Clutch assembly for coupling mechanisms

Claim 2

A clutch assembly comprising: a. a gear, b. a driven worm wheel rotatable about an axle and transversely shiftable with respect to the axle, c. a coupler disc rotatably driven at all times by the worm wheel, said worm wheel and coupler disc adapted to be at all times laterally movable with respect to each other in a plane perpendicular to the axle, and d. means to drivingly engage the coupler disc and gear.

Claim 3

The clutch assembly of claim 1 wherein the means to drivingly engage the coupler disc and gear is a pressure plate which is adapted to engage the coupler disc and cause it to engage said gear.

Claim 4

The clutch assembly of claim 1 wherein the face of said worm wheel has a cavity and the coupler disc has a projecting element extending into and slightly smaller than said worm wheel cavity.

Claim 5

The clutch assembly of claim 2 wherein the gear is a pinion gear having a shoulder at one end thereof that carries the coupler disc.

Claim 6

The clutch assembly of claim 3 wherein a plurality of cavities are spaced around the worm wheel face and a plurality of projecting elements slightly smaller than the respective cavities are spaced around the coupler disc.

Claim 7

The clutch assembly of claim 4 wherein the pinion gear has an externally threaded portion above said shoulder and the pressure plate is threadedly connected to said portion to permit manual, frictional engagement between the pressure plate and coupler disc and between the coupler disc and pinion gear shoulder to drive the pinion gear in response to rotation of the coupler disc.

Claim 8

In an oscillating fan having a base, a fan housing supported by the base, a motor within said housing, a rotatable shaft driven by said motor, a blade assembly secured to said shaft and a mechanism to oscillate said fan housing through a predetermined angle driven by the rotating shaft through a clutch assembly, said clutch assembly comprising: a. a gear for driving said oscillating mechanism, b. a worm wheel driven by the shaft and rotatable about an axle, said worm wheel being transversely shiftable with respect to the axle, c. a coupler disc rotatably driven at all times by the worm wheel, said worm wheel and coupleR disc adapted to be at all times laterally movable with respect to each other in a plane perpendicular to the axle, and d. means to drivingly engage the coupler disc and said gear.

Claim 9

In an oscillating fan having a base, a fan housing supported by the base, a motor within said housing, a rotatable shaft driven by said motor, a blade assembly secured to said shaft and a mechanism to oscillate said fan housing through a predetermined angle driven by the rotating shaft through a clutch assembly, said clutch assembly comprising: a. a gear for driving said oscillating mechanism, b. a worm wheel driven by the shaft and rotatable about an axle, said worm wheel being transversely shiftable with respect to the axle, c. a coupler disc rotatably driven at all times by the worm wheel, said worm wheel and coupleR disc adapted to be at all times laterally movable with respect to each other in a plane perpendicular to the axle, and d. means to drivingly engage the coupler disc and said gear.

Claim 10

The oscillating fan of claim 7 wherein the gear is a pinion gear with a shoulder at one end thereof that carries the coupler disc.

Claim 11

The oscillating fan of claim 7 wherein the face of said worm wheel has a cavity and the coupler disc has a projecting element extending into and slightly smaller than said worm wheel cavity.

Claim 12

The oscillating fan of claim 8 wherein the means to engage the coupler disc and said pinion gear is a pressure plate adapted to engage the coupler disc and cause it to frictionally engage the pinion gear shoulder to drive the pinion gear in response to rotation of the coupler disc.

Claim 13

The oscillating fan of claim 9 wherein the coupler disc and worm wheel have a plurality of spaced projecting elements and cavities respectively, said coupler disc being driven only through the engagement between the projecting elements and worm wheel cavities.