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:
Aug. 02, 2005
Filed:
Nov. 10, 2003
Robert Charles Schisler, Munroe Falls, OH (US);
Robert Charles Schisler, Munroe Falls, OH (US);
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, Akron, OH (US);
Abstract
An air spring having a relatively low and a relatively high spring height includes a retainer, a base housing, an elastomeric sleeve secured to the retainer at a first end and secured to the base housing at a lower end to form a chamber, the elastomeric sleeve expanding from a relatively collapsed configuration at the low air spring height into an expanded configuration at the high air spring height. A confined bladder is disposed within the chamber, the bladder being inflatable to displace a variable portion of an expanded volume within the sleeve chamber at the high air spring height. The spring rate of the air spring is adjusted by an adjustment to the volume of air displaced by the inflated bladder within the sleeve chamber and by overpressurizing the bladder relative to the air spring sleeve, whereby the air spring is adapted to provide a relatively low spring rate at the lower height and a relatively high spring rate at the higher height.