US3726259A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Rotary internal combustion engine
Assignee: Chesterfield Yarn Mills Inc
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Filing: 1971-01-14
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Granted: 1973-04-10
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Expires: 1991-01-14
Abstract
Abstract A rotary internal combustion engine including a substantially cylindrical casing closed by removable end plates and divided into a compressor portion and a power portion by a central partition with the partition and end plates journalling a shaft in eccentric relation to the center of the casing with the shaft supporting a pair of rotors thereon in concentric relation to the shaft and in eccentric relation to the two compartments formed by the partition. Each rotor includes a plurality of radial vanes guidingly and slidably received in slots in the rotor with the radial movement of the vanes being restrained by an annular ring journalled on bearing surfaces concentric with the casing to restrain the vanes from engaging the interior of the casing due to centrifugal forces exerted thereon during rotation of the rotor. The partition includes passageways admitting a combustible mixture into the compressor compartment, transfer of the compressed combustible mixture into the power compartment, a passageway receiving an igniting device for igniting the combustible mixture between adjacent vanes to apply torque to the rotor and shaft, and a passageway enabling exhaust of combustion products after expansion thereof.
Inventors
- 👤 P Graves
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-28 08:40
CPC Classifications
F; F02; F02B; F02B53/00; F02B2730/00; F02B2730/01; F02B2730/012; Y; Y02; Y02T; Y02T10/00; Y02T10/10; Y02T10/12
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
483 words
A rotary internal combustion engine comprising a generally cylindrical casing divided into compression and combustion compartments by a partition disposed intermediate the ends thereof, a shaft extending through the casing and being journalled in the ends thereof and in the partition, said shaft being disposed eccentrically of the center of the casing, a pair of rotors fixed to said shaft and disposed in the two compartments in the casing, each of said rotors including radially disposed and movable vanes for continuous engagement with the interior of the casing during rotation of the rotors, said rotors being concentrically mounted on said shaft and eccentrically oriented in relation to the casing for providing expansible and contractible chambers between adjacent vanes during rotation of the rotors, and means connected to each of the vanes for restraining the vanes radially inwardly to prevent the vanes from being forced radially outwardly against the interior of the casing during rotation of the rotors, said casing including means admitting a compressible and combustible mixture into the compression compartment for compression by rotation of the rotor therein, means communicating the two compartments of the casing for transferring the combustible mixture from the compression compartment to the combustion compartment for ignition and expansion during rotation of the rotor for imparting torque to the shaft, and means communicating with the atmosphere for discharging combustion products from the casing, said means admitting the combustiblE mixture to the interior of the casing including a passageway extending radially of the partition and communicating to one surface thereof in a circumferentially elongated groove for admitting a combustible mixture into the space between adjacent vanes during a predetermined angular movement of the rotor, said means communicating the compression compartment with the combustion compartment including a passageway extending through the partition and communicating with both sides thereof, said partition also including means mounted thereon and communicating with the combustion compartment for igniting the combustible mixture, said means exhausting combustion products including a passageway in the partition communicating with the combustion compartment and extending radially outwardly of the partition, said means restraining the vanes including an annular ring journalled on circular bosses concentric with the center at each end of each compartment for engaging the inner ends of the vanes to restrain them from radial outward movement, each vane being slidably received in a radial slot in the rotor and each vane including a pair of overlapping plates, spring means operatively associated with said plates for biasing them longitudinally outwardly of the rotor, and spring bias seal means engaging the opposite surfaces of the vanes adjacent the radial outer edges thereof for forming a seal for the expansible and contractible chambers, said rotor including a peripheral end seal in alignment with the vane seal for engaging the ends of the casing and the partition respectively for forming a seal for the radial inner portion of the expansible and contractible chambers.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
483 words
A rotary internal combustion engine comprising a generally cylindrical casing divided into compression and combustion compartments by a partition disposed intermediate the ends thereof, a shaft extending through the casing and being journalled in the ends thereof and in the partition, said shaft being disposed eccentrically of the center of the casing, a pair of rotors fixed to said shaft and disposed in the two compartments in the casing, each of said rotors including radially disposed and movable vanes for continuous engagement with the interior of the casing during rotation of the rotors, said rotors being concentrically mounted on said shaft and eccentrically oriented in relation to the casing for providing expansible and contractible chambers between adjacent vanes during rotation of the rotors, and means connected to each of the vanes for restraining the vanes radially inwardly to prevent the vanes from being forced radially outwardly against the interior of the casing during rotation of the rotors, said casing including means admitting a compressible and combustible mixture into the compression compartment for compression by rotation of the rotor therein, means communicating the two compartments of the casing for transferring the combustible mixture from the compression compartment to the combustion compartment for ignition and expansion during rotation of the rotor for imparting torque to the shaft, and means communicating with the atmosphere for discharging combustion products from the casing, said means admitting the combustiblE mixture to the interior of the casing including a passageway extending radially of the partition and communicating to one surface thereof in a circumferentially elongated groove for admitting a combustible mixture into the space between adjacent vanes during a predetermined angular movement of the rotor, said means communicating the compression compartment with the combustion compartment including