Flexible coupling

Claim 1

A FLEXIBLE COUPLING COMPRISING A ROTATABLE OUTER COUPLING STRUCTURE, A ROTATABLE INNER COUPLING STRUCTURE SPACED RADIALLY INWARD FROM SAID OUTER COUPLING STRUCTURE, AND A PLURALITY OF TORSIONALLY FLEXIBLE SPRING PLATES ANCHORED TO SAID INNER COUPLING STRUCTURE AT CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED LOCATIONS THEREON AND EXTENDING LATERALLY OUTWARD FROM THE LATTER INTO TORQUE-TRANSMITTING SLIDING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID OUTER COUPLING STRUCTURE, SAID SPRING PLATES BEING CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED FROM ONE ANOTHER AND IN UNOBSTRUCTED CONFRONTING RELATIONSHIP TO ONE ANOTHER THROUGHOUT THEIR LATERAL EXTENT BETWEEN SAID INNER AND OUTER COUPLING STRUCTURES, SAID SPRING PLATES LATERALLY OUTWARD FROM SAID INNER COUPLING STRUCTURE BEING PROGRESSIVELY SMALLER IN LONGITUDINAL SECTION AND PRESENTING A PROGRESSIVELY DECREASING RESISTANCE TO TORSIONAL FLEXING IN A LATERALLY OUTWARD DIRECTION FOR SUBSTANTIAL EQUALIZATION OF THE TORQUE LOADING ON THE SPRING PLANT ACROSS ITS LATERAL EXTENT BETWEEN SAID INNER AND OUTER COUPLING STRUCTURES, EACH OF SAID INNER AND OUTER COUPLING STRUCTURES LATERALLY BETWEEN SAID INNER AND OUTER COUPLING STRUCTURES AND THROUGHOUT SAID LATERAL EXTENT HAVING AN EXTENT LONGITUDINALLY OF THE COUPLING WHICH IS NOT SUBSTANTIALLY LESS THAN SAID LATERAL EXTENT AND BEING THIN CIRCUMFERENTIALLY, EACH SAID SPRING PLATE BEING SUBSTANTIALLY FLEXIBLE BOTH CIRCUMFERENTIALLY AND TRANSVERSE TO BOTH THE LENGTH AND THE CIRCUMFERENTIAL EXTENT OF THE COUPLING.