Prestressed flexible joint for mechanical arms and the like

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1. A FLEXIBLE JOINT COMPRISING:

(A) AT LEAST ONE PRESTRESSED UNIT COMPRISING;

(1) AT LEAST ONE INNER HELICALLY ARRANGED CHANNELSHAPED FLEXIBLE STRIP MEMBER, SAID INNER CHANNELSHAPED MEMBER OPENING GENERALLY RADIALLY OUTWARDLY AND HAVING A COMPRESSIVE SPRING CHARACTERISTIC DIRECTED GENERALLLY RADIALLY OUTWARDLY, (2) AT LEAST ONE OUTER HELICALLY ARRANGED CHANNELSHAPED FLEXIBLE STRIP MEMBER, SAID OUTER CHANNELSHAPED MEMBER OPENING GENERALLY RADIALLY INWARDLY AND HAVING A COMPRESSIVE SPRING CHARACTERISTIC DIRECTED GENERALLY RADIALLY INWARDLY, (3) SAID INNER AND OUTER CHANNEL-SHAPED STRIP MEMBERS WOUND IN INTERENGAGING OPPOSITION SO THAT SAID COOPERATING STRIP MEMBERS FORM SAID PRESTRESSED UNIT, (B) RESPECTIVE ONES OF AT LEAST ONE PAIR OF RIGID TUBULAR MEMBERS SECURED TO AND SPACED APART BY SAID PRESTRESSED UNIT, AND (C) AT LEAST ONE ACTUATOR MEANS EXTENDING THROUGH ONE OF SAID RIGID MEMBERS TO CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED POINTS ABOUT THE PERIPHERY OF THE OTHER OF SAID RIGID MEMBERS, (D) SAID ACTUATOR MEANS SECURED AT SAID POINTS SO THAT CONTROLLED MOVEMENT OF SAID ACTUATOR MEANS FLEXES SAID PRESTRESSED UNIT AND DISPLACES SAID PRESTRESSED UNIT AND THE OTHER OF SAID RIGID MEMBERS.

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1. A FLEXIBLE JOINT COMPRISING:
- (A) AT LEAST ONE PRESTRESSED UNIT COMPRISING;
  
  (1) AT LEAST ONE INNER HELICALLY ARRANGED CHANNELSHAPED FLEXIBLE STRIP MEMBER, SAID INNER CHANNELSHAPED MEMBER OPENING GENERALLY RADIALLY OUTWARDLY AND HAVING A COMPRESSIVE SPRING CHARACTERISTIC DIRECTED GENERALLLY RADIALLY OUTWARDLY, (2) AT LEAST ONE OUTER HELICALLY ARRANGED CHANNELSHAPED FLEXIBLE STRIP MEMBER, SAID OUTER CHANNELSHAPED MEMBER OPENING GENERALLY RADIALLY INWARDLY AND HAVING A COMPRESSIVE SPRING CHARACTERISTIC DIRECTED GENERALLY RADIALLY INWARDLY, (3) SAID INNER AND OUTER CHANNEL-SHAPED STRIP MEMBERS WOUND IN INTERENGAGING OPPOSITION SO THAT SAID COOPERATING STRIP MEMBERS FORM SAID PRESTRESSED UNIT, (B) RESPECTIVE ONES OF AT LEAST ONE PAIR OF RIGID TUBULAR MEMBERS SECURED TO AND SPACED APART BY SAID PRESTRESSED UNIT, AND (C) AT LEAST ONE ACTUATOR MEANS EXTENDING THROUGH ONE OF SAID RIGID MEMBERS TO CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED POINTS ABOUT THE PERIPHERY OF THE OTHER OF SAID RIGID MEMBERS, (D) SAID ACTUATOR MEANS SECURED AT SAID POINTS SO THAT CONTROLLED MOVEMENT OF SAID ACTUATOR MEANS FLEXES SAID PRESTRESSED UNIT AND DISPLACES SAID PRESTRESSED UNIT AND THE OTHER OF SAID RIGID MEMBERS.

2. A FLEXIBLE JOINT COMPRISING:
- (A) A PLURALITY OF ALIGNED INTERENGAGING SEGMENTS, (B) A PLURALITY OF SIMILAR APERTURES IN SAID SEGMENTS, (C) AT LEAST ONE TENSION SPRING MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID SEGMENTS URGING SAID SEGMENTS INTO INTERENGAGEMENT, (D) A PLURALITY OF COMPRESSION SPRING MEANS POSITIONED BETWEEN ADJACENT ONES OF SAID SEGMENTS AND FURTHER POSITIONED IN ALIGNMENT WITH RESPECTIVE ONES OF SAID APERTURES,

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