US3011491A - Starter - Google Patents

Description

Dec. s', 1961 K. w. scHMoLzE 3,011,491

STARTER Filed May '7, 1959 FIG. 4

IN VEN TOR. 19m/fra hf. ./'cA/Mazzf New United States Patent O 3,011,491 STARTER Kenneth W. Schmolze, Glen Rock, NJ., assignor of fifty percent to James J. Cannon, Glen Rock, N J. Filed May 7, 1959, Ser. No. 811,564 3 Claims. (Cl. 123-179) My invention relates to engine starting devices and is directed particularly to a manually-chargeable device for spinning toy internal combustion engines of the type used in model airplanes, boats, automobiles and the like.

Starting toy internal combustion motors in model airplanes, boats', etc., is ordinarily accomplished by repeatedly spinning the propeller or other rotating member driven by the motor with the finger until the motor catches and continues to rotate independently. This starting method is tedious and ineliicient, as it is diflicult to spin the motor with the required speed and for a suicient number of rotations to insure easy starting.

It is accordingly the principal object of my invention to provide a starting device for toy internal combustion engines which can be precharged manually with suicient mechanical energy to spin the motor at high speed for a suflcient length of time to effect easy starting.

A more particular object is to provide a spring driven starter of the above nature which can readily be charged by winding, which can easily be temporarily connected with the rotary member of the engine for spinning it, upon release of the stored mechanical energy, and which will automatically disengage itself from the motor once the motor has started.

Another object is to provide a motor starter of the character described which will be inexpensive to manufacture, small in size, foolproof in operation, and durable 1n use.

Other objects, features and advantages of my invention will be apparent from the following description when read with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, wherein like reference numerals denote corresponding parts throughout the several views.

FIG. l is an exploded view of a toy motor starter embodying my invention,

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the starter,

FIG. 3 is a front view thereof, and

FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view thereof taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 3 in the direction 0f the arrows.

Referring now in detail to the drawings the improved engine starter embodying my invention is designated by reference numeral 10, and comprises a short cylindrical spring housing member 11 having an internal peripheral flange 12 at one end. A disc-like cover 13 is secured against the open end of the housing member 11, said cover being formed at one side with an annular peripheral recess 14 within which the liange 12 of said housing member seats. Machine screws 15, 16 and 17 hold the cover 13 in assembled relationship on the housing member 11. Secured in coaxial relation against the outer faces of the housing member 11 and cover 13 as by machine screws 18 are cylindrical bearing blocks 19 and 20, respectively. Axial openings are provided in the housing member 11, the cover member 13 and the bearing blocks 19 and 20 for rotatably journalling a spinner shaft 22. A first ratchet gear 23 is fixed in coaxial relation against the bearing block 19, and a second ratchet gear 24 is fixed in coaxial relation against the bearing block 20. One end of the shaft 22 is journalled in the bearing block 19 and the other end extends through the bearing block 20 and the ratchet gear 24.

A coil spring 26 is arranged within the housing member 11 about the spinner shaft 22 and has its outer end ice the housing member 11 to store energy therein for subsequently spinning the spinner shaft 22. To this end, a. cylindrical, disc-like winding element 30 is provided, having an axial threaded opening 31. Fixed against one side' of the disc-like winding element l30 as by screws 32 is a coaxial cylindrical bearing block 33 coaxially' xed to which is a centrally-apertured winding ratchet gear 34. The outwardly-extending end of the spinner shaft 22 is threaded to screw into the threaded opening 31 in the disc-like winding element 30 to hold the parts in assembled relation as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4. As illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 the second ratchet gear 24 and the winding ratchet gear 34 are complemental and face each other in'such a way that the winding element 30 can be turned in the clockwise direction withv respect to the housing member 11 (facing from the left in FIG. 3 or 4) to wind the spring 26, while unwinding of said spring will normally be prevented by clutching engagement of said ratchet gears. In order to facilitate the winding of the spring 26 in this manner, the outer periphery of the disc-like Winding element 30 is knurled, as indicated at 35.

