1. A lever assembly comprising:
(A) a lever including an input arm having a substantially fixed length and an output arm having a variable length, the output arm length being the distance between (1) a fulcrum about which the lever pivots and that is fixed with respect to a master cylinder body and (2) a contact surface of the lever and a force transmitting member, wherein the lever output arm (1) is moveable with respect to the fulcrum and (2) is configured to be pivotable about a master cylinder, the master cylinder having a master cylinder piston situated therein;
(B) an adjuster mechanism that is housed within the lever and that pivots on the fulcrum, wherein movement of the adjuster mechanism moves the entire lever linearly with respect to the fulcrum along a longitudinal axis of an elongated slot, and changes a ratio of the output arm length to the input arm length; and
(C) a push rod having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is pivotally secured to the force transmitting member and the second end is pivotally secured to the master cylinder piston.
2. The lever assembly of claim 1, wherein the adjuster mechanism comprises:
(A) a slider that pivots on the fulcrum; and
(B) a thumbwheel coupled to the slider, wherein rotation of the thumbwheel slides the lever relative to the fulcrum to adjust the output arm length of the lever.
3. The lever assembly of claim 2, wherein the thumbwheel is threadably coupled to the slider.
4. The lever assembly of claim 1, wherein force exerted on the lever input arm exerts a pushing force from the lever output arm to a master cylinder.
5. The lever assembly of claim 1, further comprising a coupling mechanism that adjusts a distance of the lever relative to a handlebar.
6. The lever assembly of claim 5, wherein the coupling mechanism comprises:
(A) a bushing having (1) a bore that is perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the bushing, and (2) a flat that is perpendicular to the bore; and
(B) sleeves configured to be received on ends of the bushing and including ears having an arcuate surface, wherein a push rod is received in the bore of the bushing and the arcuate surfaces of the ears.
7. The lever assembly of claim 6, further comprising a lever adjustment knob coupled to the push rod via the bushing, wherein the bushing is captured within the lever output arm, and wherein rotation of the lever adjustment knob moves the bushing helically along the push rod.
8. The lever assembly of claim 1, wherein the lever output arm actuates a master cylinder.
9. The lever assembly of claim 8, wherein the master cylinder piston has an end with a concave surface; and
the second end of the push rod has a convex surface that is coupled to the concave surface via a ball and socket joint.
10. A method of adjusting a mechanical advantage of a lever comprising:
(A) rotating a thumbwheel coupled to a slider that pivots on a fulcrum that is fixed with respect to a master cylinder body and housed within the lever, moving the lever with respect to the fulcrum by rotating the thumbwheel, the lever including an output arm, the output arm length being the distance between (1) the fulcrum and (2) a contact surface of the lever and a force transmitting member, the lever output arm being at least indirectly pivotally secured to one end of a push rod, and wherein an opposite end of the push rod is pivotally secured to a master cylinder piston situated in the master cylinder body;
(B) sliding the entire lever linearly with respect to the fulcrum along a longitudinal axis of an elongated slot; and
(C) adjusting a ratio of a length of the output arm of the lever to an input arm length of the lever.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the rotating step does not require locking the thumbwheel.
12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:
(A) exerting a force on an input arm of the lever; and
(B) applying a pushing force on a hydraulic master cylinder with an output arm of the lever.
13. The method of claim 10, wherein the rotating step can occur during operation of a vehicle.
14. A lever assembly comprising:
(A) a lever that is pivotal about a fulcrum that is fixed with respect to a master cylinder body, the lever including an input arm having a substantially fixed length and an output arm having a variable length with respect to the fixed fulcrum, the output arm length being the distance between (1) the fulcrum and (2) a contact surface of the lever and a force transmitting member, wherein the lever output arm (1) is moveable with respect to the fulcrum and (2) is configured to contact the force transmitting member; and
(B) an adjuster mechanism that is housed within the lever and that pivots on the fulcrum, wherein movement of the adjuster mechanism moves the entire lever linearly with respect to the fulcrum along a longitudinal axis of an elongated slot, and changes a ratio of the output arm length to the input arm length;
(C) a push rod having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is pivotally secured to the force transmitting member and the second end is pivotally secured to a master cylinder piston situated in the master cylinder body.
15. The lever assembly of claim 14, wherein the adjuster mechanism comprises:
(A) a slider that pivots on the fulcrum; and
(B) a thumbwheel coupled to the slider, wherein rotation of the thumbwheel slides the lever relative to the fulcrum to adjust the output arm length of the lever.
16. The lever assembly of claim 15, wherein the thumbwheel is threadably coupled to the slider.
17. The lever assembly of claim 14, wherein force exerted on the lever input arm exerts a pushing force from the lever output arm to a master cylinder.
18. The lever assembly of claim 14, further comprising a coupling mechanism that adjusts a distance of the lever relative to a handlebar.
