Patent US3869878A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3869878A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Universal joints
Assignee: GKN Automotive Ltd
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Filing: 1973-03-30
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Granted: 1975-03-11
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Expires: 1993-03-30
Abstract
Abstract In a universal joint of the kind comprising an outer member having a side wall defining an axial bore and an end wall closing one end of said bore, an inner member disposed in said bore, and torque-transmitting means operatively connecting together the two members internally of said bore such that the members are movable angularly relative to one another whilst permitting a continuous torque-transmission between the members, the outer member comprises a machined main component constituting the side wall of said member and an initially separate element constituting the end wall of said member, said element being a sheet metal pressing which is thin-walled compared with the main component. The end wall element has an axially projecting peripheral flange which is secured to the main component, and an outwardly projecting spigot formation coaxial with the bore of the main component and for engagement in an end portion of a tubular drive shaft. The spigot formation may be constituted by an extension of the flange or, if the formation is of a smaller diameter than the flange, joined to the flange by an annular portion of the element.
Inventors
- 👤 John Hazlewood Davies
- 👤 Bertram Joseph Palmer
- 👤 Leslie George Fisher
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-24 07:52
CPC Classifications
F; F16; F16D; F16D3/00; F16D3/16; F16D3/20; F16D3/22; F16D3/223; F16D3/226; F16D3/227; F16D2003/2232; F16D2003/22326; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S464/00; Y10S464/904; Y10S464/906
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim
173 words
A universal joint comprising an outer member having a side wall defining an axial bore and an end wall closing one end of said bore, an inner member disposed in said bore, and torque-transmitting means operatively connecting together the two members internally of said bore such that the members are movable angularly relative to one another whilst permitting a continuous torque-transmission between the members, the outer member comprising a main component constituting the side wall of said member and an initially separate component constituting the end wall of said member and secured to the main component, said initially separate component presenting an outwardly projecting spigot formation coaxial with the bore of the member and for engagement in an end portion of a tubular drive shaft, wherein the main component has an internal rebate formed at one end thereof and the initially separate component has an axially projecting peripheral flange which fits inside the rebate and forms with the main component an external corner which receives a welding fillet securing the two components together.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
173 words
A universal joint comprising an outer member having a side wall defining an axial bore and an end wall closing one end of said bore, an inner member disposed in said bore, and torque-transmitting means operatively connecting together the two members internally of said bore such that the members are movable angularly relative to one another whilst permitting a continuous torque-transmission between the members, the outer member comprising a main component constituting the side wall of said member and an initially separate component constituting the end wall of said member and secured to the main component, said initially separate component presenting an outwardly projecting spigot formation coaxial with the bore of the member and for engagement in an end portion of a tubular drive shaft, wherein the main component has an internal rebate formed at one end thereof and the initially separate component has an axially projecting peripheral flange which fits inside the rebate and forms with the main component an external corner which receives a welding fillet securing the two components together.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
173 words
A universal joint comprising an outer member having a side wall defining an axial bore and an end wall closing one end of said bore, an inner member disposed in said bore, and torquetransmitting means operatively connecting together the two members internally of said bore such that the members are movable angularly relative to one another whilst permitting a continuous torque-transmission between the members, the outer member comprising a main component constituting the side wall of said member and an initially separate component constituting the end wall of said member and secured to the main component, said initially separate component presenting an outwardly projecting spigot formation coaxial with the bore of the member and for engagement in an end portion of a tubular drive shaft, wherein the main component has an internal rebate formed at one end thereof and the initially separate component has an axially projecting peripheral flange which fits inside the rebate and forms with the main component an external corner which receives a welding fillet securing the two components together.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
173 words
