Compartmented resilient bumper assembly

Claim 2

A resiliently deformable bumper assembly for a vehicle and the like comprising a rigid elongate backing member secured to the vehicle body, a resiliently deformable elongate outer shell, means securing said outer shell to the backing member, said outer shell and said backing member forming a substantially sealed elongate enclosure, a plurality of partitions extending generally transversely to said outer shell and dividing said enclosure into a plurality of consecutive compartments, each said partition serving as a wall for a pair of adjacent compartments, passage means interconnecting said compartments and permitting passage of air and the like between adjacent compartments under unimpacted conditions, said partitions and passage means comprising throttling means restricting substantial air flow between adjacent compartments and thereby preventing immediate collapse of an individual compartment upon a sudden impact confined to that compartment, an elongate inflatable inner tube member received within said enclosure, said tube member having a plurality of longitudinally spaced constrictions dividing said tube member into a plurality of sausage-like segments, each of said compartments containing one of said segments conforming generally to the interiors of said compartments, said partitions positioned about and engaging said constrictions.

Claim 3

A resiliently deforming bumper assembly for a vehicle and the like comprising a rigid elongate backing member secured to the vehicle, an elongate resilient shell engageable with the backing plate, clamping means securing said shell to said backing member, said shell and said backing member forming a generally hollow enclosure, said shell including a plurality of integrally formed partitions extending from the interior of said shell toward said backing member and dividing the enclosure into a plurality of longitudinally disposed compartments, each of said partitions having the major portion of its periphery joined to said outer shell, passage means interconnecting said compartments permitting the flow of air and the like under unimpacted conditions and comprising throttling means substantially limiting flow to adjacent compartments upon sudden impact and compression of one or more of the compartments, said partitions and passage means preventing an immediate collapse of a bumper compartment upon impact with an object engaging only a small portion of the bumper shell, an elongate inflatable inner tube member received within said enclosure, said tube member having a plurality of longitudinally spaced constrictions dividing said tube member into a plurality of sausage-like segments, said constrictions being cooperatively associated with said partitions and passage means, said partition being engageable with said constrictions.

Claim 4

A resiliently deforming bumper assembly for a vehicle and the like comprising a rigid elongate backing member secured to the vehicle, an elongate resilient shell engageable with the backing plate, clamping means securing said shell to said backing member, said shell and said backing member forming a generally hollow enclosure, said shell including a plurality of integrally formed partitions extending from the interior of said shell toward said backing member and dividing the enclosure into a plurality of longitudinally disposed compartments, each of said partitions having the major portion of its periphery joined to said outer shell, passage means interconnecting said compartments permitting the flow of air and the like under unimpacted conditions and comprising throttling means substantially limiting flow to adjacent compartments upon sudden impact and compression of one or more of the compartments, said partitions and passage means preventing an immediate collapse of a bumper compartment upon impact with an object engaging only a small portion of the bumper shell, an elongate inflatable inner tube member received within said enclosure, said tube member having a plurality of longitudinally spaced constrictions dividing said tube member into a plurality of sausage-like segments, said constrictions being cooperatively associated with said partitions and passage means, said partition being engageable with said constrictions.

Claim 5

A resiliently deformable bumper assembly according to claim 2, said passage means comprising notches formed in said partitions and opening against said backing member, said constrictions being received within said notches.