Clutch for pivoting workpiece support
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsJohn Michael Bernhardt, Scott Peter Graves
Life of this patent
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AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsJohn Michael Bernhardt, Scott Peter Graves
Estimating the term…
A clutch and a workpiece support incorporating the same selectively restrict rotation of a rotatable member through the use of one or more rollers that are pinched between the outer surface of the rotatable member and corresponding convergent surfaces disposed on a housing opposing such outer surface. In effect, each roller is interposed between a surface on a fixed housing and an outer surface of a rotatable member such that rotation of the rotatable member rolls the roller toward a converging gap to restrict further rotation of the rotatable member. A biasing mechanism biases the roller toward the converging gap, and a release mechanism is utilized to quickly and efficiently decouple the roller from the rotatable member by biasing the roller in a direction away from the converging gap and thereby preventing the roller from inhibiting rotation of the rotatable member.
A workpiece support, comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.