Gear box assembly

Claim 2

In a vehicle which includes a driven axle shaft extending transversely of the vehicle having wheels secured thereto: a drive gear concentric with the axle shaft nonrotatably connected to the shaft, the drive gear having an integral hub on each of opposite sides thereof, a pinion gear shiftably mounted above the drive gear having one position engaging the drive gear and shiftable laterally to disengage from the drive gear, a shift lever mounted in a position projecting upwardly from the pinion gear actuatable to shift the pinion gear, an electric motor with output shaft mounted with the output shaft paralleling the axle shaft and having a driving gear mounted thereon, a multiple gear gear train mounted so as to establish a driving connection between said driving gear and said pinion gear, and a transmission housing enclosing the driving gear, gear train, pinion gear and drive gear, the housing including sleeve portions rotatably receiving said hubs of the drive gear and thus rotatably mounting the drive gear and the axle shaft connected to the drive gear.

Claim 3

The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the electric motor includes a motor housing from which its output shaft extends, said motor housing being outside said transmission housing and secured to said transmission housing thus to mount the motor output shaft, the gears of said gear train and pinion gear being mounted on shafts having ends supported on the transmission housing.

Claim 4

In a vehicle including a vehicle frame, a driven axle shaft having vehicle wheels secured to the ends thereof, a housing and transmission assembly unit secured to the vehicle frame and providing a mounting for the axle shaft, said assembly unit comprising: a drive gear concentric with the axle shaft and nonrotatably connected to the shaft, the drive gear having an integral hub on each of opposite sides thereof, a pinion gear disposed adjacent the drive gear having one position engaging the drive gear and laterally shiftable to another position where it disengages from the drive gear, a shift lever connected to the pinion gear for shifting the pinion gear, an input gear and other gears drivingly connecting the pinion gear and input gear for effecting a speed reduction between the input and pinion gears, and a transmission housing enclosing the drive gear, pinion gear, and other gears including sleeve portions rotatably receiving said hubs and thus rotatably mounting the drive gear.

Claim 5

In a vehicle including a vehicle frame, a driven axle shaft having vehicle wheels secured to the ends thereof, a housing and transmission assembly unit secured to the vehicle frame and providing a mounting for the axle shaft, said assembly unit comprising: a drive gear concentric with the axle shaft and nonrotatably connected to the shaft, the drive gear having an integral hub on each of opposite sides thereof, a pinion gear disposed adjacent the drive gear having one position engaging the drive gear and laterally shiftable to another position where it disengages from the drive gear, a shift lever connected to the pinion gear for shifting the pinion gear, an input gear and other gears drivingly connecting the pinion gear and input gear for effecting a speed reduction between the input and pinion gears, and a transmission housing enclosing the drive gear, pinion gear, and other gears including sleeve portions rotatably receiving said hubs and thus rotatably mounting the drive gear.

Claim 6

The vehicle of claim 3, which further includes an electric motor with motor housing and output shaft extending from the motor housing, a driving gear connected to the motor output shaft, and means mounting said motor housing on said transmission housing with the motor housing outside the transmission housing and with said driving gear within the transmission housing and engaging said input gear.

Claim 7

In a toy vehicle including a vehicle frame and two driven wheels: a driven axle shaft having ends of equal radius mounting the driven wheels of the vehicle; and the axle shaft having a noncircular mid-region with a portion projecting radially of the shaft a distance greater than the radius of the shaft ends; and a housing and transmission assembly unit mounted on the vehicle frame and providing a mounting for the axle shaft; said assembly unit including a drive gear with an integral hub on each of opposite sides thereof; transmission gearing including a pinion gear adjacent the drive gear and engaging the drive gear, an input gear, and other gears drivingly connecting the input gear and the pinion gear and for effecting a speed reduction between the input gear and pinion gear; the transmission gearing producing a driving connection between the input gear and drive gear and at least one gear of the transmission gearing being axially shiftable to break said driving connection; and a transmission housing enclosing the drive gear and transmission gearing; said transmission housing including sleeve portions rotatably receiving said hubs of the drive gear and further including end walls abutting against ends of said hubs; said sleeve portions rotatably mounting the drive gear, said drive gear having a noncircular passage extending axially therethrough and said axle shaft extending through and within said passage with the noncircular mid-region of the axle shaft relatively nonrotatably received with said passage; at least one of said end walls of said transmission housing having an opening in the side thereof of a size sufficient to enable said noncircular mid-region of the axle shaft to pass therethrough when mounting the axle shaft within said drive gear.

Claim 8

In a toy vehicle including a vehicle frame and two driven wheels: a driven axle shaft having ends of equal radius mounting the driven wheels of the vehicle; and the axle shaft having a noncircular mid-region with a portion projecting radially of the shaft a distance greater than the radius of the shaft ends; and a housing and transmission assembly unit mounted on the vehicle frame and providing a mounting for the axle shaft; said assembly unit including a drive gear with an integral hub on each of opposite sides thereof; transmission gearing including a pinion gear adjacent the drive gear and engaging the drive gear, an input gear, and other gears drivingly connecting the input gear and the pinion gear and for effecting a speed reduction between the input gear and pinion gear; the transmission gearing producing a driving connection between the input gear and drive gear and at least one gear of the transmission gearing being axially shiftable to break said driving connection; and a transmission housing enclosing the drive gear and transmission gearing; said transmission housing including sleeve portions rotatably receiving said hubs of the drive gear and further including end walls abutting against ends of said hubs; said sleeve portions rotatably mounting the drive gear, said drive gear having a noncircular passage extending axially therethrough and said axle shaft extending through and within said passage with the noncircular mid-region of the axle shaft relatively nonrotatably received with said passage; at least one of said end walls of said transmission housing having an opening in the side thereof of a size sufficient to enable said noncircular mid-region of the axle shaft to pass therethrough when mounting the axle shaft within said drive gear.

Claim 9

The vehicle of claim 5, wherein the axes of the gears of said transmission gearing parallel the axis of the drive gear and wherein said transmission housing comprises a pair of mating housing sections fitting against each other in a mating relation with relative movement in a direction paralleling said axes.

Claim 10

The vehicle of claim 6, wherein the gears of said transmission gearing are clustered in a region disposed above the axle shaft, and the transmission gearing includes an upper portion enclosing the gears of said transmission gearing and a lower portion enclosing the drive gear depending from said upper portion and which projects below said region where the gears of the transmission gearing are clustered.