Patent ID: 8369746

Claim:
A clutch mechanism for transmitting a driving force from a drive source comprising: a support plate formed with a through-hole; an input element rotatably mounted on the support plate, the driving force from the drive source being input to the input element; an output element arranged between the support plate and the input element and mounted on the support plate so as to rotate upon receiving the driving force from the input element; a first elastic member arranged between the input element and the output element and configured to bias the output element toward the support plate; a first member arranged between the output element and the support plate and including a first slide surface and a sliding arm inserted through the through-hole; and a second member configured to accommodate the first member and including a second slide surface confronting the first slide surface, wherein insertion of the sliding arm through the through-hole allows the first member to approach and move away from the support plate, when the second member is at a first rotational position where the second member accommodates the first member, the first elastic member moves the output element apart from the input element to cut off transmission of the driving force from the input element to the output element, when the second member rotates from the first rotational position to a second rotational position so that the second slide surface moves toward the first slide surface, the first member pushed out from the second member by the first slide surface and the second slide surface presses the output element against the input element, so that the output element outputs the driving force transmitted from the input element.