Claims
- 1. A socket assembly for a ball and socket coupling comprising a socket body having a ball-receiving socket which includes a cylindrical portion having a central axis, a pair of slots which extend through the socket body and open into the cylindrical portion of the socket at locations diametrically opposite each other and outwardly from the seated position of a ball received in the socket, each slot having a flat surface which generally faces the seated position of the ball and converges inwardly toward the axis of the cylindrical portion of the socket and thus lies obliquely to said axis, and a generally C-shaped spring clip received on the socket body, the clip having opposed end portions which extend through the slots in the socket body and part way into the socket far enough to engage .Iadd.the neck of .Iaddend.a ball received therein and prevent .[.it.]. .Iadd.the ball .Iaddend.from being pulled out of the socket and which lie generally obliquely to the axis of the socket.Iadd., the opposed end portions of said spring clip being spaced closer together when there is no ball within the socket than they are when there is a ball within the socket and said end portions are in engagement with said neck, whereby the end portions of said spring clip are expanded when there is a ball within the socket a distance such that both end portion remain in engagement with said neck during tilting movement of said neck and so as to be free-floating with respect to the surface of said socket body when there is no pull out load on said ball.Iaddend..
- 2. A socket assembly according to claim 1 wherein each end portion of the spring clip is convexly curved in profile relative to the flat surface of the slot receiving it.[., engages the neck of a ball in place in the socket.]. and, under pull-out load conditions.Iadd., .Iaddend.engages the flat surface at a location remote from the edge where the flat surface intersects the cylindrical portion of the socket.
- 3. A socket assembly according to claim 1 wherein the flat surface of each slot lies in a plane which intersects the socket axis at an angle of about 55.degree..
- 4. A socket assembly according to claim 3 wherein the planes in which the flat surfaces of the slots lie intersect each other at a line which intersects and lies perpendicular to the axis of the socket.
- 5. A socket assembly according to claim 1 wherein the socket body includes a pair of spaced-apart external flat faces which underlie the spring clip, and wherein the spring clip includes flat portions which resiliently engage the flat faces of the socket body when there is no ball in the socket, thus to keep the spring clip from turning during shipment and installation of the socket assembly on a ball.
- 6. A socket assembly according to claim 5 wherein the flat faces are symmetrically located adjacent the slots and are slightly convergent in a direction toward the end portions of the clip so that the clip tends to pull itself along the flat faces into a fully seated position. .Iadd. 7. A socket assembly for a ball and socket coupling comprising a socket body having a ball-receiving socket which includes a cylindrical portion having a central axis, a pair of slots which extend through the socket body and open into the cylindrical portion of the socket at locations diametrically opposite each other and outwardly from the seated position of a ball received in the socket, each slot having a flat surface which generally faces the seated position of the ball and converges inwardly toward the axis of the cylindrical portion of the socket and thus lies obliquely to said axis, and a generally C-shaped spring clip received on the socket body, the clip having opposed end portions which extend through the slots in the socket body and part way into the socket far enough to engage the neck of a ball received therein and prevent it from being pulled out of the socket and which lie generally obliquely to the axis of the socket, each end portion of the spring clip being convexly curved in profile relative to the flat surface of the slot receiving it and, under pull out load conditions, engages the flat surface at a location remote from the edge where the flat surface intersects the cylindrical portion of the socket. .Iaddend..Iadd. 8. A socket assembly according to claim 1 or 7 wherein the socket body is composed of plastic material. .Iaddend.
Parent Case Info
This is a continuation, of application Ser. No. 953,763, filed Oct. 23, 1978 now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (4)
Foreign Referenced Citations (10)
Number |
Date |
Country |
659600 |
Apr 1938 |
DE2 |
P.A. 025495 |
Jan 1965 |
DEX |
2043654 |
Mar 1972 |
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Nov 1973 |
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Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
953763 |
Oct 1978 |
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Reissues (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
049316 |
Jun 1979 |
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