A universal joint comprising an outer member having a side wall defining an axial bore and an end wall closing one end of said bore, an inner member disposed in said bore, and torquetransmitting means operatively connecting together the two members internally of said bore such that the members are movable angularly relative to one another whilst permitting a continuous torque-transmission between the members, the outer member comprising a main component constituting the side wall of said member and an initially separate component constituting the end wall of said member and secured to the main component, said initially separate component presenting an outwardly projecting spigot formation coaxial with the bore of the member and for engagement in an end portion of a tubular drive shaft, wherein the main component has an internal rebate formed at one end thereof and the initially separate component has an axially projecting peripheral flange which fits inside the rebate and forms with the main component an external corner which receives a welding fillet securing the two components together.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
46 words
A universal joint as claimed in claim 1 wherein the initially separate component of the outer member comprises an element which is thin-walled compared with the main component and is constituted by a sheet metal pressing and the main component is constituted by a machined element.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
39 words
A universal joint as claimed in claim 1 wherein the spigot formation is of a diameter smaller than that of the peripheral flange, the initially separate component including an annular portion integrally inter-connecting the flange and the spigot formation.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
55 words
A universaL joint as claimed in claim 3 which has a tubular drive shaft fitted to the spigot formation, wherein said shaft abuts the annular portion of the initially separate component and is secured to the outer member by means of a welding fillet formed in the corner between the shaft and said annular portion.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
31 words
A universal joint as claimed in claim 1 wherein the spigot formation is of the same diameter as the peripheral flange and is constituted by an integral extension of the latter.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
48 words
A universal joint as claimed in claim 5 which has a tubular drive shaft fitted to the spigot formation, wherein said shaft is secured to the outer member by means of a weld at the location of the welding fillet between the two components of the outer member.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
138 words
A universal joint comprising an outer member having a side wall defining an axial bore and an end wall closing one end of said bore, an inner member disposed in said bore, and torque-transmitting means operatively connecting together the two members internally of said bore such that the members are movable angularly relative to one another whilst permitting a continuous torque-transmission between the members, the outer member comprising a machined main component constituting the side wall thereof and an initially separate component constituting the end wall thereof and secured to the main component, said initially separate component being a sheet metal pressing which is thin-walled compared with the main component and is formed with an outwardly projecting spigot formation coaxial with the bore of the member and for engagement in an end portion of a tubular drive shaft.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
138 words
A universal joint comprising an outer member having a side wall defining an axial bore and an end wall closing one end of said bore, an inner member disposed in said bore, and torque-transmitting means operatively connecting together the two members internally of said bore such that the members are movable angularly relative to one another whilst permitting a continuous torque-transmission between the members, the outer member comprising a machined main component constituting the side wall thereof and an initially separate component constituting the end wall thereof and secured to the main component, said initially separate component being a sheet metal pressing which is thin-walled compared with the main component and is formed with an outwardly projecting spigot formation coaxial with the bore of the member and for engagement in an end portion of a tubular drive shaft.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
95 words
A constant velocity universal joint as claimed in claim 7 in which the torque-transmitting means comprise balls engaged in and between pairs of opposed grooves formed in the internal circumferential surface of the bore of the outer member and in the external surface of the inner member, and means are provided for assisting in positioning the balls in the bisector plane of the joint when relative angular displacement occurs between the two members, wherein the internal surface of the main component of the outer member is machined to form the grooves of the outer member.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
72 words
A plunging constant velocity universal joint as claimed in claim 8 in which the torque-transmitting balls are located in a cage and provision is made for relative axial movement between the inner and outer members, wherein the end wall element includes an annular outwardly projecting part defining internally of the outer member a clearance for the cage as it and the inner member move axially and angularly relative to the outer member.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
55 words
A plunging constant velocity universal joint as claimed in claim 8 wherein the centre portion of the spigot formation is formed to co-operate, on relative axial movement in one direction between the inner member and the outer member, with a stop element provided on the inner member thereby to limit the extent of such movement.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1978-03-10 | 1978-09-09 | 1979-03-11 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-03-10 | 1982-09-09 | 1983-03-11 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-03-10 | 1986-09-09 | 1987-03-11 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |