Free-wheeling hub

Claim 1

A FREE-WHEELING HUB COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: (A) A SHAFT HAVING AN AXIS AND TWO AXIAL END PORTIONS; (B) HELICAL THREADS ON ONE OF SAID END PORTIONS; (C) A PLURALITY OF CORRUGATIONS TRANSVERSE OF SAID AXIS ON A PORTION OF SAID SHAFT AXIALLY ADJACENT SAID ONE END PORTION; (D) AN INTERNALLY THREADED TUBULAR BEARING MEMBER ENGAGING THE THREADS OF SAID ONE END PORTION AND AXIALLY ABUTTING AGAINST ONE OF SAID CORRUGATIONS; (E) A TUBULAR DRIVER MEMBER COAXIALLY ROTATABLE ON SAID SHAFT, SAID DRIVER MEMBER HAVING ONE AXIAL END PORTION ROTATABLY ENGAGING SAID CORRUGATIONS AND ANOTHER AXIAL END PORTION; (F) ANNULAR ANTI-FRICTION BEARING MEANS INTERPOSED BETWEEN SAID BEARING MEMBER AND THE OTHER END PORTION OF SAID DRIVER MEMBER; (G) A HUB SHELL SUBSTANTIALLY COAXIAL WITH SAID SHAFT AND ROTATABLE THEREON; (H) MOTION TRANSMITTING MEANS INTERPOSED BETWEEN SAID SHAFT, SAID HUB SHELL, AND SAID DRIVER MEMBER FOR TRANSMITTING ROTATION OF SAID DRIVER MEMBER TO SAID HUB SHELL WHEN THE DRIVER MEMBER ROTATES IN ONE DIRECTION RELATIVE TO SAID SHAFT, AND FOR FRICTIONALLY COUPLING SAID HUB SHELL TO SAID SHAFT WHEN SAID DRIVER MEMBER ROTATES IN THE OTHER DIRECTION; (I) HELICAL THREADS ON THE OTHER END PORTION OF SAID SHAFT; (J) ANOTHER INTERNALLY THREADED TUBULAR BEARING MEMBER THREADEDLY ENGAGING THE THREADS OF SAID OTHER END PORTION, SAID OTHER BEARING MEMBER BEING FORMED WITH A BALL RACE ABOUT SAID AXIS AND HAVING TWO PORTIONS OF SUBSTANTIALLY CIRCULAR CROSS SECTION ADJACENT SAID BALL RACE AND SPACED FROM SAID BALL RACE IN OPPOSITE AXIAL DIRECTIONS, (1) SAID TWO PORTIONS OF SAID OTHER BEARING MEMBER HAVING RESPECTIVE EXTERNAL DIAMETERS GREATER THAN THE SMALLEST EXTERNAL DIAMETER OF SAID BALL RACE; (K) A FIRST BALL BEARING INTERPOSED BETWEEN SAID DRIVER MEMBER AND SAID HUB SHELL; AND (L) A SECOND BALL BEARING OF SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME EXTERNAL DIAMETER AS SAID FIRST BALL BEARING, (1) SAID SECOND BALL BEARING BEING RECEIVED IN SAID BALL RACE OF SAID OTHER BEARING MEMBER AND INTERPOSED BETWEEN SAID OTHER BEARING MEMBER AND SAID HUB SHELL, (2) SAID SECOND BALL BEARING ESSENTIALLY CONSISTING OF A SUBSTANTIALLY ANNULAR CAGE AND A PLURALITY OF BALLS RETAINED IN SAID CAGE, THE BALLS WHILE RETAINED IN SAID CAGE DEFINING THE INTERNAL DIAMETER OF SAID BALL BEARING, SAID INTERNAL DIAMETER BEING SMALLER THAN SAID EXTERNAL DIAMETERS OF SAID ADJACENT PORTIONS OF SAID OTHER BEARING MEMBER, AND THE INTERNAL DIAMETER OF SAID CAGE BEING GREATER THAN THE EXTERNAL DIAMETER OF AT LEAST ONE OF SAID TWO ADJACENT PORTIONS.