Hydraulic vibration damper

Claim 1

A VIBRATION DAMPER FOR THE ROTATING DRUM OF A WASHING MACHINE AND LIKE APPLICATIONS COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: (A) A CYLINDER MEMBER HAVING AN AXIS AND FORMED WITH AN AXIALLY EXTENDING CAVITY ADAPTED TO RETAIN A BODY OF LIQUID; (B) PISTON MEANS AXIALLY MOVABLE RELATIVE TO SAID CYLINDER MEMBER AND INCLUDING A PISTON PORTION AND A ROD PORTION, (1) SAID PISTON PORTION DIVIDING SAID CAVITY INTO FIRST AND SECOND COMPARTMENTS AND MOVING INWARD AND OUTWARD OF SAID COMPARTMENTS DURING THE MOVEMENT OF SAID PISTON MEANS, (2) SAID ROD PORTION EXTENDING FROM SAID PISTON PORTION THROUGH SAID FIRST COMPARTMENT AND PROJECTING OUTWARD OF SAID CAVITY THROUGH SAID CYLINDER MEMBER, (3) SAID PISTON PORTION BEING FORMED WITH A RESTRICTED PASSAGE THERETHROUGH BETWEEN SAID COMPARTMENTS, THE PASSAGE HAVING AN ORIFICE IN ONE OF SAID COMPARTMENTS, (4) SAID PISTON MEANS BEING FURTHER FORMED WITH AN AXIAL BORE AT LEAST PARTLY EXTENDING IN SAID ROD PORTION AND OPEN TO THE OTHER ONE OF SAID COMPARTMENTS, THE BORE COMMUNICATING WITH SAID ONE COMPARTMENT THROUGH AN APERTURE IN SAID PISTON ROD PORTION; (C) A SLEEVE MEMBER AXIALLY SLIDABLE ON SAID ROD PORTION TOWARD AND AWAY FROM AN OPERATIVE POSITION IN WHICH THE SLEEVE MEMBER SUBSTANTIALLY OBSTRUCTS SAID APERTURE; (D) SPRING MEANS CONNECTING SAID SLEEVE MEMBER TO SAID PISTON MEANS FOR AXIAL OSCILLATION OF SAID SLEEVE MEMBER ABOUT SAID PISTON THEREOF; (1) THE SLEEVE MEMBER HAVING TWO RADIALLY EXTENDING FACES FACING IN OPPOSITE AXIAL DIRECTIONS, ONE OF SAID FACES BEING OPPOSITE SAID ORIFICE OF THE PISTON PORTION IN SAID POSITION OF THE SLEEVE MEMBER; AND (E) JET MEANS ON SAID PISTON MEANS COMMUNICATING WITH SAID BORE AT A POSITION AXIALLY SPACED FROM SAID APERTURE ALONG SAID BORE FOR DIRECTING A STREAM OF LIQUID TOWARD THE OTHER FACE OF SAID SLEEVE MEMBER WHEN THE LATTER IS IN SAID POSITION THEREOF, SAID OTHER COMPARTMENT CONTAINS LIQUID, AND SAID PISTON MEMBER MOVES INWARD OF SAID OTHER COMPARTMENT.