US3918486A — Device for transmitting a pressure fluid from a s…

Claim 1

Independent Claim 301 words

A device for transmitting a fluid under pressure from a stationary source to a movable member, said device comprising: a. a shaft having an axis and mounted for rotation about said axis; b. an annular sealing member fixedly mounted on said shaft and having an engagement face extending about said axis in a circular loop; c. a support; d. retaining means preventing rotation of said support about said axis with said shaft and movement of said support relative to said sealing member in an axial direction; e. a shoe member secured on said support, 1. said shoe member having a first face formed with a recess and directed toward said engagement face and a second face spaced from said first face and directed away from said engagement face; f. biasing means biasing said shoe member to move on said support toward a position of sealing, sliding engagement of said first face with said engagement face during rotatioN of said shaft, 1. said biasing means including a source of said pressure fluid, and 2. a conduit connecting said source to said second face for applying the pressure of said fluid to said second face; g. supply means for supplying said fluid from said source to said recess under the pressure thereof, 1. said recess in said position of sealing engagement being covered by said engagement face, 2. said shaft and said sealing member being formed with a manifold conduit system including a plurality of communicating branch conduits having respective cirumferentially spaced orifices in said engagement face, said recess sequentially communicating with said orifices during rotation of said shaft; and h. a check valve in each of said branch conduits and responsive to said pressure for opening the associated branch conduit when an orifice of said associated branch conduit communicates with said recess.

Claim 2

Independent Claim 301 words

A device for transmitting a fluid under pressure from a stationary source to a movable member, said device comprising: a. a shaft having an axis and mounted for rotation about said axis; b. an annular sealing member fixedly mounted on said shaft and having an engagement face extending about said axis in a circular loop; c. a support; d. retaining means preventing rotation of said support about said axis with said shaft and movement of said support relative to said sealing member in an axial direction; e. a shoe member secured on said support, 1. said shoe member having a first face formed with a recess and directed toward said engagement face and a second face spaced from said first face and directed away from said engagement face; f. biasing means biasing said shoe member to move on said support toward a position of sealing, sliding engagement of said first face with said engagement face during rotatioN of said shaft, 1. said biasing means including a source of said pressure fluid, and 2. a conduit connecting said source to said second face for applying the pressure of said fluid to said second face; g. supply means for supplying said fluid from said source to said recess under the pressure thereof, 1. said recess in said position of sealing engagement being covered by said engagement face, 2. said shaft and said sealing member being formed with a manifold conduit system including a plurality of communicating branch conduits having respective cirumferentially spaced orifices in said engagement face, said recess sequentially communicating with said orifices during rotation of said shaft; and h. a check valve in each of said branch conduits and responsive to said pressure for opening the associated branch conduit when an orifice of said associated branch conduit communicates with said recess.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 68 words

A device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the area of contact between said face of said shoe member and said engagement face is encompassed by a small acute angle having its vertex in said axis, only a small portion of said orifices communicating with said recess at any one time, a much greater portion of said orifices being open to the ambient atmosphere during said time.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 75 words

said shaft and said sealing member being formed with a manifold conduit system including a plurality of communicating branch conduits having respective cirumferentially spaced orifices in said engagement face, said recess sequentially communicating with said orifices during rotation of said shaft; and h. a check valve in each of said branch conduits and responsive to said pressure for opening the associated branch conduit when an orifice of said associated branch conduit communicates with said recess.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 75 words

said shaft and said sealing member being formed with a manifold conduit system including a plurality of communicating branch conduits having respective cirumferentially spaced orifices in said engagement face, said recess sequentially communicating with said orifices during rotation of said shaft; and h. a check valve in each of said branch conduits and responsive to said pressure for opening the associated branch conduit when an orifice of said associated branch conduit communicates with said recess.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 37 words

a conduit connecting said source to said second face for applying the pressure of said fluid to said second face; g. supply means for supplying said fluid from said source to said recess under the pressure thereof,

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 37 words

a conduit connecting said source to said second face for applying the pressure of said fluid to said second face; g. supply means for supplying said fluid from said source to said recess under the pressure thereof,

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 52 words

A device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising valve actuator means associated with each check valve, said actuator means communicating with the ambient atmosphere and with one of said orifices, and being responsive to a pressure above ambient atmospheric pressure in said one orifice for opening the associated check valve.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 162 words

