Patente

US 20020189566A1

(19) United States

(12) Patent Application Publication (io) Pub. No.: US 2002/0189566 Al

Smalley, JR. (43) Pub. Date: Dec. 19,2002

(54) MINIATURE ENGINE STARTER

(76) Inventor: James E. Smalley JR., Orlando, FL
(US)

Correspondence Address:
Edward M. Livingston, Esq.
628 Ellen Dr.
P.O. Box 1599

Winter Park, FL 32790 (US)

(21) Appl. No.: 09/873,890(22) Filed: Jun. 4, 2001

Publication Classification (51) Int. CI.7 F02N 11/00

(52) U.S. CI 123/179.26; 74/6

(57) ABSTRACT

A miniature-engine starter has a starter wheel (1) with a starter rim (2) that engages tangentially a flywheel rim (3) ol a flywheel (4) ol a miniature engine (5). The starter wheel is rotatable on a starter axle (9) that can be situated parallel to an axis ol theflywheel and thereby starter-actuate the miniature engine. The starter axle is on a starter bracket (17) which can be hand-held or lastener-attached to an engine platform (6) to which the miniature engine is attached. The starter wheel has a transmission (7, 8, 13) to which a motorized rotator (22) is engaged for rotation while the starter rim is held firmly but removably against the flywheel forrotation to start the miniature engine. The starter rim can be rubberlike to engage grip indentations (19) or can have starter gear teeth (21) to mate with flywheel gear teeth (20).
ions and forms thereof as described by the following claims and not precluded by prior art are included in this invention.
What is claimed is:
1. A miniature-engine starter for a miniature engine on an engine platformwith a flywheel on the miniature engine having a flywheel rim, said starter comprising:
a starter wheel that is rotatable on a starter axle that is on a starter bracket;
the starter wheel having a starter rim that tangentially engages the flywheel rim in a starting mode;
the starter bracket being placed removably with the starter rim and the flywheel rim engaged in the starting mode; and
thestarter wheel having a power coupling to which a predetermined motorized rotator is coupled predeterminedly.
2. The miniature-engine starter of claim 1 wherein:
the flywheel rim includes grip indentations; and
the starter rim includes a rubberlike circumferential outside periphery for resilience gripping of the flywheel rim.
3. The miniature-engine starter of claim 1 wherein:
the motorizedrotator includes a rotator transmission having transmission of an axis of rotation from being collinear with an electrical-rotator axis to being predeterminedly collinear to a starter-wheel axis.
4. The miniature-engine starter of claim 1 wherein:
the starter wheel includes a starter transmission having transmission of an axis of rotation from being collinear with the starter-wheel axis to beingpredeterminedly collinear to the electrical-rotator axis.
5. The miniature-engine starter of claim 1 wherein:
the engine platform is on a model vehicle;
the starter bracket includes a slideway that is attached detachably to the engine platform;
the starter wheel and the starter axle are on a slide that is slidable on the slideway to the starting mode.
6. The miniature-engine starter of claim 1wherein:
the flywheel rim includes flywheel gear teeth that are extended radially from the flywheel rim; and
the starter rim includes starter gear teeth that are extended radially from the starter rim to mate with the flywheel gear teeth.
7. A miniature-engine starter comprising:
a miniature engine on an engine platform of a model vehicle;
a flywheel on the miniature engine having a flywheelrim;
a starter wheel that is rotatable on a starter axle that is on a starter bracket;
the starter wheel having a starter rim that tangentially engages the flywheel rim in a starting mode;
the starter bracket being placed removably with the starter rim and the flywheel rim engaged in the starting mode;
the starter bracket includes a slideway that is hand-held in contact with the engine...