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US 5,472,072 AGranted
Filtering breathable protective boot for a telescoping bicycle suspension
OwnerRandal L. Bumgarnerinventor
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OwnerRandal L. Bumgarnerinventor
Estimating the term…
A breathable protective filtering boot structure for a telescoping bicycle fork suspension comprises a generally cylindrical bellows-like rubber-like boot for each of a pair of fork legs which telescope along parallel vertical axes. Each boot is secured at its upper end to a male leg member and depends to form a variable volume boot chamber around the telescoping junction of the male and female leg members. The lower end of the boot has a flat annular shoulder spaced axially from and facing the top end of the female member with a cylindrical skirt depending from the boot shoulder for securing the boot to the upper end of the female leg member. A short portion of the skirt, with vent apertures between the shoulder and the female member facing away from the wheel space of the fork, encircles a small filter confining cavity at the lower end of the boot chamber. The filter cavity contains a replaceable annular porous resilient compressed oil-impregnated filter element which is held compressed axially between the boot shoulder and the top end of the female member and is held compressed radially between the apertured skirt portion and the surface of the male member to keep the vent apertures continuously covered and to wipe off and lubricate the surface of the male member. The velocity of air and liquid moving out through the filter during operation of the suspension keeps the outer filter surfaces at the vent apertures free of contaminants.
In a telescoping structure having a telescoping joint between two telescoping male and female members which are slidable relative to each other along an axis and are protected by a boot means including a flexible boot which is contractible and expandable along said axis during telescoping operation of the joint said boot having a first end secured to one of said members and a second end secured to the other of said members, said boot having portions between said first and second ends defining a chamber extending from an open end of said female member toward the end of the boot secured to the male member to enclose said joint and to protect the joint against contaminants,
A breathable protecting boot means for preventing contaminating materials from contacting the area of a telescoping joint between two telescoping male and female members which are slidable relative to each other along an axis, said boot means comprising a flexible boot having a wall portion extending between a first end of the boot to be secured to one of said members and a second end of the boot to be secured to the other of said members for enclosing said telescoping joint, said boot wall portion defining a chamber extending from an open end of said female member toward the end of the boot secured to the male member to enclose said joint and to protect the joint against contaminants, said flexible boot being contractible and expandable along said axis, at least one vent opening in said wall portion of said boot to allow said chamber to breathe during relative telescoping movement of said members, a replaceable compressible porous filter ring inside said chamber of said boot and held in compression against the inside of said wall portion of said boot over each said vent opening to keep contaminating material from entering said boot.
A breathable protecting boot means for a bicycle wheel suspension fork for preventing contaminating materials from contacting the area of a telescoping joint between telescoping male and female members of said suspension fork which are slidable relative to each other along an essentially vertical axis, said female member being vertically movable with the wheel and with respect to said male member, said female member having an open upper end mating in sliding engagement with said male member which projects downwardly thereinto, said boot means forming a variable volume chamber enclosing the telescoping joint and comprising a flexible boot which is contractible and expandable along said axis, first fastening means for locating a lower end of said boot at a top portion of said female member, said boot having at least one vent aperture at its lower end near said top portion of the female member, second fastening means for locating an upper end of said boot at a portion of said male member and providing a seal between said upper boot end and said male member, a compressible filter ring within said chamber between said fastening means and overlying each said vent aperture, said boot providing means for holding the filter ring against an axial end face of the open upper end of the female member and for holding the filter ring in compression between the boot and a sliding outer surface of the male member to clean the surface of the male member and maintain the filter ring in sealed position over the vent aperture.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.