Reciprocating engine

Claim 1

In a reciprocating piston engine having a rotatable shaft, at least one cylinder extending radially from the shaft, and a piston adapted to reciprocate in the cylinder, the improvement comprising: a cam attached to the shaft and having a peripheral camming surface defined by a major diameter and a minor diameter, the major and minor diameters intersecting at the axis of rotation of the rotatable shaft, at least six cam followers spaced about and in contact with the camming surface of said cam, at least six substantially equal length linkages, a separate one of said linkages extending between each two adjacent cam followers about said cam, said linkages maintaining said cam followers in contact with the camming surface of said cam as said cam and said shaft rotate, at least four of said cam followers adapted to travel in a circuitous closed loop path spaced from the axis of rotation as said cam and said shaft rotate, means connecting the piston to one of the other of said cam followers whereby the piston reciprocates as said cam rotates and said one cam follower travels in a radially linear path coaxial with said piston, and wherein the major and minor diameters of said cam are displaced from one another by other than 90° in a direction to reciprocate the piston outwardly from the shaft over less than 90° of shaft rotation and to reciprocate the piston inwardly toward the shaft over greater than 90° shaft rotation whereby the duration of the inward reciprocation of the piston is greater than the duration of the outward reciprocation of the piston.