Claims
- 1. A shape-adjusting mechanism comprising:
- a pair of supports spaced-apart along a predetermined axis; and
- a resilient axial rib having one end fixed to one of the supports and an opposite end fixed to the other of the supports and comprising a lengthwise strap and reinforcing flanges bent from opposing sides of the axial rib and oriented transverse to the strap thereby to define lengthwise sections with different bending resistances in a predetermined direction as the supports are displaced axially towards one another.
- 2. The shape-adjusting mechanism of claim 1 wherein the axial rib comprises one lengthwise section of relatively low bending resistance extending from the one support toward the other support and another lengthwise section of relatively high bending resistance extending from the other support toward the one support and meeting the one lengthwise section centrally between the supports such that the flexing of the axial rib is more pronounced proximate to the one support.
- 3. The shape-adjusting mechanism of claim 1 wherein the lengthwise sections comprise a pair of spaced apart lengthwise sections of relatively low bending resistance in the predetermined direction and another lengthwise section of relatively high bending resistance in the predetermined direction located between the pair of lengthwise sections of relatively low bending resistance.
- 4. The shape-adjusting mechanism of claim 1 wherein the lengthwise sections comprise one lengthwise section stamped with one uniform transverse cross-section and another lengthwise section stamped with another uniform transverse cross-section, the one cross-section selected to impart greater structural rigidity to the one lengthwise section than the other cross-section imparts to the other lengthwise section.
- 5. The shape-adjusting mechanism as recited in claim 1 further comprising:
- means operable to displace the supports axially relative to one another thereby to flex the axial rib.
Parent Case Info
This is a continuation of application(s) Ser. No. 09/143,108 filed on Aug. 28, 1998 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,036,265.
US Referenced Citations (27)
Foreign Referenced Citations (5)
Number |
Date |
Country |
2040794 |
Jul 1971 |
DEX |
2345254 |
Apr 1974 |
DEX |
2804703 |
Aug 1979 |
DEX |
587924 |
Jan 1978 |
SUX |
2013487 |
Aug 1979 |
GBX |
Continuations (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
143108 |
Aug 1998 |
|