Patent ID: 7621815

Claim:
A clutch for releasably coupling an axially rotatable driving shaft to a coaxial driven shaft comprising: a gear, having a plurality of cogs, coaxially secured to one of said driving shaft or said driven shaft; and a receptor coaxially secured to the other of said driving shaft or said driven shaft, said receptor comprising a hub and a plurality of flexible extension segments defining a cavity matingly engaging said gear cogs, each of said extension segments comprising a first elongated shoulder and a second elongated shoulder spaced apart from said first shoulder to define a channel for capturing a portion of a cog therebetween and each of said first elongated shoulders having a height greater than each of said second elongated shoulders; whereby, when said driven shaft encounters rotational resistance greater than a range of normal operation, said segments flex out of engagement with said gear cogs to allow rotation of said driving shaft without rotation of said driven shaft.