at the pivot point 204 is recessed into the base 102 on the top surface thereof, and the corresponding bore in the lever 104 is threaded to form a substantially flush bottom surface of the lever 104. The overall effect of such an arrangement on the adjustable lever control assembly 100 is to produce smooth and contiguous surfaces that are not only aesthetically pleasing, but are useful in that they reduce the possibility of inadvertently snagging clothes or other items thereon. The previously described versions of the subject matter and its equivalent thereof have many advantages, including those which are described herein. The adjustable lever control assembly 100 as disclosed by the present subject matter provides a simple and an effective mechanism for adjusting the position of the control lever 104 by employing least number of components. The adjustment mechanism 110 employs the rotatable cylinder 114 and the stopper 206 to accomplish the adjustment of the control lever 104. The adjustment may be accomplished by applying substantially small forces. As an example, a very light thumb action may be directly applied by the user directly on the rotatable cylinder, without any difficulty. This makes the adjustable lever control assembly 100 user friendly. Moreover, the adjustable lever control assembly 100 of the present subject matter provides an effective distribution of load applied onto the lever 104 and the base 102 with the help of the annular ring 308 attached to the cylinder 114. This gives the lever 104 a large shelf life. The overall adjustable lever control assembly 100 ensures a smooth and contiguous surface between the base 102 and the lever 104. Accordingly, the overall structure of the adjustable lever control assembly 100 becomes aesthetically pleasing. Moreover, a probability of inadvertent snagging of clothes or other items while operating the lever 104 gets highly reduced. As an example and without limiting the scope of present subject matter, the aforementioned detailed description of drawings depicts the adjustable lever control assembly for achieving control lever operations in a two wheeled vehicle. However, it will be appreciated that the concepts/feature of the adjustment lever control assembly described herein may be extended to implement the adjustment lever control assembly in various applications of a hand operated control lever in any machine or apparatus. Although the subject matter has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, other embodiments are possible. As such, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred embodiment contained therein. We claim: 1. An adjustable lever control assembly (100) comprising: a base (102); a lever (104) pivotally coupled to said base (102); and an adjustment mechanism (110) for selectively orienting said lever (104) in an operating position relative to said base (102); characterized in that, said adjustment mechanism (110) comprises: a stopper (206) extending from said lever (104); and a cylinder (114) having a first end portion (307a) and a second end portion (307b), said second end portion (307b) provided with a plurality of steps (302, 304 and 306); wherein said cylinder (114) is rotatable about a longitudinal axis of rotation (208) to enable said stopper (206) to selectively rest upon one of said steps (302, 304 or 306) and wherein said steps (302, 304 or 306) align with said stopper (206) to selectively position said lever (104) in a plurality of orientations relative to said base (102). 2. The adjustable lever control assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said steps (302,304 and 306) have different depth. 3. The adjustable lever control assembly (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein said depth extends longitudinally along said longitudinal axis of rotation (208) of said cylinder (114). 4. The adjustable lever control assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said stopper (206) is disposed substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis of rotation (208) of said cylinder (114). 5. The adjustable lever control assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first end portion (307a) of said cylinder (114) is provided with an annular ring concentrically disposed between a guider (310) and said cylinder (114). 6. The adjustable lever control assembly (100) as claimed in claim 5, wherein said guider (310) extends longitudinally along said longitudinal axis of rotation (208), from said first end portion (307a) of said cylinder (114) and is accommodated inside an opening (118) of said base (102). 7. The adjustable lever control assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, a spring (210) extends between operating surface of said lever (104) and said base (102). 8. The adjustable lever control assembly (100) as claimed in claim 7, wherein said spring (210) is disposed in bores (214 and 212) and wherein said bores (214 and 212) extend into said base (102) and said lever (104). 9. The adjustable lever control assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said cylinder (114) has knurling along the outer curved surface and wherein said cylinder is (114) rotatable by an application of force over the curved surface. 10. A two-wheeler comprising a clutch lever assembly wherein said clutch lever assembly comprises an adjustable lever control assembly (100) as claimed in any of the preceding claims.

Full Text

TECHNICAL FIELD

The subject matter described herein, in general, relates to lever assemblies and in particular relates to an adjustable control lever.

