Patent ID: 8407852

Claim:
A vacuum cleaner agitator drive assembly, the vacuum cleaner agitator drive assembly comprising: a motor; an agitator; a clutch assembly input adapted to be driven by the motor; a clutch assembly output adapted to drive the agitator; a starter clutch moveable between an engaged starter clutch position in which the starter clutch receives a first drive torque from the clutch assembly input, and a disengaged starter clutch position in which the starter clutch receives substantially no torque directly from the clutch assembly input; and a drive clutch moveable between an engaged drive clutch position in which the drive clutch receives a second drive torque from the clutch assembly input, and a disengaged drive clutch position in which the drive clutch receives substantially no torque directly from the clutch assembly input; wherein the starter clutch is coupled to the drive clutch such that the starter clutch, when in the engaged starter clutch position, can transmit the first drive torque to the drive clutch to move the drive clutch into the engaged drive clutch position; wherein the drive clutch is coupled to the clutch assembly output such that the drive clutch, when in the engaged drive clutch position, can transmit the second drive torque to the clutch assembly output wherein the clutch assembly input comprises a drum having an inner drum surface and the drive clutch engages the inner drum surface in the engaged drive clutch position, and does not engage the inner drum surface in the disengaged drive clutch position; wherein the drive clutch comprises: a clutch mount rotatably mounted within the drum, an expanding clutch mounted to the clutch mount and movable between an expanded position in which the expanding clutch contacts the inner drum surface when the drive clutch is in the engaged drive clutch position, and a contracted position in which the expanding clutch does not substantially contact the inner drum surface when the drive clutch is in the disengaged drive clutch position, wherein, when the drive clutch is in the engaged drive clutch position, the expanding clutch transmits the at least a portion of the drive torque from the drum and to the clutch mount, a clutch lever pivotally mounted to the clutch mount, wherein a first end of the expanding clutch is mounted to a first end of the clutch lever, a second end of the expanding clutch is mounted to the clutch mount, a second end of the clutch lever is moveable from a first lever position in which the expanding clutch is in the expanded position, and a second lever position in which the expanding clutch is in the contracted position, and the clutch lever is biased into the second lever position; and wherein the starter clutch applies an engagement force to bias the clutch lever towards the first lever position when the starter clutch is in the engaged starter clutch position.