The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 05, 1978
Filed:
Sep. 12, 1977
David John Farrant, Leamington Spa, GB;
Automotive Products Limited, Warwickshire, GB;
Abstract
According to this invention there is provided a ball and socket joint for use on automobiles and more particularly for use in the steering and suspension systems of automobiles. The ball joint includes a ball pin, the ball of which is rotatable within a housing and is capable of limited universal rotational movement therein. Such constant movement causes wear within the joint and it is desirable to have some means of readily assessing this wear. To enable this wear to be readily estimated by some means external to the housing, the bearing end cap is slidably engaged along one axis with a second member, substantially external to the housing and which is fixed relative to the housing along the one axis and also is rotatable about the said axis. The bearing end cap being displaced by a spring means from either of a rotatable or an interlocked state relative to the second member, to the other of the alternative states, such displacement be accommodated by the wear within the ball joint. The wear can then be detected by the change in whether the second member can be rotated or not relative to the housing.