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US 2006/0065496 A1Published application
Inertia valve shock absorber
AssigneeFox Factory, Inc.
InventorRobert Fox
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A damper including an inertia valve movable between an open position and a closed position to selectively alter the compression damping rate of the shock absorber is disclosed. In these embodiments, the damper has at least one chamber that at least partially surrounds two other chambers.
Claims16
-65. (canceled)
A damping mechanism, comprising:
- a first chamber;
- a piston rod;
- said piston rod movable within said first chamber;
- a second chamber;
- a third chamber;
- said third chamber at least partially surrounding said first and second chambers;
- said third chamber being in direct fluid communication with both said first and second chambers;
- a hollow shaft fluidically connecting said first and second chambers by at least one passage;
- a movable inertia mass having:
- a first position at least partially blocking said at least one passage, wherein fluid bypasses said hollow shaft to flow from said first chamber to said third chamber as said piston rod moves further into said first chamber;
- and
- a second position at least partially unblocking said at least one passage, wherein fluid flows through said hollow shaft and said at least one passage as said fluid flows from said first chamber to said third chamber as said piston rod moves further into said first chamber.
9 more elements
A bicycle fork, comprising:
- at least two telescoping legs connected together by a crown;
- wherein at least one of said two legs contains a damping mechanism, said damping mechanism comprising:
- a first chamber;
- a piston rod;
- said piston rod movable within said first chamber;
- a second chamber;
- a third chamber;
- said third chamber at least partially surrounding said first and second chambers;
- said third chamber being in direct fluid communication with both said first and second chambers;
- a hollow shaft fluidically connecting said first and second chambers by at least one passage;
- a movable inertia mass having:
- a first position at least partially blocking said at least one passage, wherein fluid bypasses said hollow shaft to flow from said first chamber to said third chamber as said piston rod moves further into said first chamber;
- and
- a second position at least partially unblocking said at least one passage, wherein fluid flows through said hollow shaft and said at least one passage as said fluid flows from said first chamber to said third chamber as said piston rod moves further into said first chamber.
11 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.