Back to results
US 8,770,360 B2Granted
Front bicycle suspension assembly with inertia valve
AssigneeFox Factory, Inc.
InventorRobert C. Fox
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A front bicycle suspension assembly having an inertia valve is described. The front bicycle suspension assembly may include at least upper and lower telescoping tubes and include a damping tube containing an inertia valve. The inertia valve may include an inertia mass movable along the outer surface of a valve shaft as the inertia valve moves between first and second positions.
Claims10
A bicycle suspension assembly, comprising:
- a damper body having a longitudinal axis and containing damping fluid;
- a piston coupled to a piston rod, the piston and a portion of the piston rod movable within the damper body;
- a reservoir with a movable sealed barrier partially defining a variable volume chamber within the reservoir, wherein the longitudinal axis of the damper body and a longitudinal axis of the reservoir are non-coaxial and non-parallel;
- a fluid path between the damper body and the reservoir for conveying fluid flow from the damper body to the reservoir as the piston rod moves further into the damper body;
- an inertia valve for at least partially controlling the fluid flow through the fluid path, the inertia valve positioned within the reservoir and including:
- (1) an inertia mass, the inertia mass including an uppermost encircling portion immediately adjacent to and encircling a shaft and through which an upper end of a shaft protrudes;
- and
- (2) whereby in response to an upward acceleration exceeding a predetermined acceleration threshold, the inertia mass is movable along the shaft from a first position downward towards a second position;
- the first position limited by a stop and the inertia mass being biased towards the stop by a biasing member;
- and
- whereby when the inertia mass is in the second position, fluid enters the reservoir at a first location relative to the inertia mass, flows within an interior hollow portion of the shaft, and then exits the interior hollow portion of the shaft at a second location relative to the inertia mass.
8 more elements
A bicycle suspension assembly, comprising:
- a damper body containing damping fluid;
- a piston coupled to a piston rod, the piston and a portion of the piston rod movable within the damper body;
- a reservoir with a movable sealed barrier partially defining a variable volume chamber within the reservoir, wherein the movable sealed barrier is positioned above an inertia valve;
- a fluid path between the damper body and the reservoir for conveying fluid flow from the damper body to the reservoir as the piston rod moves further into the damper body;
- the inertia valve for at least partially controlling the fluid flow through the fluid path, the inertia valve positioned within the reservoir and including:
- (1) an inertia mass, the inertia mass including an uppermost encircling portion immediately adjacent to and encircling a shaft and through which an upper end of a shaft protrudes;
- and
- (2) whereby in response to an upward acceleration exceeding a predetermined acceleration threshold, the inertia mass is movable along the shaft from a first position downward towards a second position;
- the first position limited by a stop and the inertia mass being biased towards the stop by a biasing member;
- whereby when the inertia mass is in the second position, fluid enters a reservoir tube at a first location relative to the inertia mass, flows within an interior hollow portion of the shaft;
- and then exits the interior hollow portion of the shaft at a second location relative to the inertia mass;
- and
- wherein the damper body and the reservoir are non-coaxial and non-parallel.
10 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.