Motion transmitting mechanisms of the gear-pinion type

Claim 1

MOTION TRANSMITTING MECHANISM COMPRISING A DRIVEN SHAFT MOUNTED FOR ROTATION ABOUT ITS LONGITUDINAL AXIS EXTENDING IN THE Z DIRECTION OF REFERENCE, A DRIVE SHAFT MOUNTED FOR ROTATION ABOUT ITS LONGITUDINAL AXIS EXTENDING IN THE X DIRECTION OF REFERENCE AND OFFSET FROM THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID DRIVEN SHAFT IN THE Y DIRECTION OF REFERENCE, A DISK-LIKE GEAR RIGIDLY SECURED TO SAID DRIVEN SHAFT AND INCLUDING AN OUTER SURFACE OF REVOLUTION GENERATED ABOUT THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID DRIVEN SHAFT AS A DIRECTRIX AND HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY CONCAVE CROSS SECTION CONSTITUTING A SEGMENT OF A FIRST CIRCLE AT EACH INTERSECTION THEREOF WITH ANY RADIAL PLANE PASSING THROUGH THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID DRIVEN SHAFT, A DRUM-LIKE PINION RIGIDLY SECURED TO SAID DRIVE SHAFT AND INCLUDING AN OUTER SURFACE OF REVOLUTION GENERATED ABOUT THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID DRIVE SHAFT AS A DIRECTRIX AND HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY CONCAVE CROSS SECTION CONSTITUTING A SEGMENT OF A SECOND CIRCLE AT EACH INTERSECTION THEREOF WITH ANY RADIAL PLANE PASSING THROUGH THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID DRIVE SHAFT, SAID GEAR AND SAID PINION BEING DISPOSED IN COOPERATING RELATION SO THAT THE MEDIAN PLANE OF SAID GEAR BETWEEN THE OPPOSITE FACES THEREOF PASSES THROUGH THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID DRIVE SHAFT AND SO THAT THE MEDIAN PLANE OF SAID PINION BETWEEN THE OPPOSITE ENDS THEREOF PASSES THROUGH THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID DRIVEN SHAFT AND SO THAT IN THE MEDIAN PLANE OF SAID PINION SAID FIRST CIRCLE IS CENTERED ALONG THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID DRIVE SHAFT AND SO THAT IN THE MEDIAN PLANE OF SAID GEAR SAID SECOND CIRCLE IS CENTERED ALONG THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID DRIVEN SHAFT AND SO THAT THE MUTUALLY FACING SEGMENTS OF SAID OUTER SURFACES ARE DISPOSED IN CLOSELY SPACED-APART ANDHELICALLY DISPOSED SLOTS AND SAID PINION ARE ARRANGED IN MUTUALLY EMBRACING RELATION REGARDLESS OF THE ROTARY POSITIONS OF SAID SHAFTS, SAID GEAR OUTER SURFACE HAVING A PLURALITY OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED-APART AND HELICALLY DISPOSED SLOTS THEREIN, SAID PINION OUTER SURFACE HAVING AN ELONGATED CONTINUOUS SUBSTANTIALLY HELICAL GROOVE OF A PLURALITY OF LONGITUDINALLY SPACED-APART INTERCONNECTED TURNS THEREIN, WHEREIN SAID SLOTS AND SAID TURNS HAVE A FIXED ANGULAR PITCH MEASURED FROM THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID DRIVEN SHAFT, A STATIONARY ELEMENT SUPPORTED IN FIXED POSITION AND IN COOPERATING RELATION WITH SAID PINION AND PARTIALLY SURROUNDING IN CLOSELY SPACED-APART RELATION THE ADJACENT SEGMENT OF SAID PINION OUTER SURFACE DISPOSED IN NON-FACING RELATION WITH SAID GEAR OUTER SURFACE, AND A GROUP OF CONTIGUOUS BALLS DISPOSED IN SAID GROOVE SO THAT A PLURALITY OF SAID BALLS ARE ARRANGED AS A FIRST SUBGROUP MUTUALLY IN SAID SLOTS AND IN SAID TURNS AND SO THAT ANOTHER PLURALITY OF SAID BALLS ARE ARRANGED AS A SECOND SUBGROUP MUTUALLY IN SAID TURNS AND IN CONTACT WITH SAID ELEMENT, THE BALLS IN SAID GROUP BEING HELD IN POSITION IN SAID TURNS FOR ROTATION WITH SAID PINION AND FOR INDIVIDUAL ROTATION IN SAID TURNS, WHEREBY ROTATION OF SAID DRIVE SHAFT EFFECTS CORRESPONDING ROTATION OF SAID DRIVEN SHAFT BY THE ACTION OF SAID PINION UPON SAID GEAR THROUGH SAID FIRST SUBGROUP OF BALLS, THE OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID GROOVE BEING CLOSED BY THE RESPECTIVELY ADJACENT END PORTIONS OF SAID PINION AND SAID GROUP OF BALLS SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETELY FILLING SAID GROOVE BETWEEN THE OPPOSITE CLOSED ENDS THEREOF, THEREBY TO RESTRAIN SAID BALLS AGAINST CIRCULATION OR ANY SUBSTANTIAL MOVEMENT ALONG THE HELIX OF SAID GROOVE.