Ball carriages
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorsCameron Hutchings, David W. Otto
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A ball carriage includes a raceway including an engagement segment to urge balls into rolling engagement with an element that is movable relative to the ball carriage. The engagement segment defines an opening through which balls are to engage the element. The raceway includes a return segment including a curved surface to take balls out of engagement with the element. The engagement segment and the return segment share a raceway surface that runs a full length of the raceway to contain balls within the raceway. A ramp is positioned at a transition from the engagement segment to the return segment. The ramp rises from the raceway surface at the opening towards the return segment to guide balls out of engagement with the element and into the return segment.
Claims15
A ball carriage comprising:
- a raceway including an engagement segment to urge balls into rolling engagement with an element that is movable relative to the ball carriage, the engagement segment defining an opening through which balls are to engage the element, the raceway including a return segment including a curved surface to take balls out of engagement with the element, the engagement segment and the return segment sharing a raceway surface that runs a full length of the raceway to contain balls within the raceway;
- and
- a ramp monolithically formed with the raceway, the ramp positioned at a transition from the engagement segment to the return segment, the ramp rising from the raceway surface at the opening towards the return segment to guide balls out of engagement with the element and into the return segment.
A user interface assembly comprising:
- a recirculating bearing assembly to attach to a frame;
- and
- a user interface device attached to recirculating bearing assembly to slide with respect to the frame;
- the recirculating bearing assembly including a rail and a ball carriage, the ball carriage including a raceway including an engagement segment to urge balls into rolling engagement with the rail, the engagement segment defining an opening through which balls are to engage the rail, the raceway including a curved return segment to take balls out of engagement with the rail, the engagement segment and the curved return segment sharing a raceway surface that runs a full length of the raceway to contain balls within the raceway;
- and
- the recirculating bearing assembly further including a ramp positioned at a transition from the engagement segment to the curved return segment, the ramp running from the raceway surface to the curved return segment, the ramp tilted away from the opening to guide the balls out of engagement with the rail and into the curved return segment, wherein the ramp is monolithic with the raceway.
A method comprising:
- molding a ball carriage, the ball carriage including a raceway including an engagement segment defining an opening through which balls are to engage a rail, the raceway including a curved return segment to take balls out of engagement with the rail, the engagement segment and the curved return segment sharing a raceway surface that runs a full length of the raceway to contain balls within the raceway, the ball carriage further including a ramp positioned at a transition from the engagement segment to the curved return segment, the ramp is monolithic with the raceway and runs from the raceway surface to the curved return segment, the ramp tilted away from the opening to guide the balls out of engagement with the rail and into the curved return segment;
- inserting balls into the ball carriage;
- and
- engaging the rail with the balls.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.