BACKGROUND

Usage of hand operated control levers is prominent in terms of controlling or driving a various operations in any type of machine or apparatus. Usually, the control levers are operably connected to a stationary member, thereby being movable about the stationary member. Accordingly, the levers are operated by displacing the levers within a limited scope about the stationary member. Typically, a user performs an operation by moving or pressing the lever while maintaining a firm hold over the stationary member. Normally, the user needs to expand his palm widely in order to maintain simultaneous grasp on the moving lever and the stationary member. Hence, the hand operated levers are designed keeping in mind an average-sized hand span or an average extension of the palm of a human being.

As an example, the handlebar of a two-wheeled or a three-wheeled vehicle is equipped with a pair of pivotally mounted control levers provided on either side of the handlebar. One control lever facilitates controlling of a clutch while the other is utilized for actuating the front wheel brake. As the conventional vehicles have been designed to accommodate average-sized human beings, thus the sizing of the hand operated control levers is based upon the hand size of an average person.

Unfortunately, the designs of the control levers have been a barrier to individuals having large or small hands than usual. Specifically women, and also men with small hands, find it extremely difficult or at least tiresome to operate hand-held control levers, such as brakes and clutch levers. The persons with smaller hands need to stretch their palms beyond a comfortable position in order to maintain a fine hold over the handle as well as the corresponding lever. Conclusively, such persons are prone to get tired within a short span of time while controlling such sort of control levers. In addition, usage of the control levers by such persons in case of driving the vehicles may prove dangerous. The danger may be attributed to a sluggish hold over the handlebar and the control levers of the vehicle by persons having smaller hand sizes, thereby leading to an imbalance while driving. Furthermore, "sizing" the hand-operated control levers will leave many of the users with a normal or a large-size palm with undersized control levers, thus defeating the sole purpose of the modification.

Further, taking into account the salability of machines or vehicles meant for average-sized human beings, production of custom-sized control levers may not be economically viable. In other words, customizing the dimensions of the control levers would be cost inefficient for the manufacturers.

More recently, adjustable control levers have been developed to address the aforementioned issue. The orientation of the adjustable control lever with respect to the stationary member can be altered in accordance with the hand sizes of different users.

However, such levers require an additional number of components to drive the adjusting mechanism. The employment of the additional components makes the overall design complex and inconvenient for a user to operate the adjusting mechanism. In addition, the aesthetics of the handlebars also gets compromised.

SUMMARY

The subject matter described herein is directed to an adjustable lever control assembly.

According to at least one aspect of the present subject matter described herein, the adjustable lever control assembly includes a base, a lever pivotally coupled to the base, and an adjustment mechanism for selectively orienting the lever relative to the base. The base is stationary and may in turn be attached to another stationary member that holds the adjustable lever control assembly. For example, in a two-wheeled vehicle the base is rigidly fixed to a stationary handlebar. In a locking plier, the base is rigidly fixed to a stationary handle. In the case of a stapler, the base itself acts as the stationary handle. The adjustable lever control assembly provides for changing the orientation of the lever with respect to the base and in turn with respect to the stationary member to allow convenient usage by the users having different hand sizes.

The adjustment mechanism includes a stopper extending from the lever, a cylinder having a first end and a second end, and a guider attached to the first end of the cylinder and a portion of the base. The guider facilitates rotatable movement of the cylinder along its longitudinal axis. Further, the second end of the cylinder is provided with a number of steps having varying depths. The varying depths extend longitudinally from the second end of the cylinder such that the stopper selectively rests upon either of the steps. Resting of the stopper against any one of the steps enables the adjustable orientation of the lever relative to the base.

The adjustable lever control assembly as disclosed by the present subject matter provides a simple and an effective mechanism for adjusting the orientation of the control lever. In addition, the adjustable lever control assembly of the present subject matter employs least number of components, thereby making the entire assembly simpler and user friendly.

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present subject matter will be better understood with reference to the following description and appended claims. This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other features, aspects and advantages of the subject matter will be better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying
drawings where:

FIG. 1 illustrates a top view of an adjustable lever control assembly in a first operating position, according to an embodiment of the present subject matter.

FIG. 2 illustrates a bottom view of the adjustable lever control assembly of FIG. 1 in a second operating position.

