Service card dispenser

• US 3,911,855 A
• Filed: 10/07/1974
• Issued: 10/14/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/1974
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Harold Arthur Haven
• Original Assignee: Harold Arthur Haven
• Inventors: Haven, Harold Arthur
• Primary Examiner(s): Tomsky, Stephen J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Miska, Vit W.
• Application Number:
  US05/512,476
• Time in Patent Office: 372 Days
• Field of Search: 235/95R,132R 116/114R,114W,114AE
• US Class Current: 340/457.4
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0234 related to maintenance or repairing of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 22/00 Measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles, persons, animals or other moving solid bodies, e.g. using odometers, using pedometers

Abstract

A mechanism for motor vehicles responsive to predetermined mileage intervals for indicating to the vehicle operator the desirability of servicing the vehicle. The mechanism includes an odometer type mileage sensor which, upon sensing a predetermined mileage interval, dispenses a service card from a slot in the instrument panel and simultaneously activates a warning light and/or buzzer.

Claims

1. A service indicating mechanism for a vehicle responsive to mileage intervals to inform an operator of periodic service requirements comprising:

a housing supported by the vehicle dashboard and having a front face visible from the vehicle passenger compartment;

mileage counting means including first and second portions which move after corresponding first and second mileage intervals;

said housing forming a recess above Said mileage counting means and said movable portions;

at least one service indicator card supported in said recess;

track-forming means including said recess and a slot in the front face of said housing for directing movement of said service card out from said recess, through said slot and away from said face of said housing to expose a portion of said card to the vehicle passenger compartment;

means on said service card coactive with said first and second movable portions of said mileage counting means to initially move the service card toward said slot at a first predetermined rate proportional to said first mileage interval and subsequently to move said service card through said slot into said vehicle passenger compartment at an accelerated second rate proportional to said second and smaller mileage interval.

2. A service indicating mechanism to inform an operator of a vehicle of desirable service functions at periodic mileage intervals comprising:

a housing defining an interior space;

an odometer mechanism supported for rotation in said space;

said odometer mechanism having a shaft on which a plurality of wheels are supported for rotation;

means including gears operably connected to said shaft to cause rotation of the shaft at a variable speed proportional to the rate of vehicle motion;

said wheels being operably connected so that one rotation of a wheel produces a fractional rotation of the next adjacent wheel whereby a first wheel rotates at a rapid rate corresponding to miles of vehicle operation and another wheel rotates at a rate corresponding to thousands of miles of vehicle operation;

a recess formed in said housing above said odometer wheels;

service-indicating cards vertically stacked in said recess;

said cards having channels which extend in parallel to each other;

one channel having its axis aligned tangentially with said second odometer wheel;

another channel having its axis aligned tangentially with said first odometer wheel;

teeth formed on the circumferential perimeters of said wheels and extending into said channels;

spaced partition means in said channels for engagement by said teeth to move said card in a tangential direction with respect to said wheels;

said partition means being spaced along the axes of said channels and with respect to said wheels to provide an initial slow movement of said service card with respect to said housing produced by fractional rotation of said other wheel followed by a more rapid movement produced by rotation of said first wheel to advance said card into position to enable the operator to grip and remove the card.

3. The service indicating mechanism of claim 1 in which said rotation-producing means of said odometer mechanism includes a variable speed electric motor operably connected to said odometer and a generator which produces an input signal to said motor corresponding to the rate of vehicle movement.

4. A service indicating mechanism to inform an operator of a motor vehicle of desirable service functions at periodic mileage intervals comprising:

a housing defining an interior space;

an odometer mechanism supported for rotation in said space;

said odometer mechanism having a shaft on which a plurality of wheels are supported for rotation;

means including gears operably connected to said shaft to cause rotation of the shaft at a variable speed proportional to the rate of vehicle motion;

said wheels being operably connected so that one rotation of a wheel produces a fractional rotation of the next adjacent wheel whereby a first wheel rotates at a rapid rate corresponding to miles of vehicle operation and another wheel rotates at a rate corresponding to thousands of miles of vehicle operation;

a recess formed in said housing above said odometer wheels;

service indicating cards vertically stacked in said recess;

said cards having channels which extend in parallel to each other;

one channel having its axis aligned tangentially with said second wheel;

another channel having its axis aligned tAngentially with said first wheel;

teeth formed on the circumferential perimeters of said wheels and extending into said channels;

spaced partition means in said channels for engagement by said teeth to move said card in a tangential direction with respect to said wheels;

said partition means being spaced along the axes of said channels and with respect to said wheels to provide an initial slow movement of said service card produced by fractional rotation of said other wheel followed by a second more rapid movement produced by rotation of said first wheel to advance said card into a position to enable the operator to grip and remove said service card;

conductor means supported by said housing including a pair of spaced contact members which engage a surface of said indicating card;

said service card having a conductive connector thereon adapted to electrically connect said contact pair after said second movement of said service card;

an indicating circuit connected in series with said contact pair and energized thereby to alert the vehicle operator.