Shock absorbent support structure

Claim 1

A SHOCK-ABSORBING SUPPORT STRUCTURE FOR A STORAGE CONTAINER COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A BASE MEMBER HAVING A VERTICALLY UPWARDLY EXTENDING SKIRT AND A CONTAINER SUPPORTING MEMBER HAVING A VERTICALLY DEPENDING SKIRT LATERALLY DISPLACED FROM THE BASE MEMBER SKIRT SURFICIENTLY TO PERMIT RELATIVE VERTICAL MOVEMENT BETWEEN THE TWO MEMBERS BUT ONLY SLIGHT RELATIVE LATERAL MOVEMENT THEREBETWEEN; RESILIENT MEANS COMPRISING AT LEAST THREE HELICAL SPRINGS INTERPOSED BETWEEN THE TWO MEMBERS FOR SUPPORTING THE STATIC WEIGHT OF SAID STORAGE CONTAINER AND SAID UPPER MEMBER AND CHARACTERIZED BY HAVING LOW ENERGY DISSIPATION AND A LOW SPRING CONSTANT; FOAMED PLASTIC ENERGY ABSORBING MATERIAL CONTIGUOUSLY INTERPOSED BETWEEN THE TWO MEMBERS AND CHARACTERIZED BY HAVING HIGH ENERGY DISSIPATION AND A RETURN RATE LESS THAN THAT OF SAID RESILIENT MEANS SUCH THAT THE SUBSTANTIAL MAJORITY OF THE DYNAMIC ENERGY IMPARTED TO SAID SHOCKABSORBING SUPPORT STRUCTURE BY AN IMPACT THEREON WILL BE ABSORBED BY SAID FOAMED PLASTIC ENERGY ABSORBING MATERIAL; GUIDE RODS INTERPOSED BETWEEN THE TWO MEMBERS AXIALLY OF SAID RESILIENT MEANS AND CONNECTED TO SAID BASE MEMBER AT ONE END AND ADAPTED TO SLIDE IN GUIDE HOLES IN SAID UPPER MEMBER; AND MEANS TO THE OTHER END OF SAID GUIDE RODS FOR LIMITING THE AMOUNT OF VERTICAL SEPARATION BETWEEN THE TWO MEMBERS.