a passageway extending through the partition and communicating with both sides thereof, said partition also including means mounted thereon and communicating with the combustion compartment for igniting the combustible mixture, said means exhausting combustion products including a passageway in the partition communicating with the combustion compartment and extending radially outwardly of the partition, said means restraining the vanes including an annular ring journalled on circular bosses concentric with the center at each end of each compartment for engaging the inner ends of the vanes to restrain them from radial outward movement, each vane being slidably received in a radial slot in the rotor and each vane including a pair of overlapping plates, spring means operatively associated with said plates for biasing them longitudinally outwardly of the rotor, and spring bias seal means engaging the opposite surfaces of the vanes adjacent the radial outer edges thereof for forming a seal for the expansible and contractible chambers, said rotor including a peripheral end seal in alignment with the vane seal for engaging the ends of the casing and the partition respectively for forming a seal for the radial inner portion of the expansible and contractible chambers.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
448 words
A rotary internal combustion engine comprising a generally cylindrical casing divided into compression and combustion compartments by a partition disposed intermediate the ends thereof, a shaft extending through the casing and being journalled in the ends thereof and in the partition, said shaft being disposed eccentrically of the center of the casing, a pair of rotors fixed to said shaft and disposed in the two compartments in the casing, each of said rotors including radially disposed and movable vanes for continuous engagement with the interior of the casing during rotation of the motors, said rotors being concentrically mounted on said shaft and eccentrically oriented in relation to the casing for providing expansible and contractible chambers between adjacent vanes during rotation of the rotors, and means connected to each of the vanes for restraining the vanes radially inwardly to prevent the vanes from being forced radially outwardly against the interior of the casing during rotation of the rotors, said casing including means admitting a compressible and combustible mixture into the compression compartment for compression by rotation of the rotor therein, means communicating the two compartments of the casing for transferring the combustible mixture from the compression compartment to the combustion compartment for ignition and expansion during rotation of the rotor for imparting torque to the shaft, and means communicating with the atmosphere for discharging combustion products from the casing, said means admitting the combustible mixture to the interior of the casing including a passageway extending radially of the partition and communicating to one surface thereof in a circumferentially elongated groove for admitting a combustible mixture into the space between adjacent vanes during a predetermined angular movement of the rotor, said means communicating the compression compartment with the combustion compartment including a passageway extending through the partition and communicating with both sides thereof, said partition also including means mounted thereon and communicating with the combustion compartment for igniting the combustible mixture, said means exhausting combustion products including a passageway in the partition communicating with the combustion compartment and extending radially outwardly of the partItion, said means restraining the vanes including an annular ring journalled on circular bosses concentric with the center at each end of each compartment for engaging the inner ends of the vanes to restrain them from radial outward movement, said casing including end plates separate therefrom, said partition being in the form of a plate separating the casing into the two compartments, and fastening means extending through the end plates and partition for retaining the components in assembled condition, said end plates and partition having cylindrical bosses defining bearing surfaces for the annular rings which restrain the vanes thereby maintaining the vanes under control at all times.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
448 words
A rotary internal combustion engine comprising a generally cylindrical casing divided into compression and combustion compartments by a partition disposed intermediate the ends thereof, a shaft extending through the casing and being journalled in the ends thereof and in the partition, said shaft being disposed eccentrically of the center of the casing, a pair of rotors fixed to said shaft and disposed in the two compartments in the casing, each of said rotors including radially disposed and movable vanes for continuous engagement with the interior of the casing during rotation of the motors, said rotors being concentrically mounted on said shaft and eccentrically oriented in relation to the casing for providing expansible and contractible chambers between adjacent vanes during rotation of the rotors, and means connected to each of the vanes for restraining the vanes radially inwardly to prevent the vanes from being forced radially outwardly against the interior of the casing during rotation of the rotors, said casing including means admitting a compressible and combustible mixture into the compression compartment for compression by rotation of the rotor therein, means communicating the two compartments of the casing for transferring the combustible mixture from the compression compartment to the combustion compartment for ignition and expansion during rotation of the rotor for imparting torque to the shaft, and means communicating with the atmosphere for discharging combustion products from the casing, said means admitting the combustible mixture to the interior of the casing including a passageway extending radially of the partition and communicating to one surface thereof in a circumferentially elongated groove for admitting a combustible mixture into the space between adjacent vanes during a predetermined angular movement of the rotor, said means communicating the compression compartment with the combustion compartment including a passageway extending through the partition and communicating with both sides thereof, said partition also including means mounted thereon and communicating with the combustion compartment for igniting the combustible mixture, said means exhausting combustion products including a passageway in the partition communicating with the combustion compartment and extending radially outwardly of the partItion, said means restraining the vanes including an annular ring journalled on circular bosses concentric with the center at each end of each compartment for engaging the inner ends of the vanes to restrain them from radial outward movement, said casing including end plates separate therefrom, said partition being in the form of a plate separating the casing into the two compartments, and fastening means extending through the end plates and partition for retaining the components in assembled condition, said end plates and partition having cylindrical bosses defining bearing surfaces for the annular rings which restrain the vanes thereby maintaining the vanes under control at all times.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
