Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 7
Claim 1
Independent Claim
232 words
A starter assembly for mounting to the casing of an engine, the assembly including an electric motor having an axial shaft for extending through an opening in the casing and the shaft supporting a starter pinion moveable thereon to an engaged position, and the assembly including relay contactor means operative to move the pinion on the shaft, the starter assembly further comprising: a metal base plate fixed to the motor and the contactor and having an axial opening through which the shaft extends; a support member made of material which is less than fully rigid, the support member being disposed against the plate and having a shoulder disposed to abut the casing at its opening and having an axial opening to receive the shaft and pinion, and the support member having a nose portion carrying a bearing supporting the motor shaft and having a transverse opening opposite the pinion when in said engaged position; a metal reinforcing shell shaped to cover and closely fit said nose portion and having a transverse cut-out registering with the transverse opening of the nose portion, and having a flange shaped to lie against said shoulder portion and against said casing; and the plate and the support member and the shell flange and the casing having multiple aligned screw holes, and the assembly having mounting screws extending through the holes and mounting the assembly to the engine.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
232 words
A starter assembly for mounting to the casing of an engine, the assembly including an electric motor having an axial shaft for extending through an opening in the casing and the shaft supporting a starter pinion moveable thereon to an engaged position, and the assembly including relay contactor means operative to move the pinion on the shaft, the starter assembly further comprising: a metal base plate fixed to the motor and the contactor and having an axial opening through which the shaft extends; a support member made of material which is less than fully rigid, the support member being disposed against the plate and having a shoulder disposed to abut the casing at its opening and having an axial opening to receive the shaft and pinion, and the support member having a nose portion carrying a bearing supporting the motor shaft and having a transverse opening opposite the pinion when in said engaged position; a metal reinforcing shell shaped to cover and closely fit said nose portion and having a transverse cut-out registering with the transverse opening of the nose portion, and having a flange shaped to lie against said shoulder portion and against said casing; and the plate and the support member and the shell flange and the casing having multiple aligned screw holes, and the assembly having mounting screws extending through the holes and mounting the assembly to the engine.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
70 words
The starter assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the screw holes passing through the material of the support member are of enlarged diameter greater than the diameters of the holes through the shell flange and the base plate, and the assembly further including metal bushings in said enlarged holes and shaped to abut the shell flange and the base plate and support the compressive forces of the mounting screws.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
40 words
The starter assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said transverse opening of the support member is defined by edges of its nose portion, and said shell has reinforcing means abutting against and supporting the nose portion at said edges.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
49 words
The starter assembly as claimed in claim 3, wherein said reinforcing means comprise bent edges of the metal shell which are disposed to closely overlie the edges of the transverse opening of the nose portion and support it against stresses caused by vibration and during rotation of the starter.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
44 words
The starter assembly as claimed in claim 4, wherein said shell comprises an integral sheet metal stamping including said flange and a nose portion having said cut-out with integrally formed edges raised around the cut-out and bent at right angles to the nose portion.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
65 words
The starter assembly as claimed in claim 4, wherein said reinforcing shell comprises a sheet metal stamping formed of two opposed shells each including a flange, a nose portion having a cut-out and integrally formed edges rasised around the cut-out, two of said shells being stamped side-by-side from a single sheet of metal and joined by partition means joining them together at the raised edges.