Cushioned torque-limiting centrifugal clutch

Claim 1

A CLUTCH COMPRISING: A HOLLOW CYLINDRICAL DRIVING MEMBER TO RECEIVE TORQUE FROM AN ENGINE FOR TRANSMISSION THROUGH SAID CLUTCH; A DRIVEN SHAFT COAXIAL WITH SAID DRIVING MEMBER FOR DELIVERING TORQUE TRANSMITTED THROUGH SAID CLUTCH; A FIRST TORQUE MEMBER COAXIAL WITH SAID DRIVING MEMBER; A SERIES OF INTERENGAGING FRICTION DISCS, ALTERNATE ONES OF SAID FRICTION DISCS BEING AXIALLY DISPLACEABLY CONNECTED TO SAID DRIVING MEMBER FOR ROTATION COAXIALLY THEREWITH, THE DISCS ENGAGING SAID ALTERNATE DISCS BEING AXIALLY DISPLACEABLY CONNECTED TO SAID FIRST TORQUE MEMBER FOR ROTATION THEREWITH; A SECOND TORQUE MEMBER CONNECTED FOR ROTATION COAXIALLY WITH SAID DRIVEN SHAFT, SAID TORQUE MEMBERS DEFINING THEREBETWEEN A PLURALITY OF SYMMETRICALLY ARRANGED AXIALLY EXTENDING OPEN-ENDED CHAMBERS, EACH CHAMBER BEING OF UNIFORM TRANSVERSE CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA THROUGHOUT ITS ENTIRE LENGTH, SAID AREA BEING DECREASED BY RELATIVE ANGULAR DISPLACEMENT BETWEEN SAID TORQUE MEMBERS IN THE DIRECTION URGED BY TORQUE TRANSMISSION THROUGH SAID CLUTCH; AN ELONGATED RESILIENT CUSHIONING MEMBER CONFINED IN EACH OF SAID CHAMBERS, EACH CUSHIONING MEMBER BEING ENLARGED INTERMEDIATE ITS ENDS, WHEREBY THE CENTRAL PORTION OF EACH CUSHIONING MEMBER IS COMPRESSED TO A GREATER EXTENT THAN ITS END PORTIONS WHEN THE CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA OF ITS CONFINING CHAMBER IS DECREASED; CLOSURE MEANS CONNECTED FOR ROTATION WITH SAID TORQUE MEMBERS AND CLOSING THE ENDS OF ALL OF SAID CHAMBERS FOR LIMITING LONGITUDINAL EXPANSION OF SAID CUSHIONING MEMBERS, SAID CLOSURE MEANS PERMITTING SAID RELATIVE ANGULAR DISPLACEMENT BETWEEN SAID TORQUE MEMBERS AND MAINTAINING SAID TORQUE MEMBERS COAXIALLY POSITIONED WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHER; A PLURALITY OF BALLS CONFINED WITHIN SAID DRIVING MEMBER; AN ANNULAR RAMP CONCENTRIC WITH SAID DRIVING MEMBER AND ENGAGING SAID BALLS; AN ANNULAR PRESSURE PLATE AXIALLY DISPLACEABLE BY SAID BALLS DURING RADIALLY OUTWARD MOVEMENT THEREOF IN ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID RAMP, SAID PRESSURE PLATE APPLYING A FIRST FORCE TO THE DISC AT ONE END OF SAID SERIES, SAID FIRST FORCE BEING AXIALLY DIRECTED TOWARD THE OTHER END OF SAID SERIES; MEANS LIMITING OUTWARD MOVEMENT OF SAID BALLS; AND SPRING MEANS ENGAGING THE DISC AT THE OTHER END OF SAID SERIES AND APPLYING A SECOND FORCE THERETO WHICH YIELDINGLY OPPOSES SAID FIRST FORCE, THE MAXIMUM PRESSURE OF INTERENGAGEMENT OF SAID DISCS BEING LIMITED BY SAID SECOND FORCE.