Means is provided to release the braking interengagement of the ratchet gears 2'4 and 34 after the Spring 26 has been wound up for spinning the housing member 11 and the first ratchet gear 23 attached thereto for starting a motor, as hereinbelow more fully described. To this end a headed release pin 36 extends through an opening 37 in the winding element 30 and is slidable therein in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation thereof. A slot 38 provided in the shank of the pin 36, into which the end of a screw 39 threaded into the side of the winding element 30 extends, limits the sliding motion of said pin in said element. As illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, a coil spring 40 surrounding the pin 36 between the head thereof and the outer surface of the winding element 30 normally holds the inner end of said pin at a short distance from the outside of the cover 13. In operation, after the device has been wound up as described above to store potential energy in the spring 26, this energy can be released by braking the winding element 30 in the hand and pressing the headed pin 36 inwardly with the palm, whereupon the housing member 11 will be forced axially away from said winding element to separate and thus disengage the second ratchet gear 24 and winding ratchet gear 34. Disengagement of these ratchet gears allows the housing member 11 to spin relative to the winding element 30. In order to transmit the rotary motion of the housing member 11 thus imparted by the spring 26, an auxiliary clutch member 41 (see FIGS. l, 2) is provided, having a threaded axial stud 42 adapted to thread into an axial opening in the end of motor crank shaft of the toy motor to be started. The auxiliary clutch member is provided with a coaxial motor ratchet gear 43 and a locating stud 44 extending axially from said ratchet gear and adapted to lit into an axial recess V45 in the first ratchet gear 23. As illustrated in FIG.

2, the ratchet teeth of the motor ratchet gear 43 and the first ratchet gear 23 are complementary and so arranged that when the housing member 11 is spinning clockwise (when viewed from the left in FIGS. 3 and 4) upon release of the wound-up spring 26, the ratchet gears 43 and 23 will be in engagement so as to transmit the spinning motion to the toy motor. Once the motor has started slippage of the ratchet gear motor 43 with respect to the first ratchet gear 23 allows overriding so that the starter device, prior to being removed from the toy engine, cannot interfere with the free continued rotation of the motor.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art thats' the invention permits of various embodiments, modifications, and uses other than those herein specifically described without departing from the essential features of the invention as set forth in the claims annexed hereto.

Y What I claimv is:

1. In an engine starter, the combination comprising a cylindrical housing member, a spinner shaft journalled in axial relation in a housing member and extending outwardly of one end thereof, a helical torsion spring within said housing member and having one end secured to said spinner shaft and the other end secured to said housing member, a winding member secured to the outer end of said spinner shaft for turning said shaft with respect to said housing member for winding said torsion spring, brake means for holding said winding, member inr xed rotative position relative to said housing member against the counteracting Yforce of said spring when wound, and means to release said brake means While holding said winding member in a Xed position, whereby said housing member will be spun relative to said winding member under the influence of said spring, said brake means comprising a pair of interengaging ratchet gears having axial openings through which said shaft extends, one of theV ratchet gears being xed to one side of the housing member and the other ratchet gear being fixed to the winding member.

2. In an engine starter, as dened in claim 1, said means to release the brake means comprising a release pin slidably arranged in the winding member in parallel relation to the axis of the rotation thereof, and resilient means normally holding the inner end of the release pin in spaced relation with respect to one end of the housing member, the release pin being operative upon being pushed toward the housing member, to contact the housing member and displace the housing Vmember axially on the shaft away from the Winding member.

3. In the invention as dened in claim 2, said winding member beingy in the form of a cylindrical disc.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,144,410 Grose June 29, 1915 2,385,963 Beard Oct. 2, 1945 2,622,701 Kellog et al i Dec. 23, 1952 2,727,590 Mattox Dec. 20, 1955 2,869,682 De Miller Jan. 20, 1959 2,875,851 Vakos Mar. 3, 1959

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