Floating valves for shock absorbers

Claim 1

IN A DIRECT-ACTING PISTON-AND-CYLINDER SHOCK ABSORBER, A CYLINDER CONTAINING DAMPING FLUID, A PISTON DISPOSED FOR RECIPROCATION THEREIN, MEANS FOR BY-PASSING DAMPING FLUID THROUGH THE PISTON FROM ONE SIDE TO THE OTHER, SAID MEANS INCLUDING AN ANNULAR CAVITY FORMED IN SAID PISTON AND HAVING INNER AND OUTER CIRCULAR WALLS, AT LEAST ONE THIN ANNULAR RESILIENT VALVE DISC POSITIONED WITHIN SAID CAVITY, A FIXED ANNULAR SEAT ON ONE WALL OF SAID CAVITY FACING IN ONE AXIAL DIRECTION AND A FIXED ANNULAR SEAT ON THE OTHER OF SAID WALLS FACING IN THE OPPOSITE AXIAL DIRECTION, THE OUTER MARGINAL PORTION OF SAID DISC NORMALLY SEATED IN THE AXIAL DIRECTION AGAINST THE SEAT ON THE OUTER ONE OF SAID WALLS, AND THE INNER MARGINAL PORTION OF SAID DISC SEATED AGAINST THE SEAT ON THE INNER ONE OF SAID WALLS, WHEREBY MOVEMENT OF SAID PISTON IN ONE DIRECTION CAUSES PRESSURE OF DAMPING FLUID AGAINST THE VALVE DISC IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION AND CAUSES THE DISC TO YIELDABLY FLEX AWAY FROM ONE OF SADI SEATS AND AFFORD AN ANNULAR OPENING BETWEEN THE ADJACENT PORTIONS OF THE DISC AND THE SEAT FOR THE CONTROLLED PASSAGE OF FLUID THERETHROUGH, CHARACTERIZED BY THE PROVISION OF AN OBSTRUCTION TO FLOW OF FLUID COMPRISING A PART PROJECTING FROM AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE PERIPHERY OF THE SUPPORT SO AS TO THROTTLE THE FLOW OF DAMPING FLUID PAST THIS INNER PORTION OF THE VALVE DISC, AND THE OBSTRUCTION SO CONSTRUCTED AND ARRANGED AS TO GRADUALLY DECREASE THROTTLING EFFECT AS THE FLEXING OF THE DISC INCREASES.