Patent ID: 7261011

Claim:
A transmission, comprising: first, second, and third parallel shafts, the shafts being rotatably supported in a casing,; gearwheels carried by the shafts, the gearwheels intermeshing with one another in pairs for transmitting torque either between the first shaft and the third shaft, or between the second shaft and the third shaft, at least one gearwheel in each pair of intermeshing gearwheels being rotatably supported on its shaft and being adapted to be locked to or disengaged from its shaft by associated clutch members, at least two gearwheels rotatably supported on the first shaft and at least two gear wheels rotatably supported on the second shaft being coordinated by clutch members, the clutch members having neutral positions, the gearwheels being disengaged from their shaft and from one another when the clutch members are in the neutral positions, first engagement positions, the gearwheels being disengaged from the shaft and coupled together for rotation together in the first engagement positions, and second engagement positions, one of the gearwheels being disengaged and another one of the gearwheels being locked to the shaft in the second engagement positions, the gearwheels on each shaft meshing with gearwheels on the third shaft in order to permit the transmission of torque from the first shaft via the third and the second shaft back to the third shaft, and from the second shaft via the third and the first shaft back to the third shaft.