Flexible couplings

Claim 1

A FLEXIBLE COUPLING FOR SHAFT AND THE LIKE, COMPRISING TWO RADIALLY SPACED RIGID COUPLING MEMBERS; AN ANNULAR COUPLING ELEMENT BRIDGING SAID MEMBERS WHILE HAVING INNER AND OUTER PERIPHERIES RESPECTIVELY SECURED TO SAID MEMBERS, THEREBY FLEXIBLY CONNECTING THEM TOGETHER, SAID ELEMENT COMPRISING A BODY OF ELASTICALLY DEFORMABLE MATERIAL AND AN ANNULAR REINFORCING INLAY OF WOVEN SHEET MATERIAL WHOLLY EMBEDDED IN SAID BODY AND SPANNING SAID MEMBERS WHILE EXTENDING CLOSE TO SAID PERIPHERIES WITHIN SAID BODY, SAID INLAY HAVING INWARDLY TURNED ANNULAR MARGINAL PORTIONS OF SAID SHEET MATERIAL ALONG SAID INNER AND OUTER PERIPHERIES OF SAID ELEMENT, THEREBY REINFORCING SAID INLAY WITH OUTER AND INNER EDGE ZONES HAVING TWICE THE THICKNESS OF SAID SHEET MATERIAL; A FIRST REINFORCING RING EMBEDDED IN SAID BODY INWARDLY OF THE OUTER PERIPHERY OF SAID ELEMENT ALONG THE OUTER EDGE ZONE OF SAID INLAY WITH THE RESPECTIVE MARGINAL PORTION THEREOF TURNED AROUND SAID RING OVER THE ENTIRE CIRCUMFERENCE THEREOF; AND AT LEAST ONE SECOND REINFORCING RING EMBEDDED IN SAID BODY INWARDLY OF THE INNER PERIPHERY OF SAID ELEMENT BEING THE INNER EDGE ZONE OF SAID INLAY WITH THE RESPECTIVE MARGINAL PORTION TURNED AROUND SAID SECOND RING OVER THE ENTIRE CIRCUMFERENCE THEREOF, SAID ELEMENT BEING PROVIDED WITH A SECOND REINFORCING INLAY EXTENDING GENERALLY PARALLEL TO THE FIRST-MENTIONED INLAY AND COMPOSED OF WOVEN SHEET MATERIAL WHILE BEING WHOLLY EMBEDDED IN SAID BODY AND SPANNING SAID MEMBERS, SAID SECOND INLAY HAVING INWARDLY TURNED ANNULAR MARGINAL PORTIONS OF SAID SHEET MATERIAL ALONG SAID INER AND OUTER PERIPHERIES OF SAID ELEMENT, THEREBY REINFORCING SAID SECOND INLAY WITH OUTER AND INNER EDGE ZONES, SAID ELEMENT FURTHER COMPRISING A THIRD RING EMBEDDED IN SAID BODY INWARDLY MARGINAL OF THE PERIPHERIES OF SAID ELEMENT, ONE OF THE MARGINAL PORTIONS OF SAID SECOND INLAY BEING TURNED AROUND SAID THIRD RING.