Patent ID: 8250766

Claim:
A method of retrofitting the drive train of a rotary knife assembly with a safety coupling, said rotary knife assembly including a motor, a rotary knife, and an elongated flexible drive cable, said flexible drive cable configured to transmit rotational power from the motor to the rotary knife while being flexed along the length of the drive cable, said safety coupling including input and output members releasably drivingly engaged with one another, said method comprising the step of: (a) installing the safety coupling by drivingly coupling the input member to a motor drive shaft and drivingly connecting output member to the drive cable, with the safety coupling configured to transmit rotational power from the motor to the drive cable and thereby to the rotary knife, said safety coupling being configured to drivingly disengage the motor and the drive cable when torque applied to the members by the motor exceeds a predetermined amount corresponding with binding of the rotary knife or the drive cable.