Coupling system for power take-off shafts

Claim 1

A coupling mechanism comprising, in combination: (a) a first coupling member having a convex conical surface tapering along an axis from a smaller first end to a larger second end, said surface including a peripheral groove spaced from said ends and having the cross-section of a portion of a circle, said first coupling member further including a first external gear peripheral to said second end thereof; (b) a second coupling member having a concave conical surface congruent with said convex surface and tapering from a small end to a large end, said second member including a second external gear peripheral to said large end thereof, said second coupling member including latching means operable to cooperate with said peripheral groove in said first member to retain said first and second coupling members in axial relation when said first member is received in said second member with said external gears disposed in axially adjacent and coaxial relationship, one with the other; (c) a driving member comprising an internal gear sized to simultaneously mesh coaxially with the external gears of said first and second coupling members and thereby transmit power from said second coupling member to said first coupling member, the width of said internal gear face being substantially the same as the sum of the widths of the gear faces of the external gears of said first and second coupling members; (d) means actuable to move said first coupling member axially into a position in which the concave and convex surfaces of said first and second coupling members are in engagement; (e) and means actuable to move said driving member axially so as to selectively engage either one or both of said external gears.