What this patent covers
A friction drive for running vehicle accessories off the engine. A drive wheel with an outer rim surface mounts on the engine's output shaft and drives the accessory by friction at the rim.
US 4,709,587 is a utility patent titled “Friction drive for automotive and truck accessories”, invented by Nicola Fiornascente.
The application was filed on September 2, 1986 and granted on December 1, 1987, 1 year, 2 months later. The patent issued with 4 claims, 2 of them independent. The specification refers to 2 drawing figures. The U.S. Patent Office classifies it under CPC B60K25/00 — auxiliary drives (arrangement of tyre-inflating pumps mounted on vehicles b60c23/10).
It is one of the patents our firm has obtained in the Transportation area. The attorney of record printed on the granted patent is Siegmar Silber.
Key dates and patent term
| Application filed | September 2, 1986 | |
|---|---|---|
| Patent granted | December 1, 1987 | 1 year, 2 months in prosecution at the U.S. Patent Office |
| Utility term expires (nominal) | September 2, 2006 | 20 years from the earliest U.S. non-provisional filing date. |
The expiration date is calculated from the grant and filing dates on the face of the patent. The actual date may vary based on patent-term adjustment (patent office delay), terminal disclaimer (agreeing to a shorter term), or failing to pay a maintenance fee (due before years 4, 8, and 12). This website is for information purposes only and is not legal advice.
What the classification means
Patent offices file every granted patent under the Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) scheme. These are the technology areas US 4,709,587 was placed in — a good shortcut to what the invention is considered to be, and to the prior art an examiner would have searched.
- B60K25/00 Primary classification
Auxiliary drives (arrangement of tyre-inflating pumps mounted on vehicles B60C23/10) - B60K
Arrangement or mounting of propulsion units or of transmissions in vehicles; arrangement or mounting of plural diverse prime-movers in vehicles; auxiliary drives for vehicles… - F02B
Internal-combustion piston engines; combustion engines in general (gas-turbine plants F02C; hot-gas or combustion-product positive-displacement engine plants F02G) - F16H
Gearing - Y10T
Technical subjects covered by former US classification
Bibliographic details
| Patent number | US 4,709,587 |
|---|---|
| Title | Friction drive for automotive and truck accessories |
| Inventors | Nicola Fiornascente |
| Assignee | Individual |
| Filing date | September 2, 1986 |
| Grant date | December 1, 1987 |
| Category | Transportation |
| Attorney of record | Siegmar Silber |
Full text as published by the U.S. Patent Office
The sections below reproduce the official text of US 4,709,587 for reference. Open a section to read it.
Abstract
A friction drive arrangement for driving automotive and truck accessories from the automotive/truck engine comprising a drive wheel, with an outer rim surface, for mounting on an output shaft of the engine and one or more driven wheels for driving the accessories and having portions thereof mating frictionally with the drive wheel outer rim surface.
Claims (4)
- 1. 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.
- 2. 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.
- 3. 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.
- 4. 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.
Cross-references to Related Application
This application is a continuation-in-part of a patent application filed by the same inventor, entitled, "Elimination of Pulleys and Belts on Future Automobiles and Trucks," bearing Ser. No. 06/727,766 and having a filing date of June 10, 1985 now abandoned.
Background of the Invention
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to friction drives in general, and more particularly, to drive means for automotive and truck accessories.
2. Description of the Related Art.
No pre-examination search had been performed prior to lodging the parent application. However, constituting information disclosed and known to the Applicant is the Examiner's search performed during the course of prosecution. The Examiner's search provided from Class 74/15.6, 15.63, 206, 207, 215, and 665G; 123/195A, 198C, and 198R; and 180/53.8 the following references, which were made of record:
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Patent No. Inventor Date
______________________________________
4,373,483 Bury 2/15/83
4,321,896 Kasting 3/30/82
3,717,045 Burenga 2/20/73
3,452,610 Beasley et al
7/1/69
3,187,674 Hammelmann 6/8/65
3,094,006 Hamilton 6/18/63
2,859,627 Gallop 11/11/58
1,624,738 Jesperson 4/2/27
1,414,513 Hueber 5/2/22
1,399,329 Vandercook 12/6/21
921,705 Hubbell 5/18/09
808,423 Winton 12/26/05
3,54,907(German)
Woerner 6/16/22
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Of the above references, the Examiner applied Beasley et al in view of Vandercook. By the disclosure provided hereby, further elaboration and clarity is brought to the instant invention in a manner which distinguishes over the art previously uncovered.
