The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jan. 09, 2001
Filed:
Mar. 11, 1999
Stephen P Hunter, Bristol, GB;
Colin M Felgate, Dursley, GB;
Reinshaw PLC, Wotton-Under-Edge, GB;
Abstract
An indexing mechanism is provided to enable discrete angular displacement of a first body,relative to a second body,An intermediate body,is provided, and is rotatable relative to both the first and second bodies,Mutually engageable detent elements on the first and intermediate,and intermediate and second,bodies, provide indexing of the first body,relative to the intermediate body,and the intermediate body relative to the second body,respectively. The angular separations of adjacent indexed positions provided by the first and second sets of detent elements differ such that the first body,is indexable relative to the second body,in finer indexing increments than are provided by either the first or second detent elements individually. The detent elements may be provided by rings of gear teeth (Hirth Couplings), or circular arrays of elements providing mutually convergent surfaces (such as a ring of balls) that are engageable by three or more further elements (such as rollers).