|
|
Home :: Company Information :: Patents
Continental Design & Engineering Patents
Vehicle Headlamp Adjuster Ball and Socket Assembly
United States Patent
Nagengast et al. |
Patent Number: 5,360,282
Date of Patent: May 23, 1989 |
| VEHICLE HEADLAMP ADJUSTER BALL AND SOCKET ASSEMBLY |
| Inventors: |
William E. Nagengast; Leslie H. Hallgarth; Brian E. Witte, all of Anderson; Paul E. Young, Jr., Muncie, all of Ind. |
| Assignee: |
General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich. |
| Appl. No.: |
181136 |
| Filed: |
January 13, 1994 |
| Int. Class: |
F21V 30/00; F16C 11/05 |
| U.S. Class: |
403/131; 403/130; 403/122; 403/119 |
| Field of Search: |
403/122, 121, 119; 362/66, 428 |
References Cited
U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS |
| 2230853 |
February 1941 |
Wells |
403/131 |
| 2859060 |
November 1958 |
Davies et al. |
403/131 |
| 3862807 |
January 1975 |
Doden et al. |
403/131 |
| 4707769 |
November 1987 |
Van Duyn |
403/131 |
| 4707770 |
November 1987 |
Van Duyn |
403/131 |
| 4707771 |
November 1987 |
Van Duyn |
362/66 |
| 4769958 |
July 1987 |
Mizusawa et al. |
362/66 |
| 4889356 |
December 1989 |
Morris |
403/131 |
|
| 4904107 |
February 1990 |
Fukukawa et al. |
403/131 |
| 5153976 |
October 1992 |
Bechaar et al. |
403/131 |
Primary Examiner- Randolph A. Reese
Assistant Examiner- Anthony Knight
Attorney, Agent, or Firm- Ernest E. Helms |
Abstract
A ball and socket joint arrangement for mounting a vehicle headlamp assembly to a vehicle
is provided which in a preferred embodiment includes a body connected with the headlamp assembly and having
an interior spheroid aperture intersected by first and second apertures with a plug in the second aperture,
a portion of the plug forming the spheroid aperture; a ball for pivotally mounting within the body spheroid
aperture having pivotal motion on at least two axes, the ball having a bore generally aligned with the first
aperture and a circumferential groove, the circumferential groove forming a slot with the bore in two
geometrically spaced locations; a rod connected with the vehicle for insertion into the bore of the ball
and having a circumferential groove aligned with the circumferential groove of the ball; and an omega spring
mounted within the circumferential groove of the ball retaining the rod to the ball after insertion of the
rod into the bore of the ball by projecting into the slot of the ball and locating within the circumferential
groove of the rod.
7 Claims, 3 Drawing Sheets |
|
Please click here to go to the US Patent Office Website to see the full patent.
|
