# US 10,480,584 B2 · Compact plastic Oldham coupler > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,480,584 B2 - Document ID: US10480584B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/472,713 - Filed: 2017-03-29 - Published: 2018-10-04 - Granted: 2019-11-19 - Earliest claimed: 2017-03-29 - Assignees: Lexmark International, Inc. - Applicants: Lexmark International, Inc. - Inventors: Daniel Lee Carter - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10480584B2 ## CPC - F16D 3/04: specially adapted to allow radial displacement, e.g. Oldham couplings - G03G 15/757: {Drive mechanisms for photosensitive medium, e.g. gears} - G03G 21/1647: {Mechanical connection means} - G03G 2221/1657: transmitting mechanical drive power - F16D: COUPLINGS FOR TRANSMITTING ROTATION; CLUTCHES; BRAKES - G03G: ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY ## Abstract An Oldham coupler assembly for transferring rotary power between two shafts in an imaging device. The Oldham coupler includes an input plate, an output plate, and a drive plate and two pairs of coupling wheels, and, in one embodiment, made of the same plastic material. The drive plate has a pair of open-ended slots along one axis and a close-ended center slot along a second axis orthogonal to the first axis. The drive plate is mechanically coupled and positioned in between the input plate and the output plate. A plastic retraction spline assembly is slidably retained in the output plate and engages with a drive member in an imaging unit. The input plate includes gear teeth integrally molded into the outer circumference thereof decreasing the overall width of the Oldham coupler. The two pairs of coupling wheels have the same diameter. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An Oldham coupler assembly for transferring rotary power between two shafts, comprising: an input plate and an output plate made of a first material, the input plate having gear teeth about an outer circumference thereof and the output plate having a spline assembly retained therein and centered about an axis of rotation of the output plate, the spline assembly biased outwardly from an outer face of the output plate and being axially slidable; a drive plate made of a second material and positioned between and mechanically coupled to the input plate and the output plate, the drive plate having a pair of opposed open-ended slots having a first centerline passing through a center of the drive plate and an elongated close-ended center slot having a second centerline passing through the center of the drive plate positioned orthogonal to the first centerline; a first pair of wheels rotatably fastened to an inner face of the input plate; and, a second pair of wheels rotatably fastened to an inner face of the output plate, each wheel of the first pair of wheels rotatably engaging with a respective one of the pair of open-ended opposed slots and the second pair of wheels rotatably engaging with the center slot, the first and second pair of wheels being made of the second material and moveably coupling the drive plate to the input and output plates, respectively. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The Oldham coupler assembly of claim 1, wherein the first material is a first type of plastic and the second material is a second type of plastic. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The Oldham coupler assembly of claim 1, wherein the first material and the second material are a same type plastic. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The Oldham coupler assembly of claim 2, wherein the first material comprises a material selected from a group of materials consisting of a polyoxymethylene (POM), a polypropylene, a polyethylene, an acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), an acetal copolymer, a nylon, an acetal copolymer with glass and a nylon with glass. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The Oldham coupler assembly of claim 2, wherein the second material comprises a material selected from a group of materials consisting of a polyoxymethylene (POM), a polypropylene, a polyethylene, an acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), an acetal copolymer, a nylon, an acetal copolymer with glass and a nylon with glass. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The Oldham coupler assembly of claim 1, wherein the first pair of wheels has a diameter D1, the second pair of wheels has a diameter D2, the pair of opposed open-ended slots have a width W1 and the central slot has a width of W2, wherein the diameter D1 is equal to or less than the width W1 and the diameter D2 is equal to or less than the width W2, and further wherein the width W1 and the width W2 are substantially equal. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The Oldham coupler assembly of claim 6, wherein the widths W1 and W2 are each about 8 to about 8.1 mm and the diameters D1 and D2 are each equal to about 7.9 to about 8 mm. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The Oldham coupler assembly of claim 1, wherein: the output plate further comprises: a collar axially extending from the outer face of the output plate, the output plate and collar having a center opening extending from the inner face of the output plate through the collar; a plurality of radially spaced fingers projecting into the center opening; and, an inner wall of the collar having a plurality of axial channels wherein a first channel of the plurality of axial channels has an open end at the inner face of the output plate and a closed end adjacent a top end of the collar with the remaining channels of the plurality of axial channels having an open top at the top end of the collar and an open bottom at the inner face of the output plate, the first channel having a depth that is greater than the remaining channels; and, the spline assembly comprises: a sleeve sized to be slidably received into the collar via the top end of the collar, the sleeve having a plurality of drive lugs radially inwardly extending from an inner wall of the sleeve and a plurality of retention lugs radially outwardly extending from an outer wall of the sleeve; a first retention lug of the plurality of retention lugs having a length greater than a length of the remaining plurality of retention lugs, the first retention lug and the remaining plurality of retention lugs sized to be slidably received into the first channel of the plurality of axial channels and the remaining channels of the plurality of axial channels, respectively; and, a biasing member seated between the sleeve and the plurality of fingers for biasing the sleeve toward the top of the collar. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The Oldham coupler assembly of claim 8, wherein the sleeve further comprises a seating ring radially extending from the inner wall of the sleeve and positioned adjacent a bottom of the plurality of drive lugs, the seating ring consisting of a plurality of radially spaced seating segments. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The Oldham coupler assembly of claim 9, wherein the biasing member is seated between the plurality of fingers and the seating ring. