Abstract: An improved clutch of the type having concentric and spaced apart driving and driven members with a clutch ring in engagement with one of the members and urgeable into a simultaneous engagement with the other member is provided. A fixed cam member is provided nonrotational with respect to the driving and driven members. A second cam member is slidably movable around the first cam member whenever the clutch ring is in simultaneous engagement with the driving and driven members. A cam follower is in a cammed engagement with the first cam member and is movable axially apart from the first cam member into cammed engagement with the second cam member. The cam follower further urges the clutch ring into a simultaneous engagement with the driving and driven member whenever the driving member rotates with respect to the driven member.

Abstract: A remotely controlled manual hub clutch assembly includes an axle and a wheel hub rotatably mounted on a vehicle housing. A pair of relatively movable coupling portions provide an engageable and disengageable driving connection between the axle and the wheel hub. The vehicle operator may engage and disengage the coupling members by moving a linkage connected to a movable one of the coupling members. A synchronizer prevents engagement of the coupling members until the rotation speeds of the wheel hub and the axle are substantially equalized so that the hub clutch can be engaged or disengaged while the vehicle is in motion. A non-rotating sleeve surrounds the axle and acts as a linkage to operate the coupling members.

Abstract: A free wheel hub mechanism including a body fixed to a wheel, an annular clutch continuously engaged with the body, an interengaging member connected to an axle shaft rotatable therewith and engageable with the annular clutch, a follower operatively connected to the annular clutch and axially movable in response to the rotation of a manual handle, and a nut fixed to the axle shaft for supplying a preload force on a taper bearing between a housing and the axle shaft.

Abstract: A locking gear in the form of an annular, slotted cam member causes a driving member to move into locking engagement with a member to be driven automatically in response to the application of torque or positive rotation to the driving member. The driving member can be disengaged only by removing torque from the driving member and reversing the direction of rotation of the driven member without relying upon spring force for disengagement. Accordingly, the driving member is not only forcefully cammed into engagement with the member to be driven but is mechanically and positively cammed into disengagement at the will and under the full control of the operator. Thus in four-wheel drive vehicles, the wheels or members to be driven are selectively engaged by a drive gear which is slidably advanced through interengagement of cam followers on the drive gear with camming surfaces on the locking gear.

Abstract: A wheel hub has a relatively large diameter hollow spindle within which a hollow shaft member is disposed and supported therein via bearings. A hollow cylindrical sleeve bearing support is disposed within the hollow shaft member and provided with a flange which serves to secure the bearings. The structural strength of the spindle can thus be increased via increasing the diameter thereof without necessitating the enlargement of the diameter of the associated road wheel and/or wheel brake.

Abstract: A seat component of an adjustable seat, particularly of a motor vehicle seat, is mounted on a base component for movement generally in the forward and rearward direction of the seat. A toothed rack is rigidly mounted on the seat component, and a pinion member is mounted on a driving shaft and meshes with the toothed rack. A driving element of a disk-shaped configuration is rigidly connected to the driving shaft and has a plurality of circumferentially distributed openings which receive corresponding tooth-shaped projections of the pinion member to entrain the pinion member for joint rotation with the driving shaft. The pinion member is displaceable axially of the driving shaft to engage the tooth-shaped projections in, and disengage the same from, the corresponding openings of the driving element.

Abstract: A locking clutch associated with a standard size wheel having a pilot hole opening therein, the clutch being of the type comprising a housing having the clutch mechanism therein including manual means for locking or unlocking the clutch means, the clutch housing comprising an outer body adapted to fit coaxially within the wheel pilot hole opening and having an annular flange at one end with a plurality of wheel stud openings matching the stud openings in the wheel, said annular flange being disposed between the vehicle wheel hub and the wheel and secured to both by the same mounting studs and stud nuts that secure the wheel to the wheel hub.

