Automotive speed control apparatus

Claim 1

IN A SPEED CONTROL DEVICE FOR AN AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLE INCLUDING AN ENGINE HAVING CONTROL MEANS THEREFOR NORMALLY ADVANCED TO INCREASE VEHICLE-SPEED, AND CONVERSELY, AND INCLUDING VEHICLE BRAKE-ACTUATING MEANS, SAID VEHICLE ALSO INCLUDING A MOVABLE ELEMENT ALWAYS OPERATED BY THE VEHICLE-DRIVER WHENEVER SAID DRIVER LEAVES THE VEHICLE, THE COMBINATION OF, A REGULATOR MECHANISM OPERATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH SAID CONTROL MEANS AND ADAPTED TO PRODUCE FORCES ACTING THEREON IN RESPONSE TO A SIGNAL ACCOMPANYING A CHANGE IN THE SPEED OF THE VEHICLE TO EFFECT STABLE AUTOMATIC REGULATING MOVEMENTS OF SAID CONTROL MEANS IN A DIRECTION TENDING TO MAINTAIN A PRESELECTED REGULATED SPEED OF THE VEHICLE, MEANS OPERATED BY SAID BRAKE-ACTUATING MEANS UPON NORMAL MOVEMENTS THEREOF FOR RENDERING SAID REGULATOR MECHANISM INACTIVE BUT NOT INOPERATIVE TO TRANSMIT SAID FORCES TO SAID CONTROL MEANS, AUTOMATIC ACTIVATING MEANS OPERATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH SAID MECHANISM AND OPERABLE SELECTIVELY BY THE VEHICLE-DRIVER AT HIS DISCRETION AFTER PARTIAL MANUAL ADVANCEMENT OF SAID CONTROL MEANS WHEN SAID BRAKE-ACTUATING MEANS IS INACTIVE TO AUTOMATICALLY EFFECT ACTIVATION OF SAID MECHANISM WITH RESPECT TO SAID CONTROL MEANS, SAID AUTOMATIC ACTIVATION BEING EFFECTED AT A VEHICLE SPEED SUBSTANTIALLY LOWER THAN SAID REGULATED SPEED, SAID REGULATOR MECHANISM BEING CONSTRUCTED AND ARRANGED TO CAUSE AUTOMATIC ACCELERATION OF THE VEHICLE FROM SAID LOWER SPEED TO SAID REGULATED SPEED AND TENDING AUTOMATICALLY TO MAINTAIN SAID PRESELECTED REGULATED SPEED THEREAFTER, AND RESTRAINING MEANS AUTOMATICALLY OPERABLE IN RESPONSE TO MOVEMENTS OF SAID ELEMENT FROM AN INITIAL POSITION FOR RENDERING SAID MECHANISM INOPERATIVE, TO PRECLUDE INADVERTENT ACTIVATION OF SAID MECHANISM INDEPENDENT OF SUBSEQUENT RETURN MOVEMENT OF SAID ELEMENT TO SAID INITIAL POSITION UNTIL SAID MECHANISM IS DELIBERATELY ACTIVATED BY THE VEHICLE-DRIVER.