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The Oldham coupler assembly of claim 10, wherein a one way catch projects into each of the remaining channels of the plurality channels at the respective open top at the top end of the collar. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The Oldham coupler assembly of claim 1, wherein the drive plate, the sleeve, and the biasing member each have a center opening therethrough and the input plate further comprises a post positioned about an axis of rotation of the input plate and axially extending from the inner face thereof through the corresponding central openings of the drive plate and the biasing member and into the sleeve. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The Oldham coupler assembly of claim 1, wherein the inner faces of the input plate and the output plate each has a plurality of spaced wear bumps. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The Oldham coupler assembly of claim 1, wherein each wheel in the first and second pairs of wheels has a flange having a diameter greater than a width of the respective slot in the drive plate in which the wheel is positioned and the inner face of the input plate has a pair of opposed scalloped channels aligned with the second pair of wheels and the inner face of the output plate has a pair of opposed channels aligned with the first pair of wheels, the pairs of opposed channels in the input and output plate receiving the flanges of the each of the second and first pairs of wheels, respectively. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The Oldham coupler assembly of claim 1, wherein the output plate has an open-ended notch therein sized to allow one wheel of the second pair of wheels to be inserted therethough and into the center slot during assembly of the Oldham coupler assembly. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The Oldham coupler assembly of claim 15, wherein the open-ended notch has a generally trapezoidal shape with an open end of the notch having a length greater than a length of the closed end of the notch. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The Oldham coupler assembly of claim 15, wherein the open-ended notch has a circular shape. ### Claim 18 An Oldham coupler assembly for transferring rotary power between two shafts, comprising: an input plate and an output plate made of a plastic material, the input plate having gear teeth integrally molded about an outer circumference thereof; a drive plate made of the plastic material and positioned in between and slidably coupled to the input plate and the output plate, the drive plate having a pair of opposed open-ended slots having a first centerline passing through a center of the drive plate and an elongated close-ended center slot having a second centerline passing through the center of the drive plate positioned orthogonal to the first centerline; a first pair of wheels rotatably fastened to an inner surface of the input plate; and, a second pair of wheels rotatably fastened to an inner face of the output plate, the first pair of wheels rotatably engaging with respective opposed slots in the pair of open-ended opposed slots and the second pair of wheels rotatably engaging the center slot, the first and second pair of wheels being made of the plastic material, the first and second pairs of wheels moveably coupling the drive plate to the input and output plates, respectively. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The Oldham coupler assembly of claim 18, wherein the plastic material is selected from a group of materials consisting of a polyoxymethylene (POM), a polypropylene, a polyethylene, an acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), an acetal copolymer, a nylon, an acetal copolymer with glass and a nylon with glass. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The Oldham coupler assembly of claim 19, wherein: the output plate further comprises: a collar axially extending from an outer face of the output plate, the output plate and collar having a center opening extending from an inner face of the output plate through the collar; a plurality of radially spaced fingers projecting into the center opening; and, an inner wall of the collar having a plurality of axial channels wherein a first channel of the plurality of axial channels has an open end at the inner face of the output plate and a closed end adjacent a top end of the collar with the remaining channels of the plurality of axial channels having an open top at the top end of the collar and an open bottom at the inner face of the output plate, the first channel having a depth that is greater than the remaining channels and further wherein a one way catch projects into each of the remaining channels at the respective open tops at the top end of the collar; and, the spline assembly comprises: a sleeve sized to be slidably received into the collar via the top end of the collar, the sleeve having plurality of drive lugs radially inwardly extending from an inner wall of the sleeve and a plurality of retention lugs radially outwardly extending from an outer wall of the sleeve; a first retention lug of the plurality of retention lugs having a length greater than a length of the remaining plurality of retention lugs, the first retention lug and the remaining plurality of retention lugs sized to be slidably received into the first channel of the plurality of axial channels and the remaining channels of the plurality of axial channels, respectively; and, a biasing member seated between the sleeve and plurality of fingers for biasing the sleeve toward the top of the collar. ### Claim 21 (depends on 19) The Oldham coupler assembly of claim 19, wherein the drive plate and biasing member each have a center opening therethrough and the input plate further comprises a post positioned about an axis of rotation of the input plate and axially extending from the inner face thereof through corresponding openings of the drive plate and biasing member and into the sleeve. ### Claim 22 (depends on 18) The Oldham coupler assembly of claim 18, wherein the inner faces of the input plate and the output plate each have a plurality of spaced wear bumps. ### Claim 23 (depends on 19) The Oldham coupler assembly of claim 19, wherein the first pair of wheels and the second pair of wheels have substantially the same diameter D1 and the pair of opposed open ended slots and the center slot have a width W1 wherein the diameter D1 is equal to or less than the width W1. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) The Oldham coupler assembly of claim 23, wherein the width W1 is approximately 8 mm and the diameter D1 is slightly less than or equal the width W1. ### Claim 25 (depends on 18) The Oldham coupler assembly of claim 18, wherein the output plate has an open-ended notch therein sized to allow one wheel of the second pair of wheels to be inserted therethough and into the center slot during assembly of the Oldham coupler assembly. ### Claim 26 (depends on 25) The Oldham coupler assembly of claim 25, wherein the open-ended notch has a generally trapezoidal shape with an open end of the notch having a length greater than a length of the closed end of the notch. ### Claim 27 (depends on 25) The Oldham coupler assembly of claim 25, wherein the open-ended notch has a circular shape.