Integral shock absorber and spring assembly

Claim 1

An integral shock absorber and spring assembly comprising: a first base; a rod projecting from said first base; a second base; a cylinder projecting from said second base, said cylinder being closed at the end remote from said second base by a cap through which said rod slidingly projects; a piston carried by said rod within said cylinder, said piston dividing the interior space of said cylinder into a first bore which decreases in volume during the upstroke of said piston in said cylinder and a second bore which decreases in volume during the downstroke of said piston in said cylinder; a hydraulic fluid circuit comprising a reservoir for hydraulic fluid, a first path of fluid communication through said piston; a second path of fluid communication through said cylinder and positioned near an end of said cylinder towards which said piston is directed during an upstroke and operably connected to said reservoir, said second path of fluid communication having a plurality of axially-spaced openings whereby the effective cross-sectional area of the sum of said openings is reduced as said piston nears the end of an upstroke, said second paths of fluid communication permitting a slower flow rate than said first path of fluid communication, and a third path of fluid communication through said cylinder and positioned near an end of said cylinder towards which the piston is directed during a downstroke and operably connected to said reservoir, said third path of fluid communication having a plurality of axially spaced openings whereby the effective cross-sectional area of the sum of said third path of fluid communication is reduced as said piston nears the end of its downstroke, and wherein said third path of fluid communication permits a slower flow rate during the downstroke of said piston than said first path of fluid communication so that during an upstroke fluid will be directed from said first fluid pathway through said second fluid pathway to said reservoir and from said reservoir through said third pathway of fluid communication and into said second bore, and during a piston downstroke, fluid exits said second bore through said first path of fluid communication in said piston; a one-way valve positioned in said first path of fluid communication which permits flow toward said first bore but does not permit flow in the opposite direction; a remotely adjustable control valve positioned in said hydraulic fluid circuit; and a spring surrounding said rod and said cylinder connected at one end to said first base and disposed to hold said piston at an intermediate position in said cylinder.