19. The lever assembly of claim 18, wherein the coupling mechanism comprises:
(A) a bushing having (1) a bore that is perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the bushing, and (2) a flat that is perpendicular to the bore; and
(B) sleeves configured to be received on ends of the bushing and including ears having an arcuate surface, wherein a push rod is received in the bore of the bushing and the arcuate surfaces of the ears.
20. The lever assembly of claim 19, further comprising a lever adjustment knob coupled to the push rod via the bushing, wherein the bushing is captured within the lever output arm, and wherein rotation of the lever adjustment knob moves the bushing helically along the push rod.
21. The lever assembly of claim 14, wherein the lever output arm actuates a master cylinder.
22. The lever assembly of claim 21, wherein the master cylinder piston has an end with a concave surface; and
the second end of the push rod has a convex surface that is coupled to the concave surface via a ball and socket joint.
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 method, comprising:
identifying a bandwidth parameter associated with a network link;
evaluating a bandwidth request associated with user equipment, wherein the bandwidth request is associated with a session, which involves the user equipment and which implicates the network link;
modifying the bandwidth request based on the bandwidth parameter that was identified;
identifying a local gateway (L-GW) option for a subsequent request; and
determining not to downgrade the network link based on the L-GW option being present.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more header extensions in one or more packets are evaluated in order to assist in identifying the bandwidth parameter, and wherein the one or more header extensions include a selected one of packet sequence numbers, an average packet transmission rate, an average packet receiving rate, and a packet reception error rate.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein modifying the bandwidth request includes downgrading the bandwidth request to lower a bit rate based on the bandwidth parameter identified for the network link.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein the bandwidth parameter associated with the network link is subsequently evaluated in order to reverse the downgrading of the bandwidth request.
5. The method of claim 2, wherein one or more of the header extensions include negotiated aggregate maximum bit rate (AMBR)guaranteed bit rate (GBR) values.
6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:
identifying that the AMBRGBR value cannot be sustained due to the bandwidth parameter; and
communicating to a mobility management entity (MME) that a packet data protocol (PDP) context modification should occur for downgrading the network link.
7. Logic encoded in a non-transitory computer readable medium that includes code for execution and when executed by a processor operable to perform operations comprising:
identifying a bandwidth parameter associated with a network link;
evaluating a bandwidth request associated with user equipment, wherein the bandwidth request is associated with a session, which involves the user equipment and which implicates the network link; and
modifying the bandwidth request based on the bandwidth parameter that was identified, wherein the bandwidth parameter associated with the network link is subsequently evaluated in order to reverse a downgrading of the bandwidth request.
8. The logic of claim 7, wherein one or more header extensions in one or more packets are evaluated in order to assist in identifying the bandwidth parameter, and wherein the one or more header extensions include a selected one of packet sequence numbers, an average packet transmission rate, an average packet receiving rate, and a packet reception error rate.
9. The logic of claim 8, wherein one or more of the header extensions include negotiated aggregate maximum bit rate (AMBR)guaranteed bit rate (GBR) values.
10. The logic of claim 8, being further operable to perform operations comprising:
identifying that the AMBRGBR value cannot be sustained due to the bandwidth parameter; and
communicating to a mobility management entity (MME) that a packet data protocol (PDP) context modification should occur for downgrading the network link.
11. The logic of claim 7, being further operable to perform operations comprising:
identifying a local gateway (L-GW) option for a subsequent request; and
determining not to downgrade the network link based on the L-GW option being present.
12. An apparatus, comprising:
a memory element configured to store data,
a processor operable to execute instructions associated with the data, and
a bandwidth sensing module configured to:
identify a bandwidth parameter associated with a network link;
evaluate a bandwidth request associated with user equipment, wherein the bandwidth request is associated with a session, which involves the user equipment and which implicates the network link; and
modify the bandwidth request based on the bandwidth parameter that was identified, wherein one or more header extensions in one or more packets are evaluated in order to assist in identifying the bandwidth parameter, and wherein the one or more header extensions include a selected one of packet sequence numbers, an average packet transmission rate, an average packet receiving rate, and a packet reception error rate, and wherein one or more of the header extensions include negotiated aggregate maximum bit rate (AM BR)guaranteed bit rate (GBR) values.
13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein modifying the bandwidth request includes downgrading the bandwidth request to lower a bit rate based on the bandwidth parameter identified for the network link.
14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the bandwidth parameter associated with the network link is subsequently evaluated in order to reverse the downgrading of the bandwidth request.
15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the bandwidth sensing module is further configured to:
identify that the AMBRGBR value cannot be sustained due to the bandwidth parameter; and
communicate to a mobility management entity (MME) that a packet data protocol (PDP) context modification should occur for downgrading the network link.
16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the bandwidth sensing module is further configured to:
identify a local gateway (L-GW) option for a subsequent request; and
determine not to downgrade the network link based on the L-GW option being present.