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:
Jan. 07, 1997
Filed:
Feb. 08, 1995
Samuel R Palfenier, El Paso, TX (US);
Frank R Keipert, Bay City, MI (US);
Howard D Beauch, Frankenmuth, MI (US);
Leland N Olgren, Frankenmuth, MI (US);
William D Cymbal, Freeland, MI (US);
General Motors Corporation, Detroit, MI (US);
Abstract
A motor vehicle steering column having power adjustment of the horizontal and vertical positions of a steering wheel on an end of the steering column including an adjustable tubular mast jacket on which the steering wheel is supported, a stationary tubular mast jacket, and a self-adjusting slide bearing between the stationary and adjustable mast jackets. The self-adjusting slide bearing includes a support tube on the stationary mast jacket, pair of inward facing frustoconical seats on the support tube, a pair of plastic split sleeve bearings slidably mounted on the adjustable mast jacket each having an outward facing frustoconical side, and a tubular spring between the split sleeve bearings biasing the latter toward converging annuluses defined between the frustoconical seats and the adjustable mast jacket for lash-free sliding support of the adjustable mast jacket on the stationary mast jacket. In a preferred embodiment, the tubular spring is a plastic sleeve having a plurality of circumferential slots separated by a plurality of webs which resiliently flex in the length direction of the sleeve.