Speed responsive coupling device

Claim 1

A FLUID COUPLING DEVICE COMPRISING A DRIVEN SHAFT, AN OUTER CASING ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON SAID SHAFT, SAID CASING HAVING DIVIDER PLATE THEREIN SEPARATING THE SPACE WITHIN SAID CASING INTO A FLUID RESERVOIR AND A DRIVE CHAMBER, A DRIVE DISC MOUNTED ON SAID SHAFT WITHIN SAID DRIVE CHAMBER, AND INCLUDING SURFACES DISPOSED IN CLOSE FACETO-FACE AND SPACED RELATION WITH SURFACES OF SAID PLATE AND OUTER CASING, A RELATIVELY LARGE FILL PORT IN SAID PLATE OPENING INTO SAID RESERVOIR AND INTO SAID DRIVE CHAMBER FOR FILLING THE SPACES BETWEEN SAID DISC, PLATE AND CASING SURFACES WITH FLUID FROM SAID RESERVOIR TO CREATE FLUID DRIVE COUPLING OF SAID CASING AND SAID DISC, A VALVE PLATE HAVING A PORTION NORMALLY SPACED FROM SAID PORT AND PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID DIVIDER PLATE WITHIN SAID RESERVOIR, THE PIVOTAL AXIS OF SAID VALVE PLATE LYING IN A PLANE TRANSVERSE TO SAID SHAFT AXIS FOR MOVEMENT OF SAID VALVE PLATE INTO AND OUT OF SEATING RELATION WITH SAID PORT, SPRING MEANS ACTING BETWEEN SAID VALVE PLATE AND SAID DIVIDER PLATE FOR BIASING SAID VALVE PLATE OUT OF SAID SEATING RELATION, AND A WEIGHT MOUNTED ON SAID VALVE PLATE PORTION AND RESPONSIVE TO CENTRIFUGAL FORCES CREATED BY ROTATION OF SAID CASING FOR MOVING SAID VALVE PLATE TO CLOSED POSITION OVER SAID FILL PORT IN RESPONSE TO INCREASE OF ROTATIONAL SPEED, AND PERMITTING SAID SPRING MEANS TO MOVE SAID VALVE PLATE TO OPEN SAID PORT IN RESPONSE TO DECREASE OF ROTATIONAL SPEED TO ALLOW FLOW OF FLUID FROM SAID RESERVOIR TO SAID CHAMBER, SAID DIVIDER PLATE HAVING FORMED THEREIN A RELATIVELY SMALL DRAIN PORT ADJACENT ITS PERIPHERY FOR DRAINING FLUID FROM SAID DRIVE CHAMBER TO SAID RESERVOIR.