Compression relief mechanism

Claim 2

IN AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE, A COMPRESSION RELIEF MECHANISM COMPRISING A VALVE CONTROLLING A PORT ADAPTED TO CONNECT A COMBUSTION CHAMBER OF THE ENGINE WITH ATMOSPHERE, A CAM FOLLOWER, A CAMSHAFT, A PRIMARY CAM ON THE CAMSHAFT, A VALVE SPRING BIASING SAID FOLLOWER AGAINST SAID PRIMARY CAM, SAID PRIMARY CAM HAVING A FIXED PROFILE NORMALLY OPERATIVE ON SAID CAM FOLLOWER TO EFFECT CYCLICAL OPENING AND CLOSING OF SAID VALVE IN RESPONSE TO CAMSHAFT ROTATION, A SECONDARY CAM SUPPORTED ON SAID CAMSHAFT FOR MOVEMENT TRANSVERSELY THEREOF IN A PLANE INTERSECTING THE PATH OF TRAVEL OF SAID FOLLOWER AND ADJACENT SAID PRIMARY CAM AND MEANS SUPPORTING SAID SECONDARY CAM FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN A RUN POSITION CLEAR OF SAID FOLLOWER AND A START POSITION WHERE SAID SECONDARY CAM IS OPERATIVE TO ENGAGE SAID FOLLOWER DURING ROTATION OF SAID CAMSHAFT, SAID LAST MENTIONED MEANS INCLUDING PIVOT MEANS CARRIED BY SAID CAMSHAFT FOR ROTATION THEREWITH AND A FLYWEIGHT PIVOTABLE ON SAID PIVOT MEANS RELATIVE TO SAID CAMSHAFT TO A RUN POSITION IN RESPONSE TO CENTRIFUGAL FORCE ACTING ON SAID FLYWEIGHT WHEN ENGINE SPEED EXCEEDS CRANKING SPEED, SPRING MEANS BIASING SAID FLYWEIGHT AGAINST CENTRIFUGAL FORCE TO PIVOT SAID FLYWEIGHT TO A START POSITION WHEN ENGINE SPEED EQUALS OR IS LESS THAN CRANKING SPEED AND MEANS CARRIED ON SAID PIVOT MEANS AND OPERABLY CONNECTED TO SAID FLYWEIGHT FOR RIGIDLY SUPPORTING SAID SECONDARY CAM IN SAID START POSITION THEREOF WHEN SAID FLYWEIGHT IS IN SAID START POSITION THEREOF, SAID LAST-MENTIONED MEANS BEING ACTUATED BY MOVEMENT OF SAID FLYWEIGHT TO ITS RUN POSITION TO PERMIT MOVEMENT OF SAID SECONDARY CAM TO ITS RUN POSITION.

Claim 3

IN AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE HAVING A CYLINDER, A PISTON RECIPROCABLE IN THE CYLINDER AND DEFINING THEREWITH A COMBUSTION CHAMBER, A ROTARY CRANKSHAFT, A CONNECTING ROD OPERABLY INTERCONNECTING SAID PISTON AND CRANKSHAFT, VALVE TRAIN MEANS INCLUDING INLET AND EXHAUST VALVES OPERABLE TO RESPECTIVELY CONTROL FLOW OF AIR TO AND EXHAUST OF GASES FROM SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER, A CAMSHAFT ROTATABLE ABOUT AN AXIS PARALLEL TO SAID CRANKSHAFT, A GEAR TRAIN DRIVINGLY CONNECTING SAID CRANKSHAFT TO SAID CAMSHAFT INCLUDING A TIMING GEAR FIXED ON SAID CAMSHAFT, AND INLET AND EXHAUST CAMS FIXED ON SAID CAMSHAFT AND HAVING FIXED PROFILES FOR RESPECTIVELY OPERATING SAID INLET AND EXHAUST VALVES, ONE OF SAID INLET AND EXHAUST CAMS BEING DISPOSED ADJACENT ONE SIDE OF SAID TIMING GEAR, SAID VALVE TRAIN MEANS FURTHER INCLUDING A FOLLOWER AND A SPRING ASSOCIATED THEREWITH FOR BIASING SAID FOLLOWER INTO TRACKING RELATION WITH SAID ONE CAM WHEREBY ROTATION OF SAID ONE CAM OPERATES SAID ONE OF SAID VALVES, THE COMBINATION THEREWITH OF A COMPRESSION RELEASE MECHANISM DISPOSED GENERALLY BETWEEN SAID TIMING GEAR AND SAID ONE CAM COMPRISING A PIN SUPPORTED ON SAID TIMING GEAR AND EXTENDING FROM SAID ONE SIDE THEREOF TOWARD SAID ONE CAM PARALLEL TO THE ROTATIONAL AXIS OF SAID TIMING GEAR, A FLYWEIGHT PIVOTALLY SUPPORTED ON SAID PIN AND RESPONSIVE TO CENTRIFUGAL FORCE ACTING THEREON AS THE ENGINE EXCEEDS CRANKING SPEED TO PIVOT IN A PATH DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID ONE SIDE OF SAID TIMING GEAR AND SAID FOLLOWER FROM A START POSITION ADJACENT SAID CAMSHAFT BUT INWARDLY OF SPACED OUTWARDLY FROM SAID CAMSHAFT BUT INWARDLY OF THE PERIPHERY OF SAID TIMING GEAR, A SPRING BIASING SAID FLYWEIGHT INWARDLY TO SAID START POSITION THEREOF AT AND BELOW ENGINE CRANKING SPEED, AND AUXILIARY CAM MEANS SUPPORTED BY SAID CAMSHAFT AND TIMING GEAR FOR ROTATION THEREWITH INCLUDING FOLLOWER ENGAGING MEANS MOVABLE BETWEEN A RUN POSITION THEREOF DISPOSED INWARDLY AND CLEAR OF THE PATH OF SAID FOLLOWER AND A START POSITION PROTRUDING OUTWARDLY FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID FOLLOWER DURING A PREDETERMINED ANGLE OF ROTATION OF SAID ONE CAM TO THEREBY HOLD SAID ONE VALVE OPEN IN THE COMPRESSION STROKE OF SAID PISTON, SAID AUXILIARY CAM MEANS ALSO INCLUDING SUPPORT MEANS FIXED TO SAID FLYWEIGHT FOR MOVEMENT THEREWITH, SAID SUPPORT MEANS BEING ORIENTED RELATIVE TO SAID FLYWEIGHT AND SAID FOLLOWER ENGAGING MEANS TO ENGAGE AND SUPPORT SAID FOLLOWER ENGAGING MEANS IN SAID START POSITION THEREOF WHEN SAID FLYWEIGHT MOVES TO SAID START POSITION THEREOF AND TO PERMIT SAID FOLLOWER ENGAGING MEANS TO MOVE TO SAID RUN POSITION THEREOF WHEN SAID FLYWEIGHT MOVES TO SAID RUN POSITION THEREOF.

