Abstract: There is presented an electric motor having a drive shaft, an armature and commutator assembly fixed on the drive shaft, a housing disposed around the assembly, and an endframe fixed to the housing. The endframe is provided with a journal in which is mounted a bearing supporting the drive shaft. Further disposed in the endframe are brushes in contact with a commutator portion of the assembly, and brush tubes for supporting the brushes. A brush retainer is mounted on the journal and has a face portion overlying a face portion of the bearing. The journal is provided with ribs which extend axially of the retainer. The ribs are engaged with the retainer, which is plastic, and hold the retainer in non-rotative fashion with the retainer face portion abutting an end of the commutator portion.

Abstract: A starter assembly comprising a housing, a pulley rotatably mounted in the housing and having pivotally mounted therein pawls for engagement with a coupling that turns an engine. A brake assembly portion of the starter includes a molded plastics retainer including a base portion, legs extending from the base portion, and protrusions extending from the base portion and engageable by the pulley pawls to cause the retainer to rotate with the pulley. The legs of the retainer are disposed in a central opening of a pulley center shaft and are biased radially outwardly to engage the interior of the center shaft to restrain rotation of the retainer. The assembly further includes turning means by which an operator causes rotation of the pulley.

Abstract: There is presented an electric motor having a drive shaft, an armature and commutator fixed on the drive shaft, a metal housing disposed around the armature, permanent magnets disposed between the armature and the housing, and an endframe fixed to the housing. A discrete brush card is fixed to the housing and has a central cylindrical portion for retaining the commutator, and brush tubes extending radially from the central portion. The brush tubes are adapted to retain brushes and brush springs for urging the brushes into engagement with the commutator. The brush card is provided with tab portions having orifices therethrough and elastomeric grommets mounted thereon, the grommets having openings extending therethrough and aligned with the tab orifices. The endframe is provided with posts extending from an end wall thereof. The grommet openings are configured to receive, respectively, the posts to lock the grommets onto the posts.

Abstract: There is presented an electric motor having a drive shaft, an armature and a commutator fixed on the drive shaft, a housing disposed around the armature, magnets disposed between the armature and the housing, and an endframe fixed to the housing. The endframe has therein a journal for retaining the drive shaft, brushes for contact with the commutator, and shunts and terminals connected to the brushes. In the endframe are brush tubes for slidably retaining the brushes and coil springs for urging the brushes into engagement with the commutator. Each brush tube has one of the coil springs therein, an outer end, side, front and rear walls sufficiently closed to prevent egress of the coil spring, and an open inner end through which one of the brushes engages the commutator. An internal wall of the brush tube is provided with a barb integral therewith and extending inwardly of the brush tubes to overlie a portion of the coil spring proximate the brush tube outer end.

Abstract: An end cap for small electric motors using brushes, the end cap being molded of a synthetic plastic dielectric material. Brush-receiving guides are defined on the end cap by homogeneous cantilevered fingers which are deflectable to grip the brush therein during assembly of the end cap to a motor casing. Electric conductor and connector retainers are homogeneously defined on the end cap to provide conductor strain relief, a circuit breaker retainer is homogeneously included in the cap configuration, and tie bolt ears are of such configuration as to cooperate with the motor casing to resist deflection.

Abstract: A rope-operated recoil starter particularly suitable for use with lawn mowers having the starter rope handle mounted upon the mower handle. The starter structure is the Bendix type having an engine flywheel engagable gear axially translatable upon the rope pulley. A friction brake member associated with the gear produces the gear axial translation. Lost motion means automatically operate the friction brake for producing a delay in gear translation with respect to pulley rotation preventing inadvertent gear-flywheel engagement due to mower handle movement. Additionally, a positive lockout associated with the friction brake member prevents engagement of the gear with the flywheel except during rotation of the rope pulley in an engine cranking direction. The rope pulley is provided with a rope storage ledge for accommodating the extra rope necessary to permit the rope handle to be mounted on the mower handle, and to provide extra rope for cranking, if desired.

Abstract: A recoil starter for internal combustion engines utilizing a rope rotated cranking pulley wherein pulley mounted dogs engage on engine cranking cup when extended. Dog positioning is controlled by an operator, and the dogs are spring biased and shaped to function as detents to maintain the operator in the dog retracting position preventing inadvertent dog extension due to vibration. Additionally, the starter incorporates a skirt for retaining the rope within the pulley rope groove, and the configuration of the starter reduces resistance to engine cooling air flow.

Abstract: An electric starter apparatus for small internal combustion engines wherein engagement of a starter pinion gear with engine flywheel gear teeth is produced by the axial translation of a nut member mating with helices formed on the motor shaft. An elastomer drive and cushion member is interposed between the nut and pinion gear wherein axial displacement of the pinion gear is through the elastomer, as is the transmission of torque to the gear. The elastomer includes an annular axially extending projection received within an annular recess defined in the pinion gear whereby the recess partially confines the elastomer during torque transmission and engine cranking, and concentrically locates the elastomer relative to the motor shaft.

Abstract: The invention pertains to electric starter motors for internal combustion engines, particularly motors used with smaller engines such as employed to power lawn mowers, snow blowers, lawn tractors and similar equipment. The motor housing is formed of a dielectric material as to be doubly electrically insulated for protection against electrical shock, the motor casing features simplify assembly of the field coil within the casing, and the motor armature shaft portion and starter pinion shaft portion are formed as two components, rather than the usual one piece, permitting separate heat treatment and eliminating the need for shaft straightening after hardening as required when the armature and pinion shaft are homogeneously formed.

Abstract: The invention pertains to electric starters for internal combustion engines, and in particular, to electric starters for small engines such as used with yard equipment, for instance, lawn tractors, snow blowers lawnmowers, and the like wherein the starter includes a pinion gear having cushioning means associated therewith which is of a variable characteristic such that soft cushioning is initially produced to protect the initial engagement of the pinion gear with the engine flywheel teeth, and stiffer cushioning occurs during high torque transmission during engine cranking. Preferably, the resiliency of cushioning achieved is proportional to the radius of contact between the cushioning means and the starter pinion gear.

Abstract: An electric motor drive unit for driving a worm wheel such as for vehicle window regulator applications wherein a casing housing a rotatable armature utilizes a synthetic plastic end cap at one end, and a worm wheel housing constitutes the motor end cap at the other end. A worm shaft rotatably mounted within the wheel housing upon its own radial and thrust bearings interconnects to the motor armature through a self-aligning drive element extending through a thrust bearing defined in the worm wheel housing. The brush holders for the motor are homogeneously formed of synthetic plastic material upon the associated end cap, and the armature utilizes an inexpensive self-aligning bearing mounted within the end cap and worm wheel housing.

Abstract: The invention pertains to electric motor apparatus, including a method for forming an annular motor casing and the assembly of a plurality of electric motors with common casing end caps to produce a concise power unit capable of multiple functions, such as used with vehicle electric adjustable seats. The motor casing is mechanically assembled from formed flat sheet stock by defining interlocking projections and recesses in opposed stock blank ends wherein reception of the projections in the recesses deforms the projections and the recesses are obliquely related in pairs such that a mechanical interconnection results free of "spring back".