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COMBINATION STEERING-WHEEL AND SAFETY DEVICE FOR AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLE

  • US 3,744,817 A
  • Filed: 06/28/1971
  • Issued: 07/10/1973
  • Est. Priority Date: 07/28/1970
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A steering wheel apparatus with a safety device therein comprising:

  • a steering wheel, a hub axially offset from said wheel, arms interconnecting said wheel and hub and defining a space axially between said hub and said wheel and radially within said wheel, fixed support means within said hub, a flexible inflatable bladder, means to inflate said bladder, said bladder being attached to said fixed support means and positioned within said space and being expandable from its base so as to create a disc-like surface which in its expandable condition is out of parallelism with the plane of the steering wheel, whereby the protection of the driver is independent of the plane of the steering wheel, a steering column shaft having an axis of rotation which is separate from the axis of rotation of said steering wheel, and means establishing a driving connection between said hub and said steering column shaft.

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