Patent US684086A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
Patent US4593501A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US4593501A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Vibration and shock isolator with adjustable stiffness
Assignee: ISOSYS Inc
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Filing: 1983-10-11
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Granted: 1986-06-10
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Expires: 2003-10-11
Abstract
Abstract An isolator for use in protecting buildings and other structures from the effects of vibration and shock due to an earthquake. The isolator comprises a stack of elastic bearings interconnected at their outer peripheries and located between and coupled to an upper plate and a lower plate. The junctions between adjacent elastic bearings and between the upper and lower elastic bearings and the upper and lower plates are provided with intermediate plates extending beyond the outer peripheries of the elastic bearings. The intermediate plates have aligned holes near their outer peripheries for receiving vertical rods whose lower ends are releasably coupled to rod-holding devices mounted on the lower plate. The rods provide lateral stiffness for the isolator and, by proper selection of the lengths of the rods, the stiffness of the isolator can be adjusted as desired. By providing a single isolator body with a given number of elastic bearings and by proper selection of the rod lengths and size, it is possible to provide isolators capable of meeting different design requirements yet all isolators have the same basic body of a given diameter.
Inventors
- 👤 Gilles C. Delfosse
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 10:59
CPC Classifications
E; E04; E04H; E04H9/00; E04H9/02; E04H9/021; E04H9/022; E04B; E04B1/00; E04B1/62; E04B1/92; E04B1/98
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 6
Claim 1
Independent Claim
163 words
An isolator for protecting buildings and other structures from the effects of an earthquake comprising: an upper plate; a lower plate; a stack of elastic bearing elements between the upper and lower plates; means coupling the upper plate to the upper end of the lower end of the stack of bearing elements; means coupling the lower plate to the stack of bearing elements; means interconnecting each pair of adjacent bearing elements; an intermediate plate between each pair of bearing elements, respectively, the outer periphery of the intermediate plate being greater than the outer periphery of each adjacent bearing element, each intermediate plate having a plurality of spaced, outer peripheral holes therethrough, each hole being aligned with a respective hole through the next adjacent intermediate plate; and a number of rods extending through at least the aligned holes of at least a pair of the intermediate plates for providing lateral stiffness for the bearing element, the lengths of the rods differing from each other.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
163 words
An isolator for protecting buildings and other structures from the effects of an earthquake comprising: an upper plate; a lower plate; a stack of elastic bearing elements between the upper and lower plates; means coupling the upper plate to the upper end of the lower end of the stack of bearing elements; means coupling the lower plate to the stack of bearing elements; means interconnecting each pair of adjacent bearing elements; an intermediate plate between each pair of bearing elements, respectively, the outer periphery of the intermediate plate being greater than the outer periphery of each adjacent bearing element, each intermediate plate having a plurality of spaced, outer peripheral holes therethrough, each hole being aligned with a respective hole through the next adjacent intermediate plate; and a number of rods extending through at least the aligned holes of at least a pair of the intermediate plates for providing lateral stiffness for the bearing element, the lengths of the rods differing from each other.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
23 words
An isolator as set forth in claim 1, wherein the rods of different lengths are symmetrical about the principal axis of the isolator.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
209 words
An isolator for protecting buildings and other structures from the effects of an earthquake comprising: an upper plate; a lower plate; a stack of elastic bearing elements between the upper and lower plates, each bearing element including a central, rubber body, and a pair of end plates, each intermediate plate being secured to and in engagement with an end plate of an adjacent bearing element; means coupling the upper plate to the upper end of the lower end of the stack of bearing elements; means coupling the lower plate to the stack of bearing elements; means interconnecting each pair of adjacent bearing elements; an intermediate plate between each pair of bearing elements, respectively, the outer periphery of the intermediate plate being greater than the outer periphery of each adjacent bearing element, there being a plurality of outer peripheral bolts for securing the end plates of adjacent bearing elements to each other and to the adjacent intermediate plates, each intermediate plate having a plurality of spaced, outer peripheral holes therethrough, each hole being aligned with a respective hole through the next adjacent intermediate plate; and means extending through at least the aligned holes of at least a pair of the intermediate plates for providing lateral stiffness for the bearing element.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
209 words
An isolator for protecting buildings and other structures from the effects of an earthquake comprising: an upper plate; a lower plate; a stack of elastic bearing elements between the upper and lower plates, each bearing element including a central, rubber body, and a pair of end plates, each intermediate plate being secured to and in engagement with an end plate of an adjacent bearing element; means coupling the upper plate to the upper end of the lower end of the stack of bearing elements; means coupling the lower plate to the stack of bearing elements; means interconnecting each pair of adjacent bearing elements; an intermediate plate between each pair of bearing elements, respectively, the outer periphery of the intermediate plate being greater than the outer periphery of each adjacent bearing element, there being a plurality of outer peripheral bolts for securing the end plates of adjacent bearing elements to each other and to the adjacent intermediate plates, each intermediate plate having a plurality of spaced, outer peripheral holes therethrough, each hole being aligned with a respective hole through the next adjacent intermediate plate; and means extending through at least the aligned holes of at least a pair of the intermediate plates for providing lateral stiffness for the bearing element.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
17 words
An isolator as set forth in claim 3, wherein the axis of the bolts is substantially vertical.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1989-06-09 | 1989-12-09 | 1990-06-10 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1993-06-09 | 1993-12-09 | 1994-06-10 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1997-06-09 | 1997-12-09 | 1998-06-10 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |