Joints and connections – Interfitted members – Radially interposed shim or bushing
Reexamination Certificate
2001-12-18
2003-07-29
Browne, Lynne H. (Department: 3679)
Joints and connections
Interfitted members
Radially interposed shim or bushing
C403S374300, C403S338000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06599053
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to an assembly consisting of a tapered bushing and a toothed wheel, with a preferred direction of rotation. More particularly, this invention relates to an assembly, which allows the bushing and the toothed wheel to be mated together, or separated, using a threaded rod inserted and tightened from either side of the assembly.
BACKGROUND ART
Assemblies using conventional tapered bushings to fasten pulleys, sheaves, or gears to hafts are widely used. Tapered bushings use less space on an axial shaft than other types of bushings and are favored for this reason. For example, the QD bushing and wheel assembly requires additional axial space due to the flange area of the bushing that protrudes from the ace of the wheel.
Assemblies using tapered bushings have a female mating surface on the wheel and a male mating surface on the bushing. The tapered bushing is axially split and contractible about the shaft which it receives. As the male mating surface of the bushing is mated with the female mating surface of the wheel, the bushing contracts around the shaft. Thus, by mating the bushing and the wheel, the bushing becomes affixed to the shaft and the wheel affixed to the bushing. However, difficulty is often encountered in the process of mating the bushing and the wheel, and in separating the bushing from the wheel once mated.
Prior art improvements to these assemblies have focused on designs that aid in mating or separating the bushing and the wheel. In U.S. Pat. No. 2,402,743 entitled “MOUNTING FOR SHEAVES, ETC.”, granted Jun. 7, 1944, the inventor used a plurality of screws parallel with the hub axis for effecting wedging of the bushing between the hub and the shaft. As the screws are tightened sufficiently their heads abut against the bushing shoulders and further entry of the screws into the hub wedges the bushing between the hub and the shaft. However, in this invention the screws are only inserted from one side of the assembly.
As the use of the invention of U.S. Pat. 2,402,743 became more widespread, difficulties arose when the assembly was to be mounted in close proximity to another item, such as a drive motor or another bushing wheel assembly. This problem became more apparent to the inventor with the use of assemblies with toothed wheels having a preferred direction of rotation, such as assemblies for use with the Eagle PD™ belt described in U.S. Pat. 5,209,705. When affixing these assemblies to a shaft to rotate in the preferred direction, the face of the assembly containing the screws may be in close proximity to another containing the screws may be in close proximity to another item. This results in great difficulty in tightening the screws.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,682,505 entitled “MEANS FOR MOUNTING SHEAVES, ETC.,” granted Aug. 8, 1972, describes an attempt to overcome this problem. With the mounted sheave system disclosed in this patent, a plurality of longitudinal bores are formed in the assembly. Each bore is aligned and in communication with a screw hole. Each screw for use in the assembly includes a socket or slotted portion at the end for engaging a driving tool which can be inserted into either the bore or the hole to tighten the screw from either side of the assembly. A disadvantageous limitation of this system is that the bolts can only be inserted from one face of the assembly. Access to insert or remove these bolts may be limited when the face of the assembly containing the holes is placed in close proximity to another item.
U.S. Pat. 2,763,158 and 3,851,977 also describe similar bushing and sheaves.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
The toothed wheel and tapered bushing assembly of the invention addresses the problem of the prior art that occurs when the prior art assembly is mounted in close proximity to another item. Since access to the screws, used to mate or separate the bushing and the wheel, may be limited, this invention allows the screws, or threaded rods, to be inserted and tightened from either face of the assembly. This invention allows assembly inventories to be half that needed in the past because the assembly can be used regardless of which side of the assembly is in close proximity to the other item.
This invention relates to an assembly
10
of a toothed wheel
12
and a tapered bushing
14
. The toothed wheel
12
has a tapered hole
16
forming at least one tapered surface
18
in the wheel
12
. The tapered hole
16
also forms a first and a second opening, the first opening W
1
being larger than the second opening W
2
. The tapered bushing
14
has at least one tapered surface
20
. The bushing tapered surface
20
is capable of mating relationship with the wheel tapered surface
18
. The assembly
10
has a first face
22
and a second face
24
spaced apart from one another along an axis. When the tapered surfaces of the bushing
14
and the wheel
12
are in mated relationship, the first opening W
1
of the wheel hole
16
is in proximity to the first face
22
of the assembly
10
and the second opening W
2
of the wheel hole
16
is in proximity to the second face
24
of the assembly
10
. The assembly
10
also has a first hole or set of holes H
1
, respectively, for receiving a threaded rod
26
. This hole or set; of holes H
1
extends at least partially along the mating surfaces from the first face
22
of the assembly
10
toward the second face
24
of the assembly
10
. The holes H
1
are formed in part by a groove
28
located in the toothed wheel
12
and in part by a groove
30
located in the bushing
14
.
The toothed wheel
12
in the assembly of the invention has a preferred direction of rotation about its axis. The assembly
10
also has a second hole or set of holes H
2
, respectively, for receiving a threaded rod
26
. These holes H
2
extend at least partially along the mating surfaces from the second face
24
of the assembly
10
toward the first face
22
of the assembly
10
. The holes H
2
are formed in part by a groove
32
located in the toothed wheel
12
and in part by a groove
34
located in the bushing
14
. The threaded rod
26
is able to interact with surfaces in or adjacent to the wheel and the bushing grooves of each hole. This interaction can cause the toothed wheel
12
and the bushing
14
to be moved in an axial direction with respect to each other when the threaded rod
26
is threaded into either the first or second hole or sets of holes and is tightened.
DEFINITIONS
For ease of understanding this disclosure, the following terms are disclosed.
“Axial” or “axially” means the lines or directions that are parallel to the axis of rotation of the toothed wheel and bushing assembly
10
.
“Taper” or “tapered” means that an item gradually narrows toward one end.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2402743 (1946-06-01), Firth
patent: 2763158 (1956-09-01), Firth
patent: 3677583 (1972-07-01), Steinke
patent: 3682505 (1972-08-01), Firth
patent: 3851977 (1974-12-01), Boole
patent: 4338036 (1982-07-01), DeLeu
patent: 4421498 (1983-12-01), DeLeu et al.
patent: 4471846 (1984-09-01), Mullenberg
patent: 4494889 (1985-01-01), Thompson
patent: 4620814 (1986-11-01), May
patent: 4624597 (1986-11-01), Johnson et al.
patent: 4781661 (1988-11-01), Emmett
patent: 5304101 (1994-04-01), Baer
patent: 2027871 (1970-12-01), None
Browne Lynne H.
Cottingham John R.
Krawczyk Nancy T.
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
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