US2566638A - Wear pad - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 4, 1951 c. A. SHOULTS ETAL WEAR PAD Filed May 25, 1948 NTORS ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 4, 1951 WEAR PAD Clyde A. Shoults and George G. Walker, Fort Worth, Tex., assignors of one-third to Casper A. Brictson, Chicago, Ill.

Application May 25, 1948, Serial No. 29,105

6 Claims.

This invention relates to wear pads and more particularly to improvements in wear pads for use with the accelerator of a motor vehicle.

Accelerators of motor vehicles are generally provided with a foot piece or pedal pivotally mounted on the vehicle floor board, usually secured to an inclined section of the floor board with the pivotal support adjacent to' a horizontal section of floor board. While most accelerators are usually provided with a covering or pad of resilient material, such constructions often fail to provide a support for the heel of the operator's foot other than the usual floor covering or mat on the floor board. Consequently, such floor coverings or mats often become worn through or damaged by the pivotal action of the operators heel resting thereon. When the floor mat is torn or worn through, a dangerous condition exists in that the operator's heel may become caught in the worn mat, and the shifting of the foot from the accelerator to the brake pedal may be delayed and cause accidents.

It is an object of this invention to provide a wear pad for foot-operated accelerators which may be easily attached to such accelerators and which will provide an inexpensive pad to take the concentrated wear produced particularly by the heel of the operators foot.

It is another object of this invention to provide a resilient wear pad which covers both the accelerator and the vehicle floor or floor mat adjacent to the heel end of the accelerator pedal.

It is ,a further object of this invention to provide a novel wear pad which may be applied over a worn accelerator and worn floor covering to cover up damaged coverings and mats to prevent accidents.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a one-piece flexible pedal and floor covering device which may be economically formed or molded of rubber, or resilient material.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment of our invention:

Figure 1 is a perspective view, partly cut away, showing a portion of a conventional floor board covering and showing a wear pad applied to an accelerator pedal.

Figure 2 is a plan view of a wear pad similar to that shown in Figure 1, but having a ribbed or corrugated surface.

Figure 3 is an elevational view of the wear pad shown in Figure 2, but with one corner shown in section along line A-A of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is an end elevational view of the wear pad shown in Figures 2 and 3.

In Figure 1, a portion of an inclined floor board or floor mat or covering is indicated by the numeral M. The-horizontal portion of a floor board or floor mat is designated by the numeral The floor board covering l0 and II is usually a onepiece rubber mat and such coverings form no part of this invention. A conventional accelerator I2 is provided with a pivotal support l3 secured to the inclined floor board I0. The wear pad It includes a pedalengaging portion IS, a substantially flat heel portion l6, and a flexible connecting portion joining the heel portion Hi to the pedal portion I5. The wear pad I4 may be molded from resilient material, such as rubber, and may have reinforcing metal inserts embedded in the rubber if desired, although such inserts are not usually necessary. As shown in Figure 2, the shape of the wear pad, I4 may be approximately oblong in the pedal-engaging portion l5 and ispreferably circular in the heel portion I5. The center of the circular heel portion l6 may be offset laterally from the longitudinal axis of the pedal portion l5. or it may be aligned with the axis of the pedal portion, depending on the position of the particular accelerator |2 with which the pad is to be used. The upper surface of the pad I4 may be provided with a ribbed non-slip surface, as illustrated, for example, in Figures 2 and 3.

The pedal portion l5 of the wear pad may be provided with depending side flanges 20 having inturned shoulders 2| to engage and grip the underside of the pedal l2. The shoulders 2| serve to removably secure the pad It to the pedal |2, the natural resilience of the material from which the pad is made providing sufficient grip to prevent the pad from sliding off or from being kicked off the pedal l2 during normal use. In place of the shoulders 2|, a continuous shoulder or strap may be substituted therefor, as an obvious equivalent, for securing the pad to the pedal l2. Such a strap may be positioned across the underside of the connecting portion ll of the pad for passing under the heel end of the pedal l2.

The wear pad l4 may be applied to an accelerator over any conventional covering provided thereon, or a worn pedal covering may be removed before the wear pad is applied. The wear pad flanges 20 are designed to grip the accovering and from becoming entangled with any worn places in the floor, coverings or mats. The flexible connecting portion l'l provides for a continuous one-piece wear pad from heel support to accelerator cover without joints or projections which might delay easy shifting of the operator's foot from accelerator to brake or vice versa. The ample heel portion I6 provides for covering worn places in existing floor mats, and being po-.

sitioned by the accelerator it provides a heel wear pad always properly positioned.

Other advantages of our improved wear pad will be readily apparent from the above description of the embodiment illustrated. Obvious variations and modifications in the nature and proportions of the various parts of the wear pad will be evident to those skilled in the art, and this invention contemplates any equivalent structure within the scope of the following claims.

We claim:

1. A wear pad for use in conjunction with a floor-supported foot pedal, said pad comprising in combination, a pedal-engaging portion, a depending member only on said pedal-engaging portion for'removably securing said pad to said pedal, a substantially flat heel portion extending rearward from said pedal, and a substantially flat flexible connecting portion joining said heel portion to'said pedal-engaging portion, said pedal-engaging portion, connecting portion, and heel portion being integral and formed of resilient material.

2. A wear pad for attachment to a floor-supported foot pedal, said pad comprising in combination, a pedal-engaging portion, depending flanges only on said pedal-engaging portion extending to the underside of said pedal to removably secure said pad to said pedal, a substantially flat enlarged heel portion extending rearward from said pedal for support by said floor,

and a substantially flat flexible connecting portion joining said heel portion to said pedalengaging portion, said wear pad being of resilient rubber.

3. A wear pad for attachment to a floor-suppedal, a thin substantially flat heel portion extending rearward from said pedal for support by said floor, and a fiat flexible connecting portion joining said heel portion to said pedal-engaging portion, said pedal-engaging portion, connecting portion, and heel portion being of onepiece flexible material.

4. A wear pad for attachment to an oblong foot pedal supported adjacent to a floor, said pad comprising in combination, an oblong pedalengaging portion having gripping means only on said pedal-engaging portion and engageable with the underside of said pedal to removably secure said portion to said foot pedal, a thin substantially flat circular heel portion extending rearward from said pedal for support by said-floor, and a substantially fiat flexible connecting portion joining said heel portion to said pedalengaging portion, said wear pad being of rubber.

5. A wear pad for attachment to an oblong foot pedal supported adjacent to a floor, said pad comprising in combination, an oblong pedalengaging portion having depending therealong only gripping means to removably secure said portion to said foot pedal, 6. fiat circular heel portion extending rearward from said pedal for support by said floor, and a flat connecting portion joining said circular heel portion to said pedal-engaging portion with the center of said circular heel portion oii-set with respect to the longitudinal axis of said oblong pedal-engaging portion, said wear pad being of resilient material.

6. A wear pad for use in conjunction with a floor supported foot pedal, said pad comprising in combination, a pedal-engaging portion, means only on said pedal-engaging portion for removably securing said pad to said pedal, a substantially flat flexible heel portion extending rearward from said pedal, and a substantially flat flexible connecting portion joining said heel portion to said pedal-engaging portion, said pedal-engaging portion, connecting portion and heel portion being integral and formed of resilient material.

CLYDE A. SHOULTS. GEORGE G. WALKER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,517,592 Singrey Dec. 2. 1924 1,557,400 Barrett Oct. 13, 1925 1,608,124 Johnson Nov. 23, 1926 -1,618,6 52 Grant Feb. 22, 1927 1,706,003 Swain Mar. 19. 1929 2,271,663 Rubissow Feb. 3, 1942

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