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:
Jul. 13, 1999
Filed:
Apr. 01, 1996
Thomas G Marsden, Eldersburg, MD (US);
Bowles Fluidics Corporation, Columbia, MD (US);
Abstract
A vehicle air outlet having an outlet bell, an upstream intruder member, a control shaft secured to the upstream intruder member, and a ball and socket device for mounting the control shaft to the outlet bell. In a preferred embodiment a portion of the control shaft is made to serve as a housing having a fixed hemispherically shaped bearing seat which is integrally formed therein at the closed end of the housing and a slot is formed in the housing to allow the ball supporting struts to extend outwardly from proximate the axial center of the outlet. A spring loaded bearing seat forming a second hemispherical and floating portion of the socket is guided by the housing into engagement with and to capture the is ball in the socket and a closure cap retains the compression spring in position. In a preferred embodiment, a long compression spring is used. This is advantageous over a short spring element where minor changes in compressed length can cause relatively high changes in spring force.