Ball joint device

Claim 1

A UNIVERSAL JOINT, PARTICULARLY FOR STEERING AND CONTROL LINKAGES OF MOTOR VEHICLES, COMPRISING A TUBULAR HOUSING CLOSED AT ONE END AND HAVING AN OPENING AT THE OPPOSITE END WITH AN INTERIOR LEDGE ADJACENT SAID OPENING, A ONE PIECE INTEGRAL PLASTIC BEARING BOX IN SAID HOUSING, A HINGE PIN EXTENDING THROUGH THE OPENING OF SAID HOUSING AND HAVING A SPHERICAL END ELASTICALLY SUPPORTED FOR MOVEMENT IN ALL DIRECTIONS IN SAID BEARING BOX, AND MEANS FOR SUPPORTING SAID BEARING BOX WITHIN SAID HOUSING WITH ELASTICALLY VARIABLE PLAY BOTH IN DIRECTIONS OF THE HINGE PIN AXIS AND IN TRANVERSE DIRECTIONS, SAID MEANS FOR SUPPORTING SAID BEARING BOX WITHIN SAID HOUSING INCLUDING TWO ELASTIC RINGS SPACED IN AN AXIAL DIRECTION IN RESPECT TO THE AXIS OF SAID HINGE PIN, SAID RINGS BEARING ALONG THEIR ENTIRE OUTER PERIPHERIES AND ENDS AGAINST THE INTERIOR AND EACH END OF SAID HOUSING RESPECTIVELY, SAID BEARING BOX HAVING A COLLAR EXTENDING RADIALLY OUTWARDLY BETWEEN SAID RINGS BUT BEING SPACED FROM THE INTERIOR OF SAID HOUSING, THE INNER PERIPHERY OF SAID ELASTIC RINGS AND THE OUTER PERIPHERY OF SAID BEARING BOX HAVING COMPLEMENTARY FRUSTO-CONICAL SURFACES IN ENGAGEMENT WITH EACH OTHER AND CONVERGING TOWARD SAID COLLAR, AND SAID ELASTIC RINGS ALSO HAVING SLOTS AT EACH END PERMITTING ADDITIONAL YIELDING OF THE BEARING BOX IN AXIAL DIRECTIONS.