Universally jointed shaft with integral shock absorbing coupling

Claim 1

IN A SHAFT THE COMBINATION WITH INNER AND OUTER RELATIVELY EXTENSIBLE SHAFT ELEMENTS HAVING COMPLEMENTARY BEARING PORTIONS OF NON-CIRCULAR CROSS SECTION, OF A SPIDER CONNECTED WITH ONE OF SAID ELEMENTS, A FIRST UNIVERSAL JOINT CONNECTED WITH THE OTHER, A SECOND SPIDER, A SECOND UNIVERSAL JOINT IN OPERATIVE DRIVING CONNECTION WITH THE SECOND SPIDER, FLEXIBLE ANNULI PROVIDING A TORQUE TRANSMITTING SHOCK ABSORBING COUPLING BETWEEN THE SPIDERS, THE SPIDERS HAVING ARMS CONNECTED WITH SAID ANNULI AT ANGULARLY SPACED POINTS, AND MEANS FOR PROTECTING SAID ANNULI AGAINST AXIAL DEFLECTION, SAID MEANS INCLUDING AN EXTENSION ON THE INNER SHAFT ELEMENT PROJECTING BEYOND THE SPIDER MOUNTED ON SAID ELEMENT AND THROUGH THE SECOND SPIDER, SAID EXTENSION BEING SHOULDERED ADJACENT THE SECOND SPIDER AND HAVING A CYLINDRICAL PORTION WITHIN THE SECOND SPIDER, THE SECOND UNIVERSAL JOINT HAVING A HUB ENCIRCLING THE BEARING PORTION AND IN WHICH SAID EXTENSION IS PILOTED, A THRUST WASHER BETWEEN THE HUB AND SAID SHOULDER, A SECOND THRUST WASHER MOUNTED AT THE END OF SAID EXTENSION AND ABUTTING THE HUB IN OPPOSITION TO THE THRUST WASHER FIRST MENTIONED, AND MEANS FOR FIXING THE SECOND THRUST WASHER TO THE END OF SAID EXTENSION.