Abstract: A hub clutch comprises a drive clutch adapted to be connected to a power shaft, an axially movable driven clutch to be coupled with the drive clutch and having semi-circular grooves for connection to a wheel hub, a case secured to the wheel hub by means of a plurality of bolts, coupling means providing a preload on the driven clutch, and actuator means for effecting movement of the driven clutch toward the drive clutch by the operation of the coupling means wherein the torque of the driven clutch is conveyed to the wheel hub by the engagement between the semi-circular grooves and the bolts.

Abstract: A clutch interposed between a hub mounted for rotation on a spindle and a selectively driveable axle which extends longitudinally through the spindle serves to engage the hub to the axle when the clutch is subjected to torque caused by placement of the axle in a dynamic or driving axle mode. When the axle is in a passive or non-driving axle mode the clutch serves to disengage the hub from the axle whereby the hub is free-wheeling on the spindle.

Abstract: An automatic locking gear has been devised in which rapid, positive axial location and driving engagement is established between concentric driving and driven members through the agency of a clutch type actuator mechanism which is responsive to rotation of the driving member to be forced into intermeshing engagement with a complementary receiving member on the driven member. The actuator mechanism is characterized by including a spring-loaded compressible bearing arrangement which normally urges the actuator mechanism into a locked stationary position but will permit retraction of the actuator mechanism away from the locked position whenever torque is applied to the actuator mechanism so that the mechanism is free to travel or rotate with the actuator-receiving mechanism when the driving and driven members are interconnected; and when torque is no longer applied to the actuator mechanism it is free to return gradually into its normal locked position without the application of external forces or control.

Abstract: A free wheel hub apparatus for vehicles having a wheel hub and an axle shaft includes a body integrally rotated with the wheel hub, an inner member disposed within the body and integrally rotated with the axle shaft, a bearing member interposed between the inner member and the body, a plurality of rollers interposed between the inner member and the body, a cage for supporting the rollers, and frictional means for engaging or disengaging the cage with or from a knuckle or the body according to the axial movement of the cage by a handle.

Abstract: An automatic clutch comprises, on the driving side, a drive clutch movable only axially relative to the associated drive members and normally biased in the declutching direction, a stationary inner cam located on the side toward which the drive clutch is biased and moved, the inner cam being connected to or disconnected from the drive clutch accordingly as the clutch disengages or engages, and a holdout ring having projections to be engaged with lands of the inner cam and adapted to keep the drive clutch and the inner cam out of connection when the driving side stops, the holdout ring being fitted over the drive clutch under such frictional conditions that, only when the ring has engaged the inner cam, it can circumferentially slide relative to the drive clutch. The automatic clutch further comprises, on the driven side, a driven clutch movable only axially relative to the associated driven members and normally biased in the clutching direction.

Abstract: A free wheel hub mechanism is made up of a body secured to a wheel and an inner race rotatable with an axle shaft and having a plurality of cam surfaces at its outer periphery, a plurality of rollers held by a cage arranged between the body and the inner race, the rollers being urged ouwards by the cam surfaces so as to be squeezed against the body when the inner race is rotated with the shaft. The squeezing of the rollers causes them to rotate with the inner race thereby to rotate the wheel. Also provided are means for restraining the rotation of the cage, including a plurality of shoes between which a plurality of projections provided on an innermost portion of the cage are arranged, a shoe receiving member secured to a non-rotatable spindle sleeve which houses the shaft and which has a receiving surface on which the shoes may slide, and an annular spring means urging the shoes against the receiving surface.

Abstract: A semi-automatic roller type locking clutch for use between concentric rotational driving and driven members comprises a semi-automatic locking means and a manually activated locking means. The semi-automatic locking means is adapted to displace a plurality of rollers each disposed within a plurality of grooves circumferentially disposed on one member up onto one edge of the grooves and into contact with one edge of each of a plurality of grooves disposed on the other member whenever the driving member rotates faster than the driven member. The manually activated locking means is adapted to urge a clutch ring member slidably splined to one member into splined engagement with the other member when the members are nonrotational with respect to each other.

