Combined headlight/wiper switch

• US 6,614,127 B1
• Filed: 04/11/2000
• Issued: 09/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Daniels A. Barron
• Original Assignee: Daniels A. Barron
• Inventors: Daniels, A. Barron
• Primary Examiner(s): Sircus, Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): DeBeradinis, Robert L
• Application Number:
  US09/547,805
• Time in Patent Office: 1,239 Days
• Field of Search: 307/9.1, 307/10.1, 307/10.8, 200/61.27, 200/61.54
• US Class Current: 307/10.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/1461 Multifunction switches for dimming headlights and controlling additional devices, e.g. for controlling direction indicating lights
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/1476 comprising switch controlling means located near the free end of the lever, e.g. press buttons, rotatable rings

Abstract

A combined headlight and windshield wiper control switch for a vehicle that activates the parking lights, headlights and windshield wipers. The switch turns on the parking lights and headlights followed by the various windshield wiper settings. When turning the switch off, the switch uses different actuator movement or a locking mechanism to prevent the parking lights and headlights from being turned off when the windshield wipers are being turned off. The first embodiment uses a locking mechanism in the actuator to prevent the actuator from turning past the parking lights and headlights position. The actuator has a release button on the side that must be pressed to allow the actuator to turn to the off position. In the center of the actuator is another button that enables/disables the lighting circuit and the locking mechanism from the switch. The second embodiment has a outer actuator that turns on the windshield wipers and a inner actuator that turns on the parking lights, headlights, and windshield wipers. The inner actuator can engage the outer actuator, which allows the inner actuator to turn the outer actuator to the various windshield wiper settings. When the inner actuator is used to turn on the parking lights, headlights, and windshield wipers, the switch can be turned off in two ways. The inner actuator can be used to turn off the parking lights, headlights and windshield wipers in reverse order or the outer actuator can be used to turn off the windshield wipers and the inner actuator used to turn off the parking lights and headlights. The third embodiment consists of a single actuator. The actuator is pulled to turn on the parking lights and headlights, and is turned to turn on the various windshield wiper settings.

Claims

1. In a vehicle having a lighting system, a windshield wiper system, and an electrical supply source, a combined light and windshield wiper control switch comprising of:

a) actuating means for coupling said electrical supply source to said lighting system and to said windshield wiper control system, in a continuous sequence,

b) said windshield wiper control system having at least two wiper settings,

whereby said switch will conveniently activate said lighting system followed by the various windshield wiper settings.

2. The switch of claim 1 wherein comprising of actuating means for coupling said electrical supply source to said lighting system and to at least two windshield wiper settings, in a predetermined number of positions.

3. The switch of claim 1 wherein comprising of actuating means for coupling said electrical supply source to the parking light means and to the headlight means in the first position, coupling said electrical supply source to the intermittent windshield wiper means in the second position, coupling said electrical supply source to the slow windshield wiper means in the third position, and coupling said electrical supply source to the fast windshield wiper means in the fourth position.

4. The switch of claim 1 wherein comprising of actuating means for coupling said electrical supply source to said parking light means and to said headlight means in the first position, coupling said electrical supply source to said intermittent windshield wiper means in a predetermined number of positions, and coupling said electrical supply source to said slow windshield wiper means and to said fast windshield wiper means in the last two positions, respectively.

5. The switch of claim 1 wherein comprising of actuating means for coupling said electrical supply source to said parking light means in the first position, coupling said electrical supply source to said headlight means in the second position, coupling said electrical supply source to said intermittent windshield wiper means in a predetermined number of positions, and coupling said electrical supply source to said slow windshield wiper means and to said fast windshield wiper means in the last two positions, respectively.

6. In a vehicle having a lighting system, a windshield wiper system, and an electrical supply source, a combined light and windshield wiper control switch comprising of:

a) actuating means for coupling said electrical supply source to said lighting system and to said windshield wiper control system, in a continuous sequence,

b) said windshield wiper control system having at least two wiper settings,

c) isolating-position means for preventing a predetermined number of positions from being reached when said switch is being turned off,

whereby when turning off said switch, the windshield wipers can be turned off while leaving the lights on.

7. The switch of claim 6 wherein comprising of stopping means for stopping the actuator means on the light position when turning said switch off.

8. The switch of claim 7 wherein comprising of releasing means to allow said actuator means to be turned to the off position.

9. The switch of claim 7 wherein comprising of means to enable and disable said stopping means.

10. The switch of claim 6 wherein comprising of first actuator means for initiating the activation of said lighting system and said windshield wiper system, and a second actuator means for initiating the activation of said windshield wiper system.

11. The switch of claim 10 wherein said first actuator means has engaging means to interlock said first actuator to said second actuator at a predetermined position.

12. The switch of claim 6 wherein actuator means comprising of rotating and linear movement for initiating the activation of said lighting system and said windshield wiper system.

13. The switch of claim 12 wherein said actuator means is pulled to the first position to initiate the activation of the parking lights means, pulled to the second position to initiate the activation of the headlights means, turned to the first position to initiate the activation of the intermittent windshield wiper means, turned to the second position to initiate the activation of the slow windshield wiper means, and turned to the third position to initiate the activation of the fast windshield wiper means.