Overload clutch

Claim 1

AN OVERLOAD CLUTCH COMPRISING A DRIVING HUB, A DRIVEN HUB, AN ANNULAR FLEXIBLE DISC, MEANS CONNECTING RADIALLY OPPOSITE PORTIONS OF SAID DISC TO SAID DRIVING HUB, AN INNER SLEEVE, MEANS CONNECTING RADIALILY OPPOSITE PORTIONS OF SAID DISC TO SAID INNER SLEEVE, SAID MEANS CONNECING THE DISC TO THE INNER SLEEVE BEING LOCATED RADIALLY 90* FROM SAID HUB CONNECTING MEANS, SPACER MEANS FOR MAINTAINING A CLEARANCE BETWEEN SAID DISC AND SAID HUB, SECOND SPACER MEANS FOR MAINTAINING A CLEARANCE BETWEEN SAID DISC AND SAID INNER SLEEVE, RELIEVE PORTIONS WITHIN SAID INNER SLEEVE FOR RECEPTION OF SAID HUB CONNECTING MEANS, RELIEVED PORTIONS WITHIN SAID HUB FOR RECEPTION OF SAID INNER SLEEVE CONNECTING MEANS WHEREBY SAID INNER SLEEVE AND SAID HUB ARE AXIALLY MOVABLE RELATIVE TO ONE ANOTHER, A THRUST PLATE RIGIDLY ATTACHED TO SAID INNER SLEEVE, SAID THRUST PLATE HAVING A PLURALITY OF DETENTS FORMED IN ONE SURFACE THEREOF, A HOUSING SURROUNDING A PORTION OF SAID INNER SLEEVE, A SECOND THRUST PLATE ATTACHED TO SAID HOUSING, SAID SECOND THRUST PLATE HAVING A PLURALITY OF DETENTS IN ONE FACE THEREOF, THE DETENTS IN EACH OF SAID THRUST PLATES BEING RADIALLY ALIGNED AND OPPOSITELY LOCATED, IN PLURALITY OF BALLS LOCATED BETWEEN SAID THRUST PLATES INTERMEDIATE SAID DETENTS, A BALL RETAINING RING INTERMEDIAE SAID THRUST PLATES AND SURROUNDING SAID INNER SLEEVE, SAID RETAINING RING HAVING A PLURALITY OF APERTURES, SAID APERTURES RECEVING AND MAINTAINING SAID BALLS INTERMEDIATE SAID THRUST PLATES, A BALL BEARING HAVING AN INNER AND AN OUTER RACE, SAID BEARING SURROUNDING SAID INNER SLEEVE, THE INNER RACE OF SAID BALL BEARING BEING NONROTATABLY ATTACHED TO THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID INNER SLEEVE THE OUTER RACE OF SAID BALL BEARING BEING NON-ROTATABLY ATTACHED TO THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID HOUSING, MEANS FOR LIMITING THE LATERAL MOVEMNT OF SAID INNER RACE ON SAID INNER SLEEVE, SPRING MEANS ACTING BETWEEN SAID HOUSING AND THE INNER RACE OF SAID BEARING, SAID SPRING MEANS MAINTAINING SAID INNER SLEEVE AGAINST SAID LIMITING MEANS, A FLEXIBLE DISC SURROUNDING SAID DRIVEN HUB, MEANS CONNECTING RADIALLY OPPOSITE PORTIONS OF SAID FLEXIBLE DISC TO SAID HUB, MEANS FOR CONNECTING SAID FLEXIBLE DISC TO SAID HOUSING, SAID LAST MENTIONED CONNECTING MEANS BEING RADIALLY SPACED 90* RELATIVE TO SAID HUB CONNECTION MEANS AND SPACER MEANS FOR MAINTAINING A CLEARANCE BETWEEN SAID HOUSING AND SAID HUB WHEREBY SAID HOUSING MAY BE AXIALLY MOVED RELATIVE TO SAID DRIVEN HUB UPON MOVEMENT OF SAID BALLS FROM THEIR RESPECTIVE DETENTS.