Shaft-operating means
I United States Patent no on 3,878,731 Huegli Apr. 22, 1975 U SHAFT-OPERATING MEANS 2.944.429 7mm Duvall ct al 74110.8 3,065,728 ll/l962 Kirsten ll6/l24,l R X [75] inventor: Albert William Huegh, Bcaverton, 3. 36.294 6/1964 Amoid c a g r r n H6 &#39;5 3.202.127 8/1965 Struhlc et all v llfi/l l5 3.370.260 2/l9o8 Hardison ct ul. 235/l03 [73] Assignee. Tektromx, lnc., Beaverton. Oreg. 3.401693 9H9 Twccd c a&#34; IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII H I 6/115 [22] Filed: Dec. l7, l973 [21] APPL No: 42567 Prinmry Ewminer-Allan D. Herrmann Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Adrian J. LuRue Related U.S. Application Data [62] Scr No. 2139!), Decv 30. 1971. Pat, No. [SN ABSTRACT i I A shaft-operating means includes knob means opera- 53 CL 74/10., 74/553, 1 lb [5 tively connected to an indicia-indicating means for in- 5 m 1 m 13/00; Fmh 35/; dicating selected positions of the knob means. Operat- 15g n w M Search 1|6/H5&#39; 124-2 ing means is secured onto a shaft means which is 6/1243v 1244; 33mm}; 553 adapted to be moved, and coupling means couples the operating means and means on the knob means to op- 5 References cu crate the operating means and shaft means when the UNITED STATES PATENTS knob means is operated 2,777,637 1mm Matthew H H61] 15 7 Clflim$- 6 Drawing Figures PATENiEmPazzms 3878.731  
 main 1 0f 4 Fig-l PATENTEDAFREZWB summ  SHAFT-OPERATING MEANS This is a division. of application Ser. No. H3986 filed Dec. 30. I971 now US. Pat. No. 3.370.260.  
 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Heretofore. the shaft of an electrical device was directly coupled to a knob means defining a shaft operating means as a unit with an indicia readout means being operated via secondary driving means. Such an arrangement covered twice the necessary panel space. the indicia readout means was not accurate. and indicia was difficult to read. Also no adapter means was available to enable the shaft operating. means to be operatively coupled to a shaft of any type of electrical. electro-mechanical device.  
  An object of the present invention is to provide shaftoperating means that takes up less panel space.  
  Another object of the present invention is the provision of shaft-operating means that is more accurate since back lash is substantially minimized and the hi dica can be read out more easily.  
  A further object ofthe present invention is to provide shaft-operating means which is provided with adaptor means for coupling to shaft means of any electrical device to operate the same.  
  An additional object of the present invention is the provision that the adaptor means permits interchangeability to replace damaged electrical devices and provides versatility since gear means for securing onto shaft means can have an opening to accommodate the size of the shaft means.  
  A still further object of the present invention is to provide adaptor means that is directly coupled to the shaft means to be operated such that the axes of the knob means and shaft means are parallel.  
  Still another object of the present invention is the provision of adaptor means which is coupled to the shaft means via idler gear means such that the axis of each of the knob means and shaft means are coextensive.  
 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from a reading of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:  
  FIG. I is an exploded perspective view of one embodiment of the shaft-operating means.  
  FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the shaftoperating means of FIG. 1 in an assembled condition:  
  FIG. 3 is a crosssectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2:  
  FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view illustrating an embodiment of the shaft-operating means:  
  FIG. is a perspective view showing the shaftoperating means of FIG. 4 in an assembled condition: and  
  FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 5.  
 DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Turning now to the drawings wherein like reference characters will be used to designate like parts throughout. FIGS. 1-3 illustrate shaft-operating means SOM including a turning knob I having depressions 2 disposed in its outer surface to form flutes to enable an op erator to turn knob l without slippage. Knob I is friction-ally mounted onto sleeve 3 in a telescopic manner and slots 4 located on the inner surface of knob l mate with projections 5 on sleeve 3 to prevent knob I from slipping on sleeve 3 so that positive drive is maintained therebetween when knob I is rotated. If desired. knob I can be any color or configuration so long as its inner surface mates with sleeve 3 and one color knob can readily be subsituted for any other color knob. Gear teeth 6 are provided on an inner shoulder of sleeve 3.  
  A cup-shaped member 7 receives indicia-bearing members 8 therein. Indicia-bearing members 8 are mounted on shaft 9 which has a gear 10 secured thereon. Gear 10 is disposed within a U&#39;shaped slot II in cup-shaped member 7 and it extends slightly above the top surface 7a thereof for meshing engagement with gear teeth 6 so that when knob l and sleeve 3 are rotated. indicia-bearing members 8 are rotated to provide a selected indication. The indicia-bearing member adjacent gear 10 is secured onto shaft 9 and it has a bearing surface that bears on the bottom of slot 1] while the other indicia bearing members are rotatably mounted on shaft 9 and they are rotated via a conventional geneva gear means I2 such as shown and described in US. Pat No. 3.370.260. The other end of shaft 9 is disposed within a slot 13.  
