Hydraulic starting and pumping method and apparatus

Claim 1

AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE; A HYDRAULIC STARTING AND PUMPING DEVICE FOR USE WITH AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE COMPRISING A ROTARY CYLINDER BARREL LONGITUDINALLY RECIPROCATING PISTON HYDRAULIC PUMP/MOTOR UNIT CAPABLE OF OPERATING AS BOTH A PUMP AND A MOTOR AND HAVING HIGH AND LOW PRESSURE PORTS, A CAM PLATE FOR MOVING THE PISTONS ON THEIR DISCHARGE STROKES AND FOR GOVERNING THE LENGTH OF THESE STROKES, AND MEANS SUPPORTING THE CAM PLATE FOR ANGULAR MOVEMENT BETWEEN MAXIMUM STROKE ESTABLISHING POSITIONS ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF A NEUTRAL ZERO STROKE ESTABLISHING POSITION, THE TWO SIDES BEING TERMED THE MOTORING AND PUMPING SIDES, RESPECTIVELY; BIDIRECTIONAL TORQUE-TRANSMITTING MEANS FOR CONNECTING THE HYDRAULIC PUMP/MOTOR UNIT WITH THE INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE; RESILIENT MEANS BIASING THE CAM PLATE TOWARD ITS MAXIMUM STROKE ESTABLISHING POSITION ON THE MOTORING SIDE OF NEUTRAL; SHIFTING MOTOR MEANS FOR MOVING THE CAM PLATE TOWARD ITS MAXIMUM STROKE ESTABLISHING POSITION ON THE PUMPING SIDE OF NEUTRAL AGAINST THE BIAS OF THE RESILIENT MEANS; AND A DEVICE RESPONSIVE TO THE SPEED OF THE INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE FOR ENERGIZING THE SHIFTING MOTOR MEANS WHEN THAT ENGINE REACHES A CERTAIN SPEED.