Constrained hermaphroditie ball and socket hinge joint
US5745952A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 2, 1996 |
| Grant date | May 5, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 2, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10T403/32737
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A hermaphroditic ball and socket joint permits a ball to rotate freely within a socket within constrained bounds. The socket resides within a housing that has an exterior surface having a rotational axis of symmetry passing through the center of the socket. A channel connects the socket to the exterior surface. The ball extends from a member having a collar which partially enshrouds the ball and which has an inside surface that is substantially identical to the exterior surface of the socket housing and which has an axis of rotational symmetry passing through the center of the ball. The free rotation of the ball in the socket is constrained by the restricted movement of the member through the channel and the restricted rotation of the collar around the exterior surface of the housing.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.