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:
Dec. 04, 2001
Filed:
Jun. 02, 2000
Makoto Kanehira, Osaka, JP;
Kazumasa Matsuno, Osaka, JP;
Hitoshi Ohara, Osaka, JP;
Shigekazu Fukuda, Osaka, JP;
Hiroshi Horie, Osaka, JP;
Takayuki Funamoto, Osaka, JP;
Yoshihiro Kusunoki, Osaka, JP;
Masao Maruyama, Osaka, JP;
Tsubakimoto Chain Co., Osaka, JP;
Abstract
A silent chain includes guide links and articular links arranged in the longitudinal direction of the chain. The guide links each include one or more guide link plates, and the articular links each include two or more articular link plates. When the chain is in the straight-line state, the inside flank of each meshing tooth of any one of the link plates projects outwardly from the outside flank of each meshing tooth of another laterally adjacent one of the link plates. The projecting length of the inside flank relative to the outside flank is allowed to vary between the adjacent links, either in a random fashion or in a regular alternate fashion, along the length of the chain. By thus providing different projecting lengths of the chain's inside tooth flanks, the sliding engagement start time of sprocket teeth relative to the inside tooth flanks of the individual link plates is allowed to vary between the adjacent links, so that the periodic meshing sounds can be prevented from resonating to get louder, with the result that the overall noise level can be minimized.