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:
Nov. 03, 2015
Filed:
Sep. 30, 2008
Timothy P. Coffield, Grand Rapids, MI (US);
John F. Aldrich, Grandville, MI (US);
Ryan S. Brill, Allendale, MI (US);
Matthew P. Reed, Ann Arbor, MI (US);
Matthew Parkinson, State College, PA (US);
Jeffrey A. Weber, Golden Valley, MN (US);
Timothy P. Coffield, Grand Rapids, MI (US);
John F. Aldrich, Grandville, MI (US);
Ryan S. Brill, Allendale, MI (US);
Matthew P. Reed, Ann Arbor, MI (US);
Matthew Parkinson, State College, PA (US);
Jeffrey A. Weber, Golden Valley, MN (US);
Illinois Tool Works Inc., Glenview, IL (US);
Abstract
An elastomeric load bearing surface with different load support characteristics in different directions. In one embodiment, the surface includes an elastomeric membrane that is oriented in only a single direction, for example, by compression or stretching. In another embodiment, the surface includes mechanical structures, such as connectors, variations in thickness and apertures, that vary the load support characteristics in different directions. In another aspect, the present invention provides a multilayer load bearing surface in which the layers cooperate to provide a controlled force/deflection profile that is variable in different regions of the surface. In one embodiment, the upper layer includes a plurality of loosely connected nodes and a lower layer having a plurality of resilient elements that separately support each node.