Universal joint

Claim 1

IN A HOMOKINETIC UNIVERSAL JOINT COMPRISING AN OUTER ELEMENT AND AN INNER ELEMENT HAVING CONCENTRIC SPHERICAL SURFACES BETWEEN WHICH THERE IS PROVIDED A GUIDING CAGE HAVING APERTURES RECEIVING BALLS WHICH ARE THEREBY MAINTAINED IN ENGAGEMENT WITH TORIC GROOVES PROVIDED IN SAID SURFACES OF THE INNER AND OUTER ELEMENTS; SAID APERTURES OF THE CAGE INCLUDING A FIRST PAIR OF DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSED RELATIVELY LARGE APERTURES AT LEAST ONE OF WHICH HAS A LENGTH AS LARGE AS THE AXIAL THICKNESS OF SAID INNER ELEMENT TO PERMIT THE ASSEMBLY OF THE LATTER IN SAID CAGE, A SECOND PAIR OF DIAMETRICALLY OOPPOSED RELATIVELY SMALL APERTURES OF SUFFICIENT LENGTH TO PERMIT THE MAXIMUM DESIRED ANGULAR DISPLACEMENT OF SAID INNER AND OUTER ELEMENTS DURING OPERATION OF THE JOINT, AND A THIRD PAIR OF DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSED APERTURES OF A LENGTH INTERMEDIATE THE LENGTHS OF SAID RELATIVELY LARGE AND RELATIVELY SMALL APERTURES, RESPECTIVELY, EACH OF SAID APERTURES OF INTERMEDIATE LENGTH BEING LOCATED BETWEEN ONE OF SAID RELATIVELY LARGE APERTURES AND ONE OF SAID RELATIVELY SMALL APERTURES AND HAVING ITS CENTER OFFSET IN THE DIRECTION TOWARD THE ADJACENT RELATIVELY SMALL APERTURE WITH RESPECT TO A DIAMETRICAL AXIS EXTENDING THROUGH THE CENTER OF SAID SURFACES OF THE INNER AND OUTER ELEMENTS AND WHICH BISECTS THE ANGLE BETWEEN DIAMETRICAL AXES EXTENDING THROUGH THE CENTERS OF THE ADJACENT RELATIVELY LARGE AND SMALL APERTURES, THE LENGTH OF EACH OF SAID APERTURES OF INTERMEDIATE LENGTH BEING SUFFICIENT TO PERMIT ANGULAR DISPLACEMENT OF SAID OUTER AND INNER ELEMENTS TO THE EXTENT NECESSARY FOR THE INSERTION IN SAID RELATIVELY SMALL APERTURES OF THE RESPECTIVE BALLS.