Adjustable shock absorber

Claim 2

In a shock absorber including a piston assembly reciprocal in compression and extension strokes, a sealed working cylinder in which the piston assembly is positioned for reciprocation, and a fluid reservoir communicating with said cylinder, wherein the improvement in combination therewith includes response varying means for selectively varying the response of said shock absorber comprising: resilient check means between said cylinder and said reservoir, said resilient check means controlling the flow of fluid between said reservoir and said cylinder as said piston is reciprocated in at least one of said strokes, bleed means communicating said cylinder and reservoir with each other in bypassing relationship to said check means, and adjustable valve means for selectively controlling the flow of fluid through said bleed means in bypassing relationship to and independently of said check means when said piston is moved in said at least one of said strokes, whereby the response of said shock absorber may be selectively varied in response to the adjustment of said valve means.

Claim 3

In the shock absorber of claim 1 including engaging means on said piston assembly for engaging said valve means to selectively open and close said blood means.

Claim 4

In the shock absorber of claim 1 wherein said valve means comprises means rotatable in said cylinder to selectively open and close said valve means.

Claim 5

In the shock absorber of claim 1 wherein said valve means is movable between a first position in which said bleed means is fully open and a second position in which said bleed means is fully shut.

Claim 6

In the shock absorber of claim 1 wherein said piston assembly separates said cylinder into a pair of spaces, a piston rod attached to the piston assembly and extending from one end of the cylinder, said piston assembly comprising a piston member attached to said piston rod and a valve member reciprocal with said piston member, said piston assembly being reciprocal in said cylinder during operation and into an adjustment position, stop means associated with said piston assembly for locking said valve member against rotation when said piston assembly is moved to said adjustment position, but unlocking said valve member when said piston assembly is not in said adjustment position, said piston member being rotatable relative to said valve member when said piston assembly is in said adjustment position and said valve member is locked, and passage means in said piston member and said valve member, the passage means in said piston member being selectively alignable relative to the passage means in said valve member to selectively restrict the flow therethrough between said spaces, such that the response of said piston assembly is selectively varied in said compression and extension strokes by a variation in the alignment of said passage means in response to rotation of said piston member relative to said valve member when said valve member is locked in said adjustment position.

Claim 7

In the shock absorber of claim 5 including detent means on said piston assembly for locking said piston member and valve member together in one of several selected response positions.

Claim 8

In the shock absorber of claim 5 wherein said bleed means which is selectively operable to vary the response of said piston assembly independently of said piston and valve members such that the response of said piston assembly differs at different speeds of said piston assembly.

Claim 9

In the shock absorber of claim 5 including check means associated with said passage means to selectively permit flow through said passage means when said piston assembly is moved in said extension and compression strokes.

Claim 10

In the shock absorber of claim 5 wherein when the response of said piston assembly is increased in said compression stroke the response is simultaneously decreased in said extension stroke and vice versa in response to rotatioN of said piston member relative to said locked valve member.

Claim 11

In the shock absorber of claim 5 wherein said passage means of said piston member includes first and second passages extending therethrough between one of said spaces and the other of said spaces, and said passage means of said valve means includes third and fourth passages, said first and third passages and said second and fourth passages being alignable with each other respectively, the alignment of said first and third passages and said second and fourth passages being selectively variable so as to vary the resistance to the transfer of the fluid between said spaces in response to rotation of said piston member relative to said valve member when said valve member is locked against rotation when said piston assembly is in said adjustment position.

Claim 12

In the shock absorber of claim 10 wherein said piston member is fixed to and rotatable with said piston rod in said cylinder, and said stop means engages said valve means to lock said valve means against rotation when said piston rod is rotated, whereby the alignment of the first and second passages in said piston member with the third and fourth passages in said valve means varies upon rotation of said piston member.

Claim 13

In the shock absorber of claim 5 wherein said piston assembly comprises, a cup shaped piston member defining a cylindrical recess therein, the open face of said piston member facing one of said spaces, a first slotted passage in said piston member extending from said recess to the side of the piston member adjacent the other of said spaces, a second passage in said piston member communicating the sides of the piston member adjacent said spaces with said recess, said valve member including a cylindrical valve body in said recess, a third slotted passage in said valve body aligned with said first slotted passage for communicating said spaces with each other, and a fourth passage in said valve body aligned with said second passage for communicating said spaces with each other.

Claim 14

In the shock absorber of claim 12 including detent means for locking said valve body and said piston member to each other in one of several positions in which their respective passages are aligned.

Claim 15

In the shock absorber of claim 12 including check means for preventing transfer of fluid between said spaces through said first and third passages when said piston assembly is on said extension stroke and through said second and fourth passages when said piston assembly is on said compression stroke.