Ball joint
AssigneeRB Distribution, Inc.
InventorsJoseph W. Lonergan, III, David J. Grasso, Thomas Allan Reiff
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A ball joint has a bushing with a defined housing space sized to receive ball joint components. The ball joint further has a cage member having an exterior surface that fits within the housing recess and an interior surface with a pattern of raised and recessed portions, and a cup member over-molded on the cage member component. The cup member complements the interior surface pattern of the cage member and includes an interior surface having a circular configuration. The ball joint also has a stem having a ball portion dimensioned to fit within and complement the interior surface of the cup member.
Claims20
A ball joint comprising:
- a bushing that defines a space sized to receive ball joint components;
- a cage member that fits within the defined space of the bushing and has an interior cavity with a pattern of raised and recessed portions;
- a bearing having a first surface that complements the pattern of raised and recessed portions in the interior cavity of the cage member and a second surface that defines a smooth circular configuration;
- and,
- a stem having an end with a ball portion dimensioned to fit within the second surface of the bearing.
A method of making a ball joint comprising the steps of :
- providing a bushing with a defined housing space sized to receive ball joint components;
- providing a cage member having an interior cavity with a pattern of raised and recessed portions;
- over-molding a polymeric material on the cage member to define a bearing having a first surface that complements the pattern of raised and recessed portions of the cage member, a second surface that forms a smooth circular configuration, and a third surface which fits within the defined space of the bushing;
- and
- providing a stem having a ball portion dimensioned to fit within the second surface of the cup member.
The method of claim 13, wherein the pattern of raised and recessed portions include alternating ribs and grooves, and wherein the polymeric material fills the grooves and covers the ribs during the over-molding step to form the smooth circular configuration of the bearing.
A ball joint comprising:
- a bushing with a defined housing space sized to receive ball joint components;
- a cage member having an exterior surface that fits within the housing recess and an interior surface with a pattern of raised and recessed portions;
- a cup member over-molded on the cage member component, the cup member complements the interior surface pattern of the cage member and an includes an interior surface having a circular configuration;
- and,
- a stem having a ball portion dimensioned to fit within and complement the interior surface of the cup member.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.