Patent ID: 11859657
Assignee: FEDERAL-MOGUL MOTORPARTS LLC
Field: Mechanical elements (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B  F  Y | IPC F

Claim 12:
13. A ball socket assembly, comprising:
a housing having an inner bore extending along a longitudinal housing axis between open and closed ends of the housing;
a ball stud including a ball portion which is received in said inner bore;
an exit bearing supporting said ball stud and positioned in said inner bore adjacent said open end, said exit bearing including a plastic piece and a metal piece in an overmolded connection with one another;
said housing being deformed adjacent said at least one open end to capture said exit bearing within said inner bore;
said plastic piece of said exit bearing presenting a bearing surface which is in slidable contact with said ball portion of said ball stud; and
said metal piece having a frustum shape and, as viewed in cross-section, said metal piece extending perpendicularly to at least a portion of a surface-to-surface contact location between said bearing surface of said plastic piece and said ball portion of said ball stud for reinforcing said plastic piece to transfer increased forces between said ball stud and said housing and wherein the frustum shape is tapering inward toward the housing axis from a wide end thereof adjacent the opened end to a narrow end axially inward and closer to the housing axis.