A device as set forth in claim 3, wherein said sealing member is formed with a plurality of radial bores respectively associated with said branch conduits, each radial bore having a restricted portion separating a radially inner first portion of said bore from a radially outer, cylindrical, second portion of said bore, said first portion constituting a part of the associated branch conduit, said check valve including a valve member radially movable toward and away from a branch conduit closing position in said first portion, and said valve actuating means including a stem member fastened to said valve member and passing through said restricted portion in sealing engagement with the walls of said restricted portion, a spherical valve actuator member secured to said stem member in said second portion, respective radial parts of said second portion separated by said valve actuator member communicating with the orifice of said associated branch conduit and with the atmosphere when said orifice communicates with said recess.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 140 words

A device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said engagement face is radial, said sealing member having a second engagement face, a second shoe member being mounted on said support and having opposite first and second faces, said first face being formed with a second recess, said pressure fluid acting on said second face and biasing said second shoe member toward a position of sealing engagement of said first face thereof with said second engagement face during rotation of said shaft, said second recess in said position being covered by said second engagement face, said branch conduits having respective circumferentially spaced orifices in said second engagement face, said second recess sequentially communicating with said orifices in said second engagement face during said rotation of said shaft, said supply means including means for supplying said fluid to said second recess.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 108 words

A device as set forth in claim 5, wherein said support is approximately channel-shaped and defines a cavity open toward said axis, respective sectors of said engagement faces being received in said cavity, the circumferential dimension of said sectors being defined by a small acute angle having its vertex in said axis, said support having two flange portions, said shoe members being movably mounted on said flange portions respectively, said biasing means biasing said shoe members inward of said cavity and toward the respective sectors of said engagement faces, said support being formed with a duct communicating with said recesses and constituting an element of said supply means.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 63 words

A device as set forth in claim 1, wherein only a small portion of said orifices communicate with said recess at any one time, a much greater portion of said orifices being open to the ambient atmosphere during said time, said branch conduits extending from the respective orifices thereof inward of said sealing member in a direction radially outward relative to said axis.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 49 words

A device as set forth in claim 7, further comprising means in each branch conduit constituting a valve seat of said check valve, the spacing of said seat from said axis being at least equal to the spacing of the orifice of the associated branch conduit from said axis.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 29 words

A device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said engagement face is cylindrical about said axis, said biasing means radially biasing said shoe member toward said position thereof.

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 78 words

A device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the length of said recess in the direction of relative movement of said shoe member and of said annular member during said rotation of said shaft is not substantially greater than one half of the corresponding length of said face of the shoe member, respective land portions of said face of said shoe member extending from said recess in said direction and in a direction opposite to said direction.

Claim 16

Dependent Claim 45 words

A device as set forth in claim 10, wherein said land portions are formed with respective notches spaced from said recess in said directions, each notch being elongated in a direction away from said recess and increasing in depth with increasing distance from said recess.

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 46 words

A device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising retracting means for retracting said shoe member from said position against the restraint of said biasing means and responsive to a predetermined pressure of said fluid for releasing said shoe member to movement into said position.

Claim 18

Dependent Claim 149 words

A device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said sealing member has an additional engagement face, said engagement faces being radial and axially spaced from each other, said orifice of each branch conduit being axially aligned with another orifice of said branch conduit in said additional engagement face, said check valve being contiguously adjacent one of said orifices, another check valve being located contiguously adjacent said other orifice, a ball bearing being operatively interposed between said sealing member and said support, an additional shoe member on said support having a face formed with a recess, the face of said additional shoe member engaging said additional engagement face, and said recess in the face of said additional shoe member sequentially communicating with the orifices in said additional engagement face during rotation of said shaft, said supply means communicating with said recess in said face of the additional shoe member.

Claim 19

Dependent Claim 20 words

A device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said engagement face is concavely cylindrical and spacedly faces said shaft.

Claim 20

Dependent Claim 53 words

A device as set forth in claim 14, wherein said biasing means biases said shoe member radially outward toward said engagement face, said support carrying a second, movable shoe member radially aligned with said first-mentioned shoe member, said pressure fluid biasing said second shoe member radially inward into movable engagement with said shaft.

Claim 21

Dependent Claim 70 words

A device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said first face of said shoe member is cylindrically arcuate about said axis, said recess is circumferentially elongated, and said shoe member is formed with a bore having respective orifices in said recess and in said second face for passage of said pressure fluid between said faces, said recess being circumferentially longer than the orifice of each of said branch conduits.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1978-11-10	1979-05-12	1979-11-11	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1982-11-10	1983-05-12	1983-11-11	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	1986-11-10	1987-05-12	1987-11-11	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Device for transmitting a pressure fluid from a stationary source to a rotating shaft

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