FIG. 3 illustrates a front view of a portion of an adjustment mechanism of the adjustable lever control assembly of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 illustrates a side view of the adjustable lever control assembly of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 illustrates a back view of the adjustable lever control assembly of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION

The disclosed subject matter relates to an adjustable lever control assembly. The adjustable lever described herein introduces a provision for changing the orientation of a control lever with respect to its base. Such type of varied orientation facilitates effective operation of the control lever by people of different hand sizes. In one embodiment, the adjustable lever control assembly includes a base, a lever pivotally coupled to the base, and an adjustment mechanism for selectively orienting the lever relative to the base. The adjustment mechanism includes a stopper extending from the lever; a cylinder; and a guider attached to one end of the cylinder and a portion of the base. The guider allows the cylinder to rotate along its longitudinal axis. The other end of the cylinder is provided with a number of steps having varying depths, such that the depths extend along the longitudinal axis of the cylinder.

The stopper is located on the lever in a manner that allows the lever to selectively rest upon one of the aforementioned steps. The cylinder is operable to rotate so as to discreetly align one of the steps with the stopper. As each step has a different depth, the selective resting of the stopper upon any step enables different orientations of the lever with respect to the handlebar of a vehicle. Specifically, the proximity of the lever in a particular orientation with respect to the handlebar depends upon a measurement of the depth of the step upon which the lever rests. Accordingly, the stopper assists in orienting the lever at a desired operating position and locking the cylinder at that operating position. Further, the control lever includes a spring extending between the base and the lever so as to urge the lever back to its initial position.

The present adjustable lever assembly may be used in various applications like locking pliers, tongs, staplers etc., where hand-operated levers are required as an actuator.

Accordingly, the present subject matter facilitates the operation of any machinery or system that employs the hand-operated control lever as an actuator, by persons having substantially small or large hands. For the purposes of explanation and by no limitation, the adjustable lever control assembly is herein explained in context of a clutch lever assembly of a two-wheeled vehicle. However, it will be appreciated that the present adjustable lever control assembly may also be employed as a brake lever assembly of the two-wheeled vehicle. In both the cases, the handlebar of a two-wheeled vehicle acts as the stationary member.

FIG. 1 illustrates a top view of an adjustable lever control assembly 100, according to one embodiment.

According to the present embodiment of the present subject matter, the adjustable lever control assembly 100 is employed in a two-wheeler as a clutch lever assembly over the handlebar (not shown) of the vehicle. The adjustable lever assembly includes a base 102 and a lever 104. The base 102 is coupled to the handlebar of the two-wheeler and, in operation, actuates a clutch master cylinder (not shown) to which it is attached. The connection of the base 102 to the master cylinder is implemented by various mechanisms known in the existing art. For example, the connection may be implemented by a nut and bolt arrangement (not shown) engaging a bore 106 extending through the base 102 and an attachment point (not shown) on the master cylinder. During normal operation, the base 102 and the lever 104 are pivotally moveable relative to the handlebar in the direction indicated by an arrow 108. The movement of the lever 104 and the base 102 in the direction indicated by the arrow 108 facilitates operation of the clutch master cylinder.

The figure depicts a first operating position of the adjustable lever control assembly 100 i.e. a first orientation of the lever 104 relative to the handlebar. In addition, the dashed lines 112 depict a second operating position of the adjustable lever control assembly 100 i.e. a second orientation of the lever 104 relative to the handlebar.

Further, an adjustment mechanism 110 is disposed between a portion of the lever 104 and the base 102. The adjustment mechanism includes a cylinder 114 rotatably disposed in a groove 116. The groove 116 is strategically provided between the base 102 and the lever 104 to accommodate the cylinder 114. The cylinder 114 is operable to rotate about its longitudinal axis of rotation 208 (depicted in FIG. 2), such that the longitudinal axis of rotation 208 is substantially parallel to the handlebar. In order to ensure a free rotation of the cylinder 114 along the longitudinal axis of rotation 208, a bore is made longitudinally within the base 102 to act as an opening 118. The opening 118 accommodates a guider 310 (not shown in the figure but will be explained later in FIG. 3), which is designed to facilitate free rotation of the cylinder 114 along its longitudinal axis of rotation 208.

