Back to results
US 7,441,758 B2Granted
Load bearing surface
AssigneeIllinois Tool Works Inc.
InventorsTimothy P. Coffield, Daniel S. Sommerfeld, Joseph D. Ward
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Loading patent…
Loading patent…
AssigneeIllinois Tool Works Inc.
InventorsTimothy P. Coffield, Daniel S. Sommerfeld, Joseph D. Ward
Estimating the term…
An elastomeric load bearing surface with different load support characteristics in different directions. In one embodiment, the surface includes an elastomeric membrane that is oriented in only a single direction, for example, by compression or stretching. In another embodiment, the surface includes mechanical structures, such as connectors, variations in thickness and apertures, that vary the load support characteristics in different directions. In another aspect, the present invention provides a multilayer load bearing surface in which the layers cooperate to provide a controlled force/deflection profile that is variable in different regions of the surface. In one embodiment, the upper layer includes a plurality of loosely connected nodes and a lower layer having a plurality of resilient elements that separately support each node.
A load bearing surface comprising a molded elastomeric membrane, said membrane being molded such that it is decoupled between a first direction and a second direction by a mechanical structure, whereby said membrane provides different load bearing characteristics in said first direction and said second direction, said membrane being oriented in said second direction to at least partially crystallize said membrane in said second direction.
A method for manufacturing a load bearing surface, comprising:
A load bearing surface comprising a molded elastomeric membrane, said membrane being molded such that it is decoupled between a first direction and a second direction, whereby said membrane provides different load bearing characteristics in said first direction and said second direction, wherein said membrane includes a crystalline structure having a greater degree of alignment in said first direction than in other directions, and wherein said membrane includes a mechanical structure decoupling said membrane in said second direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.