1. A method of providing on-demand access to intermittent risk exposure insurance, comprising:
(a) establishing an Internet Web site;
(b) providing access to said Internet Web site to an insured and one or more insurers;
(c) the insured and an insurer, through said Internet Web site, entering into an insurance contract for a coverage period for actual risk exposure for one or more intermittent risks, where entering into said insurance contract is performed in real time and in parallel;
(d) the insured entering for the coverage period a start and stop time and one or more of said risks through said Internet Web site, whereupon, in real time and parallel, the insured is provided costs of insurance coverage for the coverage period by a computer associated with the Internet Web site and accepts such costs;
(e) as time progresses, logging an actual start time for the coverage period via said Internet Web site indicating a start of actual risk exposure in the coverage period in which insurance coverage and costs actually begin to accrue only upon the actual start time;
(f) the insured entering new start andor stop times in real time and in parallel when the period of the intermittent risk changes to assure that insurance coverage is in force for the new time period; and
(g) the computer associated with the Internet Web site recalculating the cost of insurance coverage for the new start andor stop times, storing the recalculated cost of insurance coverage and the new start andor stop times to indicate that the insured has valid insurance coverage for the time periods associated with the new start and stop times.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein intermittent risk results from the use of construction equipment where the intermittent risks are fire, theft, weather-related losses, or accidents.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein the insured, after step (c), makes an offer to or enters into a construction contract wherein insurance costs for a coverage period are compensable costs.
4. The method of claim 3 wherein said construction contract offer is refused or is terminated and modifying the entered start time via said Internet Web site to minimize insurance costs for the coverage period.
5. The method of claim 4 wherein insurance costs are provided in the form of a cost per increments of a day for each day of the coverage period so that covered property is capable of being covered for a portion of or multiples of said increments at said cost per increment.
6. The method of claim 5 wherein the increments of a day are hours.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein the period of actual risk exposure is greater than or less than the intended coverage period.
8. The method of claim 7 wherein the insurer or its authorized agent, before logging said actual start time, confirms that the insured, on said actual start time, began to be liable for each of elected risks.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein the insured delivers payments for insurance costs to the insurer via said Internet Web site.
10. The method of claim 9 wherein on-line payments may be made by the use of a credit card via the internet.
11. The method of claim 9 wherein payments may be made via electronic funds transfer via the Internet.
12. The method of claim 9 where an account balance is debited for payments to an insurer for insurance costs.
13. The method of claim 1 where the intermittent risk results from the use of a rental vehicle.
14. The method of claim 13 wherein intermittent risks include total loss or loss of use for rental vehicles.
15. The method of claim 13 wherein the intermittent risk includes diminished resale value to rental vehicles.
16. The method of claim 13 wherein the intermittent risk includes property-casualty loses to a rental vehicle company for which the insured is responsible.
17. The method of claim 1 wherein access to said Internet Web site made at least in part by wireless communication devices.
18. The method of claim 17 wherein the device is a wireless enabled computer.
19. The method of claim 17 wherein the device is a wireless telephone.
20. The method of claim 1 wherein, the actual start time is before the entered start time.
21. The method of claim 1 wherein, the actual start time is later than the entered start time.
22. The method of claim 1 wherein there is a logging of an actual stop time for the coverage period via said Internet Web site indicating a stop of actual risk exposure in the coverage period in which insurance policy coverage and costs actually cease to accrue only upon the actual stop time.
23. The method of claim 1 wherein, before an entered start time, modifying the entered start time via said Internet Web site.
24. The method of claim 1 wherein only the insurer or its authorized agent logs said actual start time.
25. The method of claim 1 wherein, before an entered stop time, modifying the entered stop time via said Internet Web site.
26. The method of claim 1 wherein, at step (c), the insured shall have entered information sufficient for the insurer to assign a risk worthiness profile score before publication to the insured of an account identification number.
27. The method of claim 1 wherein multiple actual risk periods have occurred with acceptable performance by the insured and subsequent incidents of access by the insured to said Internet Web site for step (d) cause one or more selection templates of coverage options to be displayed to the insured.
