Shock absorbers

Claim 1

A HYDRO-PNEUMATIC SHOCK ABSORBER OF THE DIRECT-ACTING CYLINDER-AND-PISTON TYPE, COMPRISING A TUBULAR CYLINDER MEMBER HAVING AN INTEGRAL WALL AT ONE END AND TERMINATING IN AN OPPOSITE CYLINDRICAL OPEN END STRUCTURE, A PISTON DISPOSED FOR RECIPROCATION WITHIN SAID CYLINDER MEMBER AND HAVING A PISTON ROD PROJECTING THROUGH SAID OPEN END, A ROD-PACKING CLOSURE MEANS EXTENDING ACROSS THE OPEN END STRUCTURE OF SAID CYLINDER MEMBER AND PROVIDED WITH A CENTRAL OPENING RECEIVING THE RECIPROCATING ROD, A QUANTITY OF DAMPING LIQUID IN SAID CYLINDER MEMBER THROUGH WHICH THE PISTON MOVES DURING COMPRESSION AND EXTENSION OF THE SHOCK ABSORBER, A QUANTITY OF GASEOUS FLUID UNDER PRESSURE IN SAID CYLINDER AT THE INTEGRAL END PORTION THEREOF, THE ENTRY OF SUCCESSIVE PORTIONS OF THE PISTON ROD DURING THE COMPRESSION STROKE DISPLACING AN EQUIVALENT VOLUME OF DAMPING LIQUID AND RESULTING IN A PROPORTIONATE INCREASE IN THE PRESSURE TO WHICH SAID GASEOUS FLUID IS SUBJECTED, AND A DIAPHRAGM MEMBER HAVING A GENERALLY CIRCULAR PERIPHERY AND AN IMPERVIOUS CONTINUOUS BODY WITHIN SAID PERIPHERY, SAID DIAPHRAGM MEMBER EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY ACROSS SAID CYLINDER MEMBER AT A POINT SPACED AXIALLY FROM SAID INTEGRAL END WALL, THE INNER WALL SURFACE OF THE CYLINDER MEMBER BEING SMOOTH AND UNINTERRUPTED AND OF A SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM DIAMETER FROM THAT POINT TO THE OPEN END OF THE CYLINDER, SAID DIAPHRAGM MEMBER SERVING TO SEPARATE THE DAMPING LIQUID FROM THE COMPRESSED GASEOUS FLUID, A MARGINAL PORTION OF SAID DIAPHRAGM BEING CONFORMED TO A CYLINDRIAL CONFIGURATION AND LYING SNUGLY AGAINST A PORTION OF THE INNER WALL OF THE CYLINDER MEMBER, A RELATIVELY RIGID RING DISPOSED RADIALLY INWARDLY OF SAID CYLINDRICAL MARGINAL PORTION OF SAID DIAPHRAGM AND SERVING TO PRESS SAID MARGINAL PORTION AGAINST THE INNER WALL OF THE CYLINDER MEMBER TO SEAL THE PERIPHERY OF THE DIAPHRAGM AGAINST SAID WALL, SAID BODY OF THE DIAPHRAGM MEMBER HAVING A REVERSE BEND AROUND SAID RING AND EXTENDING TOWARD THE OPEN END OF THE CYLINDER MEMBER BEYOND SAID RING IN THE FORM OF A CUPPED PORTION WHEN THE SHOCK ABSORBER IS IN AN IDLE UNSTRESSED CONDITION, THE OUTER DIAMETER OF THE DIAPHRAGM AND RING ASSEMBLY BEING SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE INNER DIAMETER OF THE SMOOTH WALLED PORTION OF THE CYLINDER, WHEREBY THE RING AND DIAPHRAGM ASSEMBLY MAY DURING ASSEMBLING OF THE SHOCK ABSORBER BE SLID AS A UNIT INTO THE OPEN END OF SAID CYLINDER MEMBER TO ITS PROPER POSITION ADJACENT THE CLOSED END OF THE CYLINDER MEMBER, AND A RADIALLY INWARDLY PROJECTING ANNULAR ABUTMENT ON THE INNER WALL OF THE CYLINDER ABOVE SAID POINT OF POSITIONING OF SAID DIAPHRAGM SERVING TO STOP THE INWARD APPLICATION OF SAID DIAPHRAGM AND RING ASSEMBLY AND TO SQUARE UP THE ASSEMBLY AND DETERMINE ITS POSITION FOR OPERATION.