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:
Feb. 12, 2002
Filed:
Aug. 10, 2001
Mark Guy Trowbridge, Stow, OH (US);
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, Akron, OH (US);
Abstract
An air spring wherein the spring constant of the air spring can be readily tuned to achieve a desired ride performance is disclosed. The air spring has a cylindrical elastomeric sleeve, bead plates, and support rings. The sleeve is secured at each end to a bead plate. The support rings are secured to the bead beads, extending radially outward from the bead plates. The support rings have an inner shoulder, an outer shoulder, and a tracking surface extending between the shoulders. When the air spring is at design height, the sleeve contacts only the inner shoulders of the support rings. By limiting the initial contact of the sleeve with ring and determining where this contact occurs, the movement of the sleeve during jounce can be modified, altering the effective area rate of change.