56 words
The structure as defined in claim 2 wherein each of said vanes is provided with a longitudinal slot along the outer edge thereof, and a T-shaped sealing member extending longitudinally throughout the length of the vane and received in the slot and including an outer edge in sealing engagement with the inner surface of the casing.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
312 words
A substantially cylindrical casing defined by a peripheral wall and end plates, a partition connected with the peripheral wall and dividing the casing into a compression compartment and a combustion compartment, a shaft journalled eccentrically in said casing, a pair of rotors fixed to said shaft with the rotors being disposed in the two compartments, each of the rotors including radially disposed and movable vanes for cooperation with the interior of each of the compartments to sealingly engage the interior surface of the compartments during rotation of the rotors, said rotors being concentric on the shaft and eccentric in relation to the compartment in which it is disposed for providing expansible and contractible chambers between adjacent vanes during rotation of the rotors, said partition including means admitting a combustible and compressible mixture into the compression compartment for compression by rotation of the rotor therein, said partition including means communicating the two compartments radially inwardly of the periphery of the partition for transferring the compressed combustible mixture from the compression compartment to the combustion compartment, said partition including mounting means for igniting the compressed combustible mixture, said partition including means communicating with the combustion compartment for exhausting combustion products, and means interconnecting the casing and partition with the respective end edges of the vanes for restraining the vanes from radial movement in response to rotation of the rotors to prevent the vanes from moving radially outwardly due to centrifugal force, each vane including a pair of overlapping plates, resilient means engaged with said plates for biasing them longitudinally outwardly of the rotor, seal means between the rotor and opposite surfaces of the vanes, and peripheral end seal means on the rotor between the vanes and in alignment with the vane seal thereby forming a seal for the expansible and contractible chambers defined by the casing, the vane and the ends of the rotor.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
312 words
A substantially cylindrical casing defined by a peripheral wall and end plates, a partition connected with the peripheral wall and dividing the casing into a compression compartment and a combustion compartment, a shaft journalled eccentrically in said casing, a pair of rotors fixed to said shaft with the rotors being disposed in the two compartments, each of the rotors including radially disposed and movable vanes for cooperation with the interior of each of the compartments to sealingly engage the interior surface of the compartments during rotation of the rotors, said rotors being concentric on the shaft and eccentric in relation to the compartment in which it is disposed for providing expansible and contractible chambers between adjacent vanes during rotation of the rotors, said partition including means admitting a combustible and compressible mixture into the compression compartment for compression by rotation of the rotor therein, said partition including means communicating the two compartments radially inwardly of the periphery of the partition for transferring the compressed combustible mixture from the compression compartment to the combustion compartment, said partition including mounting means for igniting the compressed combustible mixture, said partition including means communicating with the combustion compartment for exhausting combustion products, and means interconnecting the casing and partition with the respective end edges of the vanes for restraining the vanes from radial movement in response to rotation of the rotors to prevent the vanes from moving radially outwardly due to centrifugal force, each vane including a pair of overlapping plates, resilient means engaged with said plates for biasing them longitudinally outwardly of the rotor, seal means between the rotor and opposite surfaces of the vanes, and peripheral end seal means on the rotor between the vanes and in alignment with the vane seal thereby forming a seal for the expansible and contractible chambers defined by the casing, the vane and the ends of the rotor.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
119 words
The structure as defined in claim 4 wherein said means interconnecting the casing and partition with the respective end edges of the vanes including cylindrical bosses on the interior surface of each end plate and on both surfaces of the partition, an annular ring journalled on each of the bosses with the bosses and ring being concentric with the center of the casing, each of the overlapping plates of each vane being connected with an annular ring, each annular ring including a peripheral slot receiving a pivot pin carried by each of the plates forming each vane to enable variation in the angular and circumferential relationship between the rings and vanes but restraining the vanes against outward radial movement.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
36 words
The structure as defined in claim 5 wherein the overlapping plates include slidably interengaging notches and ribs to retain the overlapping plates in aligned registry with each other while permittIng relative longitudinal movement of the plates.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
93 words
The structure as defined in claim 6 wherein the seal means between the rotor and opposite surfaces of the vanes and the peripheral end seal means on the rotor are defined by a one-piece substantially L-shaped member received in grooves formed in the end surfaces of the rotor and the facing surfaces of a longitudinal slot in the rotor which receives the vanes and bowed leaf springs interposed between the L-shaped member and the rotor for biasing the L-shaped member against the vanes and longitudinally outwardly against the end walls of the compartment.
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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) | 1976-04-09 | 1976-10-09 | 1977-04-10 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1980-04-09 | 1980-10-09 | 1981-04-10 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1984-04-09 | 1984-10-09 | 1985-04-10 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |