Overrunning clutches

Claim 1

IN AN OVERRUNNING CLUTCH, INNER AND OUTER CLUTCH MEMBERS ROTATABLE ON A COMMON AXIS AND DEFINING A PAIR OF OPPOSED INNER AND OUTER RACEWAYS, ONE OF SAID RACEWAYS HAVING A SERIES OF CAMMING SURFACES COOPERATING WITH THE OTHER RACEWAY TO FORM A SERIES OF WEDGE-LIKE SPACES EXTENDING CIRCUMFERENTIALLY BETWEEN SAID MEMBERS, THE NARROW END OF EACH SPACE BEING SUBSTANTIALLY NARROWER THAN THE ADJACENT WIDE END OF THE NEXT SUCCEEDING SPACE, A WEDGING ELEMENT FREELY POSITIONED IN A PLURALITY OF SAID SPACES, WHEREBY ROTATION OF ONE OF SAID MEMBERS IN ONE DIRECTION WILL CAUSE CLUTCHING OF SAID MEMBERS SO THAT THEY ROTATE TOGETHER AS A UNIT, WHILE ROTATION IN THE OTHER DIRECTION WILL RESULT IN OVERRUNNING, AND MEANS FOR INSURING THAT SAID WEDGING ELEMENTS NEVER MAKE CLUTCHING ENGAGEMENT WITH EITHER OF SAID RACEWAYS AT THE SAME POINT MORE THAN ONCE DURING ANY ONE COMPLETE REVOLUTION OF SAID INNER AND OUTER MEMBERS WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHER, SAID MEANS COMPRISING THE LIMITATION THAT EACH OF THE AFORESAID WEDGING ELEMENTS IS OF A DIFFERENT SIZE THAN ALL OF THE OTHERS, AND FURTHER COMPRISING THE LIMITATION THAT ONE OF SAID RACEWAYS IS ECCENTRIC WITH RESPECT TO SAID COMMON AXIS.