Apparatus for hardening gear teeth

Claim 1

AN APPARTUS FOR HARDENTING THE SPACED TEETH OF A GEAR, SAID TEETH BEING ARRANGED IN A CIRCLE HAVING A GIVEN CIRCUMFERENCE SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING: (A) AN INDUCTOR MEANS FOR SIMUTANEOUSLY HEATING A SELECTED NUMBER OF ALTERNATE TEETH IN AN ARC SECTOR EXTENDING ALONG ONLY A PORTION OF SAID CIRCUMFERENCE; (B) A QUENCHING UNIT ASSOCIATED WITH SAID INDUCTOR MEANS FOR QUENCHING SAID HEATED TEETH; (C) MEANS FOR INDEXING SAID GEAR TO BRING SUCCESSIVE ARC SECTORS ALONG SAID CIRCUMFERENCE INTO ALIGNMENT WITH SAID INDUCTOR MEANS; (D) CONTROL MEANS FOR CAUSING SAID INDEXING MEANS TO INDEX SAID GEAR A SUFFICIENT NUBER OF TIMES AND DISTANCES TO HEAT AND QUENCH EACH OF SAID TEETH WITH SAID NUMBER OF INDEXING TIMES CAUSING AT LEAST TWO REVOLUTIONS OF SAID GEAR WITH THE ALTERNATE GERARS THAT ARE UNHARDENED DURING THE FIRST REVOLUTION BEING HARDENED DURING A SUBSEQUENT REVOLUTION; (E) MEANS FOR CAUSING RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN SAID INDUCTOR MEANS AND SAID GEAR IN A DIRECTION AXIAL OF SAID GEAR BEFORE SAID GEAR IS INDEXED TO PREVENT INTERFERRENCE BETWEEN SAID TEETH AND INDUCTOR MEANS; AND, (F) MEANS FOR MOVING SAID INDUCTOR MEANS INTO OPERATIVE PORTION WITH RESPECT TO SAID TEETH AFTER SAID GEAR IS INDEXED.