Claim 4

IN AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE HAVING A CYLINDER, A PISTON RECIPROCABLE IN THE CYLINDER AND DEFINING THEREWITH A COMBUSTION CHAMBER, A ROTARY CRANKSHAFT, A CONNECTING ROD OPERABLY INTERCONNECTING SAID PISTON AND CRANKSHAFT, VALVE TRAIN MEANS INCLUDING INLET AND EXHAUST VALVES OPERABLE TO RESPECTIVELY CONTROL FLOW OF AIR TO AND EXHAUST OF GASES FROM SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER, A CAMSHAFT ROTATABLE ABOUT AN AXIS PARALLEL TO SAID CRANKSHAFT, A GEAR TRAIN DRIVINGLY CONNECTING SAID CRANKSHAFT TO SAID CAMSHAFT INCLUDING A TIMING GEAR FIXED ON SAID CAMSHAFT, AND INLET AND EXHAUST CAMS FIXED ON SAID CAMSHAFT AND HAVING FIXED PROFILES FOR RESPECTIVELY OPERATING SAID INLET AND EXHAUST VALVES, ONE OF SAID INLET AND EXHAUST CAMS BEING DISPOSED ADJACENT ONE SIDE OF SAID TIMING GEAR, SAID VALVE TRAIN MEANS FURTHER INCLUDING A FOLLOWER AND A SPRING ASSOCIATED THEREWITH FOR BIASING SAID FOLLOWER INTO TRACKING RELATION WITH SAID ONE CAM WHEREBY ROTATION OF SAID ONE CAM OPERATES SAID ONE OF SAID VALVES, THE COMBINATION THEREWITH OF A COMPRESSION RELEASE MECHANISM DISPOSED GENERALLY BETWEEN SAID TIMING GEAR AND SAID ONE CAM COMPRISING A PIN SUPPORTED ON SAID TIMING GEAR AND EXTENDING FROM SAID ONE SIDE THEREOF TOWARD SAID ONE CAM PARALLEL TO THE ROTATIONAL AXIS OF SAID TIMING GEAR, A FLYWEIGHT PIVOTALLY SUPPORTED ON SAID PIN AND RESPONSIVE TO CENTRIFUGAL FORCE ACTING THEREON AS THE ENGINE EXCEEDS CRANKING SPEED TO PIVOT IN A PATH DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID ONE SIDE OF SAID TIMING GEAR AND SAID FOLLOWER FROM A START POSITION ADJACENT SAID CAMSHAFT BUT INWARDLY OF SPACED OUTWARDLY FROM SAID CAMSHAFT BUT INWARDLY OF THE PERIPHERY OF SAID TIMING GEAR, A SPRING BIASING SAID FLYWEIGHT INWARDLY TO SAID START POSITION THEREOF AT AND BELOW ENGINE CRANKING SPEED, AND AUXILIARY CAM MEANS SUPPORTED BY SAID CAMSHAFT AND TIMING GEAR FOR ROTATION THEREWITH INCLUDING FOLLOWER ENGAGING MEANS MOVABLE BETWEEN A RUN POSITION THEREOF DISPOSED INWARDLY AND CLEAR OF THE PATH OF SAID FOLLOWER AND A START POSITION PROTRUDING OUTWARDLY FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID FOLLOWER DURING A PREDETERMINED ANGLE OF ROTATION OF SAID ONE CAM TO THEREBY HOLD SAID ONE VALVE OPEN IN THE COMPRESSION STROKE OF SAID PISTON, SAID AUXILIARY CAM MEANS ALSO INCLUDING SUPPORT MEANS FIXED TO SAID FLYWEIGHT FOR MOVEMENT THEREWITH, SAID SUPPORT MEANS BEING ORIENTED RELATIVE TO SAID FLYWEIGHT AND SAID FOLLOWER ENGAGING MEANS TO ENGAGE AND SUPPORT SAID FOLLOWER ENGAGING MEANS IN SAID START POSITION THEREOF WHEN SAID FLYWEIGHT MOVES TO SAID START POSITION THEREOF AND TO PERMIT SAID FOLLOWER ENGAGING MEANS TO MOVE TO SAID RUN POSITION THEREOF WHEN SAID FLYWEIGHT MOVES TO SAID RUN POSITION THEREOF.