Ball joint

{
  "publication_number": "US5626433A",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "A",
  "title": "Ball joint",
  "abstract": "A ball joint is formed of a joint device having a ball holder with a through hole, a plurality of ball abutting ribs projecting inwardly from an inner surface of the ball holder, a ring-shaped projecting stand formed at a lower part of the ball holder to extend along a periphery of the inner surface of the ball holder, a fitting ring disposed on the projecting stand, and a rotation preventing rib projecting inwardly from the inner surface of the ball holder. The fitting ring is elastically deformable and has a slit. The rotation preventing rib is placed in the slit of the fitting ring to thereby prevent the fitting ring from moving on the projecting stand. In the invention, a ball stud having a spherical fitting part can be reliably disposed between the fitting ring and the ball abutting ribs.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A combination comprising a ball joint and a strut bar, said ball joint comprising: a joint device including a ball holder, said ball holder having a through hole and an inner surface around the through hole, and a bar connecting part situated adjacent to the ball holder for connecting the ball holder to the strut bar, said bar connecting part having a hollow portion extending inwardly from a side portion thereof and an opening disposed at an upper surface thereof and communicating with the hollow portion, a plurality of ball abutting ribs projecting inwardly from the inner surface of the ball holder, a ring-shaped projecting stand formed at a lower part of the ball holder, said projecting stand extending along a periphery of the inner surface of the ball holder, a fitting ring disposed on said projecting stand, said fitting ring being-elastically deformable and having a slit, a ball stud having a spherical fitting part, said fitting part being disposed between the fitting ring and the ball abutting ribs, a rotation preventing rib projecting inwardly from the inner surface of the ball holder, said rotation preventing rib being placed in the slit of the fitting ring to thereby prevent the fitting ring from moving on the projecting stand, and a cap fitted in an upper surface of the joint device and having a ball holder closing part for closing the through hole of the ball holder and a fitting convex for fixing the strut bar to the bar connecting part.",
    "2. A combination according to claim 1, wherein said strut bar includes a fitting concave at a distal end thereof and is inserted into the hollow portion in the bar connecting part, said fitting convex of the cap having a concave so that when said strut bar is inserted into the connecting part through the hollow portion and said fitting convex is inserted into the connecting part through the opening, the concave of the fitting convex and the fitting concave are engaged with each other to thereby connect the strut bar and the joint device.",
    "3. A combination according to claim 2, wherein said ball abutting ribs and the rotation preventing rib extend along an axial direction of the through hole.",
    "4. A ball joint device for a ball stud with a spherical fitting part, comprising: a ball holder having a through hole and an inner surface around the through hole, a bar connecting part situated adjacent to the ball holder adapted to connect the ball holder to a strut bar, said bar connecting part having a hollow portion extending inwardly from a side portion thereof and an opening disposed at an upper surface thereof and communicating with the hollow portion, at least three ball abutting ribs projecting inwardly from the inner surface of the ball holder, a ring-shaped projecting stand formed at a lower part of the ball holder, said projecting stand extending along a periphery of the inner surface of the ball holder, a fitting ring disposed on said projecting stand, said fitting ring being elastically deformable and having a slit, a rotation preventing rib projecting inwardly from the inner surface of the ball holder, said rotation preventing rib being placed in the slit of the fitting ring to thereby prevent the fitting ring from moving on the projecting stand so that when the spherical fitting part of the ball stud is inserted into the through hole through the fitting ring, the fitting ring is held by the abutting ribs, and a cap fitted in an upper surface of the ball holder and having a ball holder closing part for closing the through hole of the ball holder and a fitting convex adapted to fix the strut bar to the bar connecting part.",
    "5. A ball joint comprising: a joint device having a ball holder, said ball holder having a cylindrical through hole and an inner surface around the through hole, at least three ball abutting ribs projecting inwardly from the inner surface of the ball holder, each ball abutting rib having a bottom surface and a curved side surface, a ring-shaped projecting stand formed at a lower part of the ball holder, said projecting stand extending along a periphery of the inner surface of the ball holder and spaced vertically downwardly away from the bottom surfaces of the ball abutting ribs, a fitting ring disposed on said projecting stand, said fitting ring being elastically deformable and having a slit, a ball stud having a spherical fitting part, said fitting part being disposed between the fitting ring on the projecting stand and the curved side surfaces of the ball abutting ribs, and a rotation preventing rib projecting inwardly from the inner surface of the ball holder, said rotation preventing rib extending upwardly from the projecting stand beyond the bottom surfaces of the ball abutting ribs and engaging the slit of the fitting ring so that the fitting ring is prevented from rotating laterally on the projecting stand, and said fitting ring is prevented from moving upwardly by the bottom surfaces of the at least three ball abutting ribs when the ball stud is installed in the joint device.",
    "6. A ball joint according to claim 5, further comprising a cap fitted in an upper surface of the ball holder for closing the upper surface of the ball holder.",
    "7. A ball joint according to claim 5, wherein said at least three ball abutting ribs are generally equally spaced apart from each other around the inner surface of the through hole parallel to a central axis thereof, and said rotation preventing rib being situated between two of the at least three ball abutting ribs.",
    "8. A ball joint according to claim 7, wherein said rotation preventing rib has the thickness less than that of each of the at least three ball abutting ribs and a linear side surface parallel to the central axis."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "The present invention relates to a ball joint, and more particularly, to a ball joint preferably used to connect a distal end of a support strut to a door, which operates to keep opening of a door, such as a back door of a hatchback vehicle or a mini-van, or a trunk door of a general automobile, such as a sedan.\n\nIn a back door of an automobile, such as a hatchback or a mini-van, or a trunk door of a general automobile, such as a sedan, as shown in FIG. 11, support struts b for keeping a door a (in FIG. 11, a back door of a hatchback is shown) open in opening the door a are attached. In this case, since a connecting part between a distal end of the strut bar d of the support strut b and the door a is subjected to a very complicated movement by opening and closing operations of the door a, in order to sufficiently correspond to the complicated movement, a ball joint c is generally used for connecting the strut bar d with the door a.\n\nConventionally, as the ball joint c, a ball joint as shown in FIG. 12 has been proposed (Japanese Patent Publication (KOKAI) No. 6-272710). Namely, in this ball joint, as shown in FIG. 12, a joint device f having a substantially cylindrical ball holder e is attached to a distal end of a strut bar d, and a spherical fitting part h of a ball stud g attached to the door a is inserted into an elastically deformable C-shaped fitting ring j disposed in the ball holder e of the joint device f. Then, an upper surface of the ball holder e is closed by a cap i.",
  "cpc": [
    "F16C 11/069",
    "F16C 11/0657",
    "F16C 11/0695",
    "F16C 2361/53",
    "F16C 7/02",
    "Y10T 403/32196",
    "Y10T 403/32631",
    "Y10T 403/32737",
    "Y10T 403/32786",
    "Y10T 403/32803"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "F16C 11/06",
    "F16C 7/02"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "Nifco Inc"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Takashi Iwamoto"
  ],
  "filing_date": "1996-03-04",
  "publication_date": "1997-05-06",
  "grant_date": "1997-05-06",
  "priority_date": "1995-04-25",
  "application_number": "US-61019196-A",
  "family_id": "14882965",
  "cited_by_count": 34,
  "citations": [
    "US4084913A",
    "US4435101A",
    "GB2109454A",
    "US4568216A",
    "GB2123479A",
    "JPS58221012A",
    "DE3308457A1",
    "US4601603A",
    "US5372446A",
    "JPH06272710A",
    "GB2290826A"
  ]
}