One-way clutch

Claim 1

A ONE-WAY CLUTCH ASSEMBLY COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: A CLUTCH HAVING A GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL INNER RACE; A GENERALY CYLINDRICAL OUTER FACE DISPOSED COAXIALLY ABOUT THE INNER RACE; A PLURALITY OF DRIVE ELEENTS DISPOSED BETWEEN THE INNER RACE AND THE OUTER RACE, ROTATIONAL TORQUE IN ONE DIRECTION WEDGING THE DRIVE ELEMENTS BETWEEN THE RACES AND TORQUE IN THE OTHER DIRECTION RELEASING THE DRIVE ELEMENTS; MEANS FOR MOUNTING THE INNER RACE COAXIALLY ABOUT A SHAFT; A CLUTCH CASING CONSTRUCTED OF MATERIALS IMPERVIOUS TO THE FLOW OF FLUID DISPOSED ABOUT THE RACES DEFINING AN ANNULAR OPENING OF GREATER DIAMETER THAN THE SHAFT FOR ACCOMMODATING THE SHAFT, SAID CASING HAVING A LEAKAGE PATH FOR LUBRICANT DISPOSED OUTWARDLY FROM THE ANNULAR OPENING; AND MEANS FOR INTRODUCING A LUQUID LUBRICANT INTO THE CLUTCH CASING COMPRISING A FLUID TIGHT HOUSING DISPOSED ABOUT THE CLUTCH AND DEFINING A LUBRICANT RESERVOIR DISPOSED BENEATH THE CLUTCH CASING, A BODY OF LIQUID LUBRICANT DISPOSED IN THE HOUSING OF SUFFFICIENT OLUME TO IMMERSE A PORTION OF THE CLUTCH CASING, A TRAY OPEN AT THE TOP DISPOSED WITHIN THE HOUSING HAVING A BOTTOM WITH AN APERTURE THEREIN DISPOSED ABOVE THE LOWEST PORTION OF THE ANNULAR OPENING IN THE CLUTCH CASING, THE CAPACITY OF SAID TRAY BEING SUFFICIENT TO CONTAIN THE PORTION OF THE BODY OF LIQUID LUBRICANT IMMERSING THE CLUTCH CASING, AND MEANS FOR CONDUCTING A FLOW OF LIQUID LUBRICANT FROM THE TRAY TO THE CLUTCH CASING LIMITED TO A VALUE LESS THAN THE CAPACITY OF THE LEAKAGE PATH OF THE CLUTCH CASING COMPRISING A TUBE SEALED WITHIN THE AERTURE IN THE TRAY AT ONE END AND EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY INTO THE ANNULAR OPENING OF THE CLUTCH CASING, WHEREBY ROTATION OF THE CLUTCH CASING SPRAYS LIQUID LUBRICANT WITHIN THE HOUSING CASING A BODY OF LIQUID LUBRICANT TO BE FORMED IN THE TRAY, THEREBY REDUCING THE QUANITITY OF THE LIQUID LUBRICANT AND THE LEVEL OF THE LIQUID LUBRICANT IN THE RESERVOIR TO APPROACH THE LOWER LEVEL OF THE CLUTCH CASING.