Couplings are used when driving and driven shafts are to operate at one or more angular positions with respect to their intersecting centerlines during their transmission of rotary power and/or motion. Currently some of these couplings of different designs are referred to as:
a simple universal joint, often incorporating a simple cross and journal bearing and referred to as a Cardan universal joint;
a Hooke's type universal joint as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,545,232;
A block and trunnion universal joint;
a ring universal joint;
a close coupled double joint;
an elongated universal joint;
a cover and threaded stud universal joint;
a ball universal joint;
a double cardan constant velocity joint;
a Bendix universal ball joint, with the balls thereof remaining in the homokinetic geometric plane, also called the working angle bisecting plane, is referred to as a constant angular velocity joint;
a universal joint with dampening means as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,878,695;
a Czeppa joint;
a Rczeppa joint;
a ball and socket joint;
a Bartlett universal joint;
a constant velocity joint of the Bartlett type with two interlocking blocks;
a true-speed universal joint designed by Malton Miller having a pair of driving arms opposite each other and each being pivoted on a cross pin extending through the respective coupling sleeves attached respectively to the driving and driven sleeves, and radially spaced, from the extended centerlines of the shafts, a pair of ball and socket couplings at the respective extending ends of each driving arm;
a universal joint as disclosed by Alfred W. Klomp in U.S. Pat. No. 3,107,506 using a plurality of balls pinned to the opposing and confronting arms of the yoke members;
a shaft coupling, by Joseph A. Masse set forth in his U.S. Pat. No. 1,334,388, issued in 1920, describing and illustrating mechanism very similar to the applicant's, requiring however, a different way, via outside links, to keep the center of the universal couplings always located on a plane forming the center of rotary motion of the coupling and also to keep the coupling together;
a universal joint, by Alwin Kost, set forth in his U.S. Pat. No. 2,485,893, issued in 1949, describing and illustrating mechanism having similar objectives to the applicant's, requiring, however, different parts etc., such as the outside protruding ears secured together by coaxial pivot members, whereby the two housing members are relatively movable angularly on a common axis of pivot members, but the two housing members do not have relative universal angular movements, as they are also thus kept from separating;
a joint for the homokynetic transmission of rotary motion between two concurrent shafts by Rene Louis Doffe, set forth in his U.S. Pat. No. 3,995,449 issued in 1976, describing and illustrating mechanism having similar objectives to the applicant's, requiring, however, the outside coupling boxes with their hinges having a double articulation line, to keep the mechanism together.
Although these prior developments have merit, there still is a need for a better coupler assembly.