The adjustment mechanism 110 is positioned between a portion of the lever 104 and the base 102 to allow orientation of the lever 104 at various orientations with respect to the base 102 and the handlebar. That is, the adjustment mechanism 110 allows the lever 104 to be functionally oriented in the second operating position as shown by the dashed lines 112. In one embodiment, the second operating position of the lever 104 may provide an alternative spacing between the lever 104 and the handlebar of the vehicle. Without limiting the scope of present subject matter, a number of orientations of the lever 104, with respect to the base 102, may be accomplished by the adjustment mechanism 110. Further, the adjustable lever control assembly 100 may be formed from a variety of materials including aluminum, stainless steel, and the like, and may be finished to any of a variety of appearances such as chrome, black chrome, flat black, or brushed aluminum.
FIG. 2 illustrates a bottom view of the adjustable lever control assembly 100 in a second operating position.

As shown in FIG. 2, the lever 104 is shown moved outwardly relative to the base 102 and the handlebar (not shown) in a direction indicated by an arrow 202. The movement of the lever 104 in the direction indicated by the arrow 202 does not cause the base 102 to move, but rather causes a movement of the lever 104 about a pivot point 204. Such kind of movement may be exhibited by a user by pressing the lever 104 manually. When the lever 104 is no longer held by the user, the lever 104 is urged towards the first operating position illustrated in FIG. 1 by a spring 210, such as a coil spring. The spring 210 extends between operating surfaces of the lever 104 and the base 102. The spring 210 is disposed in bores 212 and 214 that extend into the base 102 and the lever 104, respectively. Accordingly, the bores 212 and 214 assist in preventing lateral movement of the spring 210. In another embodiment, the adjustable lever control assembly 100 is devoid of the spring 210.

As per the first position of the lever 104 shown in FIG. 1, a stopper 206 of the adjustment mechanism is engaged or is in contact with the cylinder 114. The stopper 206 on the lever extends from the lever 104, in the form of a protrusion, along the longitudinal axis of rotation 208 of the cylinder 114. When the lever 104 is moved according to the aforementioned manner, the cylinder 114 gets disengaged from the stopper 206 and thereby gets non-aligned with the lever 104. Furthermore, the outward movement of the lever 104 relative to the base 102, i.e. the second operating position of the lever 104 of FIG. 2, forms a gap 216 between the surface of the lever 104 and the cylinder 114. The gap 216 provides enough room for rotation of the cylinder 114 to one of the multiple positions, thereby accomplishing functionality of the adjustment mechanism 110.

FIG. 3 illustrates a front view of a portion of the adjustment mechanism 110, thereby explaining the construction and operation of the cylinder 114.

In one embodiment, the adjustment mechanism 110 includes the cylinder 114 having at least three steps 302, 304 and 306. The steps 302, 304 and 306 are of varying depths. The depth varies along the longitudinal axis of rotation 208 of the cylinder 114. A first end portion 307a of the cylinder 114 is equipped with an annular ring 308 and the guider 310 while a second end portion 307b of the cylinder 114 has the steps 302, 304 and 306. The guider 310 is cylindrically shaped and has a diameter lesser than the cylinder 114. In addition, one end of the guider 310 is rigidly and fixedly attached to the second end portion 307b of the cylinder 114. The other end of the guider 310 is rigidly and fixedly accommodated inside the opening 118 within the base 102. The annular ring 308 is concentrically disposed between the guider 310 and the cylinder 114, at the point of attachment of the guider 310 and the cylinder 114. The annular ring 308 facilitates distribution of an applied load on the lever 104 towards the base 102, through the steps 302,304 and 306. On the other hand, the guider 310 facilitates the rotatable movement of the cylinder 114 along its longitudinal axis of rotation 208. Specifically, the cylinder 114 rotates about the guider 310.

As said, the varying depths of the steps 302, 304, and 306 extend longitudinally along the longitudinal axis of rotation 208 of the cylinder 114.. As an example, the depths of the steps 302 and 304 preferably extend farther than the depth of the step 306. Accordingly, the varying depths of the steps 302, 304, and 306 facilitate a variety of operating positions or orientations of the lever 104 with respect to the base 102.

Specifically, the stopper 206 is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of rotation 208 of the cylinder 114. The strategic position of the stopper 206 ensures that any substantial rotation enforced upon the cylinder 114 discreetly aligns the steps 302, 304, 306 with the stopper 206. Thus, when the lever 104 is released from the position shown in FIG. 2, i.e. the second operating position, the stopper 206 will discreetly rest upon one of the steps 302, 304, and 306 and come to rest against its bottom surface. Moreover, the depths of the multiple steps 302, 304, and 306 control the degree of movement of the lever 104, as caused by the spring 210, towards the base 102. That is, the deeper the steps 302, 304, and 306, the farther the lever 104 will move towards the base 102.

