Control apparatus

Claim 1

CONTROL APPARATUS COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, (A) FIRST ROTATABLE SHAFT MEANS, (B) SECOND ROTATABLE SHAFT MEANS, (C) SAID TWO SHAFT MEANS BEING ARRANGED TO ROTATE ABOUT MUTUALLY PERPENDICULAR INTERSECTING, LONGTUDINAL SHAFT AXES, (D) FIRST GIMBAL MEANS FIXEDLY CONNECTED TO SAID FIRST SHAFT MEANS, (E) SECOND GIMBAL MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID SECOND SHAFT MEANS, (F) SAID FIRST GIMBAL MEANS INCLUDING A SEMI-CIRCULAR PORTION HAVING AN ARCUATE SLOT THEREIN, (G) SAID SECOND GIMBAL MEANS BEING PROVIDED WITH TWO SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULARLY DISPOSED OPENINGS THEREIN, (H) MEANS ROTATABLY MOUNTING SAID SECOND SHAFT MEANS IN ONE OF SAID OPENINGS IN SAID SECOND GIMBAL MEANS (I) A CONTROL ELEMENT EXTENDING THROUGH THE ARCUATE SLOT IN SAID SEMI-CIRCULAR PORTION, (J) BEARING MEANS MOUNTING SAID CONTROL ELEMENT FOR SLIDABLE ARCUATE MOVEMENT IN SAID SLOT, (K) SAID CONTROL ELEMENT BEING RIGIDLY FIXED TO ONE END OF SAID SECOND GIMBAL MEANS AND BEING EFFECTIVE TO MOVE THE LATTER IN RESPONSE TO FORCES APPLIED TO SAID CONTROL ELEMENT, (L) THE OPPOSITE END OF SAID SECOND GIMBAL MEANS HAVING A CONICAL DEPRESSION FORMING A CAM SURFACE THEREIN, AND (M) MEANS MOUNTING A COILED SPRING ADJACENT SAID SECOND GIMBAL MEANS, (N) SAID COIL SPRING CARRYING A SPHERICAL MEMBER AT ONE END THEREOF ENGAGING SAID CAM SURFACE WHEREBY THE FORCES DEVELOPED BY SAID SPRING CAUSES SAID SPHERICAL MEMBER TO CONSTANTLY URGE SAID CONTROL ELEMENT INTO A POSITION WHEREIN IT IS PERPENDICULAR TO BOTH SAID SHAFT MEANS.