Ball-and-socket joint
April 11, 2021. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.Patent References 2932534 3647249 Bearing provided with oblique oil grooves and/or with a plurality of obliquely arranged rows of semicircular indentations Socket bearing Extrudable multi-rigidity hydrodynamic bearing and method of making the same Dynamic pressure bearing device Ball joint assembly Dynamic pressure bearing made of porous material Plain bearing Patent #: 6059460 InventorsAssigneeApplicationNo. 09/807561 filed on 04/11/2001US Classes:403/34, WITH DISTINCT FLUID OR ARTICLE HANDLING OR DIRECTING FEATURE384/283, Groove403/122, Universal ball and socket403/124, Plural concave surfaces with diverse curvature403/132, Elastomerically biased or backed components403/133, Elastomeric seat403/37, Including port or reservoir communicating with joint403/38, Articulated member403/39At joint interfaceExaminersPrimary: Browne, Lynne H.Assistant: MacArthur, Victor Attorney, Agent or FirmInternational ClassesF16C 33/10 (20060101)F16C 33/04 (20060101) F16C 11/06 (20060101) Foreign Application Priority Data1999-08-13 DEAbstractA ball-and-socket joint, preferably for motor vehicles, in which a joint ball formed on a pivot pin is mounted movably in a bearing shell consisting of a plastic, is presented. The bearing shell has recesses accommodating lubricant on its inner jacket surface facing the joint ball and is itself inserted into a housing. According to the present invention, the recesses may be grooves as a structural system with groove sections or depressions of microscopic size extending obliquely in relation to the central longitudinal axis of the ball-and-socket joint. Due to this novel design, a pumping effect is achieved during movements of the joint ball over the groove sections, and this pumping effect draws the lubricant present in the groove sections into the gap between the joint ball and the bearing shell, so that improved lubrication of the ball-and-socket joint compared with the state of the art is guaranteed under all operating conditions.Field of SearchIncluding liner, shim, or discrete seatCompletely spacing the members Elastomerically biased or backed components Elastomeric seat Universal ball and socket Porous WITH DISTINCT FLUID OR ARTICLE HANDLING OR DIRECTING FEATURE Including port or reservoir communicating with joint Articulated member At joint interface | |