28. The method of claim 1 wherein at any time before an actual stop time for the coverage period, the insured modifying one or more entered risks.
29. The method of claim 1 wherein intermittent risks include risks to a person or persons during hazardous undertakings.
30. The method of claim 1 wherein a wireless global positioning system is associated with an intermittent risk to insurable property whereby its removal from an area permitted for operation in a coverage period causes a change in intermittent risk or coverage costs.
31. The method of claim 1 whereby the insured completes a hierarchical menu template to enter into an insurance contract.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A steering mechanism for a vehicle, comprising:
a center link extending between opposite longitudinal ends, each of said longitudinal ends having a center link bore with female threads that are spaced from said longitudinal ends by center link unthreaded portions;
at least one tie rod with a tie rod end and a tie rod bore with female threads that are spaced from said tie rod end by a tie rod unthreaded portion;
at least one length adjuster including first and second threaded sections with male threads and an unthreaded middle section;
said first threaded section of said length adjuster being threadedly engaged with said center link bore of said center link with said center link unthreaded portion overlapping with said unthreaded middle section of said length adjuster, and said second unthreaded section of said length adjuster being threadedly engaged with said tie rod bore of said tie rod with said tie rod unthreaded portion overlapping with said unthreaded middle section of said length adjuster; and
a first clamp being clamped at least partially about said overlapping center link unthreaded portion and said unthreaded middle section of said length adjuster and a second clamp being clamped at least partially about said overlapping tie rod unthreaded portion and said unthreaded middle section of said length adjuster.
2. The steering mechanism as set forth in claim 1 wherein said at least one tie rod is further defined as a pair of tie rods and wherein said at least one length adjuster is further defined as a pair of length adjusters.
3. The steering mechanism as set forth in claim 1 wherein said first clamp is formed integrally with said center link.
4. The steering mechanism as set forth in claim 1 wherein said second clamp is formed integrally with said tie rod.
5. The steering mechanism as set forth in claim 1 wherein said unthreaded middle section of said center link includes a tool engaging feature for rotating said length adjuster relative to said center link and to said tie rod to selectively separate or bring together said center link and said tie rod.
6. The steering mechanism as set forth in claim 1 wherein said male threads of said threaded first and second sections of said length adjuster extend in opposite rotational directions.
7. The steering mechanism as set forth in claim 6 wherein said female threads of said center link bore and said female threads of said tie rod bore extend in opposite rotational directions.
8. The steering mechanism as set forth in claim 1 wherein said first and second clamps are formed with a clamshell-like construction.
9. A steering mechanism, comprising:
a center link which extends between opposite longitudinal ends, each of said longitudinal ends having a center link bore with threads that are spaced from the respective end by a center link unthreaded portion;
at least one tie rod with a tie rod end having a tie rod bore with threads that are spaced from said tie rod end by tie rod unthreaded section;
a length adjuster threadedly connecting one of said center link bores with said tie rod bore, said length adjuster including threaded sections and an unthreaded middle section;
said unthreaded middle section of said length adjuster overlapping with said unthreaded portions of said center link bore and said tie rod bore; and
a first clamp being clamped around said center link unthreaded section and said unthreaded middle section of said length adjuster, and a second clamp being clamped around said tie rod unthreaded section and said unthreaded middle section of said length adjuster.
10. The steering mechanism as set forth in claim 9 wherein said at least one tie rod is further defined as a pair of tie rods and wherein said at least one length adjuster is further defined as a pair of length adjusters.
11. The steering mechanism as set forth in claim 9 wherein said first clamp is formed integrally with said center link.
12. The steering mechanism as set forth in claim 9 wherein said second clamp is formed integrally with said tie rod.
13. The steering mechanism as set forth in claim 9 wherein said unthreaded middle section of said center link includes a tool engaging feature for rotating said length adjuster relative to said center link and to said tie rod to selectively separate or bring together said center link and said tie rod.
14. The steering mechanism as set forth in claim 9 wherein said threaded sections of said length adjuster have male threads that extend in opposite rotational directions.
15. The steering mechanism as set forth in claim 14 wherein threads of said center link bore and said tie rod bore extend in opposite rotational directions.