Abstract: An automatic roller-type hub clutch is provided with a manual device operable to override the automatic mechanism to prevent free wheeling due to overrun. An improved resilient coupling is provided for the manual device designed to translate rotational movement from a rotatable selector to a camming device and to provide a built-in self energizing action in both an engaging and disengaging direction. The resilient coupling disclosed is a coiled torsional spring having one end connected to the rotatable selector and the opposite end connected to the camming device. In operation, the rotatable selector is rotated in opposite directions to wind and unwind the spring causing the camming device to rotate with the rotatable selector to axially move a slidable clutch member into engagement with a fixed clutch member.

Abstract: A wheel hub clutching mechanism includes an internally splined body, and a clutch ring which is adapted to be meshed with a shaft driven pinion and is resiliently connected by means of a connecting spring to a follower which, in turn, is controlled by means of a rotatable cam. The follower and the clutch ring are biased toward the locked positions thereof by means of a compression spring when the cam is rotated to its locked position by means of a manually operated handle, and the clutch ring is retracted to the free position thereof together with the follower when the cam is rotated to its free position by means of the handle. A pinion supporting member is also interposed between the shaft driven pinion and the body, the splines of the body being formed so as to be substantially parallel to the shaft axis.

Abstract: A free wheel hub device made up of a main body secured to a wheel; an inner race secured to a wheel axle and rotatably supporting the main body at its outer periphery; a toothed wheel axially mounted on the inner race and having a cam face and outer teeth engageable with inner teeth of the main body; a spring located between the inner race and the toothed wheel; a support member secured to the wheel axle tube and connected to the axle; and a shoe located between the toothed wheel and the support member, and having a cam face engageable with that of the toothed wheel. The shoe is rotatable on a guide surface of the support member so that, upon engagement of the cam faces, the outer teeth of the toothed wheel engage with the inner teeth of the main body, against the force of the spring, to slidably rotate the shoe upon the guide surface of the support member.

Abstract: A cloth spreading machine having a manually operable disconnect device for drivingly disconnecting the drive motor and the drive wheel, including a pair of clutch members rotatably mounted upon a drive shaft, one clutch member having a keyway adapted to be aligned with and to receive an elongated key upon the shaft when the clutch member is manually rotated between operative and inoperative positions.

Abstract: A stub axle and inner end flange which fits the outer wheel supporting flange on a fixed axle and is apertured peripherally to accept the wheel attaching bolts of said fixed axle flange, a pair of roller bearings mounted on said stub axle, the outer end of said stub axle being splined, an axle-housing hub rotatably supported on said bearings and having an inner flange, the latter having peripheral bolt holes corresponding to those in said stub axle flange and said vehicle fixed axle flange, a set of bolts for securing a drive wheel disc removed from said fixed axle flange to said stub shaft flange and a conventional wheel hub clutching mechanism mounted on the outer end of said axle housing hub, said mechanism being operable manually to optionally lock said splined stub axle to said axle housing and wheel or to disengage said stub axle to permit said housing and wheel to turn freely thereon.

Abstract: In a wheel hub clutching mechanism, a clutch ring to be meshed with a shaft driven pinion is resiliently connected by way of a connecting spring to a follower controlled by turning of a cam. The follower and the clutch ring are pushed toward the lock positions thereof by a compression spring when the cam is turned to its lock position by a manually operated handle and the clutch ring is retracted to the free position thereof together with the follower when the cam is moved to its free position by the handle.

Abstract: A wheel hub assembly for a front wheel of a four wheel drive vehicle. The hub assembly has an unlocked position which permits free overrun of the wheel and a locked position where the wheel is fixedly secured to its drive axle. It comprises a conventional roller clutch mechanism in which there is an outer housing, an inner driving hub and a roller clutch assembly mounted between the housing and the hub. A clutch lock assembly, connected to the housing through a spring connection, is positioned in the outside portion of the housing and comprises a lock cage having a plurality of lock fingers that are movable axially inwardly to engage related slots in a roller clutch cage and thus mechanically interconnect the outer housing to the roller clutch assembly.