Drive sustaining device

Claim 1

IN A DRIVE SUSTAINING DEVICE, THE COMBINATION OF A SERIES OF FRICTION ELEMENTS, REACTION MOTOR MEANS FOR PROVIDING A MOVABLE ABUTMENT FOR THE FRICTION ELEMENTS, THE REACTION MOTOR MEANS BEING OPERATIVE TO CHANGE THE DEVICE FROM AN INOPERATIVE AND NEUTRAL STATE TO AN OPERATIVE STATE, ENERGIZING MEANS OPERATIVE TO URGE THE ELEMENTS AGAINST THE REACTION MOTOR MEANS AND INTO TORQUE TRANSMITTING ENGAGEMENT THUS ESTABLISHING THE OPERATIVE STATE OF THE DEVICE, THE ENERGIZING MEANS INCLUDING A PAIR OF RACES EACH HAVING A RECESS THEREIN, A CAM ELEMENT POSITIONED WITHIN EACH RECESS, THE RECESSES BOTH HAVING A CAM ANGLE SO FORMED THAT THE ENERGIZING MEANS CAN CAUSE THE DRIVE SUSTAINING DEVICE TO SUSTAIN AN APPLIED TORQUE DUE TO THE CAMMING ACTION ALONE BETWEEN THE RECESSES AND THE CAM ELEMENT, AND INITIATING MEANS INCLUDING A MOTOR MEANS REMOTELY POSITIONED FROM ONE OF THE RACES AND HAVING AN ELEMENT BIASED INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH THE ONE REACE AT A CERTAIN RADIAL DISTANCE FROM THE ROTATIONAL AXIS THEREOF SO AS TO APPLY A CERTAIN RELATIVELY CONSTANT TANGENTIAL FORCE THERETO FOR CAUSING THE ONE RACE TO BE REVOLVED ENOUGH TO RENDER THE ENERGIZING MEANS CAPABLE OF SUSTAINING TORQUE IN ONE DIRECTION, AND CONTROL MEANS OPERABLE FOR SUPPLYING FLUID PRESSURE TO THE MOTOR MEANS SELECTIVELY FOR SUPPLEMENTING THE CONSTANT TANGENTIAL FORCE THUS RENDERING THE ENERGIZING MEANS CAPABLE OF ALSO SUSTAINING TORQUE IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION AND FOR OVERCOMING THE CONSTANT TANGENTIAL FORCE THEREBY RENDERING THE ENERGIZING MEANS INCAPABLE OF SUSTAINING TORQUE.