Rolling bearing for linear movement having cage extending beyond outer sleeve

Claim 1

In a rolling bearing adapted for relative axial movement with respect to a shaft, and including a cage with axially extending pairs of first and second guideways for loaded and unloaded rolling elements respectively and circular reversing guideways at the axial ends of and interconnecting each pair of first and second guideways, to form continuous paths, endless rows of rolling elements in said paths, and outer sleeve surrounding said cage and having an axial length substantially equal to the lengths of said first and second guideways, whereby the ends of said cage having said reversing guideways project axially beyond said outer sleeve, and end rings mounted to radially outwardly cover said projecting ends; the improvement wherein the radially inward surfaces of said semicircular guideways, with respect to the axis of said bearing, are radially outwardly convex and said end rings have concave recesses in their inner surfaces and radially surrounding said semicircular guideways, the centers of curvature of said surfaces of each semicircular guideway and the corresponding recess of said end ring being on a common axis parallel to said bearing axis, the centers of said second guideways being displaced radially outwardly in said cage from the centers of said first guideways, whereby rolling elements in said second guideways are held out of contact with said shaft.