Rotary engine

Claim 1

A ROTARY INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE COMPRISING A GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL FIRST MEMBER AND A CONCENTRICALLY ARRANGED SECOND MEMBER, EACH MEMBER HAVING A SURFACE WHICH FACES A SURFACE OF THE OTHER MEMBER BUT IS SEPARATED THEREFROM THEREBY DEFINING THEREBETWEEN AN ANNULAR SPACE, AN EVEN NUMBER OF ABUTMENTS AFFIXED TO SAID FIRST MEMBER AND PROTRUDING ACROSS SAID SPACE TO SLIDINGLY CONTACT SAID SURFACE OF SAID SECOND MEMBER, CHANNELS IN SAID SECOND MEMBER OPENING TOWARD SAID SURFACE OF SAID FIRST MEMBER, PISTONS CARRIED BY SAID SECOND MEMBER, SAID PISTONS BEING OF HOLLOW CYLINDRICAL SHAPE AND HOUSED IN SAID CHANNELS AND MOUNTED FOR ROTATION RELATIVE TO SAID SECOND MEMBER, SAID PISTONS EXTENDING ACROSS SAID SPACE AND THE OUTER CYLINDRICAL SURFACE OF SAID PISTONS SUBSTANTIALLY ROLLINGLY CONTACTING SAID SURFACE OF SAID FIRST MEMBER, AN OPENING IN THE CYLINDRICAL WALLS OF SAID PISTONS SAID FIRST AND SECOND MEMBERS BEING ARRANGED FOR RELATIVE ROTATION, SAID RELATIVE ROTATION OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND MEMBERS AND THE ROTATION OF SAID PISTONS BEING ARRANGED SUCH THAT EACH ABUTMENT WILL ENGAGE SAID OPENING IN THE CYLINDRICAL WALLS OF SAID PISTONS SO THAT SAID PISTONS AND ABUTMENTS MAY PRESS EACH OTHER, SAID OPENINGS FURTHER COMMUNICATING WITH SAID ANNULAR SPACE BETWEEN SAID MEMBERS AT SOME POSITION OF PISTON ROTATION TO PERMIT FLOW INTO OR OUT OF SAID HOLLOW INTERIOR OF SAID PISTON, ALTERNATE ONES OF SAID ABUTMENTS COMPRISING A FIRST SET EACH HAVING A PASSAGE AT ONE SIDE THEREOF TO ADMIT A COMBUSTIBLE MIXTURE TO SAID ANNULAR SPACE AND PASSAGE AT THE OTHER SIDE THEREOF TO PERMIT THE EXHAUST OF AN EXPANDED MIXTURE; THE OTHERS OF SAID ABUTMENTS COMPRISING A SECOND SET HAVING IGNITION MEANS THEREIN, SAID RELATIVE ROTATION OF SAID MEMBERS CAUSING, (1) SAID PISTON RECEDING FROM SAID FIRST SET OF ABUTMENTS TO DRAW A COMBUSTIBLE MIXTURE INTO SAID ANNULAR SPACE THROUGH SAID INLETS, (2) SAID PISTONS APPROACHING SAID SECOND SET OF ABUTMENTS TO COMPRESS SAID MIXTURE IN SAID ANNULAR SPACE TO FLOW INTO SAID HOLLOW CYLINDRICAL PISTONS, (3) SAID PISTONS WHICH ARE ALIGNED WITH SAID SECOND SET OF ABUTMENTS TO HAVE THE COMPRESSED MIXTURE IN THE HOLLOW PISTON IGNITED, (4) SAID PISTONS RECEDING FROM SAID SECOND SET OF ABUTMENTS BEING FORCED TO MOVE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF THE EXPANSION OF SAID IGNITED MIXTURE FLOWING FROM SAID HOLLOW PISTON INTO SAID ANNULAR SPACE AND (5) SAID PISTONS APPROACHING SAID FIRST SET OF ABUTMENTS EXPELLING SAID EXPANDED MIXTURE FROM SAID ANNULAR SPACE.