US3690791A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Rotary engine with radially shiftable rotor
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1970-02-10
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Granted: 1972-09-12
•
Expires: 1990-02-10
Abstract
Abstract A rotary engine including a hollow housing having an irregular but generally cylindrical cavity therein and a shaft journalled through the cavity in off-center relation thereto. The curved walls of the housing defining and extending about the cavity gradually increase and decrease in radial distance from the axis of rotation of the shaft but the spacing between all working curved wall portions of the cavity lying at opposite ends of all diameters of the aforementioned axis is constant. An elliptical rotor is mounted on the shaft within the cavity for rotation with the shaft and for shifting radially of the axis of rotation of the shaft along a line extending between the vertices of the rotor while fuel mixture and exhaust by-products inlet and outlet means and fuel mixture ignition means are spaced about the outer periphery of the cavity. Also, the rotor and shaft define a rotary assembly having axially extending air passages extending therethrough opening through opposite ends of the housing with air vane structure carried by one end of the rotary assembly operative to pump cooling air through the air passages in response to rotation of the assembly.
Inventors
- 👤 Robert L Dieter
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-24 23:38
CPC Classifications
F; F01; F01C; F01C1/00; F01C1/22; F01C19/00; F01C19/10; F02; F02B; F02B53/00; F02B2053/005
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
270 words
Rotary internal combustion engine including, a hollow housing defining an irregular, generally cylindrically-shaped rotor cavity; a shaft removably journalled for rotation in said housing and extending through said cavity in fixed, offset relation relative to the center of said cavity; said cavity having transverse dimensions which are substantially equal measured along all straight lines extending through the axis of rotation of said shaft; a generally elliptical rotor of fixed transverse dimensions removably mounted on said shaft for direct rotation therewith and also for rectilinear shifting relative to said shaft within said cavity in a plane extending generally through the vertices of said rotor and the axis of rotation of said shaft, the length of said rotor along said plane extending through said vertices thereof being approximately equal to the transverse dimension of said cavity measured through the axis of rotation of said shaft; said shaft mounting said rotor within said cavity so that the opposed surfaces of said rotor extending between the vertices thereof and the irregular shape of the cavity wall continuously define both compression and expansion compartments of predetermined volume varying between minimum and maximum volumes and having a predetermined volumetric relationship to each Other; valved inlet and exhaust port means opening into said cavity for introducing a suitable mixture of air and combustible fuel to said cavity and exhausting said mixture and combustion byproducts therefrom after combustion, respectively; and ignition means mounted in said housing at a point where said compression compartment has its minimum volume, said ignition means creating an electrical spark which is communicated to said cavity for igniting the compressed air and fuel mixture.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
270 words
Rotary internal combustion engine including, a hollow housing defining an irregular, generally cylindrically-shaped rotor cavity; a shaft removably journalled for rotation in said housing and extending through said cavity in fixed, offset relation relative to the center of said cavity; said cavity having transverse dimensions which are substantially equal measured along all straight lines extending through the axis of rotation of said shaft; a generally elliptical rotor of fixed transverse dimensions removably mounted on said shaft for direct rotation therewith and also for rectilinear shifting relative to said shaft within said cavity in a plane extending generally through the vertices of said rotor and the axis of rotation of said shaft, the length of said rotor along said plane extending through said vertices thereof being approximately equal to the transverse dimension of said cavity measured through the axis of rotation of said shaft; said shaft mounting said rotor within said cavity so that the opposed surfaces of said rotor extending between the vertices thereof and the irregular shape of the cavity wall continuously define both compression and expansion compartments of predetermined volume varying between minimum and maximum volumes and having a predetermined volumetric relationship to each Other; valved inlet and exhaust port means opening into said cavity for introducing a suitable mixture of air and combustible fuel to said cavity and exhausting said mixture and combustion byproducts therefrom after combustion, respectively; and ignition means mounted in said housing at a point where said compression compartment has its minimum volume, said ignition means creating an electrical spark which is communicated to said cavity for igniting the compressed air and fuel mixture.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
65 words
A rotary internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said rotor includes a slot extending axially thereof and through which said shaft extends, the medial plane of said slot lying generally upon a line extending between the vertices of said rotor, whereby said rotor is shiftable relative to said shaft in said plane generally radially of the axis of rotation of said shaft.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
65 words
A rotary internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said slot extending axially of said rotor is rectangularly shaped, and said shaft has at least a portion thereof substantially equal in width to the height of said slot so as to be slidably received within said slot, whereby said rotor rotates directly with said shaft and is adapted to shift rectilinearly relative thereto.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
79 words
A rotary internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said housing includes a first end wall closing one end of said cavity; said valved inlet and exhaust port means open into said cavity through said first end wall; and said valved inlet and exhaust port means are disposed in a plane extending parallel to the axis of rotation of said shaft and are disposed on the side of said axis remote from the center of said cavity.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
27 words
The combination of claim 4 wherein the vertices of said rotor are each registrable with said port means for closing the ends thereof opening into said cavity.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
48 words
The combination of claim 5 wherein said motor includes mechanical valve means operatively associated with said port means remote from said cavity and valve actuator means operative to open and close said valve means in timed operation in response to rotation of said shaft relative to said housing.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
97 words
The combination of claim 6 wherein said valve actuator means includes oscillatably supported rocker arm means and cam means mounted on said shaft exteriorly of one end of said housing, said rocker arm means including follower portions thereof guidingly engaged with said cam means for oscillation of said rocker arm means in response to rotation of said shaft and cam means, said valve means comprising poppet valves reciprocately supported from said casing, said rocker arm means being operatively connected to said poppet valves for reciprocation of the latter in response to oscillation of said rocker arm means.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
44 words
The combination of claim 7 wherein said cam means comprises a generally cylindrical cam body mounted concentrically on said shaft and including axially spaced grooves extending circumferentially about said cam body said grooves connected by axially inclined ramp defining and peripherally extending groove portions.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
57 words
The combination of claim 1 wherein said rotor and shaft define a rotary assembly, said assembly defining axially extending air passage means extending therethrough with opposite ends communicated with the ambient atmosphere, said assembly including air pump means operatively associated therewith for pumping ambient air through said air passage means in response to rotation of said assembly.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
23 words
The combination of claim 9 wherein said air pump means includes exterior air vanes carried by one axial end portion of said assembly.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
91 words
The combination of claim 9 wherein said rotor includes peripherally extending opposite end groove portions extending along the side faces and at least partially across the opposite ends of said rotor and disposed in a plane generally paralleling the first mentioned plane, and a pair of genErally U-shaped seal strips seated in said groove portions and opening toward each other, said strips and rotor including coacting interlocking portions releasably anchoring said strips in said grooves for shifting relative to said rotor in said last mentioned plane generally radially of said axis.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1975-09-12 | 1976-03-13 | 1976-09-12 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1979-09-12 | 1980-03-13 | 1980-09-12 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1983-09-12 | 1984-03-13 | 1984-09-12 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |