Drawn shell roller bearing

Claim 1

A ROLLER BEARING ASSEMBLY INCLUDING IN COMBINATION, A THIN WALLED ONE-PIECE FORMED SHELL HAVING A CYLINDRICAL SURFACE PROVIDING A RACEWAY LYING INWARDLY FROM THE SIDES OF THE SHELL FOR RECEIVING ROLLERS, SAID SHELL HAVING AN INTEGRALLY FORMED SHOULDER AT EACH AXIAL END THEREOF DEFINING THE AXIAL LIMITS OF THE RACEWAY, WITH EACH OF SAID SHOULDERS COMPRISING A RADIALLY INWARDLY DIRECTED PORTION AND AN AXIALLY INWARDLY DIRECTED PORTION EXTENDING FROM THE INNERMOST END OF SAID RADIALLY INWARRDLY DIRECTED PORTION, SAID AXIALY INWARDLY DIRECTED PORTION BEING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO THE AXIS OF THE BEARING ASSEMBLY, A PLURALITY OF ROLLERS POSITIONED BETWEEN SAID SHOULDERS AND IN ROLLING RELATION WITH SAID CYLINDRICAL SURFACE OF SAID SHELL, WITH SAID ROLLERS HAVING END SURFACES ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID AXIALLY INWARDLY DIRECTED PORTION SUCH THAT ANY SUBSTANTIAL AXIAL THRUST ON A ROLLER DURING OPERATION OF THE BEARING ASSEMBLY IS BORNE BY SAID AXIALLY INWARDLY EXTENDING PORTION, A TUBULAR RETENTION CAGE CONCENTRIC WITH SAID SHELL MEMBER AND HAVING A CIRCULAR RIM PORTION AT EACH SIDE THEREOF, EACH SAID RIM PORTION HAVING AN OUTER CIRCIRCUMFERENTIAL SURFACE ADAPTED TO BE SUPPORTED IN LAND RIDING RELATIONSHIP ON SAID AXIALLY INWARDLY DIRECTED PORTION OF A RESPECTIVE ONE OF SAID SHOULDERS WHEN THE BEARING ASSEMBLY IS IN OPERATION IN A MECHANISM, SAID CAGE HAVING HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED CROSS BARS OF UNIFORM CROSSSECTION FOR RETAINING SAID ROLLERS, WITH THE SIDE WALLS OF ADJACENT ONES OF SAID CROSS CENTER OF THE BEARING ASSEMBLY WARDLY TOWARDS THE AXIAL CENTER OF THE BEARING ASSEMBLY SUCH THAT THE RADIAL OUTWARD EDGES OF ADJACENT ONES OF SAID CROSS BARS HAVE A CIRCUMFERENTIAL SPACING GREATER THAN THE DIAMETER OF SAID ROLLERS AND THE RADIAL INWARD EDGES OF ADJACENT ONES OF SAID CROSS BARS HAVE A CIRCUMFERENTIAL SPACING LESS THAN THE DIAMETER OF SAID ROLLERS, AND A CYLINDRICAL ANNULAR SURFACE ON EACH OF SAID AXIALLY INWARDLY DIRECTED PORTIONS OF SAID SHOULDERS EXTENDING PARALLEL TO THE AXIS OF THE BEARING ASSEMBLY AND CONFRONTING THE RESPECTIVE RIM PORTION OF SAID CAGE, SAID CYLINDRICAL ANNULAR SURFACES ON SAID AXIALLY INWARDLY DIRECTED PORTIONS BEING SPACED RADIALLY FROM THE CYLINDRICAL SURFACE OF SAID SHELL WHICH DEFINES THE RACEWAY A DISTANCE NO GREATER THAN THE RADIUS OF A ROLLER SO AS TO POSITION SAID CAGE ENTIRELY WITHIN THE LIMITS DEFINED BY SAID ANNULAR SURFACE ON SAID AXIALLY INWARDLY DIRECTED PORTIONS AND THE INNER PERIPHERY OF SAID ROLLERS, THEREBY MAINTAINING SAID RETENTION CAGE IN LAND RIDING RELATIONSHIP WHEN THE BEARING ASSEMBLY IS IN OPERATION IN A MECHANISM.