Friction drive for automotive and truck accessories

Claim 2

A friction drive arrangement for driving automotive and truck accessories, each with an input from the automotive/truck engine thereof comprising in combination: a drive wheel for mounting on an output shaft of said engine having an outer rim surface; one or more driven wheels for driving said accessories having portions thereof mating frictionally with said outer rim surface, said driven wheels further comprising: hub means for concentrically mounting the driven wheel onto the input shaft; a cylindrical rim supported by said hub means and formed axially thereabout; a pair of end flanges extending radially outward from the ends of the cylindrical rim; plurality of elastic o-rings for transmitting driving forces resiliently mounted adjacently and compressively to said cylindrical rim and within said end flanges, said elastic O-rings having an inner diameter slightly less that of said cylindrical rim and being dimensioned so that each o-ring can be mounted over one of said end flanges and dimensioned to extend radially beyond said end flanges and to form axially disposed, substantially V-shaped grooves between adjacent elastic o-rings; whereby said drive wheel transmits rotational forces to said accessories.

Claim 3

A friction drive arrangement as described in claim 1 wherein the O-rings when mounted side by side about the rim are compressed by one another and the end flanges, and fill the axial space between said flange.

Claim 4

A friction drive arrangement for driving automotive and truck accessories, each with an input shaft, from the automotive/truck engine thereof comprising in combination: a drive wheel for mounting on an output shaft of said engine having an outer rim surface; one or more driven wheels for driving said accessories having portions thereof mating frictionally with said outer rim surface, said driven wheels further comprising: hub means for concentrically mounting the driven wheel onto the input shaft; a cylindrical rim supported by said hub means and formed axially thereabout; a pair of end flanges extending radially outward from the ends of the cylindrical rim; plurality of elastic o-rings for transmitting driving forces resiliently mounted adjacently and compressively to said cylindrical rim and within said end flanges, said elastic O-rings having an inner diameter slightly less than that of said cylindrical rim and being dimensioned so that each o-ring can be mounted over one of said end flanges and dimensioned to extend radially beyond said end flanges and to form axially disposed, substantially V-shaped grooves between adjacent elastic o-rings; said o-rings when mounted side by side about the rim are compressed by one another and the end flanges, and fill the axial space between said end flanges; whereby said drive wheel transmits rotational forces to said accessories.

Claim 5

A friction drive arrangement for driving automotive and truck accessories, each with an input shaft, from the automotive/truck engine thereof comprising in combination: a drive wheel for mounting on an output shaft of said engine having an outer rim surface; one or more driven wheels for driving said accessories having portions thereof mating frictionally with said outer rim surface, said driven wheels further comprising: hub means for concentrically mounting the driven wheel onto the input shaft; a cylindrical rim supported by said hub means and formed axially thereabout; a pair of end flanges extending radially outward from the ends of the cylindrical rim; plurality of elastic o-rings for transmitting driving forces resiliently mounted adjacently and compressively to said cylindrical rim and within said end flanges, said elastic O-rings having an inner diameter slightly less than that of said cylindrical rim and being dimensioned so that each o-ring can be mounted over one of said end flanges and dimensioned to extend radially beyond said end flanges and to form axially disposed, substantially V-shaped grooves between adjacent elastic o-rings; said o-rings when mounted side by side about the rim are compressed by one another and the end flanges, and fill the axial space between said end flanges; whereby said drive wheel transmits rotational forces to said accessories.

Claim 6

A friction drive arrangement as described in claim 1 wherein ratio of the diameter of the drive wheel to the driven wheel is selected to increase or decrease the rotational speed of the input shaft of the accessory.