Patent ID: 9631693
Date: 2017-04-25
CPC Classifications: B60G,B61F,B61H,F16F

Claim:
1. A gas spring assembly comprising: a flexible wall having a longitudinal axis and extending peripherally about said longitudinal axis between a first end and a second end spaced longitudinally from said first end, said flexible wall including an inner surface and an outer surface with said inner surface at least partially defining a spring chamber; and, a lateral support element including an element wall with a first surface facing away from said flexible wall and a second surface facing toward said flexible wall, said lateral support element disposed along said first end of said flexible wall such that an interface is formed between said outer surface of said flexible wall and said second surface of said lateral support element, said interface operative to generate a lateral spring-rate profile that varies according to lateral displacement of said flexible wall and said lateral support element relative to one another, said second surface of said lateral support element having a reference plane disposed transverse to said longitudinal axis and including a cross-sectional profile extending from an inner profile endpoint to an outer profile endpoint, said cross-sectional profile including: