Infinitely variable speed transmission apparatus

Claim 1

INFINITELY VARIABLE SPEED TRANSMISSION APPARATUS COMPRISING A DRIVE SHAFT, A DRIVEN SHAFT LOCATED IN OPERABLE RELATIONSHIP TO THE DRIVE SHAFT, MEANS KEYED TO SAID SHAFT FOR OPERATIVELY CONNECTING THE DRIVE SHAFT TO THE DRIVE SHAFT AND INCLUDING AT LEAST ONE PAIR OF DISC LIKE ELEMENTS, EACH ELEMENT OF A PAIR INCLUDING A PORTION OF GRADUALLY DECREASING RADIUS WITH THE RADIUS OF THE PORTION ON ONE ELEMENT DECREASING IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION TO THE PORTION ON THE OTHER ELEMENT SO AS TO FORM A CIRCUMFERENTIAL EDGE PORTION ON ONE ELEMENT OF CONVEX CURVATURE AND A CIRCUMFERENTIAL EDGE PORTION ON THE OTHER ELEMENT OF CONCAVE CURVATURE WITH A RADIUS OF CURVATURE GREATER THAN THAT OF THE FIRST MENTIONED ELEMENT, FORCE DEVELOPING MEANS FOR FORCING THE CIRCUMFERNTIAL EDGE PORTIONS OF THE ELEMENTS INTO OPERATIVE ENGAGEMENT WITH EACH OTHER SO THAT ONE ELEMENT WILL ROTATE THE OTHER AND A SUBSTANTIALLY CIRCULAR PATH WILL BE DESCRIBED ON EACH CIRCUMFERENTIAL EDGE PORTION AS THE ELEMENTS ROTATE, MEANS FOR CHANGING THE POSITIONS OF THE SHAFTS WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHER SO AS TO CHANGE THE LOCATION OF THE ENGAGING POSITONS ON THE CIRCUMFERENTIAL EDGE PORTIONS OF THE ELEMENTS TO LENGTHEN AND SHORTEN THE CONTACT PATHS THEREON THEREBY TO VARY THE RELATIVE SPEEDS OF ROTATION OF THE DRIVING SHAFT AND DRIVEN SHAFT, AND MEANS FOR PROVIDING A FILM OF OIL OF PREDETERMINED VISCOSITY AND THICKNESS BETWEEN THE CIRCUMFERENTIAL EDGE PORTIONS ON THE ELEMENTS TO OPERATIVELY CONNECT THE ELEMENTS SO AS TO TRANSMIT POWER FROM ONE ELEMENT TO THE OTHER ELEMENT THROUGH THE FILM OF OIL.