Clutch for transmitting reduced torque upon reverse drive

Claim 1

A CLUTCH COMPRISING A DRIVING SHAFT, A DRIVING PLATE ASSEMBLY CONNECTED WITH SAID DRIVING SHAFT AND HAVING AT LEAST A FIRST PLATE PERMANENTLY RIGID IN ROTATION WITH SAID DRIVING SHAFT, A DRIVEN SHAFT, A DRIVEN PLATE ASSEMBLY CONNECTED WITH SAID DRIVEN SHAFT AND HAVING AT LEAST A SECOND PLATE PERMANENTLY RIGID IN ROTATION WITH SAID DRIVEN SHAFT, ONE OF SAID PLATE ASSEMBLIES HAVING AT LEAST A THIRD PLATE, MEANS MOUNTING SAID THIRD PLATE MOVABLE AXIALLY OF SAID DRIVEN SHAFT SO THAT ALL PLATES OF SAID ASSEMBLIES FORM A SERIES OF ADJACENT FRICTIONALLY ENGAGEABLE PLATES AND HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY A SAME UNVARIABLE DIAMETER, PLATES OF THE DRIVING ASSEMBLY BEING DISPOSED ALTERNATELY WITH PLATES OF THE DRIVEN ASSEMBLY IN SAID SERIES, CONTROL MEANS OPERABLE TO SELECTIVELY CAUSE ALL OF SAID PLATES TO FRICTIONALLY ENGAGE TO TRANSMIT ALL OF THE TORQUE FROM SAID DRIVING SHAFT TO SAID DRIVEN SHAFT AND OPERABLE TO SELECTIVELY RELEASE ALL OF SAID PLATES TO TRANSMIT ZERO TORQUE AND A TORQUE LIMITER FOR LIMITING THE TRANSMISSIBLE TORQUE COMPRISING A ONE-WAY COUPLING INTERCONNECTING SAID THIRD PLATE AND ONE OF SAID SHAFTS OPERABLE AUTOMATICALLY WHEN SAID DRIVEN SHAFT TENDS TO OVERRUN SAID DRIVING SHAFT TO RELEASE SAID THIRD PLATE FROM PLATES IN SAID SERIES ADJACENT TO SAID THIRD PLATE TO TRANSMIT A PRESELECTED REDUCED VALUE OF TRANSMISSIBLE TORQUE BETWEEN SAID SHAFTS CORRESPONDING TO A VALUE OF TORQUE PRECLUDING THE OVERRUNNING OF THE DRIVING SHAFT BY THE DRIVEN SHAFT.