  Projections I4 are provided adjacent slots II and I3 and they have pins extending outwardly therefrom which mate with holes (not shown) in cover member I6 which maintain indicia-bearing members 8 in position and cup-shaped member 7. indicia&#39;bearing members 8 and cover member 16 when assembled define indicia unit. A window I7 is provided in cover member 16 so that the indicia of the indica-bearing members 8 can be observed. A clear plastic disc I8 is secured in sleeve 3 to protect the indicia-bearing members to observe same. Gear teeth 6 engage onto top surface 7a of cup-shaped member 7 in order to provide a guide sur face for gear teeth 6 and to assure that gear teeth 6 and gear 10 are properly meshed at all times. A projection 19 having splines 20 thereon extends outwardly from the rear end of cup-shaped member 7 and projection 19 extends into opening 21 of bearing member 22 with splines 20 tightly engaging the inner wall of member 22 and lugs 23 mating with slots 24 to assure proper 0rien tation of the indicia unit. An epoxy glue is used to secure projection I9 within member 22. Bearing member 22 is part of mounting member 25 which is mounted in an opening 26in panel 27. In the embodiment of FIGS. 1-3, mounting member 25 is secured in position via a threaded member 28. a washer 29. and nut 30. whereas a nut 31 is threaded onto mounting members 251! of the embodiment of FIGS. 46.  
  The indicia unit is disposed within another cupshaped member 32 which is secured to sleeve 3 for rotation thereby. Gear 33 is part of member 32 and it is disposed within mounting members 25 and 25a and an internal arcuate-shaped annular bearing projection 34 withing opening 35 of member 32 bears on bearing member 22 when member 32 is rotated thereon. Bearing projection 34 in bearing on bearing member 22 provides less friction. constant pitch diameter and knob stability.  
  A collar 36 is threadably mounted on an electricial device 37 such as, for example. a potentiometer or any electrical device having a shaft-driven movable memher. A gear 38 having a metal insert 39 is secured on shaft 40 via a set screw 38a and these members and collar 36 are secured within an area 4| of mounting men bers 25 and 2511 via a set screw 25:  
  in the case of FIGS. 1-3 adapter gear 38 meshes with gear 33 through opening 25b in mounting ntember 25 and is the dri\ en gear when gear 33 is rotated with a minimum of backlash. Thus. the embodiment of FIGS. 1-3 is directed to an adapter which is offset from the axis of the knob and it is securable onto shaft means of electrical devices to be driven In the case of the embodiment of FIGS 441. an idler gear 42 is disposed within the recess in mounting member 2511 in engagement with gears 3-3 and 38 and an arcuate shaped annular bearing projection 43 is located on the esterior surface of gear 42 and bears on the internal surface of the recess in mounting member 2511 to operate in the same manner as bearing projection 34. The axis of the knolvoperating means of FIGS. 4-6 is coevtensive with the axis of shaft 40.  
  Driving gear 33 and driven gear 38 have the same number of teeth and they have coextensive axes whereas idler gear 42 has about one-fifth more teeth so that about one-fourth of the teeth of the driving and tho en gears 33 and 38 are engaged with corresponding teeth of idler gear 42 thereby substantially minimizing backlash. Due to the fact that idler gear 42 has more teeth than driving or driven gears 33 and 38. the axis of idler gear 42 is slightly offset with respect to the coevtensive axes of the dri\ ing and driven gears.  
  it will be obvious to those having ordinary skill in the art that ntany changes may be made in the details of preferred embodiments of the present invention without departing from the spirit of the invention. Therefore. the scope of the present invention should only be determined by the following claims.  
  The invention is claimed in accordance with the following;  
  1. An actuating and indicating device for actuating a shaft member of an apparatus and for indicating the amount of actuation thereof comprising:  
 panel-mounting means for mounting said device on a panel member;  
 bearing means provided by said panel-mounting means.  
 knob means having first gear means and second gear means.  
 mounting means provided by said knob means and said bearing means rotatably mounting said knob means on said bearing means:  
 indicia means disposed within said knob means;  
 third gear means provided by said indicia means and being in operative engagement with said second gear means for operating said indicia means upon rotational movement of said knob means; and  
 adaptor means mounted within said panel-mounting means adapted to be secured on the shaft member and having fourth gear means in operative engagement with said first gear means for driving the shaft member upon rotational movement of said knob means 2. An actuating and indicating device according to claim I wherein the axes of said first and, second gear means extend parallel to the axis of said fourth gear means.  
  3. An actuating and indicating device according to claim 1 wherein said first gear means includes bearingprojcction means engaging said bearing means.  
  4. An actuating and indicating device for actuating a shaft member of an apparatus and for indicating the amount of actuation thereof comprising:  
 panel-mounting means for mounting said device on a panel member;  
 knob means having first and second gear means;  
 indicia means in said knob means having third gear means operatively engaged with said first gear means for operating said indicia means upon rotation of said knob means;  
 fourth gear means provided by said panel mounting means. said second and fourth gear means being coextensive;  
 idler gear means opcrativcly engaged with said second and fourth gear means for operating said sec ond or fourth gear means; and  
 means connecting said knob means to the shaft member for actuating same upon rotation of said knobs means.  
  5. An actuating and indicating device according to claim 4 wherein said idler gear means comprises an annular member having gear teeth on an inner surface thereof in operative engagement with the gear teeth of said second and fourth gear means.  
  6. An acutating and indicating device according to claim 5 wherein said second gear means and said idler gear means include annular bearing projection means. said annular bearing projection means on said second gear means being on an inner surface thereof and hearing on a first bearing surface of said panel-mounting means. said annular bearing projection means on said idler gear means being on an outer surface thereof and bearing on a second bearing surface of said panelmounting means.  
  7. An actuating and indicating device according to claim 5 wherein the axis of said idler gear means is offset with respect to the axes of said second and fourth gear means and about one-fourth of the teeth of said second and fourth gear means are in engagement with corresponding teeth of said idler gear means.