Flexible couplings

Claim 1

A GEAR TYPE FLEXIBLE COUPLING CAPABLE OF EFFECTIVELY COUPLING A PAIR OF ROTATABLE SHAFTS OVER A RELATIVELY WIDE RANGE OF SHAFT MISALIGNMENT, SUCH MISALIGNMENT INCLUDING LATERALLY OFFSET LONGITUDINAL SHAFT AXES AS WELL AS SHAFT AXES AT AN ANGLE TO ONE ANOTHER, SAID COUPLING COMPRISING: (A) A FIRST HUB CAPABLE OF BEING MOUNTED FOR ROTATION WITH THE FIRST OF SAID PAIR OF SHAFTS AND HAVING FIRST TEETH; (B) A SECOND HUB CAPABLE OF BEING MOUNTED FOR ROTATION WITH THE SECOND OF SAID PAIR OF SHAFTS AND HAVING SECOND TEETH; (C) A FIRST SLEEVE HAVING TEETH COMPLEMENTARY TO SAID FIRST TEETH FOR MESHING WITH SAID FIRST TEETH TO PROVIDE A FIRST FLEXIBLE DRIVING CONNECTION BETWEEN THE FIRST HUB AND THE SLEEVE, SAID SLEEVE HAVING A LONGITUDINAL LENGTH GREATER THAN THE LONGITUDINAL EXTENT OF THE MESHING TEETH AND AN END WALL EXTENDING LATERALLY INWARDLY BEYOND SAID FIRST TEETH TOWARD THE FIRST SHAFT TO ENCLOSE THE MESHING TEETH WITHIN THE COUPLING; (D) A SECOND SLEEVE HAVING TEETH COMPLEMENTARY TO SAID SECOND TEETH FOR MESHING WITH SAID SECOND TEETH TO PROVIDE A SECOND FLEXIBLE DRIVING CONNECTION BETWEEN THE SECOND HUB AND THE SECOND SLEEVE, SAID SECOND SLEEVE HAVING A LONGITUDINAL LENGTH GREATER THAN THE LONGITUDINAL EXTENT OF THESE MESHING TEETH AND AN END WALL EXTENDING LATERALLY INWARDLY BEYOND SAID SECOND TEETH TOWARD THE SECOND SHAFT TO ENCLOSE THE MESHING TEETH WITHIN THE COUPLING; AND (E) MEANS FOR PROVIDING AT LEAST ONE FURTHER FLEXIBLE DRIVING CONNECTION BETWEEN THE FIRST AND SECOND SLEEVES, SAID MEANS INCLUDING FURTHER TEETH ON EACH SAID SLEEVE, SAID FURTHER TEETH OF AT LEAST ONE SLEEVE BEING LONGITUDINALLY DISPLACED FROM THE COMPLEMENTARY TEETH ON THAT SLEEVE AND THE FURTHER TEETH OF BOTH SLEEVES BEING LATERALLY DISPLACED FROM SAID COMPLEMENTARY TEETH, SAID MEANS BEING INDEPENDENT OF ANY FURTHER MECHANICAL CONNECTION WITH THE SHAFTS SO AS TO BE CAPABLE OF ACCOMMODATING SAID OFFSET AS WELL AS SAID ANGULAR MISALIGNMENT.