Suspension system and apparatus for supporting a structure

Claim 1

IN A CLOSED CIRCUIT TYPE SUSPENSION SYSTEM FOR SUPPORTING A VEHICLE WHEREIN SAID SYSTEM IS PROVIDED WITH A COMPRESSIBLE FLUID RESTRAINED WITHIN THE CONFINES OF A SEALED CHAMBER AND A HIGH PRESSURE FOUID WHICH PASSES THROUGH A CLOSED CIRCUIT WHICH IS PROVIDED WITH INTAKE, WORKING, AND EXHAUST PHASES, APPARATUS INCLUDING A PISTON ROD HAVING A PISTON HEAD MOUNTED FOR RECIPROCATING MOVEMENT WITHIN THE CONFINES OF A TUBE-LIKE MEMBER AND A FLEXIBLE IMPERVIOUS DIAPHRAGM DISPOSED INTERMEDIATE THE SEALED CHAMBER AND THE WORKING PHASE OF THE CLOSED CIRCUIT, AND MEANS FOR VARYING THE VOLUME OF THE HIGH PRESSURE FLUID DURING THE FLOW THEREOF THROUGH THE CLOSED CIRCUIT DURING THE OPERAING CYCLE OF THE SYSTEM AND FOR DEFINING A SEAL AGAINST THE HIGH PRESSURE FLUID FLOW THROUGH THE CLOSED CIRCUIT DURING A STATIC CONDITION OF THE SYSTEM, SAID MEANS INCLUDING AN ELONGATED METERING ROD DISPOSED WITHIN THE CONFINES OF THE APPARATUS AND PASSING THROUGH A BORE IN THE PISTON HEAD WITH THE END PORTIONS OF THE METERING ROD TERMINATING ON OPPOSED SIDES OF THE PISTON HEAD, SAID METERING ROD AND SAID BORE IN THE PISTON HEAD EACH HAVING A SURFACE ONE OF WHICH HAS A SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT CROSS SECTIONAL AREA WHILE THE OTHER IS TAPERED IN CONVERGING RELATIONSHIP TO DEFINE A VARIABLE CLEARANCE BETWEEN THE METERING ROD AND THE PISTON HEAD BORE TO PLACE THE INTAKE PHASE OF THE CLOSED CIRCUIT IN COMMUNICATION WITH THE WORKING PHASE THEREOF, SAID MEANS FURTHER INCLUDING THE SURFACE OF THE TUBELIKE MEMBER WHICH EXTENDS FROM SUBSTANTIALLY THE LONGITUDINAL MID-POINT THEREOF, SAID SURFACE OF THE TUBE-LIKE MEMBER DIVERGING FROM THE LONGITUDINAL MID-POINT THEREOF AWAY FROM THE ADJACENT SURFACE OF THE PISTON ROD AND DEFINING THEREWITH A VARIABLE SPACE FOR PLACING THE WORKING PHASE OF THE CLOSED CIRCUIT IN COMMUNICATION WITH THE EXHAUST PHASE THEREOF, SAID MEANS ALSO INCLUDING A DEVICE CARRIED BY THE PISTON HEAD FOR PLACING THE EXHAUST PHASE OF THE CLOSED CIRCUIT IN COMMUNICATION WITH THE WORKING PHASE THEREOF DURING THE OPERATING CYCLE OF THESYSTEM AND FOR SEALING THE EXHAUST PHASE OF THE CLOSED CIRCUIT FROM THE WORKING PHASE THEREOF DURING A STATIC CONDITION OF THE SYSTEM, SAID DEVICE INCLUDING A PISTON SLEEVE SECURED TO THE PISTON ROD, SAID PISTON SLEEVE HAVINGA BORE EXTENDING GENERALLY AXIALLY THERETHROUGH AND CONDUIT MEANS FOR PLACING THE EXHAUST PHASE OF THE CLOSED CIRCUIT IN COMMUNICATION WITH THE WORKING PHASE THEREOF, AN ELONGATED PISTON MEMBER SLIDABLY MOUNTED WITHIN THE BORE OF THE PISTON SLEEVE FOR MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO THE PISTON SLEEVE, SAID PISTON MEMBER EXTENDING THROUGH THE BORE IN THE PISTON SLEEVE AND TERMINATING IN ENLARGED END PORTIONS WITH A FIRST END PORTION HAVINGA CONFIGURATION WHICH CREATES A CLEARANCE BETWEEN THE PISTON MEMBER AND THE TUBE-LIKE MEMBER, DEFORMABLE SEALING STRUCTURE DISPOSED BETWEEN THE PISTON SLEEVE AND THE PISTON MEMBER, SAID SEALING STRUCTURE BEING DEFORMABLE ON ENGAGEMENT BY SAID FIRST END PORTION OF THE PISTON MEMBER TO CLOSE THE CLEARANCE BETWEEN THE PISTON MEMBER AND THE TUBE-LIKE MEMBER, AND A BIAS MEANS DISPOSED BETWEEN A SECOND END PORTION OF THE PISTON MEMBER AND THE PISTON SLEEVE FOR NORMALLY URGING THE PISTON MEMBER IN A DIRECTION TO DEFORM THE SEALING STRUCTURE AND SEAL THE EXHAUST PHASE OF THE CLOSED CIRCUIT FROM THE WORKING PHASE THEREOF DURING A STATIC CONDITION OF THE SYSTEM, SAID SECOND END PORTION OF THE PISTON MEMBER HAVING A CONFIGURATION TO DEFINE A SURFACE AGAINST WHICH THE HIGH PRESSURE FLUID MAY ACT TO OVERCOME THE FORCE OF SAID BIAS MEANS, WHEREBY THE PISTON MEMBER IS DISENGAGED FROM THE SEALING STRUCTURE AND THE EXHAUST PHASE OF THE CLOSED CIRCUIT IS PLACED IN COMMUNICATION WITH THE WORKING PHASE THEREOF THROUGH THE CLEARANCE BETWEEN THE FIRST END PORTION OF THE PISTON MEMBER AND THE TUBE-LIKE MEMBER AND THE CONDUIT MEANS IN THE PISTON SLEEVE DURING THE OPERATING CYCLE OF THE SYSTEM.