Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02329545 2000-12-22
1
SHIFT LEVER
COVER FOR SHOE PROTECTION
Field of the Invention:
This invention relates to a new vehicle accessory, and in particular to a
shift lever
cover to protect the shoe of the user of the shift lever where the shift lever
is operated
by the user's foot.
Background of the Invention:
In many motorcycle and all terrain vehicles made and sold today, the shift
levers are
made of metal and are accessed by a user using its feet. The user must press
the shift
lever down and in some instances, move the lever up, using his or her foot. In
order
to move the lever up, the upper part of the user's foot is used and comes into
contact
with the underside of the shift lever.
This repeated contact between the upper part of the shoe and the lever results
in
excessive wear and tear of the shoe. In particular, after some use, the
rubbing and
friction on the shoe will wear out the shoe. This can cause pain and fatigue
to the
upper part of the user's foot.
This problem has been addressed in the past in two ways. First, manufacturers
of
motorcycle and all terrain vehicles have added a rubber piece to the shift
lever.
However, this rubber piece only provides minimal protection against wear and
tear of
the user's shoe because its main purpose is to add friction or "grip" to the
lever so as
to prevent accidental slippage when accessing the lever.
The second solution used in the past is to provide a protector to be placed on
the user's
shoe. This protector was intended to be attached to the user's shoe and
protect the
upper part and toe area of the shoe. Hence, this solution was to provide the
user with
an accessory for the user's footwear. However, a significant drawback is that
the user
must constantly remove and reinstall this protector when he or she changes
footwear.
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The problem of providing effective protection for the user's shoes therefore
still
remains.
Summary of the Invention:
Accordingly, in one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a
protective
covering accessory for use on a foot-operated shift lever of a vehicle,
comprising a
layer of polymeric material applied to at least the underside of the shift
lever, the
polymeric material being relatively soft so as to prevent damage to the
footwear of a
user of the vehicle. Preferably, the layer of polymeric material has rounded
edges,
and in a one embodiment of the present invention, the protective covering is
in the
form of a cylinder that be slipped on and off the shift lever.
Brief Description of the Drawings:
The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with
reference
to the accompanying drawings in which like numerals refer to the same parts in
the
several views and in which:
Fig. 1 is a general view of a typical motorcycle;
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the protective accessory of
the
present invention.
Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments:
The present invention will be described with reference to its preferred
embodiments
and with reference to the use of the protective accessory with the shift lever
of a
motorcycle. It will be readily apparent to the person skilled in the art,
however, that
the protective accessory can be used on any vehicle where the shift lever is
foot-
operated, such examples can include, but are not limited to, motorcycles or
all terrain
vehicles.
Referring to Fig. 1, there is shown a typical motorcycle 10 comprising a shift
lever 12.
The shift lever 12 is generally accessed by the user's foot. During operation
of the
motorcycle 10, the user must either press down on the lever 12, or lift the
lever 12, up
using his or her foot. During lifting of the lever 12, the upper part of the
user's shoe
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comes into contact with the underside of the lever 12. During repeated use,
the upper
part of the shoe will become worn.
Refernng to Fig.2, there is shown a protective covering accessory 20 for use
on the
shift lever 12 of the motorcycle 10 or any other vehicle with a foot operated
shift
lever. The protective covering accessory 20 comprises a layer 22 of polymeric
material applied to at least the underside of the shift lever 12. Since the
wear and tear
of the shoe occurs by contact with the underside of the lever 12, only that
part must be
covered. However, in a preferred embodiment, the accessory 20 is generally in
the
form of a cylinder so as to cover the entire surface of the lever 12.
Preferably, the
layer 22 of polymeric material has rounded edges (in the case of a cylindrical
shape,
the layer 22 is completely round), which will further help in protecting the
upper part
of the user's shoes.
The polymeric material used to make the accessory 20 is relatively soft so as
to
prevent damage to the footwear of the user of the motorcycle 10. The material
should
not be so soft and fragile as to wear out quickly, however, it should be such
as to
prevent wear and tear of the user's shoes. Preferably, the polymeric material
is also
water and heat resistant since the accessory 20 will be subject to somewhat
harsh
conditions during use. The polymeric material used for making the accessory 20
can
be any material that provides these properties, and preferably the material is
selected
from the group consisting o~ polystyrene, foam rubber, polyvinyl chloride and
polyurethane, and combinations thereof.
In a preferred embodiment, the protective covering accessory 20 is in the form
of a
cylinder and the layer 22 of polymeric material has a thickness in the range
of 0.040
inches to 3.40 inches, and preferably in the range of 0.080 inches to 0.110
inches.
The central core 24 of the accessory 20 has a diameter in the range of 0.080
inches to
6 inches, and preferably a diameter of 0.750 inches. In this embodiment, one
end 26
of the accessory 20 should always be open whereas the second end 28 is
optionally
open or closed. The accessory 20 is used by fitting it over the shift lever
12. It will
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be understood by persons skilled in the art that the exact shape and size of
the
accessory 20 can be varied to accommodate varying shapes and sizes of levers.
It will also be understood by persons skilled in the art that the protective
covering
accessory 20 could also be used in association with a brake pedal which may
also be
made of metal and operated by the user's foot.
In summary, some of the advantages of the protective accessory 20 of the
present
invention and of its various embodiments include the following (which are not
intended to be exhaustive):
~ protects the upper part of the user's shoe from damage when shifting
gears;
~ prevents wear and tear, such as scratching and scuffing, of the upper
part of the user's shoes;
~ helps prevent slipping when the user accesses the shift lever;
~ provides more comfort for the user when shifting gears;
provides the user with protection of all the user's shoes; and
~ protects the shift lever pegs from unnecessary wear and tear and
provides a protective cushion for the pegs.
Although the present invention has been shown and described with respect to
its
preferred embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that
other
changes, modifications, additions and omissions may be made without departing
from
the substance and the scope of the present invention as defined by the
attached claims.
