Patents by Inventor James Spiker

James Spiker has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 6018294
    Abstract: An automatic transmission shift indicator system is provided to electrically indicate the selected gear of an automatic transmission in a motor vehicle. The shift indicator system includes a gear selector, transmission locking plate, a switch and a visual shift indicator. The gear selector connects to a locking plate in the transmission and is manually operative by the vehicle's driver to rotate the locking plate within a range of positions that correlate to each of the selectable transmission gears. The park neutral safety switch is modified to movably engage a stepped cam surface of the locking plate, so that each step corresponds to one of the selectable transmission gears. As the gear selector is shifted from gear to gear, the switch is actuated and thus transmits an electrical signal that is indicative of a selected transmission gear. The visual shift indicator decodes the selected transmission gear based on the resistance value of the electrical signal and displays the selected gear to the driver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2000
    Assignee: Chrysler Corporation
    Inventors: Mark S. Vogel, James Spiker, Stephen Greene