Automobiles, trucks, and kindred overland traversing vehicles are usually equipped with a traversal-recording odometer that registers the miles or kilometers traversed along underlying terrain by the vehicle. Such overland traversal-recording is, of course, equal to the number of revolutions that a tire or other underlying vehicular wheel makes along the terrain, and arithmetically multiplied by the wheel circumference. Fed to the odometer through some transducer e.g. flexible-shaft means, etc., is said arithmetic product or some other value directly proportional thereto e.g. revolutions of vehicular transmission gearing.
Because odometer readings affect vehicular warranty provisions and re-sale values, it is considered fraudulent for a vehicle owner to intentionally disable the odometer or its transducer. But for certain temporary situations, such as whenever a vehicle is being towed, it is ethically appropriate to temporarily prevent the odometer from recording terrain traversal. For each such appropriate episode, it has been heretofore necessary for the vehicle owner to tediously and laboriously disconnect and then later reconnect the odometer or the transducer, both of which are obscurely located in the vehicle.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds