Nonlinear gearing and apparatus utilizing nonlinear gearing for indexing

Claim 1

AN ATTACHMENT TO A THREAD ROLLING APPARATUS COMPRISING SCREW ELEMENT FEEDING MEANS FIXEDLY MOUNTED IN A SINGLE LOCATION AND OPERABLE TO FEED SCREW ELEMENTS AT A STATION, A WASHER FEEDING DEVICE LOCATED BELOW SAID SCREW ELEMENT FEEDING MEANS AND ADAPTED TO DISPOSE WASHERS AT SAID STATION FOR INSERTION OF THE SCREW ELEMENTS THEREWITHIN, SAID WASHER FEEDING MEANS OPERABLE TO PICK UP PLATE MEANS AND POWER INPUT MEANS OPERABLE TO SIMULTANEOUSLY ACTUATE SAID SCREW ELEMENT FEEDING DEVICE AND SAID WASHER PICK UP PLATE MEANS IN TIMED RELATION, SAID POWER INPUT MEANS COMPRISING SHAFT MEANS DRIVING SAID SCREW ELEMENT FEEDING DEVICE, A FIRST GEAR MEANS CONCENTRIC WITH SAID SHAFT MEANS AND RELATIVELY FIXED AGAINST ROTATION WHILE PERMITTING RELATIVE ROTATION OF SAID SHAFT MEANS WHICH PROJECTS THERETHROUGH, A SECOND GEAR MEANS ALSO CONCENTRIC WITH SAID SHAFT MEANS HAVING AN OUTER DIAMETER SUBSTANTIALLY IDENTICAL TO THE OUTER DIAMETER OF SAID FIRST GEAR MEANS, SAID SECOND GEAR MEANS PERMITTING RELATIVE ROTATION OF SAID SHAFT MEANS WHICH PROJECTS THERETHROUGH, SAID SECOND GEAR MEANS BEING FREE FOR RELATIVE MOVEMENT TO SAID FIRST GEAR MEANS, SAID FIRST GEAR MEANS BEING CHARACTERIZED AS HAVING A LESSER NUMBER OF TEETH THAN SAID SECOND GEAR MEANS AND AT LEAST A PORTION OF SAID TEETH BEING IDENTICAL IN SHAPE AND SPACING TO THE TEETH OF SAID SECOND GEAR MEANS, THIRD GEAR MEANS COMPRISING A PINION CARRIER MEANS FIXEDLY MOUNTED ON SAID SHAFT MEANS FOR ROTATION THEREWITH AND DISPOSED INTERMEDIATE SAID FIRST AND SECOND GEAR MEANS, SAID PINION CARRIER MEANS CARRYING A PINION HAVING UNIFORM TEETH THEREON ADAPTED TO SIMULTANEOUSLY MATE WITH THE PERIPHERAL TEETH ON SAID FIRST AND SECOND GEAR MEANS, SAID WASHER PICK UP PLATE MEANS BEING MOVABLE IN A ROTARY PATH INTERSECTING SAID STATION AND HAVING A PLURALITY OF WASHER RECEIVING IDENTATIONS THEREIN IN UNIFORMLY SPACED RELATION ON THE PERIPHERY THEREOF, SAID WASHER PICK UP PLATE MEANS BEING COAXIALLY MOUNTED FOR RELATIVE MOVEMENT TO SAID SHAFT MEANS WHICH PROJECTS THERETHROUGH, AND CLUTCH MEANS COUPLING SAID SECOND GEAR MEANS AND SAID WASHER PICK UP PLATE MEANS AND COMPRISING HUB MEANS COAXIAL WITH SAID SHAFT MEANS AND COMPRISING HUB MEANS COAXIAL AND INTEGRAL WITH SAID SECOND GEAR MEANS, SAID HUB MEANS HAVING A PLURALITY OF PROJECTIONS IN THE RADIAL PERIPHERY THEREOF SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL WITH SAID SHAFT MEANS, A COUPLING PLATE MEMBER COAXIAL WITH SAID SHAFT MEANS AND DISPOSED PARALLEL WITH SAID SHAFT WASHER PICK UP PLATE MEANS IN DRIVING RELATIONSHIP THERETO, SAID COUPLING PLATE MEMBER BEING MOUNTED FOR RELATIVE ROTATION TO SAID HUB MEANS WHICH PROJECTS THERETHROUGH, AND SPRING LOADED PIN MEANS PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID COUPLING PLATE MEMBER IN PARALLEL RELATION THERETO, SAID SPRING LOADED PIN MEANS BEING NORMALLY ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID PROJECTIONS OF SAID HUB MEANS TO DRIVE SAID COUPLING PLATE MEMBER AND THEREBY SAID WASHER PICK UP PLATE MEMBER, WHEREBY ONE REVOLUTION OF SAID SHAFT MEANS CAUSES REVOLUTION OF SAID PINION CARRIER MEANS TO CAUSE MOVEMENT IN TURN OF SAID SECOND GEAR MEANS, THE MOTION OF SAID WASHER PICK UP PLATE MEANS BEING CHARACTERIZED AS PROVIDING A DWELL TIME CORRESPONDING TO THAT PORTION OF THE ROTATION OF SAID PINION ABOUT SAID FIRST AND SECOND GEAR MEANS WHEREIN THE TEETH OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND GEAR MEANS ARE IDENTICAL IN SHAPE AND SPACING.