Machine element or mechanism – Gearing – Directly cooperating gears
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-30
2001-09-25
Footland, Lenard A. (Department: 3682)
Machine element or mechanism
Gearing
Directly cooperating gears
C074S60600R
Reexamination Certificate
active
06293165
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a structure for rotatably supporting a rotating member such as a gear and a pulley for transmitting a driving force to a driven member, on a fixed shaft on which the member rotates.
FIGS. 10
a
to
10
d
are sectional views showing various conventional structures for mounting a gear or a pulley on a fixed shaft on a chassis.
Referring to
FIG. 10
a
, a chassis
52
made of resin or metal has a metal shaft
53
securely embedded therein, and a gear
51
is rotatably mounted on the shaft
53
. A washer
54
is attached to the shaft
53
so that the gear
51
is prevented from moving upward in the axial direction of the shaft. Hence the gear
51
can be rotated without falling off from the shaft
53
.
Referring to
FIG. 10
b
, in another structure, a base
62
made of resin and having an integral shaft
63
is formed on a metal chassis (not shown) by outsert molding. A gear
61
is rotatably mounted on the shaft
63
. The shaft
63
has a throughhole
64
at the center thereof, in which a screw
65
is engaged. Thus, the gear
61
is held by a head
651
of the screw
65
so as to be prevented from moving upward in the axial direction of the shaft. The gear
61
can be rotated without coming off from the shaft
63
.
As shown in
FIG. 10
c
, a base
72
of resin is formed on a metal chassis (not shown) by outsert molding. A shaft
73
having a hook
74
at the upper end thereof is integrally formed on the base
72
, and a gear
71
is rotatably mounted on the shaft
73
. The hook
74
prevents the gear
71
from moving upward in the axial direction of the shaft
73
, thereby enabling the gear
71
to rotate without coming out of the shaft
73
.
In a structure shown in
FIG. 10
d
, a base
82
made of resin formed on a metal chassis (not shown) by outsert molding is provided with an upwardly extending integral shaft
86
in which a hole
83
is formed. A gear
81
made of resin and having a downwardly extending integral shaft
84
is inserted in the shaft
86
so as to be rotated therein. A hook
85
integral with the shaft
84
is provided at the lower end thereof, so that when the gear
81
is mounted, the hook
85
projects out of the hole
83
and engages with the bottom of the base
82
, thereby holding the shaft in the hole
83
. Thus the gear
81
is prevented from falling off from the base
82
at rotation.
Referring to
FIG. 10
e
, on a metal chassis
92
, a base
93
is formed by outsert molding. The base
93
has an integral shaft
94
, the upper end of which is formed into a projection
941
. A gear
91
is rotatably mounted on the shaft
94
. A holder
95
is further formed on the chassis
92
by outsert molding adjacent the base
93
. The holder
95
abuts on the projection
941
of the shaft
94
so that the movement of the gear
91
in the axial direction of the shaft is restricted, thereby enabling to rotate the gear
91
without the gear falling off from the shaft
94
.
The structure shown in
FIG. 10
a
requires a large number of parts. Moreover, operations for securely attaching the shaft
53
to the chassis
52
and for mounting the washer
54
on the shaft
53
are necessary, so that the manufacturing process cannot be reduced, thereby increasing the manufacturing cost.
In the case of the structure of
FIG. 10
b
, a long time is consumed to attach the screw
65
in the throughhole
64
of the shaft
63
. Thus the structure is not suitable for mass production. In addition, when the screw
65
is fastened with excessive force, the shaft
63
may be broken.
In the structure shown in
FIGS. 10
c
and
10
d
, in order to form the hook
74
or
85
with resin, the structure of the mold for producing the base becomes complicated. If the mold comprises a plurality of parts, the assembled mold causes differences in levels of the surfaces of the base. Hence the rotation of the gear is impaired.
The structure of
FIG. 10
e
involves a large number of parts and a complicated assembling operation so that the manufacturing cost is increased.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a structure for rotatably mounting a rotating member on a shaft where the number of the parts is small, the mounting and the assembling operation are simplified, and the manufacturing cost is significantly decreased.
According to the present invention, there is provided a structure for supporting a rotating body having a cylindrical rotating member having a flange perpendicular to an axis and a cylindrical portion, and a fixed shaft for rotatably supporting the rotating member wherein the flange has a hole, and the shaft has at least one hook projecting from the hole for restricting an axial movement of the rotating member.
The diameter of the hole is smaller than a diameter of a circumscribed circle of the hook.
The flange has at least one opening so as to form a flexible portion in the flange which is retracted by the hook for enabling the hook to pass through the hole.
These and other objects and features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1751228 (1930-03-01), Bethel
patent: 1997021 (1935-04-01), Spase
patent: 2019198 (1935-10-01), Spase
patent: 2834620 (1958-05-01), Maude
patent: 4206617 (1980-06-01), Nakamoto
patent: 5690656 (1997-11-01), Friedman et al.
patent: 5759081 (1998-06-01), Lyman
patent: 5862024 (1999-01-01), Watanabe
Akama Yusuke
Ikedo Yuji
Ohkawara Masamitsu
Watanabe Toshio
Arent Fox Kintner & Plotkin & Kahn, PLLC
Footland Lenard A.
Hansen Colby
Pioneer Electronic Corporation
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