As the lever 104 moves towards the base 102, the orientation of the lever 104 with respect to the base 102 is such that the spacing between the handlebar and the lever 104 gets reduced. While the three steps 302, 304, and 306 have been illustrated, it is envisioned that more or fewer steps may be distributed about the periphery of the second end portion 307b of the cylinder 114 without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates a side view of the adjustable lever control assembly 100 of FIG. 1, thereby showing a side view of the lever 104 adjacent to the stopper 206.

As evident from the FIG. 4, the gap 216 extends through an end wall of the lever 104. The gap 216 is generally aligned with the cylinder 114, thereby accommodating a portion of the cylinder 114. Specifically, the cylinder 114 passes through the gap 216 of the lever 104, and the stopper 206 rests upon one of the steps 302,304, and 306. The bore 212 supports the spring 210.

When the lever 104 is located in the second operating position, shown in FIG. 2, the cylinder 114 is operable to rotate about its longitudinal axis of rotation 208, under an influence of a substantially small external force. That is, as an example, a very light thumb action may be used to rotate the cylinder 114 along its longitudinal axis of rotation 208. The rotation may be accomplished to adjust the orientation of the lever 104 with respect to the handlebar so as to accommodate different hand sizes. In one embodiment, a knurling is provided along the outer curved surface of the cylinder 114 so as to facilitate the aforementioned rotation by the thumb action. The attachment of the guider 310 with the base is such that in absence of any external force, such as the force applied by the thumb, the spontaneous rotation or linear displacement of the cylinder 114 is prevented. Such an attachment of the guider allows the cylinder to be static at a position set by the user.

Further, the stopper 206 serves a dual purpose of orienting the lever 104 at the desired operating position and locking the cylinder 114 against any movement when in the first and second operating positions as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

Further, the transfer of force from the lever 104 through the base 102 during normal operation of the adjustable lever control assembly 100 occurs through the stopper 206 of the adjustment mechanism 110. Directing the forces substantially along the longitudinal axis of rotation 208 of the cylinder 114 will give the stopper 206 and the cylinder 114 a longer life span. Furthermore, the stopper 206 is positioned substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of rotation 208 of the cylinder 114 so that the operating pressure on the lever 104 does not cause the guider 310 to induce unwanted rotational movements in the cylinder 114. Conclusively, the cylinder 114 is rotatable only when the lever is in the second operating position as depicted by FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 illustrates a back view of the adjustable lever control assembly 100 of FIG. 1.

As depicted in FIG. 5, the lever 104 and the base 102 are joined together in a region 500 with both the lever 104 and the base 102 having substantially matching recessed areas 502 and 504. The recessed areas 502 and 504, provided on the lever 104 and the base 102 respectively, are matched to ensure that when joined together, the lever 104 and the base 102 form a substantially smooth and contiguous surface on the top and bottom surfaces thereof. In addition, a nut and bolt arrangement (not shown) located at the pivot point 204 is recessed into the base 102 on the top surface thereof, and the corresponding bore in the lever 104 is threaded to form a substantially flush bottom surface of the lever 104. The overall effect of such an arrangement on the adjustable lever control assembly 100 is to produce smooth and contiguous surfaces that are not only aesthetically pleasing, but are useful in that they reduce the possibility of inadvertently snagging clothes or other items thereon.

The previously described versions of the subject matter and its equivalent thereof have many advantages, including those which are described herein.

The adjustable lever control assembly 100 as disclosed by the present subject matter provides a simple and an effective mechanism for adjusting the position of the control lever 104 by employing least number of components. The adjustment mechanism 110 employs the rotatable cylinder 114 and the stopper 206 to accomplish the adjustment of the control lever 104. The adjustment may be accomplished by applying substantially small forces. As an example, a very light thumb action may be directly applied by the user directly on the rotatable cylinder, without any difficulty. This makes the adjustable lever control assembly 100 user friendly.

Moreover, the adjustable lever control assembly 100 of the present subject matter provides an effective distribution of load applied onto the lever 104 and the base 102 with the help of the annular ring 308 attached to the cylinder 114. This gives the lever 104 a large shelf life.

