Rotary brush drive protector

Claim 1

In a vacuum cleaner having a motor; a rotary brush; a flexible drive belt for transmitting rotary motion from said motor to said brush, said drive belt encircling said brush; an override clutch means interposed between said drive belt and said brush for decoupling said drive belt from said brush and providing an audible signal to the operator when the torque required to rotate said brush exceeds a predetermined level thereby allowing said drive belt to continue to operate without damage should said brush jam and become stalled and alerting the operator of the malfunction; wherein said override clutch means comprises: a. a belt pulley journalled to rotate with respect to said rotary brush and adapted to frictionally engage said drive belt for rotation thereby; and b. a coupling means for positively coupling said belt pulley to said rotary brush for mutual simultaneous rotation including; 1. an inner diameter of said belt pulley having a boss formed on an otherwise smooth cylindrical surface and projecting radially inwardly, said inner diameter being substantially concentric to said rotation of said belt pulley; 2. a spring member attached to said rotary brush and adapted to rotate therewith having a deformable end which is urged into engagement with said discontinuity in said inner diameter by a predetermined level of radially directed force; 3. said discontinuity being formed such that when said relative torque exceeds said predetermined level said deformable end disengages said discontinuity; wherein said belt pulley comprises a plurality of mutually interlocking segments.