Importance

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Abstract

Centrifugally disengageable engine starter gearing selectively starting an engine having a starting gear. The engine starter gearing includes a power shaft, a sleeve slidably secured to the power shaft, a pinion gear slidably mounted to the power shaft and movable into engagement with the starting gear, a driven clutch member secured to the pinion gear and having an annular or circular recess with an inclined or conical surface therein, a driving clutch member mounted to the sleeve, mutually engageable clutch teeth on the driving and driven clutch members, a barrel housing having an open end and being at least partly fitted over the driving and driven clutch members, an abutment confining the driving and driven clutch members within the housing, a resilient member biasing the driving and driven clutch members into mutual engagement, and a radially inwardly extending shoulder on the driving clutch member adjacent the circular recess. A plurality of centrifugal flyweight members are annularly arranged in the circular recess. Each centrifugal flyweight member has an inclined surface abutting the conical surface of the driven clutch member and operative to displace the driving clutch member in the first axial direction in response to centrifugal force. An elongated hole is provided in each centrifugal flyweight member. A guide pin is provided for each centrifugal flyweight member, which inserts at one end into a hole of the driven clutch member and extends into the elongated hole at the other end for preventing circumferential movement of the plurality of centrifugal flyweight members while permitting radial and axial movement thereof.

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First Claim