The overall adjustable lever control assembly 100 ensures a smooth and contiguous surface between the base 102 and the lever 104. Accordingly, the overall structure of the adjustable lever control assembly 100 becomes aesthetically pleasing. Moreover, a probability of inadvertent snagging of clothes or other items while operating the lever 104 gets highly reduced.

As an example and without limiting the scope of present subject matter, the aforementioned detailed description of drawings depicts the adjustable lever control assembly for achieving control lever operations in a two wheeled vehicle. However, it will be appreciated that the concepts/feature of the adjustment lever control assembly described herein may be extended to implement the adjustment lever control assembly in various applications of a hand operated control lever in any machine or apparatus.

Although the subject matter has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, other embodiments are possible. As such, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred embodiment contained therein.

We claim:

1. An adjustable lever control assembly (100) comprising:
a base (102);

a lever (104) pivotally coupled to said base (102); and an adjustment mechanism (110) for selectively orienting said lever (104) in an operating position relative to said base (102); characterized in that,

said adjustment mechanism (110) comprises: a stopper (206) extending from said lever

(104); and a cylinder (114) having a first end portion (307a) and a second end portion

(307b), said second end portion (307b) provided with a plurality of steps (302, 304 and 306);

wherein said cylinder (114) is rotatable about a longitudinal axis of rotation (208) to enable said stopper (206) to selectively rest upon one of said steps (302, 304 or 306) and wherein said steps (302, 304 or 306) align with said stopper (206) to selectively position said lever (104) in a plurality of orientations relative to said base (102).

2. The adjustable lever control assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said steps (302,304 and 306) have different depth.

3. The adjustable lever control assembly (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein said depth extends longitudinally along said longitudinal axis of rotation (208) of said cylinder (114).

4. The adjustable lever control assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said stopper (206) is disposed substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis of rotation (208) of said cylinder (114).

5. The adjustable lever control assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first end portion (307a) of said cylinder (114) is provided with an annular ring concentrically disposed between a guider (310) and said cylinder (114).

6. The adjustable lever control assembly (100) as claimed in claim 5, wherein said guider (310) extends longitudinally along said longitudinal axis of rotation (208), from said first end portion (307a) of said cylinder (114) and is accommodated inside an opening (118) of said base (102).

7. The adjustable lever control assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, a spring (210) extends between operating surface of said lever (104) and said base (102).

8. The adjustable lever control assembly (100) as claimed in claim 7, wherein said spring (210) is disposed in bores (214 and 212) and wherein said bores (214 and 212) extend into said base (102) and said lever (104).

9. The adjustable lever control assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said cylinder (114) has knurling along the outer curved surface and wherein said cylinder is (114) rotatable by an application of force over the curved surface.

10. A two-wheeler comprising a clutch lever assembly wherein said clutch lever assembly comprises an adjustable lever control assembly (100) as claimed in any of the preceding claims.

Documents:

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Patent Number

268838

Indian Patent Application Number

784/CHE/2008

PG Journal Number

39/2015

Publication Date

25-Sep-2015

Grant Date

18-Sep-2015

Date of Filing

31-Mar-2008

Name of Patentee

TVS MOTOR COMPANY LIMITED

Applicant Address

JAYALAKSHMI ESTATES, NO.24,(OLD NO.8), HADDOWS ROAD, CHENNAI-600 006.

Inventors:

#	Inventor's Name	Inventor's Address
1	VENKATA RAMBABU K	JAYALAKSHMI ESTATES, NO.24,(OLD NO.8), HADDOWS ROAD, CHENNAI-600 006
2	BALAGURU SRIDHAR	JAYALAKSHMI ESTATES, NO.24,(OLD NO.8), HADDOWS ROAD, CHENNAI-600 006
3	AMIT RAJWADE	JAYALAKSHMI ESTATES, NO.24,(OLD NO.8), HADDOWS ROAD, CHENNAI-600 006
4	VENKATA MANGA RAJU K	JAYALAKSHMI ESTATES, NO.24,(OLD NO.8), HADDOWS ROAD, CHENNAI-600 006
5	RENGARAJAN BABU	JAYALAKSHMI ESTATES, NO.24,(OLD NO.8), HADDOWS ROAD, CHENNAI-600 006

PCT International Classification Number

E05C1/00

PCT International Application Number

N/A

PCT International Filing date

PCT Conventions:

#	PCT Application Number	Date of Convention	Priority Country
1			NA