Pressure balanced ball joint

Claim 1

A BALL JOINT HAVING A NOMINAL CENTRAL AXIS AND COMPRISING: A BALL; A HOUSING, THE BALL BEING ADAPTED TO BE MOUNTED TO ONE OBJECT, AND THE HOUSING TO BE MOUNTED TO ANOTHER, WHEREBY THE JOINT WILL PERMIT RELATIVE ANGULAR MOTION BETWEEN THE OBJECTS LATERAL TO THE AXIS, THE HOUSING INCLUDING A CAVITY IN WHICH THE BALL IS DISPOSED; A CYLINDER WALL BOUNDING AT LEAST A PART OF THE CAVITY; A PAIR OF PLUNGER SOCKET MEMBERS AXIALLY SLIDABLY FITTED IN SAID CYLINDER WALL AND EACH FORMING WITH THE HOUSING A FLUID BIAS CHAMBER ON THE SIDE THEREOF OPPOSITE FROM THE BALL; A SOCKET SURFACE ON EACH OF SAID SOCKET MEMBERS FACING THE BALL; A PAIR OF SPACED-APART PERIPHERAL SEALS EXTENDING BETWEEN EACH OF SAID SOCKET SURFACES AND THE ADJACENT BALL, THEREBY FORMING A FLUID CONTROL CHAMBER THEREBETWEEN, THE LATERAL AREA OF THE BIAS CHAMBER BEING GREATER THAN THE LATERAL AREA OD THE CONTROL CHAMBER; EACH SAID PLUNGER SOCKET MEMBER HAVING A BORE THEREIN EXTENDING FROM SAID BIAS CHAMBER; A PAIR OF CONTROL VALVES; A POPPET IN EACH OF SAID VALVES WHICH IS MOVABLE WITH THE HOUSING AND EXTENDS INTO SAID BORE IN A RESPECTIVE ONE OF SAID PLUNGER SOCKET MEMBERS; CONTROL GROOVE MEANS IN SAID BORE AND ON SAID POPPET IN FLUID COMMUNICATION WITH SAID CONTROL CHAMBER; PRESSURE SUPPLY MEANS SUPPLYING PRESSURE TO THE CONTROL VALVES, EXHAUST MEANS IN EACH SAID PLUNGER SOCKET MEMBER IN FLUID COMMUNICATION WITH SAID CONTROL GROOVE MEANS THEREIN, THE SAID CONTROL GROOVE MEANS BEING RESPONSIVE TO RELATIVE AXIAL MOVEMENT BETWEEN SAID BALL AND HOUSING WHEREBY SAID CONTROL GROOVE MEANS IN SAID POPPET AND SAID BORE ARE MOVED RELATIVE TO EACH OTHER AS THE HOUSING MEMBER SHIFTS AXIALLY RELATIVE TO SAID BALL, WHEREBY THE PRESSURE IN THE RESPECTIVE CONTROL CHAMBERS IS CONTROLLED THEREBY MAINTAINING SAID BALL CENTERED WITHIN SAID HOUSING AND OUT OF DIRECT CONTACT WITH SAID PLUNGER SOCKET MEMBERS, THE BIAS CHAMBERS BEING FLUID CONNECTED TO THE RESPECTIVE CONTROL CHAMBERS, THE CONTROL VALVES BEING IN PUSH-PILL RELATIONSHIP WITH EACH OTHER.