A vehicle generally has an engine and a transmission connected to the engine for changing the speed of the vehicle. A driver can control the transmission via a shift lever connected to the transmission by a cable. As used herein, the terms “cable” and “transmission cable” are used interchangeably. It is known to provide a connecting device to operably connect a transmission cable to a vehicle body. For example, a connecting device can be used to connect a transmission cable to a bracket or abutment of the vehicle. The connecting device should be suitably anchored with the bracket or abutment. However, existing transmission cable connecting devices suffer from various drawbacks. For example, conventionally such connecting devices are mounted transversely to the bracket or abutment member, which requires open space in front of the bracket for assembly. Such connecting devices are difficult or impossible to mount with one hand, and instead require an assembler to use both hands. Examples of connecting devices mounted transversely to a bracket or abutment member include U.S. Pat. No. 6,658,706 to Scheidling et al., which discloses a quick fastening device having a groove for receiving an abutment; and European Patent Publication 1 026 411, in which a sleeve is provided with a groove for interlocking with a plate. In both of these arrangements, the connecting device is spring-loaded to anchor with the bracket/abutment. Other examples of transversely-mounted connecting devices include U.S. Pat. No. 5,579,662 to Reasoner, which discloses guideways defined by flanges for being received within a slot of a support structure; U.S. Pat. No. 6,340,265 to Suzuki et al., in which a tubular socket is engaged with a bracket, and a nut is subsequently rotated against the bracket; and European Patent Publication 1 312 838, in which a connecting device includes a vibration-absorbing member. However, each of the arrangements disclosed in the above patent documents requires mounting of the connecting device transversely to a bracket or abutment member, instead of along an axis of the cable, and thus requires suitable open space to allow the transverse assembly operation to take place. Moreover, the above-described arrangements would be difficult or impossible for an assembler to manipulate with one hand, and instead require two hands for assembly. Further, the above arrangements are complicated and have generally tight tolerances, which could result in higher failure rates than desirable.
A further example of a conventional connecting device is depicted in PRIOR ART FIGS. 6A to 6C, in which a connecting device 2 connected with a cable 1 is rotated and pulled through an opening 5 in a bracket 4, so that locking elements 3 of the connecting device 2 can lock against a surface of the bracket 4. As shown in FIGS. 6B and 6C, after the connecting device 2 has been rotated and pulled through the opening 5, a clip 6 is mounted on the inside of the locking elements 3. In other words, the clip 6 is mounted transversely to the cable 1. However, this arrangement suffers from the drawback that the connecting device 2 must be secured by the clip 6, which requires an additional step during assembly. Also, during assembly, the connecting device 2 must be rotated into position relative to the bracket 4, thus making assembly more difficult.
It would be desirable to provide a connecting device for operably connecting a transmission cable to a bracket or abutment of a vehicle body in which the connecting device is assembled axially along the cable, instead of being assembled transversely with respect to the bracket, such that assembly could be accomplished preferably with one hand, and without requiring extra space around the connecting device and bracket for assembly. In other words, it would be desirable to provide a connecting device for easily mounting a transmission cable to a bracket of a vehicle body.