Releasible coupling

Claim 1

A DRIVEN ACCESSORY COMBINATION COMPRISED OF A HOLLOW DRIVE SHAFT CONSTRUCTED TO BE CONNECTED TO AN ENGINE WITH PROVISION FOR AXIAL MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO THE ENGINE, AN ACCESSORY HAVING A HOUSING AND A HOLLOW SHAFT ALIGNED WITH SAID DRIVE SHAFT, A HOLLOW DRIVEN SHAFT EXTENDING FROM SAID DRIVE SHAFT INTO AND BEING CONNECTED TO SAID ACCESSORY SHAFT, SAID DRIVE AND DRIVEN SHAFTS HAVING FACING FLANGES, SAID ACCESSORY SHAFT HAVING ONE END ADJACENT SAID DRIVEN SHAFT FLANGE AND ITS OTHER END SPACED THEREFROM, SAID DRIVEN SHAFT HAVING A FIRST OPEN END ADJACENT ITS FLANGE AND A SECOND OPEN END ADJACENT SAID OTHER END OF SAID ACCESSORY SHAFT, SAID FACING FLANGES HAVING MATING TEETH WHICH HAVE INCLINED AXIALLY-EXTENDING SIDES, SAID TEETH BEING ENGAGED WHEREBY A DRIVING COUPLING IS FORMED BETWEEN SAID DRIVE SHAFT AND SAID DRIVEN SHAFT, LOCKING MEANS CARRIED BY SAID DRIVEN SHAFT AND EXTENDING INTO SAID DRIVE SHAFT, SAID LOCKING MEANS NORMALLY URGING SAID DRIVE SHAFT TOWARD SAID DRIVEN SHAFT, SAID LOCKING MEANS INCLUDING A RELEASIBLE LATCH DEVICE AND AN ACTUATOR ROD DEVICE, SAID ROD DEVICE BEING OPERABLY CONNECTED TO SAID LATCH DEVICE AND EXTENDING ALONG THE AXIS OF SAID DRIVEN SHAFT, SAID ROD DEVICE PROJECTING FROM SAID SECOND END OF SAID DRIVEN SHAFT, OPERATING MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID HOUSING OF SAID ACCESSORY, SAID OPERATING MEANS BEING ARRANGED TO MOVE SAID ACTUATOR ROD DEVICE AXIALLY SO THAT SAID LATCH DEVICE IS RELEASED AND SAID TEETH WILL SEPARATE MOVING SAID DRIVE SHAFT FROM SAID DRIVEN SHAFT, AND SPACING MEANS EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID SHAFTS CONSTRUCTED TO SPACE SAID DRIVEN SHAFT SO THAT SAID TEETH REMAIN OUT OF CONTACT WHEN SAID TEETH DISENGAGED.