Shaft key

Claim 1

A UNITARY SHAFT KEY, THRUST BEARING AND HUB RETAINER COMPRISING AN ANNULAR THRUST BEARING MEMBER HAVING A CENTRAL OPENING TO RECEIVE A SHAFT, A PLURALITY OF RODS, EACH HAVING ONE END INTEGRAL WITH SAID BEARING AND EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO THE PLANE DEFINED BY A LATERAL SURFACE OF SAID BEARING, THE OTHER END OF EACH ROD HAVING A REDUCED CROSS SECTION EXTENDING OVER A SUBSTANTIAL LENGTH THEREOF TO FACILITATE BENDING IT AGAINST A FCE OF SAID HUB, A SURFACE OF EACH ROD BEING FLUSH WITH THE INNER PERIPHERY OF SAID CENTRAL OPENING AND PARALLEL TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS THEREOF, AND A PROTUBERANCE EXTENDING RADIALLY INWARDLY FROM SAID FLUSH SURFCE OF EACH ROD AND INTERMEDIATE THE ENDS OF EACH ROD, EACH PROTUBERANCE BEING AT A DISTANCE FROM SAID BEARING DIFFERENT FROM THAT DISTANCE FOR THE PROTUBERANCES ON ALL THE OTHER OF SAID PLURALITY OF RODS, A PORTION OF EACH ROD BETWEEN SAID HEARING AND ITS PROTUBERANCE BEING OF REDUCED CROSS SECTION TO FACILITATE BENDING SAID ROD.