In the past such friction drives and gear trains used to operate automotive and truck accessories, did not resolve the technical problems of the positive response required.
Brief Description of the Drawings
FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of the mounting plate, automotive accessories and friction drive arrangement therefor; and,
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the driven wheel assembly of this invention, which view is partially cut away to illustrate the O-ring arrangement.
Summary of the Invention
The friction drive arrangement of this disclosure is for driving automotive and truck accessories. A drive wheel is attached to the output shaft of the automotive truck engine and operates in a manner so as to coact with a driven wheel or a set of driven wheels. Each driven wheel assembly includes a set of O-rings to provide the proper function drive arrangement. The O-rings are under both tension and compression and have been found to be long-wearing and relatively maintenance free.
Description of the Preferred Embodiment
In the specification which follows a friction drive arrangement for automotive and truck accessories is described in detail. For purposes of economy of style, the best mode of practicing the invention is described in connection with automotive accessories; however, the teaching hereof is equally applicable to truck accessories. Similarly, although the invention is described in connection with a gasoline-powered internal combustion engine, the teaching hereof is applicable to any other engine that provides rotating forces to an output shaft thereof.
Referring now to FIG. 2, the friction drive arrangement of this invention is shown and is referred to generally by the numeral 10. The friction drive arrangement 10 includes a base plate 12 for mounting of automotive accessories 14, 16, 18 and 20, respectively, an alternator 14, water pump 16, pollution pump 18, and air conditioner 20. On the output shaft 26 of the engine (not shown) is mounted a drive wheel 28 with a smooth, broad outer rim 30 which is well-suited for receiving friction drive components.
Referring now to FIG. 2 a detailed perspective view of the driven wheel assembly is shown with a portion thereof cutaway to illustrate the O-rings. The driven wheel assembly 32 has at the center thereof hub 34 for concentrically mounting the driven wheel assembly 32 onto the input shaft 36. The hub 34 is constructed to support, through a web or central driven wheel portion 38, a cylindrical rim 40 having the same central axis 42 as the driven wheel. An outer wall 44 of the cylindrical rim 38 has at either end a flanged portion 46 and 48 extending radially outward and defining an O- ring receiving channel 50 therebetween. Filling the receiving channel and extending radially and outwardly beyond the channel, a set of annular drive means or O- rings 52 are arrayed. In general, it has been found that sets of not less than three nor more than five are preferred. The O- rings 52 are elastic, compressible and resilient and, are constructed to have, at rest, an inner diameter slightly small than the outer diameter of the cylindrical rim.
In operation, the O- rings 52 are stretched to fit over the flanged portion 46 or 48 and the requisite number of O-rings are placed side-by-side so that the O-ring receiving channel is filled. Upon installation, the O-rings 82 of the set are compressed one against the other and between the flanged portions 46 and 48. The driven wheel assembly 32 thus having been completed is installed onto the accessory of choice, for example, alternator 14 by fastening the hub 34 onto the input shaft 36. The accessory is then, in turn, mounted so that the driven wheel assembly 32 is in close proximity to the outer rim 30 of drive wheel 28. The accessory position is further adjusted until a predetermined pressure is exerted on driven wheel assembly 32.
While the invention shown in this application specifically discloses the best mode of the invention known, variations of details may be introduced by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the disclosure which is further clearly delineated in the claims that follow.
US 4,709,587: questions and answers
What is US Patent 4,709,587 about?
US 4,709,587, “Friction drive for automotive and truck accessories”, is a utility patent granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office on December 1, 1987. In brief: A friction drive arrangement for driving automotive and truck accessories from the automotive/truck engine comprising a drive wheel, with an outer rim surface, for mounting on an output shaft of the engine and one or more driven wheels for driving the accessories and having portions thereof mating f
Who invented US Patent 4,709,587?
The named inventor is Nicola Fiornascente.
When was US Patent 4,709,587 filed?
The application was filed on September 2, 1986 and the patent granted on December 1, 1987.
When does US Patent 4,709,587 expire?
The nominal expiration date is September 2, 2006. 20 years from the earliest U.S. non-provisional filing date.
How many claims does US Patent 4,709,587 have?
It has 4 claims, of which 2 are independent.
How is US Patent 4,709,587 classified?
Its primary Cooperative Patent Classification symbol is B60K25/00 — auxiliary drives (arrangement of tyre-inflating pumps mounted on vehicles b60c23/10).
Who was the patent attorney for US Patent 4,709,587?
This patent was prosecuted by Feigin & Fridman, LLC, patent attorneys in New York and New Jersey. Contact us to discuss protecting your own invention.
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