Atwood Vacuum Machine Company

Thomas O Marx

David C Cox

A seat adjuster mounts a vehicle seat for back and forth adjustment between different functional positions and is adapted to lock the seat in each selected position. When the seat back is tilted forwardly, the seat adjuster releases the seat to enable the seat to move fully forwardly to an entry position. A mechanical memory is incorporated in the seat adjuster and, when the seat is shifted rearwardly following forward movement to its entry position, the mechanical memory automatically stops the seat in its last-established functional position.

Seat adjuster responsive to tilting of seat back

A gas spring assembly for use in opening and closing a hinged deck lid of an automotive vehicle. The gas spring includes a fluid containing cylinder having a closure at one end and a plunger rod carrying a piston slidably supported in the other end for reciprocating movement between an extended lid opening position and a retracted lid closing position. An elongated hollow boot is secured to and surrounds the portion of the plunger rod extending from the cylinder, as well as a portion of the cylinder, and is movable in unison with the plunger rod for protectively containing the extended plunger rod portion in both extended and retracted positions. When installed on a vehicle body, the gas spring further includes a temporary heat shrink sheath tightly surrounding the boot for insuring a tight seal between the end of the boot and cylinder and for further protecting the gas spring from chemicals or other contaminants to which the vehicle is exposed during metal pretreatment processes following assembly of the gas spring on the vehicle body. The heat shrink sheath is destructible and readily removable from the boot and cylinder upon exposure to relatively high temperatures, such as occurs during bake-oven treatments of a vehicle following such metal pretreatment processes, leaving the boot as a permanent protector of the extendable plunger rod.

Pneumatic spring with protective boot

A gas spring comprises a piston assembly slidable in a cylinder closed at one end and open at the other with a rod connected to the piston assembly and projecting through the open end of the cylinder. This open end is sealed by a sealing assembly and the interior of the cylinder contains a body of oil and a gas under pressure. The sealing assembly includes a shell of resilient material with one annular portion in sealing engagement with the rod, a second annular portion in sealing engagement with the inner wall of the cylinder, and a cavity containing a reservoir of oil. When the pressure in the cavity is less than the pressure in the cylinder, the inner portion of the shell collapses and, when the pressure differential is reversed, the inner end of the shell opens to permit oil to flow from the cavity to the cylinder. In either case, however, the action of the shell is such as to maintain the sealing action of each annular portion of the shell.

Gas spring with tubular shell seal

An electrically conductive gas spring for use in opening and closing a hinged deck lid of an automotive vehicle and for transmitting electric current to current consuming devices on the deck lid by way of an electrical path which extends between terminal connectors at opposed ends of the spring. The terminal connectors each have integrally formed mounting apertures which are of smaller size than a respective terminal pin upon which the connector is mounted such that the connector tightly and securely engages the outer perimeter of the terminal pin in electrically conductive relation without the need for auxilary threaded fasteners or the like. In one embodiment, the terminal connectors further serve to secure end mounting fittings to the ends of the gas spring without additional fastening means.

Gas spring with improved terminal connector and mounting means

A ball socket assembly having a ball received in a socket member to swivel relative to the latter with the ball initially inserted into a first end portion of an elongated slot in the socket member and then shifted to the second end portion of the slot. A flange is formed on the socket member at the opening of the slot generally around the second end portion thereof to retain the ball in the socket member and a wedge is slidable in the socket member across the first end of the slot to assume an active position in which it holds the ball in the second end portion of the slot. A lip on the wedge engages the ball and holds the wedge in the active position.

Ball socket assembly with resilient locking key

A gas spring comprising a cylinder having a closed end and an open end with the rod of a piston projecting into the cylinder through the open end and a sealing assembly surrounding the rod adjacent the open end of the cylinder and normally sealing the interior of the cylinder from the surrounding atmosphere. The sealing assembly includes an annular resilient sealing member having surfaces which are in sealing engagement with the rod and the inner wall of the cylinder and a plurality of protuberances are formed on the inner wall of the cylinder and are located inwardly of the normal position of the sealing member. When the open end of the cylinder is placed in communication with a gas under pressure, the gas moves the sealing member into engagement with the protuberances so that openings are formed between the member and the inner wall of the cylinder and the gas flows into the cylinder through these openings. When the pressure source is removed, the pressurized gas in the cylinder forces the sealing member back to its normal position and, in this position, the member seals the interior of the cylinder from the outside.

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Rockton, IL, United States of America

Thomas O Marx