Plastic strand damper

Details Plastic strand damper Plastic strand damper

1999-06-08

2001-08-07

Schwartz, Christopher P. (Department: 3613)

Brakes

Internal-resistance motion retarder

Position of thrust member relative to chamber

Reexamination Certificate

active

06269919

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
This invention pertains to a damper, such as is used with a glove box of an automobile. The damper includes an integral assembly of a piston, a plastic strand and a fastener and further includes a damper housing forming a cylinder with an area of decreased internal diameter.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of an air cylinder damper device in combination with a monofilament element biased by a spring for use with a storage cabinet, such as an automobile glove box, is well known as illustrated by U.S. Pat. No. 5,333,845, entitled “Damper Device” and issued to Seiichi on August 2, 1994. An air damper is likewise illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,104,098 entitled “Cylinder Type Air Damper” and issued to Kaneko on Apr. 14, 1992.
However, the prior art designs have several disadvantages. Firstly, the prior art designs frequently require secondary fasteners to attach the damper to the panel. Secondly, the prior art designs have frequently utilized a monofilament element with loops formed at each end. Metal clasps are pinched onto the monofilament element at each end to form loops. One loop is attached to the piston and the other loop is attached to the glove box. In this design, the string must be cut to length and then the clasps are added. Moreover, string length will change or the loop will disengage completely if the string clasps become loose. Additionally, the prior art designs typically have an initial jump when the glove box is released.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a damper, such as for automobile glove box applications, which can be installed with minimal or no secondary fasteners.
It is therefore a further object of this invention to provide a damper, such as for automobile glove box applications, which has a reduced number of components.
It is therefore a still further object of this invention to provide a damper, such as for automobile glove box applications, wherein the length of the integral assembly including the piston, the strand and the fastener can be molded to a single length.
It is therefore a still further object of this invention to provide a damper, such as for automobile glove box applications, which provides a reliable engagement between the piston, the strand and the door, such as that of an automobile glove box.
It is therefore a still further object of this invention to provide a damper, such as for automobile glove box applications, which minimizes or eliminates the initial jump when the door, such as that of an automobile glove box, is initially opened.
These and other objects are attained by providing an air damper with a housing, a cap, a spring, and an integral assembly of a piston, a plastic strand and an attachment element. The integral assembly is typically molded from “nylon 6” material. The housing forms a cylinder through which the piston travels and further includes an integral fastener with opposed scythe-like hook structures to allow the housing to be “rocked-in” the panel without the use of separate secondary fasteners.
As the piston, strand and attachment element are molded as a single piece, this eliminates any need for a secondary monofilament element with loops and clasps which may fail. As the strand is molded to a fixed length, this fixes the distance from the piston to the attachment element. The attachment element further attaches to the glove box or an associated element.
The diameter of the cylinder formed within the damper housing is decreased near the closed end of the housing to increase friction between the piston discs and the housing when the air damper is in a closed or nearly closed position. This additional friction eliminates the initial jump otherwise frequently associated with air dampers.


REFERENCES:
patent: 3722920 (1973-03-01), Reese
patent: 5333845 (1994-08-01), Seiichi
patent: 5884734 (1999-03-01), Hiramoto

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