Self locking apparatus
AssigneeGeneral Motors Corporation
InventorPaul R. Meernik
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A self locking apparatus is disclosed having a housing, a load initiating element located within the housing, a spring located adjacent to the load initiating element and configured to expand in compression against the housing in response to a compressive load, and a compression member slideably disposed within the housing and configured to compress the spring from a side opposite the load initiating element. The load initiating element, spring and compression member are slideable within the housing in a first axial direction and in a second opposite axial direction in response to an axial load on the load initiating element, and lockable within the housing in the second axial direction in response to an axial load on the compression member in the second axial direction.
Claims16
A self locking apparatus comprising:
- a housing;
- a load initiating element located within the housing so as to provide an axial frictional force between the load initiating element and the housing;
- a spring located adjacent to the load initiating element, and configured to expand in compression against the housing in response to a compressive load;
- and
- a compression member slideably disposed within the housing and configured to compress the spring from a side opposite the load initiating element, the spring being disposed between the compression member and the load initiating element;
- the load initiating element, spring, and compression member being slideable within the housing in a first axial direction and in a second opposite axial direction in response to an axial load on the load initiating element in each of the first and second directions, respectively, and lockable within the housing in the second axial direction in response to an axial load on the compression member in the second axial direction;
- the load initiating element being disposed to resist a force exerted by the compression member acting on the spring in a compressive manner in the second direction.
A self locking apparatus comprising:
- a housing;
- a load initiating element located within the housing so as to provide an axial frictional force between the load initiating element and the housing, thereby providing a resistance to movement relative to a longitudinal axis of the housing;
- a compression member slideably disposed within the housing relative to the longitudinal axis;
- a spring disposed between the load initiating element and the compression member, and configured to expand in compression against the housing in response to a compressive load;
- the load initiating element, spring, and compression member being axially slideable within the housing in response to an axial load on the load initiating element sufficient to overcome the resistance to movement;
- the load initiating element, spring, and compression member being slideable within the housing in a first axial direction and lockable within the housing in a second axial direction in response to an axial load on the compression member in the first and second axial directions, respectively;
- the load initiating element being disposed to resist a force exerted by the compression member acting on the spring in a compressive manner in the second direction.
A self locking apparatus comprising:
- a housing;
- a load initiating element located within the housing so as to provide an axial frictional force between the load initiating element and the housing;
- a spring located adjacent to the load initiating element, and configured to expand in compression against the housing in response to a compressive load;
- and
- a compression member slideably disposed within the housing and configured to compress the spring from a side opposite the load initiating element;
- the load initiating element, spring, and compression member being axially slideable in a first and a second axial direction within the housing in response to an axial load on the load initiating element sufficient to overcome the axial frictional force;
- the load initiating element, spring, and compression member being lockable within the housing in the second axial direction in response to an axial load on the compression member in the second axial direction;
- the load initiating element being disposed to resist a force exerted by the compression member acting on the spring in a compressive manner in the second direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.