Automatically engageable power coupling means for tractors or the like

Claim 1

IN A POWER COUPLING ASSEMBLY FOR A TRACTOR HAVING POWER SUPPLY MEANS FOR LIFTING AND LOWERING A HITCH MEMBER ATTACHED THERETO OR FOR TILTING SUCH MEMBER IN A FORE AND AFT DIRECTION. A POWER SUPPLY SHAFT ON THE TRACTOR, AND AN IMPLEMENT HAVING A HITCH MEMBER THEREON, THE COMBINATION OF: A DRIVING SHAFT ADAPTED TO BE CONNECTED TO SAID POWER SUPPLY SHAFT, MEANS JOURNALING SAID DRIVING SHAFT IN A FIXED POSITION ON AND RELATIVE TO SAID HITCH MEMBER, A DRIVEN SHAFT ADAPTED TO BE COUPLED TO MEANS ON SAID IMPLEMENT FOR POWER SUPPLY THERETO, MEANS ON SAID IMPLEMENT HITCH MEMBER ENGAGING AND JOURNALLING SAID DRIVEN SHAFT THEREIN, RESILIENT MEANS CONNECTING SAID LAST-NAMED MEANS TO SAID HITCH MEMBER FOR LIMITED MOVEMENT RELATIVE THERETO, INTERENGAGING MEANS OPERATIVELY CARRIED BY SAID DRIVING SHAFT AND BY SAID DRIVEN SHAFT FOR POWER TRANSMISSION THEREBETWEEN, SAID INTERENGAGING MEANS BEING SUBSTANTIALLY SIMULTANEOUSLY ENGAGED WHEN SAID HITCH MEMBERS ON THE TRACTOR AND IMPLEMENT ARE ENGAGED BY RELATIVE MOVEMENT THEREBETWEEN, AND GUIDE MEANS ON SAID TRACTOR HITCH MEMBER ABOVE SAID DRIVING SHAFT TO GUIDE SAID DRIVEN SHAFT TO PROPER ENGAGING POSITION WHEN SAID TRACTOR HITCH IS BELOW SAID IMPLEMENT HITCH AND SAID TRACTOR HITCH IS RAISED UP FOR NESTING ENGAGEMENT BETWEEN SAID HITCH MEMBERS.