MARCH 1905

MORE PATENT LEGISLATION

The New York Gear Works, Brooklyn, N.Y., have brought suit against John Wanamaker as agent for the Ford Motor Co., of Detroit, for alleged infringement of their patent No. 671,747, covering the Ball transmission gear, made by New York Gear Works, which is composed of Frederick and George Ball. Claims of this patent are as follows:

In combination, a rotary driving shaft having a gear wheel fixed thereto, a concentric power-transmitting sleeve loosely mounted on the shaft, and having a gear wheel fixed thereto, a pair of drums concentric with the driving shaft, a secondary shaft mounted in one of said drums and having two gear wheels fixed to rotate together in one of the said drums, one of the gear wheels intermeshing with the gear wheel on the driving shaft, an intermediate gear wheel in said drum for connecting the second gear wheel on the loose sleeve; a gear wheel fixed to the other drum, concentric with the driving shaft, a gear wheel located in said drum and fixed to rotate with the said gear wheels on the secondary shaft and a pair of intermediate gear wheels located in said last named drum for connecting the gear wheel upon the secondary shaft with the gear wheel carried by the drum, whereby when one of the drums is held stationary the drive shaft will rotate the sleeve in one direction, and when the other of the drums is held stationary the driving shaft will rotate the sleeve in the reverse direction, substantially as set forth.

It is said that this suit is to be followed by a number of others against manufacturers both in and out of the Selden Association. The claim is made that this is a basic patent covering the application of reversing gears to planetary transmission.